RedFly helps smartphone users do real work

The RedFly used for this review was a preproduction prototype -- the product will be introduced in April through Celio's Web site and Enterprise Mobile, a systems integrator specializing in Windows Mobile. The RedFly supports both Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0, and it has so far been tested with AT&T's HTC Tilt, Sprint's Palm Treo 700w /wx and HTC Mogul, Verizon's Palm Treo 700w/wx, the Samsung SCH-i760 and the HTC XV6800.

The drawbacks

In our tests, the RedFly mostly succeeded in moving the experience of using a smartphone toward that of working on a laptop.

However, there are some drawbacks, most of which result from the fact that, no matter how much the RedFly makes a smartphone work like a laptop, you're still depending on a phone and its limited processor, operating system, applications and storage.

Web surfing is one example. The good news is RedFly provides a 800-by-480 screen and keyboard, all significant advantages over a standard smartphone. The bad news is that you're still running Windows Mobile. That platform's Internet Explorer Mobile browser is, arguably, a highly constrained way to browse the Web. Add to that the limited processing power of a smartphone and network access that's likely to be slower than your home broadband connection. The bottom line is a browsing experience that will be much slower than you are accustomed to.

Moreover, while the RedFly does some screen reformatting, many sophisticated Web sites automatically detect device and browser settings and switch into a "mobile" display mode that presumes a 320-by-240 display. The resulting paradox is that, the more sophisticated the Web site, the worse the result on the Redfly.

For instance, in Google's Gmail, the text box for writing an e-mail message stays the same width on the RedFly screen as it is on a smart-phone display. In other words, the text box is less than 300 pixels wide and hugs the left edge of the RedFly's screen.

This problem also afflicts some applications installed in the phone; the more graphics-intensive the app, the less the RedFly can do to remap it to the larger screen. With the Solitaire game on the HTC Tilt used for these tests, the width stayed the same size on both the smartphone and RedFly screens, which made the individual cards smaller than Windows Mobile's icons on the RedFly screen.

Fortunately, the Office Mobile applications work quite well on the RedFly, using the entire screen. Of course, these are scaled-down versions of Office applications, so they don't include the whole range of formatting options, but the basics are there. Once you've adjusted your typing to the delicate touch required by the smaller RedFly keyboard, you can touch-type in Word at a speed that outruns the display.

Wide appeal

The RedFly's ability to combine wireless connectivity with just enough hardware to do real work should make it a hit not just with road warriors but also with IT departments.

Users will love it because it can increase productivity. One reason IT departments will love it is that there's nothing to install or maintain on device, and very little training and support is required. As a dumb terminal, there are no security risks if it gets left in a cab. And there's no upgrading required if the user gets a new phone.

While Celio has no immediate plans to provide drivers for other smartphone operating systems, the company says there are no technical barriers to someday expanding beyond Windows Mobile. And some Palm Treo and BlackBerry users will surely clamor for the RedFly, if it becomes available for them.