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REDFLY - The First Android Netbook?

phandroid

Admin News Bot
Apr 12, 2008
10,396
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It’s probably safe to say that you have your mobile phone with you close to 100% of the time. Even if you’re carrying around a netbook, you would have your phone in your pocket, purse, hand, bag, etc…. right? The folks at CELIO Corp took that fact to heart when developing* RedFly.REDFLY identifies itself as [...]

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... nice. But, like I said, if only it had a convertible/tablet format version.

I'd buy it, as my Android companion, ASAP.

If you read the link above you would also find MORE !!!

"If you already have a netbook and don't need a REDFLY, Celio also announced Windows remote-desktop software for Windows Mobile phones. The "REDFLY PC Software" will be available in March, and will let you use a Windows XP or Vista PC to manipulate your smartphone with a larger screen and keyboard; Celio is working on a version for Linux netbooks in the future, Warnock said. "

So it looks like any form-factor will work as long as you are running XP or Vista....
 
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In otherwords "useless to me".

Let me know when that software is available on Mac and Linux (at least Ubuntu, hopefully Linpus as well). Otherwise, my statement stands: too bad it doesn't have a convertible/tablet form factor.


Sounds like many things might be useless to you... there are a good number of tablets out there that can run XP, Vista, linux .... and .... so it just takes the desire to search them out ... Maybe you already have a Tablet ... What does it run ?
 
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Sounds like many things might be useless to you... there are a good number of tablets out there that can run XP, Vista, linux .... and .... so it just takes the desire to search them out ... Maybe you already have a Tablet ... What does it run ?

Samsung Q1 Ultra running Ubuntu-UMPC (only, no windows).
Raon Everun Digital Note running Ubuntu.

And Macs on my desktops (ie. "for real work", which is enterprise server engineering/administration).

As soon as the Asus convertible/tablet EeePC comes out (assuming it has Linpus and/or Eeebuntu/Ubuntu support), I'll have one of those.

So, yeah, until the Linux version is out, it's "useless to me". As is anything "Windows only" (sorry, I have standards).
 
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Though, I will grant you that once the Linux version is out, assuming it has Linpus and/or Ubuntu/Eeebuntu support, and that Asus convertible/tablet EeePC is out ... that would be quite a powerful combination. Especially if Google fixes Android's Gmail, Reader, and Docs versions to be fully featured.

Use the Android phone directly for light stuff, pull out the EeePC tablet for heavier stuff, and always connected anywhere I have Wifi, EDGE, or HSPA signal. For most situations I wouldn't even need to do tethering (assuming, like I said, those Google apps get improved, so that I can use pretty much do everything on the Android versions), so I'd probably stop being annoyed by the lack of tethering.
 
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It would be nice to see a Mac version, though. Then I'd be able to control my G1 from my Mac desktop, as well.

It is likely that many iPhone Users would love to control their Macs from their Phones ... even if it was only one app at a time .... but Apple would probably frown on that possibly of Freedom .... so I hope that the Android and other Linux flavors grow to work with Windows.... Dreaming for the best of possibilities ...
 
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It is likely that many iPhone Users would love to control their Macs from their Phones ... even if it was only one app at a time .... but Apple would probably frown on that possibly of Freedom

I don't think that has anything to do with what I just said...

I would want to control my Android phone from my Mac. Thus wishing for a port of the Redfly Software to the Mac. Not a port of it to the iPhone...

I doubt Apple would say anything, one way or the other, about porting the Redfly Software to the Mac.

Don't know how/why you brought the iPhone into the discussion.

The other place it would be nice to see the Redfly Software version ported to is Maemo Linux (nokia's tablets). Then you could leave your phone in your backpack, and do everything on your tablet (do normal linux stuff directly on the tablet, and use the Redfly Software to remote control the WinMo/Android phone.

That would pretty much only leave Redfly eventually supporting Symbian phones. Then you'd pretty much be able to control any phone (other than an iPhone, which I don't care about) from just about any netbook, notebook, or desktop.
 
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i'm not sure how redfly's terminal would be very useful to the average person, but even less do I understand how it would make sense to be able to run your G1 smartphone from a windows XP or vista PC. Wouldn't it make quite a bit more sense just to tether the phone to the PC, for the sake of its internet connection (should that be necessary for those like me who have no alternatives like cable or dsl internet to help us)?


I am currently typing on my PC with my g1 tethered. I'm quite happy with the speed, somewhat faster than dialup and download speeds are much better than dialup. My only dislike is the fact that certain things which have extra security are not easily accessed through the proxy, like myspace (i'm forced to use the myspace mobile version, but i was stuck using that with the G1 too, so not worse off) or limewire (which of course doesn't have a g1 counterpart... YET.)

I would love to be able to use the desktop version of myspace from home, and use limewire, and I'm sure at one point I will, but why would I need to use the applications on the g1 as described by the CELIO execs?

