Redfly Smartphone Terminal May Support BlackBerrys by Year's End

The Celio Redfly turns a smartphone into a netbook, but it's currently available only for Windows Mobile devices... at least for now. A high-level executive Celio executive has hinted that BlackBerry support may be added before the end of this year.

Laurie Nylund, Celio's Director of Engineering, was responding to a question in the Redfly Developer forum from someone whose father was bemoaning the lack of BlackBerry support. Part of her answer was: "perhaps you might want to consider setting aside some money now for a Christmas present for your Dad..."

While not a definite promise, Nylund's comment is a strong suggestion that a BlackBerry software driver will be released by the holiday shopping season.

Android Support Too
Celio has gone well beyond hinting that it may add support for phones running Google Android OS; it showed off a "proof of concept" driver at the CES tradeshow earlier this year.

The company is working on this project now, but hasn't said when the driver will be released.

More about the Celio Redfly
Although at first glance this model resembles a subnotebook, the Redfly works completely differently. It serves as an accessory for a smartphone, and does not act as a stand-alone computer.

When Celio's device is connected to a smartphone, either by Bluetooth or USB, any application on the phone is shown on the Mobile Companion's 800-by-480-pixel (WVGA) display without modification or synchronization. The user is then able to interact with that application through a large keyboard and trackpad or mouse.

There are two versions. The least expensive is the Redfly C7, which has a 7-inch display and weighs less than 1.5 lbs.

The second, the Redfly C8N, has an 8-inch screen and a multimedia port that allows an iPod, iPhone, Zune, or digital camera to use the Smartphone Terminal's display for video or images.

The Redly C7 sells for $230, while the C8N retails for $300.

More details can be found in Brighthand's review or on Celio's website.

Source: Redfly Developer Forum