Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

My thoughts exactly. If I wanted to carry around something that big I might as well get a laptop, DUH

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

Problem is, you can get a real touchscreen tablet (desktop OS) for around $700. I have pretty much the exact scenario you described with a Samsung Q1U mounted on the dash of my S2000. And I can run any PC program vs the more limited supply of PPC programs.

To me it would be a useful device if it fell in the ~$150 price range. More than that and, like others said, you might as well get an EEE or a cheap Dell.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

Warning: Long Post

I just sent the following email to the makers of Redfly.

I was just reading about your product on PPCGeeks.com and the response was very negative. Most people posting were saying that the product would flop and comparing it to the Folio. I pointed out in the forum that the real key to your product was not having to pay for data to legally tether to a laptop. Fifty or sixty dollars a month is a lot of money to many of us who are most likely to use your product (the folks at PPCgeeks.com and Xda-developers.com who are early adopters of mobile technology.) You should definitely use this to market your product, as it can pay for itself. These two forums reach tens of thousands of the very high tech phone users you will be targeting. Negative comments lacking this understanding could torpedo your device before its potential is realized. Pre-introduction discussion on the these forums could give you incredible insight into exactly what your target market would want in a device like this.

You could increase demand almost exponentially if you offered this device in a touchscreen model. This could be marketed to everyone as both a business tablet pc and as an in-car device device for gps, music, movies, internet. In this case, the fold-out keyboard would get in the way. The touchscreen would be perfect for this sort of mobile application as well as providing hand written notes in meetings and in cramped airplane seats. The perfect device, in my estimation, would be modeled after the HTC Tilt. A large slideout keyboard with a tilting screen would give you the best of both worlds. In lieu of this, a reversible screen like a tablet pc would be my second choice.

A third option you might consider as an additional model would be an indash mobile unit, again with touchscreen. Handsfree phone operation would be key. Again, the lack of need for a separate data plan could really sell this. Real time weather and traffic are already available on our phones as well as gps and music. Next generation mobile chips with near ghz speed and hardware acceleration like the new InVidea mobile cpus could really make your devices incredible in the near future.

I would definitely invite you to use the resources of the aforementioned forums to avoid potential pitfalls with your endeavor. I am very excited about the potential of a product like yours.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

Again, to me, its the data. You spent close to a thousand dollars or more for the small format computer. Eventually, Sprint will close the door on free tethering. Next generation phones will be more powerful than your present Samsung, probably within the next couple of years. I don't want to pay for a data card with monthly bills adding up for years and years.

This device has potential. I would hate to see it killed for lack of foresight.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

Samsung, Asus, and other UMPC's are available for around $800. True, I payed over a thousand because I'm an idiot who wanted to have it when it first came out : )

I doubt any phone within a couple years will be more powerful than even my somewhat underpowered Samsung. You simply can't compare the processing power of an ARM chip to that of an X86 based on clock speed. An 800 MHz ARM processor will have nowhere near the power of the Intel A110 800 MHz processors used in most current UMPC's. Same goes for the graphics chips (assuming HTC starts making devices with graphics chips enabled).

People have been saying Sprint will close the door on tethering for probably close to a decade. It may happen one day, but that is not going to make me go out and buy a $500 lcd and keyboard. If you don't want to tether, the $500 price point equates to about 10 months of data card service. Plus, there are just so many things that you can't do with Windows Mobile that a true desktop OS gives you. My most recent toy is a Rhapsody subscription. I have a 4 million track jukebox in my car now. A Pocket PC can't access that service.

I'm not saying it is not a cool/useful idea. I'm just saying that at $500 it doesn't make sense to me.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

I think that statement says it all. Great idea, but not at that price point.
I'd love to have one for around 150.00, not more than $200. Then I could see foregoing a full blown laptop or UMPC. At the $500 price point, there are just too many other options out there that do more for close to that price.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

The problem is dismissing the idea out of hand. In the first place, I think the price is speculative. In the second, the initial price would be early adopter, just like your UMPC. If it survives introduction, the price always comes down on electronics. I want to carry one device most of the time and this gives me a sync-less option that expands the uses I have for that device. You could still have your laptop when you want it, even a huge gaming workstation laptop or your umpc in your car, but use this very small footprint device when it is more applicable. Factor in a device based on an Nvidea cpu with HD and 3D video hardware encoded and adequate ram, and this device rocks. Unfortunately, ridicule and derision can put an early end to hardware before it reaches its potential.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

[QUOTE=bedoig;195658]If you don't want to tether, the $500 price point equates to about 10 months of data card service.

To me, 10 months is a quick payout if I can use the device for several years. If the device functions as a handsfree device(not currently mentioned as a function) in lieu of buying one, there's a couple of hundred right there.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

The concepts there. It's what a laptop should be, just wireless extension of your desktop. the form factor is great, but HTC has much better layouts, with touch screen ect... Definitely needs to be PnP with all o/s's not just smartphones.

Re: Cool addon to the Mogul
 

A thin client for accessing files, internet via my phone in a slim package with better battery life than a laptop (due to lack of cpu, cooling hard drive etc) might be a decent alternative. $500 would not be a deal breaker if the battery life was 10 hours, the battery pack and device came with a decent carrying case and the item was slim and sleek.

I would rather pay less than $500 but need the features to match the price. Mu experience with UMPCs and tethering is not the most favorable.