Mobility Site Minute

Mobilitysite Contests

Mobility Site Videos

Mobilitysite Polls

Mobilitysite Reviews

Home » General

It’s a good idea but…

Posted by Jack Cook on February 26, 2009 – 4:15 pm  Share
closeThis post was published 8 months 25 days ago.
It\'s is possible that the information within this article is now out of date or updated.

… I think the Redfly is a much better concept.  I saw over at  pocket-lint a piece about i-mate working on an accessory for a new smartphone that would fit into a laptop type of device and double as the trackpad.   Called the Warrior, it would allow users to connect to their PC in the office or home with a virtualisation software.  It sounds cool and I like the ability to insert your device but I think the RedFly is a better solution.

concept

That said, cost is always an issue.  Indications from the  pocket-lint article suggest that i-mate hopes the device will cost only $200 when it launches at the end of the summer.  It is still pretty top secret but they did get pictures of the phone that will be used and give an artists’ impression of what it may end up looking like. Facts known are that the handset, called under the code name Legionnaire, will be Windows mobile 6.5, come with Wi-Fi and HSDPA connectivity as well as GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 and microSD card slot. A 800MHz chip is expected and it will feature a 4:3 aspect 10-inch screen and an SD card reader.

We will just have to wait to see if it comes to fruition and if it does and at that price, you just may want one.  Hit the links above to check out additional pictures.

Post to Twitter Post to Yahoo Buzz Post to Delicious Post to Digg Post to Facebook Post to Ping.fm Post to StumbleUpon

Jack Cook (2693 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook





You can also participate in other conversation in our active forums with 200,000 other Members. It only takes 2 minutes to sign up one time for free in the forums.

  • @Joe:

    How is the RedFly a better solution? You don’t state a single reason…

    While Jack's original article might not have detailed any reasons, I listed three and he agreed with them.

    Having a smaller screen? The Warrior is slated to have a 25% larger screen than the larger RedFly (there are 2 sizes).

    Whether that's an advantage depends on what you want to use it for. If you're using it as a desktop docking station, a larger screen may well be an advantage. (I say "may" because something like a 10" VGA screen might not be.)

    However, if you're using the device as a portable terminal, like the Redfly, a smaller screen makes the device more portable.

    Also, if this dock has an 800x480 resolution like the phone, it will look less sharp than the Redfly, which also has an 800x480 resolution (the same resolution on a smaller screen mean a smaller dot pitch and more sharpness). If this dock has a higher resolution screen, who knows.

    Weight? We don’t know yet.
    Battery life? We don’t know yet.

    That's one reason that I didn't mention them. However, we can make some assumptions. A 10" screen likely means the whole device will be larger. Larger devices tend to weigh more than smaller ones.

    Regarding battery life, a larger screen may use more power. If you put in a larger battery to compensate, the device will weigh more.

    Having a dedicated touchpad, as opposed to using the touchpad on the phone? How would that be a benefit?
    I believe my first comment explained that. The docked device is much bigger than the Redfly's trackpad. That will make the device significantly deeper (and, thus, less portable).

    Again, if you're using the dock as a desktop-only solution, that may not matter. I carry my Redfly all over and would hate to have to dock my phone every time.

    Also, having to put the device into the dock, as opposed to connecting it via USB or Bluetooth like on the Redfly, means that you pretty much have to use that one iMate phone (and any similar models). If you switch to a different phone, or even prefer a different iMate phone, your dock may become a $200 paperweight.

    While that can happen with the Redfly (as it doesn't support every phone model), it's less likely because Celio does support a wide range of phones.

    Regarding Steve’s 3rd point (to which you readily latched on), why would you walk around with your phone essentially inside a laptop? Wouldn’t one remove it when done using the larger display & keyboard? That’s just plum dumb…

    I don't think you read my initial post carefully enough. You assumed the thief would only steal the device after the owner was done using it, but I've heard of laptop thieves going into coffee shops or other such places and just grabbing a laptop while the owner was using it and running off. The owner, who is probably sitting at a table, can't catch the guy before he jumps into a waiting car or gets lost on a busy street.

    With this type of docking station, the thief would also get my phone and have access to all of its data. With the Redfly, the phone could well be safe on my belt using the Bluetooth connection. The thief would get my Redfly, but my phone (and its data) would still be safe.

    Steve
  • Well Joe, my guess is that you never took the time to read some of our RedFly articles. I tried to send you an email but it was not a real email address . Too bad, I had a variety of links for you. So if you are interested, you can find some of them by typing RedFly in the Search option at the top of the page.
  • Joe
    "It sounds cool and I like the ability to insert your device but I think the RedFly is a better solution."

    How is the RedFly a better solution? You don't state a single reason...
    Having a smaller screen? The Warrior is slated to have a 25% larger screen than the larger RedFly (there are 2 sizes).
    Weight? We don't know yet.
    Battery life? We don't know yet.
    Having a dedicated touchpad, as opposed to using the touchpad on the phone? How would that be a benefit?
    Rhetorical question - Do you really think a device with a native wide-screen resolution (the Legionnaire @ 800x480, or otherwise known as WVGA) would have a purpose-built dock with a display in a 4:3 configuration?

    Regarding Steve's 3rd point (to which you readily latched on), why would you walk around with your phone essentially inside a laptop? Wouldn't one remove it when done using the larger display & keyboard? That's just plum dumb...
  • I agree with you Steve, especially the third point
  • I've heard rumors of a similar device for the iPhone that uses the iPhone as a trackpad. However, I don't think putting the phone in as a trackpad is a good idea at all.

    First, that means it will only work with one class of phones (unless you create adapters for others). The Redfly works with USB or Bluetooth connections, so you don't have to put the phone in specially-shaped hole.

    Second, it makes the device much larger. The trackpad on the Redfly adds less than an inch in depth; a phone would add a lot more.

    Third, it makes it more likely that somebody stealing your docking station would also get your device. With the Redfly, if I'm connected via Bluetooth, my phone is safe in my belt case. Somebody grabbing the Redfly and running won't get my data.

    Steve
blog comments powered by Disqus