Touchscreen/Tablet?

[c1oudrs]

"we started out at $499, got the price down to $399, and now the C8N with the added media port is $299 - all in the course of 6 months. So with that in mind, what would you actually pay for a touch screen version of the REDFLY?"

I think you need a lower end Redfly (which you have) and higher end Redfly. Here's why: I would pay $499-$559 for a convertible touch screen Redfly---having now bought one for $199. However, there's no way I would have bought one or paid that much before.

With that said, I think Celio (unfortunately) has to grow its own market that way. I just don't see a new user paying $499 or more. Only someone who has used the Redfly can understaand the Redfly's value in my opinion.

By the way the c8n was a good move and is at a very good price . I plan to buy a mid device late spring (instead of a netbook)and if you haven't come across with a posher Redfly model by then, maybe the c8n Redfly for travel late summer so I can play tv out videos from a mid and relegate my current Redfly to my bedroom. You've convinced me that the Redfly is the front end device of choice. At least until netbooks get uber batteries--then it will become a harder choice again. But hopefully the Redfly and WM7 will have advanced as well.

 

[Ebag333]

Virtual Villiage has an 8.9 " touchscreen overlay for seventy bucks plus $13.99 shipping.

If you want to buy knock-off's (no brand) from a knock off company, go for it.

I've done it on stuff where I want to get it as cheap as possible, and don't care if I get it or if it even works. Not very much stuff I've bought falls under that category.

Zero reviews on the company, obviously no reviews on the product (since it has no brand), product ships from China....yeah....

They probably provide the software too. If you're lucky, it's stolen from another company rather than hacked out themselves.


Now, if you want to show me a good product for under $100....

 

[wodin]

If you want to buy knock-off's (no brand) from a knock off company, go for it.

I've done it on stuff where I want to get it as cheap as possible, and don't care if I get it or if it even works. Not very much stuff I've bought falls under that category.

Zero reviews on the company, obviously no reviews on the product (since it has no brand), product ships from China....yeah....

They probably provide the software too. If you're lucky, it's stolen from another company rather than hacked out themselves.


Now, if you want to show me a good product for under $100....

A bit touchy aren't we?

People have been hacking EEEPCs for months with these. The reason that no one's been hacking the 'FLY is because ?FLYs cater to a different kind of user. We who would rather just open the box and it works.

Well, I?d like mine to work when I poke the screen with my finger, but I?m not interested in opening it up and figuring out how to hook up a touch screen that acts like a USB mouse inside it.

I am akamai enough to know that it?s just not that much of an engineering problem since everything except the screen overlay and USB controller is already there, and they are just not as expensive as you like us to believe. Especially when you are buying them in bulk.

Again, I?d buy an 8? ?FLY with touch screen for around $250!

 

[Ebag333]

Again, I?d buy an 8? ?FLY with touch screen for around $250!

I just find it interesting that you expect Celio to take the $200 fire sale price, add nearly $100 in parts, add even more in cost of development, firmware, software, etc to provide a custom solution (hint: it's not plug and play), and then sell it for less than what they paid for it.

It's simply not a realistic expectation.


Then again, I probably shouldn't be surprised since you seem to think that the new Redfly should be sold at the sale price, and the C7 should be sold for even less than that.



And if it's so cheap and easy, why don't you do it? Heck, I'll pay you $100 to put together a kit that I can slap on my existing C8. You get the parts and put together the software, and I'll mail/Paypal you $100 + shipping costs to my door. Let me know when you have a working solution.

 

[wodin]

If Asus can build a 1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home with an 8.9? screen for $319 plus shipping retail, then Celio should most certainly be able to build an 8", no OS, no CPU, no RAM, no hard drive dumb terminal for $199 plus shipping, and add a touch screen for $50 more.

Again one more time; If they do, I'll buy one!

 

[Ebag333]

If Asus can build a 1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home with an 8.9? screen for $319 plus shipping retail, then Celio should most certainly be able to build an 8", no OS, no CPU, no RAM, no hard drive dumb terminal for $199 plus shipping, and add a touch screen for $50 more.

