March 19th, 2008
Smartphone companions: Is there a market?
The Palm Foleo project went down in flames before it even launched, but there must have been something behind the idea of a smartphone companion since other companies are still tr
ying.
Matthew Miller has an interesting post and gallery (right) on the REDFLY Mobile Companion, it’s basically what the Foleo was going to be. The REDFLY connects to your smartphone to create a laptop-type device.
The big question: Is there a market for these companions?
Matthew notes that REDFLY has a big keyboard and weighs in at 2 pounds. That’s small, but I’d probably just lug my laptop along. What’s an extra pound or two?
In the end, the smart phone companion market will come down to price. Matthew says $500 is clearly too much to inspire a purchase. A price of $250 may be more like it. As for me, I’m not sure what would get me to buy a smartphone companion. How about you?
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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