The RedFly - Extending the Possibilities

The RedFly arrived just before I was heading out to Seattle to attend the Microsoft MVP Summit and I thought that I would start the written part of my review of the RedFly in a real situation where it might be reasonably used. So this review was started as I was flying with Steve “fyiguy” Hughes out to Redmond for the Microsoft MVP summit. I thought it might be a neat way to see how easy it was to use and to see if it performed to the level of expectation that I had.

So what is the RedFly?

Let me answer that by first saying that most of us have a laptop or a tablet that we use to store and work on a variety of business or personal tasks. I use both and I use them every day but truth be told, the ability to have instant on with a Pocket PC device for looking at, working on or sharing documents with a colleague is a huge advantage.

A Pocket PC can have and several do have “laptop power” but their size does introduce huge limitations in what you want to accomplish. Celio Corporation has bridged that gap with the introduction of the RedFly, a device that can extend the possibilities of your handheld to have the most important features of a laptop, a keyboard, a usable screen and the ability to use a mouse. In addition, the RedFly has VGA output, access to a USB Flash drive and with its battery, it will charge your handheld via USB while you are using it.

When did I first get introduced to the RedFly?

A couple of months ago I was fortunate to have a luncheon meeting with the folks from Celio Corporation where I got to see a full demonstration and used the RedFly. I was immediately impressed with the device because of what I could envision the possibilities for my use but more importantly I could see its power for someone in a sales force. The ability to not only create and/or edit documents easily but more importantly to make impromptu presentations is huge.

Imagine going out on a sales call, having a document or Power Point presentation on your mobile device and to instantaneously display it to whomever you are meeting with on the larger screen. The possibilities are endless!

What does it look like?

It is a pretty neat looking device not much smaller than my Sony VaioTX. The maroon color has an added attraction with a metallic flake giving a rich appearance. The outer skin is that rubberized finish that we are used to seeing in our automobiles and are now starting to see on many of our devices. I like it because it has a nice feel as well as scratch and fingerprint resistant.

Looking at the top of the RedFly, it has a very professional appearance with a subtle white logo centered on a raised portion of the outer cover. The front of the device has a slight indentation below the top cover allowing for your thumb to easily open the device for use. When you open the device, there are two hinges attaching the screen to the base of the RedFly. It is a very stable attachment and opens easily.

On the right side you find the power switch and two very tiny LEDs that indicate when power is on and if the AC charger is functioning. The left side and the bottom of the device have no additional component functions.

The rear of the RedFly has four built-in functions for the device. From left to right you find the AC input, two USB ports and a VGA output. There is a 9 volt 2 amp AC power pack that is supplied. I was pleased with its quality; certainly consistent with the overall quality of the entire package.

The keyboard is smaller than a standard keyboard and takes some getting used to but in a short period of time it is easily adapted to.

I did use a USB mouse when I was working for longer periods of time but for short 10 -20 minutes spurts, I found the rectangular trackpad excellent to use.

The top row of the keyboard has function keys that perform the following tasks:

• F1 Home: This key opens your Today screen.
• F2 Mail: This key opens Messaging.
• F3 Web: This opens Internet Explorer.
• F4 Send: Acts like the Send key on your smartphone
• F5 End: Acts like the End key on your smartphone.
• F6 L Menu: Activates the current application’s left menu or option.
• F7 R Menu: Activates the current application’s right menu or option.
• F8 OK: Selects an onscreen option, change, or preference like the OK key on your phone.
• F9/F10 Brightness Decrease/Increase: F9 dims and F10 brightens your REDFLY display.
• F11 External Monitor: Opens the REDFLY Display menu. You can then select to use a projector or both the REDFLY screen and a projector connected to the VGA port.
• F12 Bluetooth: This key activates or deactivates the REDFLY’s Bluetooth connection with your phone.
• REDFLY: This key brings up the REDFLY Settings screen

There is an added feature with User-Definable Hot Keys.  Function keys F1-F3 (Home, Mail and Web) can be programmed for the applications you want to launch from the REDFLY.  It is easily done by using the Key Map tab in RedFly Settings.

Over the air installation

Because I was already familiar with the RedFly, I did not have that same anticipation of “what will it look like” when I opened the box nor did have any anticipation about how well it would perform because I knew it would do a fine job from my first experience but on the other side of the coin, since I knew already what the experience would be like, I was anxious to see just how easy it was to setup and how well it performed on the road on a daily basis. In addition, I wanted to know how well it would work with different devices. For this review I used the JasJar, Cingular 8525 and the Palm 750 over a three week period. I was hoping to use the Motorola Q9m but those drivers were not ready at the time of this review.