Maybe I'm missing something?
 
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i'm not sure how redfly's terminal would be very useful to the average person, but even less do I understand how it would make sense to be able to run your G1 smartphone from a windows XP or vista PC. Wouldn't it make quite a bit more sense just to tether the phone to the PC, for the sake of its internet connection (should that be necessary for those like me who have no alternatives like cable or dsl internet to help us)?

Well, first of all, since they're planning Linux and Mac versions of the software, lets generalize that to "from a personal computer".

Why would I choose a Redfly+G1 over Laptop+G1 (via tethering)?

1) right now, there is no real tethering option for the G1 (and, as far as I know, the one pseudo-tethering option was closed by an update that closed off root access). And, even if there was, there isn't a fully baked OS for netbooks right now (Ubuntu is getting there, but it's not there yet; Apple doesn't have a device in that category yet; Windows isn't worth discussing), so why NOT prefer an Android-Netbook type experience?

2) The G1 only has 6* application shortcomings that keep me from being able to think of it as a fully general purpose device. From there, the only other shortcoming is "small interface" (small screen and thumb keyboard). That's why I'd want to use Redfly (their dumb "netbook", or a laptop/desktop/netbook/umpc): the G1 becomes my persistent point of communication for all situations. I don't need to disconnect my IM sessions from the G1 and then login to Pidgin or AdiumX, thereby creating two separate streams of IM logs. Instead:

a) when I get to my desk, I fireup the Redfly software there so that I can continue my email/IM/etc. sessions as they currently exist on the G1, only using Redfly to control those interactions via my fully size keyboard and display on the desktop (and run them alongside my desktop apps, so that I don't have to switch back and forth between PC keyboard/screen and phone keyboard/screen to continue my conversations)

b) for those situations where I'm mobile, but need to type faster (or with more intensity) than thumb typing, and/or I need a bigger display, then I have a choice between using the Redfly hardware ... or the Redfly software on a laptop or netbook. And, again, I can do so without interrupting my workflow. I'm changing modality of control, not my train of thought.


(* those 6 things are: more complete Gmail interface (label creation/editing, filter creation/editing, send-as my other registered email addresses), more complete Google Reader interface (keyboard shortcuts, add/edit tags), read/write Google Docs, better integration between Android's VNC Viewer and ConnectBot (ssh), tethering, more complete IM interface (multiple simultaneiously active IM accounts for every protocol, including multiple Google Talk accounts))


Redfly software on my macs, and on a convertible tablet netbook (pref. running Xandros or Ubuntu) would be quite a bonus IMO.
 
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Well, first of all, since they're planning Linux and Mac versions of the software, lets generalize that to "from a personal computer".

Why would I choose a Redfly+G1 over Laptop+G1 (via tethering)?

1) right now, there is no real tethering option for the G1 (and, as far as I know, the one pseudo-tethering option was closed by an update that closed off root access). And, even if there was, there isn't a fully baked OS for netbooks right now (Ubuntu is getting there, but it's not there yet; Apple doesn't have a device in that category yet; Windows isn't worth discussing), so why NOT prefer an Android-Netbook type experience?

2) The G1 only has 6* application shortcomings that keep me from being able to think of it as a fully general purpose device. From there, the only other shortcoming is "small interface" (small screen and thumb keyboard). That's why I'd want to use Redfly (their dumb "netbook", or a laptop/desktop/netbook/umpc): the G1 becomes my persistent point of communication for all situations. I don't need to disconnect my IM sessions from the G1 and then login to Pidgin or AdiumX, thereby creating two separate streams of IM logs. Instead:

a) when I get to my desk, I fireup the Redfly software there so that I can continue my email/IM/etc. sessions as they currently exist on the G1, only using Redfly to control those interactions via my fully size keyboard and display on the desktop (and run them alongside my desktop apps, so that I don't have to switch back and forth between PC keyboard/screen and phone keyboard/screen to continue my conversations)

b) for those situations where I'm mobile, but need to type faster (or with more intensity) than thumb typing, and/or I need a bigger display, then I have a choice between using the Redfly hardware ... or the Redfly software on a laptop or netbook. And, again, I can do so without interrupting my workflow. I'm changing modality of control, not my train of thought.


(* those 6 things are: more complete Gmail interface (label creation/editing, filter creation/editing, send-as my other registered email addresses), more complete Google Reader interface (keyboard shortcuts, add/edit tags), read/write Google Docs, better integration between Android's VNC Viewer and ConnectBot (ssh), tethering, more complete IM interface (multiple simultaneiously active IM accounts for every protocol, including multiple Google Talk accounts))


Redfly software on my macs, and on a convertible tablet netbook (pref. running Xandros or Ubuntu) would be quite a bonus IMO.


very astute and helpful reply. What I wanted was a different look at the situation, and you have provided it as such for me. Thank you, kind member.
 
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