When I did my first InkShow on the Celio Redfly, I got a lot of questions about the extended capabilities of the Redfly, especially the video and the USB. In this InkShow, I go over using the USB ports to add a USB flash drive and using the external VGA port to extend the video to a projector.

What I was not able to do was to play video. This is not necessarily the Redfly's fault. The AT&T Tilt phone that I was using with the Redfly was having issues with playing video - none of the codecs seemed to be installed properly. I spoke with the Redfly technical support and they said that there are plans to update the Redfly website with information regarding which phones support which features on the Redfly. This should certainly help.

I've wanted to get my hands on a REDFLY by Celio Corp since I saw their booth at CES. My chance has finally arrived! I've been really impressed with the overall build quality and general usefulness of the Redfly. In the video you can see how easy it really is to attach a Windows Mobile phone to the Redfly, both via USB and via Bluetooth, and surf the web or edit docs. Since these are the primary tasks that many mobile users have for a full laptop, I love having the ability to harness the power of my Windows Mobile phone to do it instead of using a full laptop.

While the Redfly is squarely targeted at enterprise IT departments, it's an attractive device that could have much broader utility once the price point comes down to consumer range. By adding 2 USB ports and a VGA port to the overall Windows Mobile phone package, Celio has created a compelling platform combination that will fill many mobile users requirements. For companies that already deploy WinMo phones, the lower total cost of ownership versus a full laptop will make many IT managers very happy indeed - no additional software, limited additional support, and no additional security holes.

I've been waiting impatiently to get my hands on the Celio Corp. Redfly. After seeing this device at CES, I got the opportunity to interview Kirt Bailey, CEO of Celio Corp, and Brad Warnock, VP of Marketing, and learn more about the features of the Windows Mobile companion device. (If you missed the series, you can go back and read the Overview, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in the archives.)

While the REDFLY is definitely being marketed as an enterprise device, it should appeal to many users. I covered the hardware basics before, but fundamentally, this is a small clamshell device with an 8-inch screen, touch-typable keyboard, touch pad mouse, Bluetooth, 2 USB ports, and VGA out. No processor, no memory, no hard drive. It connects either via USB or Bluetooth to a Windows Mobile phone and extends the experience of your WinMo phone to a more usable interface then the little 2-3 inch screen provides.

My initial impression - this is a very well made device. It feels solid, much more so than I would expect from something this size and just 2 lbs. Connection with the phone (an AT&T Tilt) was quick and painless and the refresh rate seems quite reasonable. I've only started playing with it so far, but I plan to do some real testing over the next few days.

What do you want to know about this new category of device? I do plan to do an InkShow on this as soon as I'm more familiar with it, but your questions will help to guide me as I look into the Redfly.

As I eagerly await getting to try out the REDFLY Mobile Companion from Celio Corp, I'm watching all of the news closely. Celio sent out a press release earlier today that is quite exciting. They're announcing a partnership with Enterprise Mobile, the full-service company focused on developing, delivering and managing enterprise solutions based on the Windows Mobile® platform.

As I talked about in my series covering my interview with Kirt Bailey, CEO of Celio, and Brad Warnock, VP of Marketing, Celio is targeting the enterprise almost entirely for its initial release of the REDFLY, so this seems like a particularly fortuitous pairing. Enterprise Mobile will provide sales, marketing, deployment, and customer support for enterprise customers of REDFLY. That should give many risk-averse enterprise customers a sense of security and familiarity.

The guys at jkOnTheRun have been having a lot of fun with the REDFLY as their latest Mobile Tech Roundup podcast shows. I look forward to getting one and doing an InkShow!

A few weeks ago, I did a series of posts on the REDFLY from Celio Corporation. While I anxiously await my promised review unit, I've been reading James and Kevin's experiences over at jkOnTheRun. They seem to be as impressed with the actual units as I hoped. The thrill of the concept isn't always translated into reality, but it appears in this case that the REDFLY may really be as interesting a device as it seemed on paper and at CES.

I hope to have my own greedy hands on one of these units shortly and I'll of course be posting my own impressions then. Until that time, I'll make due reading the great tag-team coverage from James and Kevin.

Read James' Impressions

Read Kevin's Experiences

As the final installment in this series, I'll take a look at the target markets, availability, and my first impressions of the Celio REDFLY usage concept.

Target Market

As previously mentioned, the REDFLY is not being initially targeted at consumers. The targets are vertical markets and businesses. Considering the price point of $499, this target is necessary, since most consumers won't spend that kind of money on something that doesn't even have a processor.

To be fair, though, this strategy also makes sense based on the usage models, covered in Part 2 of this series. Most of the applications available for the Windows Mobile phone are more oriented towards business users, like email and office applications. Sure, consumers use those functions also, but they're more likely to just buy another device. Consumers don't worry about the technical support aspects of computer hardware.

Usage models! The most important aspect of any device is not its technical specifications, blasphemy as that may seem. The most important aspect is whether it does what I need it to do. The problem is not the 800MHz Pentium 3 in my old laptop - the problem is that it won't run the software I need. But if I install a small Linux distribution, I suddenly have a useful system again. It fulfills my usage models once more.

When I was talking with Kirt Bailey, President and CEO of Celio Corporation, and Brad Warnock, VP of Marketing, we talked a lot about how the features and capabilities of the REDFLY translate into usage models that really make sense to me.

Let's look at the Celio REDFLY and how it would change some of my daily tasks.

Fundamentally, the REDFLY is an 8 inch screen and a slightly reduced size keyboard. There is no processor, no memory, and nothing to configure. And this is its strength.

The REDFLY is truly a mobile companion. You must have a compatible Windows Mobile 5 or WM6 phone for it to pair to for this to be a functional device. The REDFLY connects via USB or Bluetooth and extends the functionality inherent in your phone to a screen and keyboard that are fully usable. By doing this, you can keep the same REDFLY and switch phones to your heart's content. You also don't have to sync your data with yet another device. Considering how much time I spend syncing data between devices, this is a major benefit.

I got the opportunity to meet with Kirt Bailey, President and CEO of Celio Corporation, and Brad Warnock, VP of Marketing, to discuss the new REDFLY Mobile Companion. I came across this intriguing device at CES and I've been following it closely.

I got so much good information from talking to Kirt and Brad that I can't fit it all in one post, so I'll be doing a short series over the next week.

Part 1: The device itself - technical specifications, form factor, supported platforms, etc.

Part 2: Usage models

Part 3: Target markets, availability, and my first impressions of the idea

Stay tuned for more info on the Celio REDFLY!