if they sort this to work with palmOS I will buy one, it sounds ideal, provided the price is reasonable.

For my taste the Eeepc etc are getting uncomfortably close to the price of a traditional laptop

If Redfly takes off, especially with any PalmOS support, the irony will be pretty thick.

I think the Foleo concept was sound. I think, unfortunately, Palm over-hyped its release (because it was expensive to develop and was supposed to rescue the company) to the point of dooming it. It wouldn't be the next great thing since sliced bread if the target audience is small.

Frankly, I'd still want one... My office forbids the bringing in of "outside laptops" and of connecting "outside devices" to office machines. Not to mention against installing "unapproved software". And on my end I don't want to sync with the office computers and leave my data on it. I've tried lobbying to install Palm Desktop and KeyLink onto my desktop. Not successful yet, but I may one of these days win out. A "mobile companion" might've been an expensive short circuit to this lobbying effort of mine -- but it certainly would have worked and would have helped in other situations, too.

Depending on what comes out of the next Palm OS development cycle, I know this is heresy, I may or may not stick with Palm OS.* I'm at least going to give them one last shot at impressing me. For which I'm counting down the time until about February or March 2009. (My Verizon 700p is up for "new every two" in November, February's only an extra three months. I fear I'd have to wait an extra six months for Verizon to catch up, though. They always seem to have longer time-to-market for devices.) So I'll have to keep my eye on Redfly, regardless of whether the "other drivers" they speak of are PalmOS or something else (like RIM, Symbian, or Android). It *might* even factor into choosing which device I buy. *Might*...

*This from someone who's first PDA was a hand-me-down Palm Pilot Pro. I've been using them for a while.

It's amazing how many people want to keep redesigning the Edsel, er, the Foleo, a concept that, while it may be sound, the public has shown it doesn't want.

well the main concern i have is price vs security.

this is like a gsm phone, if someone steals one, they have a clean slate to sell or use themselves.

HA! "The public has shown it doesn't want?" The irony will be if (and I did say IF) the public decides they want it after all.

I doubt it is the first time in history when the public has said a loud "no" to "an Edsel" and then yes to an Edsel knock-off. Sometimes it isn't the product that's being rejected, but the way it is introduced.

My opinion of the public's ability to assess its desires and to assess product value is somewhat cynical. For instance, there's a (somewhat apocryphal) story I remember being told a decade ago about a warehouse full of lipstick that a company was trying to unload. They tried selling it at a discount on the store shelves. No one bought it. They repackaged it and instead of trying to sell it at $2.00 a tube they marked it up to $7.00+ a tube. Sold like crazy and was gone from their warehouse quickly. Now, though I'd be hard pressed to find and verify that story, I don't discount it as false. It matches with other things I've observed about how the public's appetite (in aggregate) for products varies somewhat out-of-sync with the way individuals state what they want. And the fact that I can remember that story ten years later as my own canonical example of that idea probably tells you more about my attitude towards this situation. (No, I'm not saying that Foleo would have sold well if they'd have suggested it at $1,000. But I am saying I don't put a lot of faith in the public to articulate very well _why_ they rejected it. And I am proposing it may have more to do with the way it was "super" hyped before its release than the thing itself.)

Aside from that potential irony, the only thing I care about here is that I could've used one and won't get to. (Mind you, my wallet is probably healthier for not having it. That isn't petty pocket change for me.)

The Redfly Celio definately won't be wanted by the Public if they leave it at the $500 price tag. For what it does - I'd expect less than half that price. I mean you can get Treo 700wx for $200 with a plan. Would you pay 2 and half times more than the cost of the smartphone for an Accessory, that basically just gives you a bigger screen and full keyboard?
The Foleo's marketing was the same problem. It also was $500 and it was marketed as a smartphone Accessory. They should've made it a stand-alone device with a brilliant smartphone companion feature. If the Foleo was a stand-alone device - how different is it to a $3100 MacBook Air?

Any laptop can be a smartphone companion. That is not what the Redfly is. It is also not aimed at the casual user, hence the $500 price tag. You would pay for that bigger screen and full keyboard if you're going to be spending 4 hours on an airplane with a lot of work to do and you can toss the Redfly in your briefcase rather than lugging along your laptop and laptop case.

Nope. I can buy a 19" monitor and wireless keyboard for about $300. Why pay $200 more for a device that is completely useless when not connected to a Treo?

I'm not a casual user, and the Redfly certainly wasn't aimed at me, either. My laptop has a much better screen and keyboard than the Redfly, and I have no problems at all using it on a plane. It also fits in my carry-on without adding a lot of bulk and weight.

Chuck, I wanna see you slide that 19" monitor into your briefcase and carry it on the plane. Personally, I'd love to leave the laptop and it's extra bag totaling an additional 10 lbs. behind.

@cripple: I won't argue that the price is still too high. I will point out, though, that $200 "with plan" is still $680 even at a $20/month plan. And I don't see many $20/month plans. The company who subsidizes that cell phone is more than making it up in hiking up their fees and rates a notch. (And those who buy "without plan" are stuck with the same bill, regardless.)

@Chuck: If you only wanted to be able to do that while next to a desktop computer, sure. That works. If. Why "save" $200 if it just means I'm going to be stuck at a desk more often? Mind you, I like the TapSmart KeyLink software just fine. But since I'm not permitted to install "foreign" software at my office I don't get to use it during the ten hours of the day I'd really like to have it.

@Alli: My perpetually achy back agrees with your assessment of those ten pounds of notebook. I love my notebook and wish I could disagree with my back more often, but I'm discovering it has veto powers.

@random9q: You're comment in brackets just confirms my argument. Even if you buy a smartphone outright, it's just a PDA unless you sign up for some sort of plan.

The Dell Latitude D430 is only 3.0 lbs and costs $1129. Sure it's a bit more than the Redfly's 2.0 lbs, but certainly not going to get too much complaints from your back.
Alternatively, there's also the D630 is available for $800. It weighs 4.37 lbs. Less than half the suggested weight of a laptop.
Look, I get the RedFly and the convenience it provides - I just think the $500 price tag is way too much.

Where are the foldable fabric displays? My gadget lust is getting the better of me. a few years ago, when i got to work, all i carried with me were the car keys. Now I carry a backpack with a laptop, treo, bluetooth headset, three power adaptors, earphones etc etc etc. I'm still waiting for that ultimate convergence device that does all and fits into a matchbook. Maybe one day...
In the meantime, if the price is right, Celio/Folio, I want you!