(front of Quick start guide)

(Back of quick start guide)

(install page at Celio)

When I opened the package, there was a user manual, a quick start guide and a sheet of paper that told me where and how to download the drivers needed. I chose to download the drivers over the air directly to my device. The download was fast (only 245KB) and the install was very quick. As soon as that was completed, a reset of the phone was needed to get it all ready to go.

(Palm 750)

Once my phone was reset, I turned on the RedFly and connected it to my device with a USB cable. It automatically detected the connection with a notification that it was connecting via USB, acquiring address. During the connection, the screen on my device switched off and the display and keyboard functions on the REDFLY became active. Total time for the install to actively using the RedFly was a couple of minutes … very impressive and the experience was very easy. The REDFLY has a system tray that appears in the lower right corner of the screen. Prior to the connection it showed that the device was not connected. Once it was connected it showed the connection with a USB icon. So for the next hour or so I was surfing the net and playing with a variety of functions of my device with the RedFly.

Connectivity Options

You have several options for connectivity with the RedFly. Your device can connect via USB cable as well as Bluetooth. There is a distinct advantage to both depending on the situation you are in. If you were working on a creating or editing a file that may take some time, by attaching your handheld with a USB cable, you get to work on the file but the battery of the RedFly will keep your device topped off with power…. I like that! And of course, if you want to give a demo or just need to check something, connecting with Bluetooth is fast and easy.

A real nice feature is having the ability to connect to an external monitor or projector. If you want to make a presentation to a large group, it is very easy to do. I did find that it was easier and had faster transitions in a slide show to have it connected via USB cable. Keep in mind that this is still in beta and I would expect the final release to be significantly more responsive.

Setting up the Bluetooth connection

Bluetooth is a great way to connect especially if you have a need to show something quickly to a client or you want to type a long email and send it off quickly. So how was the pairing process and is it easy to connect? You bet it was!

With my device connected to the RedFly via USB, I pressed the REDFLY key to open the REDFLY Settings screen. In the Bluetooth tab, the Currently Connected REDFLY address box showed my connected device via USB. I then Clicked on the Authorize button and then disconnected the USB cable.

I set the “When a RedFly attempts to connect” to connect automatically. Now the best part, I just pressed the Bluetooth button on the RedFly keyboard and the REDFLY automatically started the Bluetooth connection. It was that simple! What was even cooler than that was I had three devices paired. I could quickly go between devices by pressing the Bluetooth button to first turn off the connected device than press it a second time to pick the next device. It took seconds to switch between any of the devices.

I like using Bluetooth and for the most part, the connections were fast and stable. I found entering text to be a breeze but for anything that required more memory like browsing the internet or doing a slide presentation, the USB connection was the better choice. I expect that they will improve on the reliability of the Bluetooth connection and the final release will be significantly more responsive.

RedFly Settings

The following are the tabs found under Settings for the RedFly.  I did try some adjustments to the settings but I was happy with the default setting and did not make any permanent changes.

What programs to try first?

Certainly the hope is to be able to use all of your programs seamlessly on the RedFly but at this point in time there are a few that don’t work as well as you would hope but the key programs work almost flawlessly.

After connecting the first time I immediately started Word Mobile and as you might expect, it was an awesome experience. The responsiveness of the RedFly was just terrific.

My next attempt was to check and reply to my email. I was very pleased with this feature. I found that it was easy to read and respond to those that I needed to.

My guess is that most users will find this to be a perfect companion for entering text for long documents or emails. Certainly the ease of typing on a larger keyboard is a big advantage but it did take a little time to get used to the size of the keys. A few mistakes and a little adaptation to typing style had me entering text easily.

So text entry was excellent. Although I do not use spreadsheets on a regular basis anymore, I did try working on a spreadsheet and was genuinely pleased with the ability to create and edit files. I can see this one feature being a plus for those that use large spreadsheets on a continual basis.

The Internet experience was next on the list and surprisingly, I was very pleased with the results. I could surf easily and most sites rendered wonderfully from the small screen to the larger RedFly screen. Of course, Mobilitysite was fast and perfect because it recognizes that you are using a mobile device.

(Astraware Bejeweled 2 on Palm 750)

(Astraware Cubis on Palm 750)

(JasJar Solitaire)

And of course if you have that desire to play a game or two, many of the games I have did play and a few did not. Surprisingly, BubbleBreaker played nicely from my JasJar but would not render correctly from my 8525 or Treo 750. At this point in time, it really is not a gaming machine nor would I expect it to be.

