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The idea of the Redfly goes thusly: Take the netbook form factor and then turn your smartphone into that form factor by "tricking' your it into thinking it has a larger screen, full keyboard, and mouse. It's an idea that we've been pretty fond of, but frankly we're not the sort to leave the laptop behind.

Enter Redfly Mobile Viewer, which takes the same basic idea and jettisons the Redfly hardware in favor of an app on your Windows PC. Think SOTI Pocket Controller with an added twist: instead of merely duplicating your smartphone on the PC, it actually convinces Windows Mobile it's running on different hardware.

Actually, never mind the details – the upshot is that you can have a window on your PC that is your smartphone – only enhanced with a 1024x768-sized screen, your PC's keyboard and mouse.  It might just be a nice solution for some Mobile Accomplishers out there who want to keep as much of their work as possible on the smartphone and/or who don't want to bother tethering.

It is a Beta, however, so it's still a little twitchy here and there (see: browsers).  On the bright side, Redfly has announced compatibility with 18 more smartphones and also sped up its software a bit.

The Beta is free and just might be worth a shot. Learn more over at CelioCorp.com.

Update: Phil takes the Mobile Viewer for a spin after the break.

No, we didn't forget. We've just seen neither hide nor hair of any information from the supposed Samsung-Armani event yesterday. In fact, the closest we've gotten involves David Beckham in his underwear, which, we're told, isn't necessarily a deal-breaker.

If you see something, pass it on!

Update: Ah ha! Er, we mean, Bingo! Apparently it's been postponed for an unknown reason. (Use Microsoft's Bing and you'll find it. Translation here.) Thanks, CHF!

We've already gotten our hands on one at Best Buy (and we hear there might be some at Radio Shack -- didn't see any at one this morning), and now there's confirmation that the HTC Snap will go on sale in honest-to-goodness Sprint stores starting June 21.

Said confirmation comes from Information Week [via Phone Scoop]. Why no Snap in stores yet? Blame Palm.

Sprint said it will be available through their stores June 21 for $149 after rebates and a new two-year contract. The third-largest U.S. carrier said it intentionally staggered the launch in order to accommodate for this week's debut of the Palm Pre smartphone.

We've said it before (look for the cameo by yours truly) and we'll say it again. PALLLLLLLLLLLLLM!

If you happen to be rocking an HTC Touch Diamond 2 already – either you're outside the U.S. or are an impatient American who imported – there's a hotfix available that's really more of a hidefix.

See, there's a "Start Recording" option that, well, doesn't really work, and so this hotfix just plucks the option from the phone. That said, there appears to have been some progress toward actually making it work. The legality of recording calls varies depending on where you live, so play with caution.

Or to avoid temptation entirely, just apply the hotfix, which you can get here.

Every so often we see headlines exclaiming "Cell manufacturer abandons Windows Mobile for (insert cool new OS here)!" HTC has no such pretensions, despite all the attention being paid to Android this year.

HTC France exec Frederic Tassy spells it out in an interview with Mobinaute:

"For HTC 2009 is the year-off system Android. By the end of the year, we remain a strong player in this market. For other brands, there will be I think a lot of bluff with products that are likely to be delayed. We will always be more flagship products on Windows Mobile. Our best selling smartphone in Europe is also the HTC Touch HD Windows Mobile. "

So fear not, WinMo fans. HTC isn't going anywhere on us.

wmpoweruser via Android Central

We'll file this under "rumor and speculation" but Cellfanatic.com has put some pieces of a Samsung puzzle together and has come up with an interesting theory. A theory that places the release of the Omnia II on June 15th.

There is a Samsung Unboxing Website that is counting down to June 15th to reveal a new Samsung Mobile Phone. An un-boxing to reveal a phone with overwhelming power and performance. Right now, all that is being revealed is an x-ray of the phone which vaguely resembles the product shots of the Omnia.

One nice thing about this rumor is that it won't last beyond the 15th.  That is unless Samsung delays the unboxing.

That Verizon Touch Pro ROM update that unlocks the GPS? It's now officially up on PCD's Web site (that's where the official Verizon releases congregate), and it's there as a Version 2. Apparently a GPS bug was discovered in the first update that PhoneNews was hosting, and PhoneNews now lets us know that this new version takes care of it. And since it's the official official version, here's the changelog:

• Added Visual Voicemail support.
• Added EVRC B capability
• Added Standalone GPS Capability.

Go get it here. And as always, back up your info first. And happy flashing!

Update: Sorry, folks, looks like the update's been pulled again. And nobody's saying why. We'll keep you updated.

Update 2: It's up again! Only change anyone can tell is in the date of the file.

Here's a look at the Samsung B7610 Louvre, which we first got wind of a couple months ago. The heavily-skinned Windows Mobile slider seems to be gaining steam and may be available next month in Europe.

The specs:

• Quad-band EDGE, HSDPA (the 7.2Mbps)
• aGPS
• 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen at 480x800
• 5MP camera (no flash)
• FM radio
• 1GB ROM
• Bluetooth 2.0
• WiFi b/g
• MicroSD
• Accelerometer
• 1500mAh battery
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (will receive the 6.5 upgrade)

The Louvre reportedly will be available in July and should be priced between 250 € and 500 €.

GPS and Co. (translation) via wmpoweruser