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I am really surprised that the "single computing / storage device" idea which can switch between different screens and input methods seamlessly (and maybe suppo

I am really surprised that the "single computing / storage device" idea which can switch between different screens and input methods seamlessly (and maybe support plug-in CPUs) is just is not happening, though the concept here is a small step in that direction. Having everything in the cloud seems to have made this somewhat redundant for most users, though I still hope one day I can carry all my data around, of course given proper encryption and backups and the ability to distinguish between safe and possibly monitored (public) displays/inputs. Or maybe wireless displays are missing so that decision to quickly do a task with a mouse and keyboard leaves out the cable plugging aspect.

garou 9y ago
I prefer the idea of a phone that can be plugged on a better hardware (desktop) and quickly boot on it... without the need of turn of the phone and the changes on desktop appearing on phone...
- cujo 9y ago
  I always thought this was going to be the direction of the original iPod. Any day now...
Rudism 9y ago
I think all the walled-garden ecosystems of apps and device interoperability are also contributing to the slow progress on this front. Nobody with the resources to do so wants to develop open protocols that would enable easy collaboration on this kind of thing. We may get there one day, but you'll need to pick Google, Apple, or Amazon and buy your device, monitor, peripherals, and cloud services from just that one company.
mafuyu 9y ago
I think it's a neat idea, but computing is cheap nowadays. When you have a nice screen, battery, and enclosure, throwing in some compute isn't a huge deal. As you mentioned, I think this makes it redundant with the cloud when you can make thin-ish clients for everything, like Chromebooks, or Apple and Microsoft's initiatives to seamlessly transfer your workflow from one device to another.
jasonkostempski 9y ago
I just don't see the use case. For work, most people have a work computer and that's separate from their personal computer. Tons of people no longer have a computer at home, those that do are likely gamers, developers or artists that all have a huge archive of files they work with and require more power than a mobile device can supply. I wish these companies would stop trying and just make an open, mobile, general purpose computer for mobile use cases.
- kilroy123 9y ago
  I don't have a separate computer. I only have one single computer for work and personal things. I use it heavily for both. If something happens to my computer and it goes down for a few days, I'm screwed. I personally would love something like this. Just in case I need to get some work done off my phone. I do no want another computer.
  - komali2 9y ago
    Do you not keep old computers as you update? Have you considered having a cheap chromebook backup or something?
    - Piskvorrr 9y ago
      What for, dust collection? I refurbish them and give them away - by the time I upgrade, the machines are still comparable to mid-low current ones.
    - kilroy123 9y ago
      No. I'm a nomad and move around all the time. I carry everything I own with me. I am not going to carry two computers.
  - jasonkostempski 9y ago
    That's a really small convenience (if it is at all, I have my doubts) for such a expensive feature that doesn't have many practical uses. It's killing a lot of otherwise exciting projects.
djsumdog 9y ago
Ubuntu Touch was expected to have that. Their crowdfunding video for the Ubuntu Edge showed an Android e-mail app that read/wrote to the same datastore as Thunderbird when it was in desktop mode. I'm not sure how it worked as Ubuntu Mobile really kinda died off and I never tried it myself. There are many other projects that have attempted this (none of which I can remember, but I've seen this concept a bunch). It makes a lot of sense. Your phone is already running a Linux kernel. You should be able to create a chroot or a container system that has a standard Linux distribution. You add some hardware/hotplug hooks, some data-sync apps and you should have a Linux desktop hidden in your phone.
- petecox 9y ago
  various GNU/Linux-in-a-chroot projects exist on Google Play and f-droid. In the other direction, Anbox attempts to run Android inside a container.
unabst 9y ago
The problem with phone computing is that it's still the weakest option: Phone < Laptop < Desktop I used to have a Sony Vaio that I would hookup to big screens at each work space. Now I use dropbox to sync desktops. My main machine has a GTX 1070 running a 4K @ 60Hz with an m2 SSD, and it was half the price of my laptop (I had to build it, but I had fun doing it). It's ten times as fast. And no more laptop hugging. I think the key is working with the premise that any Maru user will have a main laptop or desktop. For example, if I could work with my phone in a window on my desktop, that would be amazing. And where I don't have a more powerful machine, I would just connect my phone directly to the monitor. Also dropbox is a must. I'm surprised my Android doesn't do this already though... How hard would it be for a smartphone to double as a ChromeBox?
flukus 9y ago
Because fundamentally they always end up being two computers in one, they just share the storage.

garou 9y ago

I prefer the idea of a phone that can be plugged on a better hardware (desktop) and quickly boot on it... without the need of turn of the phone and the changes on desktop appearing on phone...

cujo 9y ago
I always thought this was going to be the direction of the original iPod. Any day now...