(JasJar with BubbleBreaker)

(Palm 750 with BubbleBreaker)

Google Maps and Live Search worked well but I can’t imagine using it while driving. My experience showed that Google maps rendered fast (significantly better than Live Search maps).

Connecting to an External Device

Connecting to an external device is easy and you have the option on how you wish to view your presentation.  In the following pictures, I had it set to display on both the RedFly and on a large screen TV.

Pressing the F11 key brings up a screen to choose how you want to display to your external device

(Today screen of the Palm 750)

(Programs on Palm 750)

(Celio Corp website)

The Experience

I have to say that I found using the RedFly over the past three weeks to be a pretty neat experience. I mainly used it for writing and email but did on several occasions use it for displaying pictures to a large group. I can see its benefit for folks on the road that have quick presentations that they need to make or have a need for creating text entry at a significantly more comfortable manner.

(Cingular 8525)

Battery life for the use of the device has been extraordinary and the ability to charge your device while tethered has been a huge plus. I found that my usage never exceeded 3 hours a day and there was always ample power. As always,  individual use will produce different results.

There are a lot of pluses for having this device.  The ability to turn it on and connect your device to it in just seconds for that impromptu meeting can prove to be a valuable resource to have at the ready.  It is affordable (MSRP $499) but probably would be more enticing to the business community if the price point was at $399.  There is no worry of sensitive data being lost, there is no IT support needed and up to five users (or 5 devices) can be paired with it.  An d of course, there is no training involved; just turn it on and go!  I expect that by the time the final release is ready, some of the little idiosyncrasies in screen rendering for some programs will be addressed.

(The entire text of this review was entered using the RedFly)

At this time, the supported phones will be:

• AT&T Tilt
• Sprint Mogul
• Verizon XV6800
• Sprint 700 w/wx
• Verizon 700 w/wx
• AT&T Treo 750
• Verizon SCH-i760
• Sprint Touch
• T-Mobile Wing
• T-Mobile Dash
• AT&T MOTO Q
• AT&T MOTO Q 9h
• Sprint MOTO Q
• Sprint MOTO Q 9c
• Verizon MOTO Q 9m
• AT&T Black Jack
• AT&T Black Jack II

And there will be more coming soon!

Mobile Companion System Specifications

Product Name and Model Number            REDFLY Mobile Companion C8< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

Size                                                      1 x 6 x 9 inches

Weight                                                  2.0 lbs.

Battery Life                                           8 Hours under normal use via USB

Display Size                                           8 inch diagonal wide screen

Display Resolution                                  800 x 480

VGA Display Output                                800 x 480

Keyboard                                              8.3 inch 80-key QWERTY keyboard

Touchpad                                              1.0 x 2.9 inches

Special Fn keys                                      Fn buttons are hot-keys for phone control

(i.e. send, end, OK, esc, left menu, right menu, etc)

Operating System Compatibility               Windows Mobile 5.0

(Pocket PC and Smartphone editions)

Windows Mobile 6.0

(Professional and Standard editions)

More operating system compatibility to be announced

See tested smartphone list at www.celiocorp.com/smartphone

Application Compatibility                         Applications and data from the smartphone appear on the REDFLY enabled display

Ports and Connectors                              VGA port, 2 high speed USB 2.0 ports, AC power connector

Smartphone Connection via Bluetooth      Bluetooth 2.0 EDR (compatible with Bluetooth 1.0, 2.0)

Smartphone Connection via USB             Use USB cable included with smartphone

Smartphone Charger via USB                  Able to charge smartphones via USB

(as supported by phone)

USB Flash Drive Compatibility                 Standard USB Flash Drives

(Drives appear on smartphone file system)

USB Keyboard Compatibility                    Standard USB Keyboards

USB Mouse Compatibility                        Standard USB Mice

AC Power Charger                                  AC Power Adapter Input:

90 – 264VAC, 47 – 63 Hz, Output: 9VDC, 2.5A

Operating Temperature                          0 degree C min (32 degrees F),

55 degress C max (131 degrees F)

Regulatory                                             Regulatory FCC, CE, CSA, RoHS Compliant

You can find more information about the Celio RedFly here

Written by Jack Cook · Filed Under Accessories, Mobilitysite Reviews 
Tagged: Celio Corporation, Mobile companion, RedFly, Windows Mobile

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