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REDFLY is a finalist in this year’s Windows IT Pro Community Choice Awards.

Please take a minute and click here to vote for the Celio REDFLY Mobile Companion in the Best Mobile & Wireless Software category. You can also click the image to the right.

As an extra incentive to vote, Windows IT Pro will enter you into a prize drawing to win a $250 gift card or one of 30 Windows IT Pro T-shirts.

Last September, REDFLY, won a Windows IT Pro 2008 Editor’s Best Award. In the awards issue of the magazine, the editors said of REDFLY,

“The cost-effective REDFLY Mobile Companion lets mobile IT pros use smartphones as their primary computing devices while on the go, saving both time and money in a market where both are tight.”

Thanks for your support!

I’d like to introduce you to the latest addition to the REDFLY product line.

This week at the CTIA show in Las Vegas, Celio Corp expanded the REDFLY product line adding a software option for smartphone users - the REDFLY Mobile Viewer software for Windows XP and Vista. The REDFLY Mobile Viewer combined with two existing REDFLY Mobile Companion hardware models give smartphone users a variety of ways to get real work done on a smartphone.

The REDFLY Mobile Viewer lets you conveniently use your favorite Windows Mobile applications at full size on your PC and experience many of the award-winning REDFLY Mobile Companion benefits when your smartphone is connected to your PC.

What can you do with the REDFLY Mobile Viewer? Text message friends and family throughout the day. Keep your work and personal lives separate while multitasking on one device. Go from 8 viewable cells to 50 while using Excel Mobile right on your phone. See more of any smartphone application at resolutions up to 1024×768 pixels - all using the full-size keyboard and mouse you already enjoy on your PC to control your phone.

Visit www.celiocorp.com to find out more about the REDFLY Mobile Viewer and download a FREE beta version of the software.

Which REDFLY product is right for you? See a comparison of products and features.

We’ve received a lot of requests from the media and customers for more information about Celio Corp’s new products and CES announcements so here’s a summary of everything new condensed down into one blog post.

New Product:

REDFLY PC Software

The REDFLY PC Software was highly requested by customers and is all about giving people options. It gives you many of the benefits of a REDFLY Smartphone Terminal on your existing Windows-based hardware.

Concepts:

REDFLY Smartphone Dock

Think of the Smartphone Dock as box about the size of a pack of cards with the guts from the REDFLY Smartphone Terminal stuffed inside. There’s no battery, screen, touchpad or keyboard like a REDFLY Smartphone Terminal, but it works just like a Smartphone Terminal allowing you to work on your smartphone at higher resolutions so you can see and do more vs. your phone’s native screen resolution. You connect your phone to the dock via USB or Bluetooth. Plug any USB keyboard and mouse into any of the dock’s 3 powered USB ports. Plug any monitor into the dock’s VGA out port and you are set to go. The idea is that when on the road, you can connect to a REDFLY Smartphone Terminal for portability, and/or use the Smartphone Dock when home or in the office using any old monitor, a mouse and a full-size USB keyboard.

Android Proof-of-Concept

Here is a proof-of-concept video showing the Android operating system on a REDFLY Smartphone Terminal. Speed and stability will increase as the concept is developed. The Android device’s output resolution is changed to 800×480 then video output is routed to the REDFLYs 8-inch screen. REDFLY also allows the use of its built-in keyboard and touchpad to control the Android device. We’ll have more info about Android on a regular basis so stay tuned.

It’s been an incredible 12 months since we launched the original REDFLY Smartphone Terminal C8 at CES 2008. We’ve come a long way in just one year and can’t wait to unveil all we have planned in the months to come during 2009. Thank you to all of our current customers for your great support and valuable feedback.

Rob Jackson over at phandroid.com has some insightful comments about our Android proof-of-concept. In the title of his article he asks, “REDFLY - the First Android Netbook?“

Rob goes on to say, “The REDFLY team argues that if your phone already has that stuff, why duplicate it? In the end, it only creates more problems, like the need to sync. Connect your smartphone to the REDFLY terminal via Bluetooth and BAM - you can operate your phone directly on the device. If you were to do this with your T-Mobile G1, you could say that REDFLY is virtually the first Android Netbook.”

Here is a proof-of-concept video showing the Android operating system on a REDFLY Smartphone Terminal. Speed and stability will increase as the concept is developed. The Android device’s output resolution is changed to 800×480 then video output is routed to the REDFLYs 8-inch screen. REDFLY also allows the use of its built-in keyboard and touchpad to control the Android device.

If you are going to be at CES, this proof-of-concept will be on display in our booth (#3934).

We posted this video on YouTube about 12 hours ago and at the time of this blog post, it’s been viewed over 3,000 times!

News hit the wire late last night about the new products and concepts that we’ll show at CES. The news is getting good traction and the reaction has been favorable - notably from Engadget who hasn’t shown us much love in the past, but seems to be getting behind Celio’s long-term vision a bit more. Here are a few reactions in case you missed them.

