Photo of the Day (10/22/08)

by Jamie Rhein on

The blues and the clouds first attracted me this shot. Or was it the angle of the structure that draws one up and up? Or perhaps it was the dock that leads outwards.

The combination of the simplicity of each element compels me to keep looking. There’s the froth from the waves that is moving over the rocks on the left. There’s the dead plant at the right corner and the way the water is a greenish brown in the foreground but changes color in gradations towards the distant shore.

This is the type of shot one could use for a meditation or something. I’ve already been sitting here for hours. . . .

Jepstar captured this mood in at the Portulano Resort in Batangas, Philippines. What mood have you captured lately? Send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool for a Photo of the Day consideration.

Product review – Celio Redfly mobile companion

by Scott Carmichael on

My product review for today is of the Celio Redfly “mobile companion”. The concept behind the Redfly is surprisingly easy, yet not always easy to explain, so I’ll do what I can to keep things simple.

The Celio Redfly works in conjunction with many Windows Mobile powered PDA’s and smartphones, and essentially provides a large display, keyboard and trackpad for your device. What you normally see on the small screen of your PDA, will appear on the high-resolution 8″ display of the Redfly. Still with me?

You can connect to your PDA using a USB cable or Bluetooth. What this combination delivers, is a large screen and keyboard that lets you work with the applications on your PDA, without having to carry a large laptop, or work off a 3″ screen.

How does this work in real life use? Surprisingly well actually.

I’ve been using the Redfly with my PDA for a few weeks now, and it has become quite an invaluable little machine.
Of course, when you look at what the Redfly does, and at the price ($199 till October 31st, normally $399), you’ll be forgiven if you thought that a regular small laptop would be a better solution, even I assumed that when I first read about the Redfly. In reality, the Redfly does several things much better than most ultra portable laptops on the market.

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  • The device is “instant on” – within 4 seconds it is on and connected to your PDA
  • You can use the Internet connection on your PDA without having to add a tethering plan or invest in a 3G modem
  • The device has no drivers or settings that can become corrupted or that require updating
  • There is no need to synchronize with your PDA, as you are working with information from just one source
  • The Redfly has no moving parts and a low power CPU, so battery life is outstanding (up to 8 hours)
  • Theft is not a concern as the Redfly does not store any data

If the concept sounds familiar, it is because it is almost the same idea behind the canceled Palm Folio mobile companion, don’t let that put you off though, Celio really have managed to develop a winning machine with the Redfly.

The hardware is nice and sturdy; the case is deep red (of course) and has a rubbery texture. On the right hand side is the power button and 2 power status LED’s, on the back is a VGA port and 2 USB ports for connecting to your PDA. The USB port can also charge your device when connected.

Before you can connect to the device, you have to install the Redfly client. This app can thankfully be downloaded directly when you point your mobile browser to Celio’s website. The client application is pretty straightforward and offers several handy features like the ability to connect automatically when you plug your PDA into the Redfly.

In the client application you can also configure the Bluetooth connection and program the home, mail and web hotkeys on the Redfly keyboard.

For my review, I used the Redfly with all the same applications I use on a regular basis on my PDA (the Sprint Mogul). During the review, I did discover several applications that did not work right. The first of them is the newest Opera browser (version 9.5). The previous version (8.65) works perfectly so this was not a major problem. I also ran across several games that did not like being used on the Redfly. Surprisingly, graphics intensive apps like Google Maps functioned perfectly. Celio have published a list of recommended (and tested) applications on their site.

Other than that, it ran everything perfectly, including the popular mobile office package Softmaker. Being able to switch from the tiny screen of my PDA to a comfortable 800×480 display for word processing or spreadsheet editing is fantastic, especially when combined with the keyboard of the Redfly.

Email and Internet browsing are equally impressive, but if you value a comfortable online experience, you’ll want to stay away from Pocket Internet Explorer and switch to Opera 8.6 instead.

One of the other advantages of the device is its external VGA port; with this port, you can connect your PDA to the Redfly, and connect the Redfly to a larger monitor or video projector. The Redfly even has support for a USB mouse. Once you install Pocket Powerpoint or any other presentation application of your choice, you suddenly have access to a 2lb portable presentation companion.

The Celio Redfly is currently being sold for just $199; at that price point I really can recommend anyone with a compatible Windows Mobile device to consider ordering one. After October 31st it goes back up to $399.
That price is a little trickier as it enters the realm where it is no longer an impulse purchase, and really only becomes suitable for people who actually need it, and not just those that want it. I have already managed to convince several of my friends to try it out, and not one of them has been disappointed with their purchase.

The device is not without a few minor flaws; the USB connectors on the back look pretty cheap, and they could use a little plastic to surround them. The device does not have a replaceable battery, which could prove to be annoying for long trips. And finally; there is very little information about the availability of spare parts or accessories for the device. I have not been able to find a car charger or spare AC adapter.

