ThinkVirt

Do you want to unleash the full power of your smartphone and reduce or eliminate the need to carry a laptop? The REDFLY Mobile Companion links to your smartphone via a USB cable or wireless Bluetooth connection and extends the Windows Mobile interface to a more convenient and capable environment. The REDFLY Mobile Companion comes in two models, the C7 and C8N.

Not only did I have the pleasure of speaking amongst distinguished guests at Virtualization Congress, I also managed to win a Redfly smartphone terminal from Celio Corp.

What is a Redfly you ask?

REDFLY is a smartphone terminal with a large screen and full keyboard with no OS, no CPU, and no storage that lets you use your smartphone like a laptop. REDFLY links to your smartphone via a USB cable or wireless Bluetooth connection.

Redfly was strategically showcasing their solution based on the Sprint EV-DO network and in conjunction with Citrix XenApp. I'm a big fan of the concept of pushing applications down to mobile devices, and I even followed mobile-based virtualization at VMWorld Europe earlier this year.

I have used RDP on my Blackberry Curve (Sprint) in a pinch, but it is near impossible to scroll and really use my phone as an input device.

One major notable, regarding Redfly.

• Only works with Windows Mobile (touch and non-touch screen) - for now

For this experiment I had to source a Windows Mobile 6-powered phone (Samsung Blackjack on ATT). While the Redfly booth and collateral clearly had Sprint branding everywhere, I was hoping that it would work on the ATT network.

EXTERIOR:

I love the simplicity of this device; no nonsense. I also love the footprint.

Here is the Redfly next to the Dell Mini 9 that was just delivered. I'm an awful cameraman. The Redfly is overall thinner than the Dell Mini 9 which actually has a slope towards the back. The Redfly also has a better keyboard (in my opinion) - nice layout, better feedback and sturdier build.

The business side of the Redfly. A pair of USB ports, a port I am trying to recall if it is firewire off the top of my head...I want to say no, actually, and the AC plugin.

I love the power button on this thing. Simple, simple, simple.

TEST DRIVE

Here it is booting up. No real OS to load so it boots instantly.

When you plug in your device you see an eery Redfly logo, letting you know that you're about to be in business.

Well the first time I plugged in the Samsung Blackjack, but the driver wasn't installed so I got this message:

I then navigated http://m.celiocorp.com, which is PAINFUL on the Blackjack.

It would be my suggestion to really tailor the download site for a mobile phone. I spent about 30 seconds scrolling and poking around. I then spent another 5-10 minutes trying to get to the download correctly. I'm a big fan of the Blackberry apps that I click "Install" and it just does its thing.

After registering via email and trying to download the link, I eventually got it to download.

Note: I will not be a featured photographer in a National Geographic anytime soon.

Take 2. The driver is installed on the phone and viola! I'm Redfly'ing.

I now have my phone's video displayed on the Redfly. All of the options are there.

Full screen Bubble Breaker! Worth its weight in gold.

I must say, I'm a wiz-kid with sending email from mobile devices (that have keys). However, if I'm at roughly 50WPM on a phone, I'm in triple-digits on a keyboard. It was a treat to send emails with the Redfly.

Web browsing was also nice (had to turn on "Download Pictures"). I will say that the ATT network in the US is not nearly as quick as my Sprint-connected device. I tether via Bluetooth my Sprint Blackberry Curve to my Dell Mini 9 every morning I take the Acela from DC to NYC and it's usable. I've RDP'd into servers, I've VPN'd, I've launched virtual desktops. The ATT network is not nearly as responsive in my experience (also hampered by poor reception at my house).

One thing that did annoy me was that when I used the mouse to navigate a web-page I still had to TAB [just like when using the phone] to hyperlinks. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

One more thing, it would be even better if I wouldn't be forced to mobile-versions of websites. For example, if I could browse the full blown banking site versus the mobile version, that would make this device a lot more useful to me. Proxy server maybe?

Here's the Redfly side by side a 14" [I believe] IBM Thinkpad.

Here I am proving that I have the Redfly working with an ATT phone. Well, perhaps I'm not proving it in this picture, but I am giving a shot at being a finger model.

I then tethered the two devices via Bluetooth, which was also a breeze to setup (I followed the Quick Start Guide).

One more look at the UI. I'm a huge fan.

SUMMARY

Overall, I think this is an interesting device and certainly an eye-opener as far as I'm concerned. The battery life on the Redfly is short of amazing. I charged it up in Vegas and have not plugged it back in since. It's going on 5-6 hours of use and still has a ton of life left. Assuming everyone in the modern world and a growing percentage of people in developing countries have a mobile phone, this could quickly empower millions to be more productive then they have have ever been.

I plan on testing out virtual application deployment with the Redfly in the coming weeks. That will truly unlock the potential of what this mobile terminal can do.