CrunchGear has a good post about the new offerings:

From that posting: “Celio is now going to be offering software that can be run on a suitably-sized laptop or netbook that will allow you to dual-boot your hardware, so you’ve got the best of both worlds. I can’t imagine the Redfly stuff takes up more than a gig at the very most. That alone is a solid product in a limited connectivity situation, tethering may be difficult or not useful, but using your smartphone to the maximum of its capabilities may be a great idea.”

Matt Miller gave some great comments on his Mobile Gadgeteer blog:

“One of the proof-of-concept demos they are giving at CES is for the REDFLY Smartphone Dock and this is something I could see really being quite functional at airport, hotel, or other public kiosks. The REDFLY Smartphone Dock concept device is a box with VGA port, USB ports, Bluetooth radio, and power supply. You could connect to this type of device that could be plugged into a dedicated large keyboard and monitor or take it on the road to use for giving presentations from a Windows Mobile device. I think the airport or other public place would be perfect for plugging in your Windows Mobile phone to write a quick email on a large keyboard or check your email and then leave without ever worrying about leaving behind any private information.”

And from MobileCrunch:

“That said, this newest bit of news did manage to convince me, a long time skeptic. According to a concept-only video released today, the folks behind the Redfly have managed to coax the G1 to play friendly with the mobile-to-psuedo-netbook. They”ve tweaked it to run at 800×480 and have pushed in basic mouse cursor support and, well, I want it.”

Celio Corp was mentioned in this Salt Lake Tribune article on Utah companies attending the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

If you’re planning to attend CES next week stop by booth No. 3934 and say hi.

Our theme during CES this year revolves around the company’s long-term vision  someday, your smartphone will be your only computer. Celio plans to offer a wide variety of devices in the future giving you better access to your smartphone during those times when a small screen and keyboard just won’t do.

We’ll be showing off some concept devices including this automotive in-dash touchscreen prototype (photo from the article) and a fully functional smartphone dock.

We also just might have a new announcement or two.

Stay tuned next week.

Until Dec. 24, 2008, if you buy REDFLY accessories directly from Celio Corp or from many of our online retailers, you can get an instant 25% off.

There are no limits to items or quantities so you can order as many as you’d like. REDFLY accessories include a car charger, spare wall charger, and the REDFLY Media Cable for the C8N model.

Order directly from Celio Corp by clicking here. (Enter coupon code 1ACC08 at checkout).

See a listing of online retailers here.

REDFLY made the eWeek “Best Gadgets for IT Pros” list last week.

Jason Brooks hit it on the head, “The holy grail of the smartphone enthusiast is to squeeze enough productivity out of one’s miniature thumb-keyboard-studded machine to leave the laptop computer at home. Enter REDFLY, the right fit to make the smartphone a big deal.”

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Best-Gadgets-for-IT-Pros/

(Go to slide 9 to see the REDFLY info)

Our take? It’s hard to decide where REDFLY gives more value to the IT Pro - smartphone based apps or remote apps like Citrix and RDP.

It’s been a busy few weeks since we announced the two new REDFLY models, but we’re pleased to say that we’ve begun shipping the C7 and C8N. Things have been going well and the reception to the products has been very favorable. We’re confident that those who have pre-ordered the device will enjoy their experience.

We believe that REDFLY will play an important part in every company’s mobile strategy and are excited to see the adoption and success in many of our business accounts.

If you’re interested in buying a REDFLY, visit our retail listings page for a list of all the places you can buy a REDFLY.

Thanks for all your support.

We’re pleased to announce 2 new great products - the REDFLY C7 and C8N. These announcements continue our success with the Smartphone Terminal category.

The REDFLY C7 is a lightweight device at only 1.5 lbs with a 7-inch screen and 5-hour battery for only $229 suggested retail price. Check it out, a device with 7-inch screen and 5-hour battery for $229. The Smartphone Terminal architecture is a winning solution!

The REDFLY C8N has the same features as the original REDFLY but includes a media port and is available for suggested retail price of $299. The REDFLY Media Port enables the optional REDFLY Media Cable to connect a USB device or composite video input. With an iPod, you can use the large 8-in screen to watch a video on the road or view digital images from a camera. A great new feature for the REDFLY Smartphone Terminal! Take a look at our Video on REDFLY page for a detailed explanation.

We also added beta drivers for the HTC Diamond and Touch Pro. See www.celiocorp.com/install/beta for more details.

The REDFLY C7 will be available November 24 and REDFLY C8N will be available December 1. Place your orders now from retailers listed at www.getredfly.com.

We’ve officially released and posted new smartphone drivers and a matching firmware update for REDLFY. All downloads/updates are available for no charge at www.celiocorp.com/install starting today. The updated firmware will ship pre-installed on the newly announced pair of REDFLYs (C7 and C8N) and also is backwards compatible with the original REDFLY C8. If you have the original REDFLY, you’ll want to get this free update to the firmware and also update the driver on your smartphone to enable some cool new features.

