REDFLY Mobile
Companion C8N
By CelioCorp
Sure Blackberries and Windows mobile
devices have keyboards, scroll pads, and LCD screens, but what good are they
when there only an inch or two across. Smart phones were designed with the
business person in mind and if you are an avid user like myself then you must
know all to well the strain and frustration caused by hours of typing,
responding to emails, and look-ups on the internet. Technology is dynamic and
with a great demand for highly capable and advanced devices, packed to the brim
with add-ons and features, comfort and ease of accessibility are often
sacrificed. Surely, you do not want to invest your time or money into a phone
or anything for that matter, and not have the ability to have the full
advantage. Although Celio’s REDFLY C8N may not fix all of life’s problems, it
is a great solution for smart phone users.
At first glance you may think it’s
a slim laptop or netbook, but don’t be mistaken. It’s simply an alternative to
using the built in features of your phone, on an 8-inch display and full 8-inch
keyboard equipped with all the standard buttons. However, it is not limited to,
with many hotkeys (FN) for starting/ending calls, sending emails, navigating
through the menu, and connecting via Bluetooth. The keyboard functions work
superbly with distinct and sturdy keys. If you are not exactly partial to using
the arrow keys for scrolling, the REDFLY is also equipped with a touch pad and
thumb buttons. Additionally, the 2 USB ports on the back of the unit can be
used to connect a wired mouse, or Bluetooth ready wireless mouse. I would have
liked to see a USB port on the side of the unit as thicker wires tend to be a bit
more stubborn. Flash drives can also be used and will appear on your smart
phone, but are limited to Windows Mobile phones. Personally, I think the
keyboard is a good size but finger placement does take a little getting used
to. Don’t expect to be able to type 60 words per minute your first go around.
If you are completely dissatisfied another great option is hooking up another
sizable keyboard to the unit.
The C8N is completed with an
8-inch, 800×600 pixel, widescreen, to display your phones interface. Simply
push the power on button and with a start up time of about 10 seconds you will
have the REDFLY up and running. Use the FN key with F7 (Bluetooth Icon) for the
unit to discover your phone. The manufacturers promise a range of about 60 feet
which I found to be for the most part accurate. I could leave my phone in one
room, go downstairs, and the device could still connect to the phone. I only
had trouble a couple of times connecting the two devices but that’s common with
most Bluetooth devices. After it’s hooked up you can now navigate through the
menus, as if you were still using your phone’s interface. A great way to take
advantage of this feature is download various applications to your phone
including Internet Explorer and Adobe programs. In addition, I did experience a
little lag initially when searching through the attributes, unfortunately, there
is little to do to resolve this problem.
The back of the REDFLY houses all
of the ports for the unit. These include the 2 USB ports, 1 VGA port, AC power
connector, and REDFLY media port exclusive to the C8N. The VGA Display Output
port is to be used to connect an additional monitor of 800×600 pixels.
Furthermore, the AC power connector is used to charge the unit with a battery
life of approximately 8 hours. Although I haven’t used it to battery
exhaustion, it hasn’t shutdown on me yet. USB ports are extremely versatile,
while charging the C8N I charged my phone with an additional mini USB adapter
(not included). Lastly, a feature that distinguishes the C8N from other models
is the media port. The media port allows analog video to be streamed into
device via the REDFLY media cable from your iPod, DVD players, digital cameras,
etc.
Unfortunately, the cable is not
included in the purchasing price and is an additional cost. Another drawback is
that there are no internal speakers so you are forced listening to the audio
through your iPod/MP3 player headphones or external speaker. Surprisingly, the
video can be resized or hidden to continue to work through your phone’s
interface. Overall, the media port does make for a better viewing experience.
Most importantly, make sure your phone is compatible with the REDFLY.
The C8N suits Blackberries 4.6 and later models, Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1
Standard and Professional versions, and mainly phones on the three service
providers, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T. Consult the following link to make
sure your phone is compatible <http://www.celiocorp.com/smartphone>.
In addition, the REDFLY Mobile Companion C8N is currently selling for around
$250.00 with a slew of additional accessories including a mount and phone kit,
media cables, car charger, and neoprene case <http://www.celiocorp.com/catalog>.
Additionally, the Mobile C7 has similar features with a 7-inch display, 5 hour
battery life, and no media port. Like I said before, the Celio REDFLY C8N is a
great device with an inexpensive price, and you will definitely be getting your
money’s worth. It would surely make for a great office gift.
Grab your own: Amazon.com: C8N $259.99