3 ms·

I still want the thing that was supposed to happen a while ago. The phone that is the tablet that is the desktop. You just plug it in to the appropriate form fa

I still want the thing that was supposed to happen a while ago. The phone that is the tablet that is the desktop. You just plug it in to the appropriate form factor, but the computing device is the same.

MarkyC4 7y ago
a few devices/companies have tried this (not Apple obviously): Motorola Atrix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Atrix_4G#Accessories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Atrix_4G#Accessories Microsft Display Dock (Windows Continuum): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Display_Dock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Display_Dock https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/continuum https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/continuum NexDock: https://nexdock.com/ https://nexdock.com/ Samsung DeX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_DeX https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_DeX Apparently Android 10 has a desktop mode as well
cwyers 7y ago
Why do you want this, though? File syncing is a largely solved problem, and the difference between a "laptop-shaped thing that you can dock your phone with" and "a fully functional laptop" is like $20-$40, at least to be on par with the speed of a phone powering a laptop shell? Why not just spend a little extra and have a full computer?
- pedalpete 7y ago
  There are a few reasons I want this outside of file syncing. 1) It somewhat feels like it could be less wasteful. It may only be on the appearance level, but I end up with a new phone about every 2 years, a new computer about every 3, a new monitor...much less often. If my phone was a smart client for these other input devices, I feel like I would be upgrading my phone about the same, but wouldn't be upgrading a laptop as often. 2) It "feels" like the same device. Though I have file sharing, I don't have desktop sharing. The file I stuck on my desktop on my laptop isn't in the same space on my phone. It feels like they are synced, rather than just being my workspace. 3) I have to duplicate my apps on each device, and that is not always possible, so I end up with a comparable app, or having to switch devices. This is becoming less common, but still, do I need to have multiple versions of the same software on each different device and different OS? 4) Notifications everywhere. When I'm being summoned on multiple messaging apps, I'm getting notifications on at least 3 devices! Yes, I could turn notifications off, but obviously, I need some notifications. If I had only one device, acting as the smart hub to other input devices, in theory, it would know which device I'm active on, and just ring that. At the same time, we work a bunch with graphics, so I don't think I'm getting decent developer capable graphics card in a mobile device anytime soon, but I think other users could move to this sort of paradigm fairly easily.

MarkyC4 7y ago

a few devices/companies have tried this (not Apple obviously): Motorola Atrix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Atrix_4G#Accessories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Atrix_4G#Accessories Microsft Display Dock (Windows Continuum): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Display_Dock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Display_Dock https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/continuum https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/continuum NexDock: https://nexdock.com/ https://nexdock.com/ Samsung DeX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_DeX https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_DeX Apparently Android 10 has a desktop mode as well

cwyers 7y ago

Why do you want this, though? File syncing is a largely solved problem, and the difference between a "laptop-shaped thing that you can dock your phone with" and "a fully functional laptop" is like $20-$40, at least to be on par with the speed of a phone powering a laptop shell? Why not just spend a little extra and have a full computer?

pedalpete 7y ago
There are a few reasons I want this outside of file syncing. 1) It somewhat feels like it could be less wasteful. It may only be on the appearance level, but I end up with a new phone about every 2 years, a new computer about every 3, a new monitor...much less often. If my phone was a smart client for these other input devices, I feel like I would be upgrading my phone about the same, but wouldn't be upgrading a laptop as often. 2) It "feels" like the same device. Though I have file sharing, I don't have desktop sharing. The file I stuck on my desktop on my laptop isn't in the same space on my phone. It feels like they are synced, rather than just being my workspace. 3) I have to duplicate my apps on each device, and that is not always possible, so I end up with a comparable app, or having to switch devices. This is becoming less common, but still, do I need to have multiple versions of the same software on each different device and different OS? 4) Notifications everywhere. When I'm being summoned on multiple messaging apps, I'm getting notifications on at least 3 devices! Yes, I could turn notifications off, but obviously, I need some notifications. If I had only one device, acting as the smart hub to other input devices, in theory, it would know which device I'm active on, and just ring that. At the same time, we work a bunch with graphics, so I don't think I'm getting decent developer capable graphics card in a mobile device anytime soon, but I think other users could move to this sort of paradigm fairly easily.