Matthew Miller over at ZDNet got an early look at the REDFLY Windows Mobile Smartphone Companion, a Palm Foleo-esque device that more or less enlarges your smartphone’s screen to 800 x 480 (8-inch LCD) and gives you a trackpad, larger keyboard, two USB ports (used for charging, mice, flash drives, etc.), and VGA output.

It’s slated to be released at around $500, which Miller thinks is too expensive. I agree, especially since it doesn’t have a Wi-Fi connection, local storage (for backups), and doesn’t work for simple tasks like surfing the web without your phone constantly attached via USB or Bluetooth. For $199 or $250, it’d be a lot more intriguing since it’d beat the price of a more feature-rich Eee or similar device.

This device would be great for people who, for some reason or another, have a tricked-out Windows Mobile phone but don’t have a regular computer in their house and just wanted something simple for getting online using a bigger screen and keyboard. It’s possible that the REDFLY might just be ahead of its time and would be a very useful device once everyone’s entire life resides on an ultra-powerful cell phone.

Can the REDFLY Windows Mobile Smartphone Companion succeed where the Foleo couldn’t? [ZDNet]