Again, apples to oranges.

That's like asking why Aston Martin can't build sports cars for the same price as a Mustang.

There's the simple the fact that one company will sell tens if not hundreds of thousands and the other hundreds or maybe thousands. Asus can simply sell at a lower margin, and since they're building 100x or 1000x more of the ATOM's than Celio is of the Redfly's, there's a gigantic pricing difference (both wholesale and retail).

Additionally Asus is a larger customer, so gets bigger breaks and can do things like lines of credit or paying cash for large orders (depending on the economy and how the supplier wants it). Asus can also afford to sell long term at a loss in order to build market share...something a small startup simply can't afford to do (especially in this type of economy).


Finally, most of Celio's equipment is custom built/designed. Asus is using largely off the shelf technology.

When the Redfly has had as many generations as notebooks have, then maybe we'll see more off the shelf technology that is largely plug and play.



Obviously we aren't going to agree on this, so I'm going to leave this subject at this post, unless something new comes up.

 

[SpriteGF]

Chalk me down for "yes." I'd love to be able to have a bigger screen to view documents and ebooks on the go, when I'm on the bus or reading medical articles while walking around the hospital ward.

 

[RC46]

But hopefully the Redfly and WM7 will have advanced as well.

You make a great point. WM7 is supposed to have some advanced tilt and slide features. It would be great if the Redfly Tablet incorporated those advanced features.

BTW, I would spend $500 for a Tablet / Touchscreen Redfly.

I love my C8 but I am looking forward to the future potential of Redflys!

 

[c1oudrs]

There's times when you just want to tuck away the keyboard because its in the way. Don't get me wrong, I love having the Redfly keyboard. Its just that sometimes when I am reading an ebook, or eating, the keyboard is in peril or in the way. I couldn't handle the redfly being any bigger in sizebut the bezil on the original redfly screen is a little thick. So I'm not looking for a cheap overlay fix. But rather a touchscreen convertible tablet with Redfly technology. Be nice that if you closed the lid on the redfly that the redfly screen turned off too. But the bluetooth is so good tht I realize I'm just being lazy not to use the button to switch off and on. Unfortunately as I said before, a current redfly owner might see the worth in a 550-650 machine but for the most prt most people that are first time buyers would not. Just personal preference, but I don't think I'd use a touchscreen much with the current keyboard setting as the keyboard wouldget in my way.

 

[wodin]

There's times when you just want to tuck away the keyboard because its in the way. Don't get me wrong, I love having the Redfly keyboard. Its just that sometimes when I am reading an ebook, or eating, the keyboard is in peril or in the way. I couldn't handle the redfly being any bigger in sizebut the bezil on the original redfly screen is a little thick. So I'm not looking for a cheap overlay fix. But rather a touchscreen convertible tablet with Redfly technology. Be nice that if you closed the lid on the redfly that the redfly screen turned off too. But the bluetooth is so good tht I realize I'm just being lazy not to use the button to switch off and on. Unfortunately as I said before, a current redfly owner might see the worth in a 550-650 machine but for the most prt most people that are first time buyers would not. Just personal preference, but I don't think I'd use a touchscreen much with the current keyboard setting as the keyboard wouldget in my way.

I think I'd like to have just the touch screen with the VGA out and USB ports, no keyboard! The onscreen keyboards would be enough for me for most things if they scaled up to 'FLY size. Maybe a 10" screen which would fill up the bezel without making the 'FLY any bigger.

Of course I'd want two, one with a keyboard like my C8, and one without. Video in would be nice on the one without the KB.

P.S. Now that I think about it, wasn't that the original concept for Oragami UMPC?

 

[zad225]

Where do I sign up? This is exactly what I would be looking for! An instant on tablet pc. If I want to use a full blown keyboard with the fly, I could just twist the screen and use the fly keyboard as a stand and connect a full keyboard to it. Using it a slate would also be very nice. Can't wait!