Despite those minor shortcomings I have been very impressed with the device. To steal a phrase from Apple; it just works. It always works, and it has never let me down. I’ll be the first to admit that it is logical to compare the $399 Redfly with a $399 Netbook and assume the Netbook would win, but if you just need something that you can bring along without having to worry about poor battery life or software issues, then you really should check out the Redfly. And remember, if you order by October 31st, you’ll be able to get one for just $199!

Putting the voodoo in French presidential politics

by Anna Brones on

With the American Presidential election less than two weeks away it’s practically impossible to get away from campaign news, so I figured we could all use a bit of international presidential gossip. And what president is better suited for gossip than Monsieur Nicolas Sarkozy?

Earlier in the year he was the talk of the French nation for dating, and later marrying, ex-supermodel Carla Bruni. Now he’s back on the international radar for threatening to sue a publishing company if it does not get rid of the voodoo doll created in his honor, according to the BBC.

President Sarkozy is not a fan of the doll, which comes with pins and an instruction manual that includes how to put the evil eye on the president himself. The doll is also covered in quotes — which you can poke the pins into — including “get lost you jerk” which Sarkozy said to a bystander who once refused to shake his hand.

You might think that this was a partisan thing, but the publishing company apparently likes to “poke” fun at both sides of the political spectrum; they’ve also produced a similar doll in the for of Segolene Royal, Sarkozy’s Socialist party rival in the last election. She may not hold the same political ideals as Sarkozy, but she does agree with his stance on companies making fun of politicians: she is also threatening legal action.

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Check out these funny-looking world maps…

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The UK’s Telegraph recently posted an interesting slideshow to its website, one that distorts the size of countries on a map based on a number of factors, like number of tourists who visit, prevalence of train travel, and level of carbon dioxide emissions. Here are a couple of the maps from “The Atlas of the Real World”… (more below the fold)

Number of International Tourists

The size of each country in this map is proportional to the number of visits from international tourists the country receives. As you can see, Western Europe, particularly France, Spain, and Italy, receive huge numbers of visitors, while South America and Africa have almost disappeared from the map.

Rail Travel

No surprise here. India, China, and Japan dominate this map, which seeks to compare countries based on the extent of their rail networks. As those visitors to South America can attest, if you want to get around, you’d better learn to love the bus.

Alcohol Consumption

This map shows a country’s total quantity of alcohol consumed. The Chinese, though not known as particularly heavy drinkers, still consume the most alcohol in the world. There are over a billion of them, after all. Notice the Middle East, which is largely Islamic and where alcohol consumption is verboten, can barely been seen on this map.

Go here to check out the whole slideshow.

Visit haunted prisons for a Halloween creep out

by Jamie Rhein on

Old prisons look creepy in the day. In the dark, they can really spook you. Perhaps it’s those rusted locks, the way cell doors sound when they clank shut, the stairs where people don’t tread anymore. Add a hangman’s noose or an electric chair, and you have a real chills up your back shudder.

Pair a trip to a prison on Halloween and you’re in for some screaming good times.

Or, if you can’t swing by one of these prisons before Halloween, take in a night tour when you get the chance. Each of the these three prisons featured offers night tours year round. And each have tales of being haunted.

Haunted or not, I can vouch for their chill factor. I’ve visited each of them.

(photo of stairway at Mansfield Reformatory taken by thadman.)

My most recent visit was to the Mansfield Reformatory. In its heyday, the prison was a reformatory for boys but was closed in the 1980s.

This goreous gothic building that looks both elegant and forbodding even in daylight acquired its most recent fame as the setting for the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Through Halloween weekend there is a haunted house here that is a guareenteed screamfest. People under 13-years of age are not allowed.

The reformatory’s Night of the Evil Dead haunted house experience takes in most of the prison that is now a museum. I met some folks who had been on the tour the night before I visited here during the day. They loved it and mentioned several times how they felt hoarse from screaming.

I’ve been to Alcatraz Island in San Franciso twice. Although haven’t been on the night tour here either, in the daylight wandering through the rooms where the likes of Al Capone hung out creates a chill factor straight off.

Add in the tales of the guys who tried to escape by swimming for the distant shore but never made it, and you have another creepy detail. There’s also the soliary confinement cell where you can experience the dark in a way that is different than perhaps you are used to.

The night tours at Alcatraz are Thursday through Monday and include special talks around certain themes. How about the Shadow of Death? There are others from which to choose. A bonus of Alcatraz’s night tours is the view of San Francisco.

The view was terrific by day. If you do go on this tour any time of the year, whether during the day or night, make sure you bring warm clothes. Even in the summer it gets chilly.

I did take the night torchlight tour of the Fremantle Prison in Perth, Australia. Very cool. I was hanging out with a group of adolescent boys as a field trip chaparone. This age is a hard crowd to please, but I promise, they were pleased big time.

The Fremantle Prison, built in 1850 by convicts, was a place where British citizens who committed crimes were sent along with people who already lived in Australia and were naughty. Later the prison was used as a military prison.

The night view of this prison is quite imposing. Of all the places we visited in Western Australia, this was one of the highlights.