01-11-2008, 09:00 PM
|
|
|
01-11-2008, 10:06 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 107
|
|
Kirt claims a 9000mA battery? What does that mean? 9000mAH? That translates to 9AH. I'll have to see that verified before I believe it. If his spec of an 8 hour battery life is true that is impressive, but if the battery is of the capacity he stated it's going to take a while to charge it back up.
The way it resizes the resolution for apps could be problematic. Although the way it handles Excel Mobile looks nice. If Softmaker's WinMo suite translates over the to the Redfly's screen they might be on to something.
It will be interesting to see how hackable the Redfly is. I could see someone hacking up a driver for Windows XP and turning it into a BT console for a desktop or server.
Boo on Jason for not grilling Kirt on what his why anyone should pick this product over an EeePC. The question comparing the Redfly to a full laptop makes little sense.
So, why buy one of these over an EeePC?
- Battery life that may possibly be better than any subnote on the market.
- The ability to work directly with the files stored on the PPC with a full keyboard without sacrificing an ActiveSync relationship.
- One less full-blown computer system to manage.
Why buy an EeePC instead?
- You can access the internet via standard apps instead of scaled down stuff
- You can work on your files in their native apps if they'll fit on the Eee (OpenOffice or , if XP is installed, MS Office).
- The Eee is more flexible for handling the different remote access methods (VPN, Juniper, CSG, etc).
- You can rip DVD's to a Eee and play them back at full screen
- I could think of a plenty more.
I still don't know about the Redfly. From my experience supporting non-technical users, I suspect most WinMo users out there don't know a quarter of what their devices are capable of. They know how to get their email on it, keep a calendar and address book, make phone calls, but don't really understand that it can do much more. When they really want to do work they automatically think of pulling out the laptop. The geek set will look at the Redfly, then look at the Eee, and go for the Eee.
Seems to me you'd have to be a hard-core PPC nut who spends a lot of time away from AC outlets to want to spring for a Redfly. Remote field workers come to mind.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-11-2008, 10:23 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 107
|
|
Okay, I just reminded myself on the capacities of modern laptop batteries. His claim of 9000mAH is probably pretty accurate. Never mind.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-11-2008, 10:41 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 197
|
|
SoftMaker's suite worked fine on VGA screens before WM2003SE and I can't see why they would have changed the dynamic screen extents sensing. So, I think it would work on a REDFLY as well.
The REDFLY does look like an enterprise niche device to me. I could see it in warehouse and other inventory operations where the data could be gathered on location and then taken to a common filing/reporting station with a REDFLY attached to some large storage devices and/or a network. I could also see something like the REDFLY in a shop that provides WM devices to their work force. They could buy a few of these that people could use when there's a need. That's far easier to do than buying laptops and dealing with all the multiple synch situations that would ensue. Actually most "thin-client" applications could work reasonably well with a REDFLY-type setup. Still, the only way this makes sense is to use a single REDFLY with multiple MW devices.
__________________
HTC HD2 US (unlocked) + 16GB micro SDHC (in holding)
HTC Evo + 16GB micro SDHC (in use)
|
| |
|
|
|
01-11-2008, 10:53 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 31
|
|
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see a big problem using this with vga or wvga devices that use the double resolution graphics.
The Tytn II used in the demo has a qvga (320x240) screen. Translate that to the RedFly's 800x480 and you get a great result: low-res (i.e. small) top and bottom bars, fonts and graphics on a big screen give you lots of space to display information.
Take, on the other hand, my Toshiba g900 which has the same resolution as the RedFly (wvga, 800x480) on a much smaller screen. I'm afraid the RedFly will not be able to substitute its high resolution fonts and graphics with low-res ones. It will just display exactly the same screen as my g900 would, only bigger. Result: huge fonts, graphics and toolbars.
The only solution would be to use "realvga" software on your device, but that kinda complicates the "plug and play" lure of the RedFly. You can't easily toggle between different resolution modes; it usually involves a soft reset, many programs use vga- or qvga-specific themes that would need to be switched etc.
Too bad, because that demo actually made the RedFly look interesting, especially the Excel Mobile part. For qvga users only, I guess.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-12-2008, 02:14 AM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 87
|
|
Myself (gadget geek) I just can't see myself buying this device over my eeePC, it has some advantages but not enugh to outweigh the advantages of the eeePC for me..
At work (corporate environment) it has promise but still not everyone uses WM phones, I think we are going to be buying quiet a few eeePCs to give people portable computers when out of the office(instead of laptops), this device just isn't quiet right for that situation, as they want to use VPN and windows apps not WM apps...
Cool device, but just overpriced IMO when compared to the hardware in an eeePC, and really only practical for a rather small niche group..
|
| |
|
|
|
01-12-2008, 03:10 AM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 197
|
|
RobrechtV: I'm not sure I understand what you're thinking. It looks to me that the REDFLY's rendering routine essentially fools the device into thinking it has a much larger screen (which it does on the REDFLY). I don't see how the resolution of the WM device would matter at all.
__________________
HTC HD2 US (unlocked) + 16GB micro SDHC (in holding)
HTC Evo + 16GB micro SDHC (in use)
|
| |
|
|
|
01-12-2008, 09:43 AM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 31
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Russ Smith
RobrechtV: I'm not sure I understand what you're thinking. It looks to me that the REDFLY's rendering routine essentially fools the device into thinking it has a much larger screen (which it does on the REDFLY). I don't see how the resolution of the WM device would matter at all.
|
Well, because on the vga models every graphical element and font is double the height and width (resolution wise). If an icon is 16x16 pixels on a qvga device, a vga device will have a 32x32 version of that icon. In practice, however, vga and qvga screens are more or less the same physical size (because the pixels are much smaller on vga screens) so the higher resolution translates to sharper, not larger graphics.
Now the RedFly's screen is larger and has a higher pixel count than a qvga device, but compared to the Toshiba g900, its pixel count is the same (800x480). So it will be able to fit exactly the same info on that screen as the g900, only a lot bigger (because the RedFly's pixels are larger). The icons will be 32x32, not 16x16 like those from a qvga phone. Same goes for fonts and toolbars. You won't have more space to fit information, just a display for the visually impaired... 
If you want to see what I mean, just compare screenshots from a qvga and a vga device side by side on your desktop monitor.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-12-2008, 03:35 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 144
|
|
Did anyone attending the show see how an internet browser is rendered? Is it resized as Excel was? Opera specifically, but the question is equally applicable to PIE as well.
After seeing the demo, I this device has potential. There are those occasions where you're in meeting or just out of the office and having the flexibility to use the extra workspace comes in handy.
Thanks.
|
| |
|
|
|
01-12-2008, 03:48 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 148
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Russ Smith
The REDFLY does look like an enterprise niche device to me.
|
That's exactly what it's going to be, and it seems to me this is Celio business plan.
What it comes down to is that this device doesn't make much sense for most consumers because to you a $500 laptop costs $500, while to a large company a $500 laptop costs, on average, $3,900 each and every year in software, upgrades, repairs, training, etc.
The Mobile Companion, on the other hand, will have a far lower TCO because it doesn't have the overhead of a laptop.
I think this product makes a great deal of sense for companies who have already setup their executives, salespeople, etc. with WM smartphones, or are thinking about doing so.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
CES 2008: Interview & Demo of the REDFLY Mobile Companion
Linear Mode
