The Redfly 'Notbook'

When is a netbook (or mini-notebook) not a netbook? When it's a 'notbook' such as Celio's Redfly Mobile Companion, that's when.

You might have thought that the idea of a netbook-format companion device for a smartphone — essentially adding a decent-sized screen and keyboard and letting the smartphone do the computing and the connectivity — had been well and truly buried when Palm canned its Foleo last year. But Salt Lake City's Celio Corp is giving it another go. Read the full review for all the details and more pics.

In fact, the Foleo was smarter than the distinctly dumb Redfly — at least it ran a Linux OS and had Wi-Fi. We never got a chance to test the Foleo, though, as Palm thought better of the idea before bringing it to market.

Now the Redfly MC does indeed expand the capabilities of your Windows Mobile smartphone. But would you spend £250 on something that's totally useless unless connected to your WinMob device? Hmmm, a dumb terminal or a ASUS Eee-alike? Tough one that.