In addition to some bug fixes, the new software features:

• 800×600-pixel VGA output resolution for presentations etc.
• 800×600-pixel support for REDFLY screen
  Simple panning feature on REDFLY to move up/down while viewing on REDFLY’s built-in 800×480 screen
• Clear Type support
• Enhanced installation
• Change in activation of 5-way navigation for non-touchscreen phones
  Enable using Fn-5 (instead of pressing both touchpad buttons - reduces risk of accidental switching)
• Support for additional phones
• New beta phone support for HTC’s Touch Pro (AT&T Fuze) and Touch Diamond
• Several performance enhancements

We’re extending our $199 promotional pricing for REDFLY until Monday, November 17th, 2008.

The promotion has been so successful at introducing REDFLY to new markets, users and applications that we decided to keep it up for a few more weeks.

In addition to the many casual and power Windows Mobile users out there who are buying REDFLY for themselves, the reception has been tremendous into vertical markets like healthcare, government, sales force, and service force applications.

REDFLY is just the beginning of a series of planned products based around the enablement of the smartphone as both a mobile computer or netbook and access point to remote virtual systems and cloud computing.

Get one for yourself here.

Andrew over at Treonauts.com posted a great piece about REDFLY connected to his Windows Mobile smartphone running the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) native client to control a full Windows desktop via Terminal Services.

Here’s a quick video we shot internally that shows both RDP and Citrix running on a Windows Mobile phone connected to a REDFLY. Using Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop, you can give your mobile workforce tightly controlled access to full desktops or even only individual windows applications (no desktop needed or provided). Very cool. With RDP it’s easy to log in and control any Windows desktop (like your home or office PC) or any “virtualized” desktop right from the smartphone. Not shown in this video are other programs that work too with REDFLY like GoToMyPC, LogMeIn, etc.

While this has all been possible with a smartphone for some time, anyone that’s ever tried it will tell you the small screen and keyboard on the phone just doesn’t cut it in a remote access enviroment. You either have to zoom out so far to see the whole desktop that you can’t read anything or zoom in and pan around witout seeing the entire screen at once. For the first time ever, thanks to REDFLY’s 8-inch 800×480 screen, a full keyboard and a touchpad, remote access from a smartphone suddenly becomes feasible.

This video and the Treonauts post also show off another cool REDFLY feature - you can use any USB mouse (wired or wireless) and/or keyboard connected to the back of REDFLY (it has two powered USB ports) to control everything on your smartphone  not just remote access apps. This comes in handy a lot (especially when you need to shoot a video and don’t want the REDFLY to get bumped out of the frame). Most people don’t know that Windows Mobile supports a mouse, but it works very well.

InformationWeek recently published a very interesting article titled, “Is the Smartphone Your Next Computer?”

Jennifer Chappell over at TreoCentral.com posted a great synopsis of the piece too with good commentary.

The article discusses (mostly from the software and use case sides of the equation) how realistic it is today for some members of the mobile workforce to give up their laptops and use only a smartphone. Smartphone software is certainly getting more robust (especially in the business world) and evidenced by Salesforce, Sybase, Oracle, SAP, Citrix etc. all moving to offer mobile apps and/or open up their backends to the mobile workforce in some fashion.

Will you be running Photoshop or editing movies on your smartphone anytime soon? No. But, today’s smartphones are getting fast enough for CRM, web apps, remote access etc.

The article didn’t talk much about the hardware or OS side. As CPU speeds pick up and mobile operating systems fully mature (as they are starting to do now), the notion of your smartphone becoming your only computer will start to make more sense not just for the mobile workforce, but for many consumers too. At that point in the near future, all of this will get really exciting. We, of course, are intensely interested in the movement and can’t wait to see how our future software and hardware iterations make each new wave of smartphones even more useful.

REDFLY is all about enabling users to take full advantage of the upcoming shift to the smartphone as a platform. One of the smartphone-s best features (its small size) is also one of its worst features during those times at home, in the office, or on the road when you need a larger screen and keyboard to get work done. That-s the problem we-re solving - both through our hardware and software.

The InformationWeek article quotes a RIM VP who spot-on declares, “The challenge that most CRM systems have is getting the people who need to use it to actually want to use it.”

That statement is true both from a hardware and software perspective. Mobile workers will fight using an app or piece of hardware that’s not easy and productive. For example, even if you give a field sales rep a mobile device and access to a web-based CRM app, odds are he or she will wait until back at the hotel or office to log visits and update information on their laptop or PC because it’s easier just to wait and do it later. If you put a 3G-enabled smartphone, a REDFLY, and a well-designed mobile app in users’ hands, they start to see how easy it is to log info during or directly after a sales call.