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Reminds me of this successful Kickstarter that failed to deliver (I was a backer): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andromium/the-superbook-turn-your-smartp

Reminds me of this successful Kickstarter that failed to deliver (I was a backer): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andromium/the-superbook-turn-your-smartphone-into-a-laptop-f https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andromium/the-superbook...

pram 4y ago
I had a Motorola Atrix a decade ago that did this. It still looks extremely modern. Shame “phone as a computer” hasn’t really gone anywhere in all this time.
- wingmanjd 4y ago
  I miss the Atrix. The desktop mode running Ubuntu was great at the time, and once jailbroken, could install normal packages, which turned it into a great remote access machine between Remmina and terminal.
- ppseafield 4y ago
  Indeed. Even before this the Nokia N900 could run a Debian desktop. I found Samsung DeX to be usable, if a bit awkward at times. By far the most annoying limitation was being limited to Android and not being able to install more powerful software. Termux is stuck on a version in the Google play store because apps may not longer be published using some features Termux requires. Years ago Microsoft did try the other way around - making Windows into a touch/mobile interface - but made both the desktop and mobile experiences a bit worse. Several linux-based projects are attempting to bridge the gap there, but they are often limited by compatible hardware and a lack of openness mobile device component manufacturers exhibit. Google and Apple have very little economic incentive to open up their ecosystems. It really shows comparing how open Android used to be in comparison to how it is now.
  - girvo 4y ago
    The Nokia N9 had potential too for this, but was limited by the Micro-USB port. It’s funny, the phones have been “ready” for this idea, but it’s the external lapdock part that seems to be the blocker. USB-C gets us closer, but the NexDock is pretty bad — poor battery life, poor screen quality, bad touchpad. Sadly it’s just too niche I think. By the time a small run lapdock with high enough quality exists, it’s now competing price wise with real laptops with much greater performance…
    - wkat4242 4y ago
      HP made a really nice dock for their Windows phone back in the day. Many people still use them with DeX, the right hardware version can do it. I wish they still made them.
  - ElectricalUnion 4y ago
    > Termux is stuck on a version in the Google play store because apps may not longer be published using some features Termux requires. The Google Play Store version was considered deprecated long before the feature issues; You should use the F-Droid version instead: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.termux/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.termux/
wingmanjd 4y ago
I think I was one of the few lucky ones. I think I was one of the last batches shipped. I also had the Gen 1 Motorola Atrix's as well. I so badly want a truly ubiquitous device, but the few iterations I've tried just don't quite make it there.
schultzie 4y ago
They didn't entirely fail to deliver - I had received one (and subsequently sold it on eBay). There were many issues with it. Poor trackpad, poor software integration, unstable connection. It worked well enough for me to realize it's not a product that I'd ever realistically use.
wkat4242 4y ago
I still have one of those superbooks. They did deliver mine but it never worked properly. You're not missing anything, sadly.

pram 4y ago

I had a Motorola Atrix a decade ago that did this. It still looks extremely modern. Shame “phone as a computer” hasn’t really gone anywhere in all this time.

wingmanjd 4y ago
I miss the Atrix. The desktop mode running Ubuntu was great at the time, and once jailbroken, could install normal packages, which turned it into a great remote access machine between Remmina and terminal.
ppseafield 4y ago
Indeed. Even before this the Nokia N900 could run a Debian desktop. I found Samsung DeX to be usable, if a bit awkward at times. By far the most annoying limitation was being limited to Android and not being able to install more powerful software. Termux is stuck on a version in the Google play store because apps may not longer be published using some features Termux requires. Years ago Microsoft did try the other way around - making Windows into a touch/mobile interface - but made both the desktop and mobile experiences a bit worse. Several linux-based projects are attempting to bridge the gap there, but they are often limited by compatible hardware and a lack of openness mobile device component manufacturers exhibit. Google and Apple have very little economic incentive to open up their ecosystems. It really shows comparing how open Android used to be in comparison to how it is now.
- girvo 4y ago
  The Nokia N9 had potential too for this, but was limited by the Micro-USB port. It’s funny, the phones have been “ready” for this idea, but it’s the external lapdock part that seems to be the blocker. USB-C gets us closer, but the NexDock is pretty bad — poor battery life, poor screen quality, bad touchpad. Sadly it’s just too niche I think. By the time a small run lapdock with high enough quality exists, it’s now competing price wise with real laptops with much greater performance…
  - wkat4242 4y ago
    HP made a really nice dock for their Windows phone back in the day. Many people still use them with DeX, the right hardware version can do it. I wish they still made them.
- ElectricalUnion 4y ago
  > Termux is stuck on a version in the Google play store because apps may not longer be published using some features Termux requires. The Google Play Store version was considered deprecated long before the feature issues; You should use the F-Droid version instead: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.termux/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.termux/

wingmanjd 4y ago

I think I was one of the few lucky ones. I think I was one of the last batches shipped. I also had the Gen 1 Motorola Atrix's as well. I so badly want a truly ubiquitous device, but the few iterations I've tried just don't quite make it there.

schultzie 4y ago

They didn't entirely fail to deliver - I had received one (and subsequently sold it on eBay). There were many issues with it. Poor trackpad, poor software integration, unstable connection. It worked well enough for me to realize it's not a product that I'd ever realistically use.

wkat4242 4y ago

I still have one of those superbooks. They did deliver mine but it never worked properly. You're not missing anything, sadly.