Continuum gets some Qualcomm mid-range support Reviewers of Microsoft’s Continuum feature have found it much like Samuel Johnson regarded lady preachers: “like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well, but you are surprised to find it done at all". Continuum turns Windows 10 phones into a PC once you add a keyboard and mouse. It has its limitations, the …
I wonder what chance that we'll start to see new surface models being pushed on the back of this, although you'd have to wonder what the point would be.
The app gap is still a big problem. Amazon don't have a winodws version of their app. Nor does Pebble and local public transport doesn't have one either. It's the main thing stopping me from getting a 950XL as Blackberry seems to be holding a pillow over the face of BB10:
http://crackberry.com/built-blackberry-ending
How long are "Apps" going to matter though? I tend to use only the web version of web services. BGR (which I slightly apologise for mentioning) has just pointed out that the Android Facebook app is a battery sucking monster but the browser version is fine. One of the original justifications for apps was that browser use would consume more power and be slower, but as apps acquire ever more telemetry intrusion, this ceases to be true. Perhaps Microsoft just needs to hang on a bit longer until browsers take over everything that is not a local service (like compasses, scientific calculators and network tools).
Since most phones ALREADY support USB Mouse, Keyboard and HDMI screen ... (My Ancient Sony Ericsson Z1 does) why isn't such a feature simply a HDMI + Bluetooth dock (or custom Power + USB Data + HDMI dock) with 1920 x 1080p 16" screen that works for almost any phone, no matter OS?
Even my Symbian E65 had some sort of option. Really this isn't hard and should have been in all Smart phones since Win Phone 6.0 Era.
I certainly don't want a proprietary dock that ONLY works with Win 10. I've tried my ancient Z1 Android with an HDMI screen, USB Keyboard and mouse on a hub. Main issue is some applications and lack of multiple windows.
If one had a phone with 32G byte SD card, dock with WiFi, ethernet, 4x USB 2.0 and HDMI for a screen, then many people wouldn't need a laptop. No need to sync.
You'll prize my real x86 32bit laptop out of my cold dead fingers, but really someone could have done this properly 14+ years ago (I had Nokia Communicator).
i think that you might have missed exactly what continuum is. It's not just a case of putting a phone display on to big screen and giving you a keyboard to type emails with. It reconfigures the whole interface so that what is seen is a lot more like a regular laptop.
The technology to do this is on the phone itself and the point is that the phone becomes aware of what it is connected to and then works differently in that context. Phone interfaces are fine for phone screens, but i don't think that many people are interested in replicating that on a monitor - in fact, didn't motorola try outputting the phone screen to a monitor a few years ago? never really caught on...
It's sad that you consider a phone less than 3 years old to be 'ancient'. I'm still using the original Xperia Z and have up until now found no reason to upgrade it.
It's not getting marshmallow, so maybe I will upgrade soon, but I wouldn't consider it to fall into the 'ancient' category.
When I bought it, I sold my SE Xperia Arc S to a friend who has only just replaced it. At 6ish years old you could probably consider that 'ancient' in smart phone terms.
Android phones can all do this in theory, it just isn't marketed or packaged in a way users can use it easily.
There's nothing to stop you running a full linux desktop on any android phone, indeed you can install debian inside a chroot with 99% of the same desktop apps you'd have on an x86 system, including X11, VNC and RDP so you could access other systems remotely for any apps which didn't run (or ran too slowly) on the handset itself.
Still Running my Motorola Razr Max which had webtop when running the original software. ahead of its time with phone hardware and software needing development but a great idea.
What I want is either a Linux or W10 (with continuum) ASUS Padfone with phone that becomes a tablet that becomes a Laptop OR with a desk dock becomes a PC. Hardware is now possible and software can be done or has been done. OH yes want an Intel chip and HUGE battery im not interested in having to charge it every 2 minutes or every 18 hours. 2 days with reasonable use should be possible for a phone. it does not NEED to be paper thin, add a bit of thickness and make the battery decent,
for tasks that need more grunt than the phone offer a VM instance.
This post has been deleted by its author
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
