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Microsoft missed a massive opportunity to implement deep integration between Windows on the desktop and Windows phone. What I mean by that is a smart phone tha

Microsoft missed a massive opportunity to implement deep integration between Windows on the desktop and Windows phone. What I mean by that is a smart phone that become such an intimate extension of your computer that it blends into it during use. I remain flabbergasted that today, in 2020, phones don't blend into desktop and laptop computers in any significant manner. I can't browse files on my iPhone X from my Windows 10 desktop through Bluetooth. There are band-aids and work arounds through apps and services. My point is that this should be a natural integration by now, not a pile of band-aids. To be sure, companies like Apple are at fault as well. Think about everything you can do when you plug in a second, third or fourth monitor into your computer. You should be able to do that and more with your multi-core, multi-gigabyte, hyper-connected, high display resolution smart device. I should be able to start a Zoom meeting on my phone, swipe the call onto my computer screen and back. I should be able to drop PDF and other files onto my phone by dragging them into the aforementioned native interface. I still think MS have an opportunity to come out (again) with a phone that is a such a good extension of Windows that it would feel like you ripped the phone right off the Windows desktop and file system. The problem with this is it requires leadership and commitment they might not have.

virtue3 6y ago
the "Your Phone" app on windows 10 does some of this. At least I can look at SMS and my pictures and stuff! Over wifi even!
algorithmsRcool 6y ago
> I remain flabbergasted that today, in 2020, phones don't blend into desktop and laptop computers in any significant manner. Microsoft did something like that in 2015. The high end Lumia's could plug into a dock with a keyboard, mouse and display and show a windows desktop with a start menu and apps. It was called Windows 10 Continuum and it never caught on. https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/20/9767266/microsoft-lumia-950-review-windows-10-continuum https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/20/9767266/microsoft-lumia-...
- ta17711771 6y ago
  Why does it need to be it's own fledgling-sounding thing? e.g. Win10 has automatic tablet mode. Perfect.
bhauer 6y ago
Completely agree. I want a computing model I called PAO, where applications are singular and available across all of your devices. If you're interested in a read: https://tiamat.tsotech.com/pao https://tiamat.tsotech.com/pao
- lukeramsden 6y ago
  I wonder if some sort of method of sharing Redux actions over a websocket could possibly work to make an app work like this - although it would quite obviously add a lot of overhead to development complexity and production resources, so only certain apps would really benefit enough for the complexity. Worth trying, though.
the_pwner224 6y ago
> I remain flabbergasted that today, in 2020, phones don't blend into desktop and laptop computers in any significant manner. I can't browse files on my iPhone X from my Windows 10 desktop through Bluetooth. There are band-aids and work arounds through apps and services. My point is that this should be a natural integration by now, not a pile of band-aids. On Android+Linux, KDE Connect is a single solution to do all of this. Files, clipboards, bidirectional music/volume control, pausing computer music during phone calls, notifications, SMS (desktop app), type from computer onto phone, and more. I've heard there's some work going on to make it work on Windows+Android, and for Linux there's already a KDE Connect applet to make it work on desktop environments other than KDE.
untog 6y ago
> I should be able to drop PDF and other files onto my phone by dragging them into the aforementioned native interface. Apple have gotten pretty far along that road with Airdrop, it works great. As for the rest, MS tried some of that stuff and it landed with a thud. The mass market doesn’t actually care for the stuff (how often are you actually taking a Zoom call on your phone and wanting to transfer it? I like the idea but I can’t think of many times it would actually apply). I’m sceptical it would ever be a thing now. There’s a reason why so many companies make Electron apps: desktop apps just aren’t all that important, and they’re not likely to dedicate dev resources to one.

virtue3 6y ago

the "Your Phone" app on windows 10 does some of this. At least I can look at SMS and my pictures and stuff! Over wifi even!

algorithmsRcool 6y ago

> I remain flabbergasted that today, in 2020, phones don't blend into desktop and laptop computers in any significant manner. Microsoft did something like that in 2015. The high end Lumia's could plug into a dock with a keyboard, mouse and display and show a windows desktop with a start menu and apps. It was called Windows 10 Continuum and it never caught on. https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/20/9767266/microsoft-lumia-950-review-windows-10-continuum https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/20/9767266/microsoft-lumia-...

ta17711771 6y ago
Why does it need to be it's own fledgling-sounding thing? e.g. Win10 has automatic tablet mode. Perfect.

bhauer 6y ago

Completely agree. I want a computing model I called PAO, where applications are singular and available across all of your devices. If you're interested in a read: https://tiamat.tsotech.com/pao https://tiamat.tsotech.com/pao

lukeramsden 6y ago
I wonder if some sort of method of sharing Redux actions over a websocket could possibly work to make an app work like this - although it would quite obviously add a lot of overhead to development complexity and production resources, so only certain apps would really benefit enough for the complexity. Worth trying, though.

the_pwner224 6y ago

> I remain flabbergasted that today, in 2020, phones don't blend into desktop and laptop computers in any significant manner. I can't browse files on my iPhone X from my Windows 10 desktop through Bluetooth. There are band-aids and work arounds through apps and services. My point is that this should be a natural integration by now, not a pile of band-aids. On Android+Linux, KDE Connect is a single solution to do all of this. Files, clipboards, bidirectional music/volume control, pausing computer music during phone calls, notifications, SMS (desktop app), type from computer onto phone, and more. I've heard there's some work going on to make it work on Windows+Android, and for Linux there's already a KDE Connect applet to make it work on desktop environments other than KDE.

untog 6y ago

> I should be able to drop PDF and other files onto my phone by dragging them into the aforementioned native interface. Apple have gotten pretty far along that road with Airdrop, it works great. As for the rest, MS tried some of that stuff and it landed with a thud. The mass market doesn’t actually care for the stuff (how often are you actually taking a Zoom call on your phone and wanting to transfer it? I like the idea but I can’t think of many times it would actually apply). I’m sceptical it would ever be a thing now. There’s a reason why so many companies make Electron apps: desktop apps just aren’t all that important, and they’re not likely to dedicate dev resources to one.