I’ll agree it’s not for everyone, but if you already have a significant investment in Windows Mobile, it’s not a bad idea. http://tinyurl.com/5dptcz

As for that Instant On … it makes sense when you have a PDA.

This, you have to

1) Find a table
2) Lift lid
3) Hit On

Right. That’s quick.

Why not just buy a Netbook? I will tell you why…because those of use real road warriors don’t have the leasure time for it to load, or days short enough that 3 hours of battery life will be okay, etc.

Those who “don’t get it” are not the crowd this device is aimed at. Real Road Warriors get it. Very often I have just a minute or two before boarding my plane and I need INSTANT ON…to run an order right NOW! My phone is always on already…I plug the Redfly in and it is ready to go, and I have that order IN the system and I am gone while Mr. “lack of imagination” first comment loser guy above is still waiting for windows to load. If you have nothing but time on your hands…get a Netbook. If you live in the fast lane like I do…this INSTANT ON and long battery life device is a logical choice.

And as suggested above by another poster…skipping the tethering fees you pay for the Netbook actually BUYS this device. That changes the entire price equation yet the Netbook fans here ignore the REAL world price comparison.

Tyler brings up a very good point and another reason why this device is better suited for the Enterprise worker and not a consumer. The key to the REDFLY is simplicity.

The REDFLY is nothing more than an extension of your phone. You only bring it when you need a larger screen and a bigger keyboard with some extra battery life.

While consumers may pay for additional tethering charges or use hacks to get around it, Enterprise customers (read: businesses) don’t want the support headaches associated with this.

Also, theft and loss of laptops is always an issue. People loose their phones too, but an Enterprise level organization that is using Microsoft Exchange has the ability to remotely wipe a Windows Mobile device easily. Getting that level of security in a laptop is a far more expensive and complicated proposition. Since the REDFLY holds no data locally, the potential loss of the device does not represent a security threat.

I’m not saying it’s a great device. From a consumer standpoint, it’s largely pointless. But it can have a real value for a organization looking to extend existing functionality without significantly adding to support costs and maintaining strong security.

Pair this up with a browser like Skyfire or the new Opera Mobile 9.5 and you’ve got a decent low cost business solution.

these things were everywhere at computex ’08
but the price was more like $100

not sure how these guys justify the price…

It was a dumb idea when Palm tried to do the Foleo and it’s still a dumb idea with REDFLY.

Why would anyone pay that much when, as you said Kevin, you can get similar, if not better, performance and specs from a “real” computer from the various netbooks at, below and above that price?

The backlash against the Foleo wasn’t that people didn’t see the need for a small laptop (ala netbooks), but they couldn’t see having to carry another device around that needed to be hooked up to another device (their phone) to even work.

Dumb on top of stupid.

I have almost pulled the trigger literally on this thing about 6imes now. I definitely want one, but am hampered by HTC Advantage Lust. Today I hear the battery is not replaceable in the Redfly. Do we know of ANY rechargeable battery that has ever NOT eventually become a Brick? Oh Mary….back to Conundrum Corner………

Missed the market by a year–I think thats dead on. The redfly just . . . doesn’t quite offer enough. Now if it had speakers I would be more tempted. Also add in some online storage like assus plans to do for the pacific rim market. Finally make connecteing to a regular pc a peice of cake. And yes, Lower the price by at least a hundred bucks. I hope the redfly makes it to round two and three. But the current redfly doesnt do enough.

A niche within a niche. At $500 they will fail in the consumer space. Maybe enterprise deals will carry them.

This is a very good solution security wise.
All your date in one place only.
It can probably work for a corporation controlling data. For regular home user this of course doesn’t make much sense anymore as Redfly has missed this market by about a year.
Still if the smart phones pick up the power and start having next gens of Atom as the main chips it would be interesting to see as you would use this as an extension of your (on your belt or in your pocket) computer.
I have a laptop and would not want to replace it with a netbook, however if my blackberry would have the same processor as the netbook I would not mind the Redly giving a shot at the title.