Rudism 9y ago

I think all the walled-garden ecosystems of apps and device interoperability are also contributing to the slow progress on this front. Nobody with the resources to do so wants to develop open protocols that would enable easy collaboration on this kind of thing. We may get there one day, but you'll need to pick Google, Apple, or Amazon and buy your device, monitor, peripherals, and cloud services from just that one company.

mafuyu 9y ago

I think it's a neat idea, but computing is cheap nowadays. When you have a nice screen, battery, and enclosure, throwing in some compute isn't a huge deal. As you mentioned, I think this makes it redundant with the cloud when you can make thin-ish clients for everything, like Chromebooks, or Apple and Microsoft's initiatives to seamlessly transfer your workflow from one device to another.

jasonkostempski 9y ago

I just don't see the use case. For work, most people have a work computer and that's separate from their personal computer. Tons of people no longer have a computer at home, those that do are likely gamers, developers or artists that all have a huge archive of files they work with and require more power than a mobile device can supply. I wish these companies would stop trying and just make an open, mobile, general purpose computer for mobile use cases.

kilroy123 9y ago
I don't have a separate computer. I only have one single computer for work and personal things. I use it heavily for both. If something happens to my computer and it goes down for a few days, I'm screwed. I personally would love something like this. Just in case I need to get some work done off my phone. I do no want another computer.
- komali2 9y ago
  Do you not keep old computers as you update? Have you considered having a cheap chromebook backup or something?
  - Piskvorrr 9y ago
    What for, dust collection? I refurbish them and give them away - by the time I upgrade, the machines are still comparable to mid-low current ones.
  - kilroy123 9y ago
    No. I'm a nomad and move around all the time. I carry everything I own with me. I am not going to carry two computers.
- jasonkostempski 9y ago
  That's a really small convenience (if it is at all, I have my doubts) for such a expensive feature that doesn't have many practical uses. It's killing a lot of otherwise exciting projects.

djsumdog 9y ago

Ubuntu Touch was expected to have that. Their crowdfunding video for the Ubuntu Edge showed an Android e-mail app that read/wrote to the same datastore as Thunderbird when it was in desktop mode. I'm not sure how it worked as Ubuntu Mobile really kinda died off and I never tried it myself. There are many other projects that have attempted this (none of which I can remember, but I've seen this concept a bunch). It makes a lot of sense. Your phone is already running a Linux kernel. You should be able to create a chroot or a container system that has a standard Linux distribution. You add some hardware/hotplug hooks, some data-sync apps and you should have a Linux desktop hidden in your phone.

petecox 9y ago
various GNU/Linux-in-a-chroot projects exist on Google Play and f-droid. In the other direction, Anbox attempts to run Android inside a container.

unabst 9y ago

The problem with phone computing is that it's still the weakest option: Phone < Laptop < Desktop I used to have a Sony Vaio that I would hookup to big screens at each work space. Now I use dropbox to sync desktops. My main machine has a GTX 1070 running a 4K @ 60Hz with an m2 SSD, and it was half the price of my laptop (I had to build it, but I had fun doing it). It's ten times as fast. And no more laptop hugging. I think the key is working with the premise that any Maru user will have a main laptop or desktop. For example, if I could work with my phone in a window on my desktop, that would be amazing. And where I don't have a more powerful machine, I would just connect my phone directly to the monitor. Also dropbox is a must. I'm surprised my Android doesn't do this already though... How hard would it be for a smartphone to double as a ChromeBox?

flukus 9y ago

Because fundamentally they always end up being two computers in one, they just share the storage.