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> Simply plug your phone into an HDMI screen, connect up a keyboard and mouse, and you’ve got a lightweight desktop experience you can take anywhere. No, I can

> Simply plug your phone into an HDMI screen, connect up a keyboard and mouse, and you’ve got a lightweight desktop experience you can take anywhere. No, I can't take it anywhere, because few places I go to have a HDMI screen and keyboard ready for me. And to the ones they do, I carry my laptop.

fsflover 1y ago
You could also use it with Nexdoc, https://nexdock.com https://nexdock.com
- LoganDark 1y ago
  Lapdocks are an amazing concept, but I haven't found a single one with my preferred keyboard layout yet. Same problem as laptops in general.
ranger_danger 1y ago
you can always bring a portable screen/keyboard with you
- happyopossum 1y ago
  I've yet to find a portable screen and keyboard that can even remotely compare in display quality or battery life to a MacBook Air, and the 'portable' combination is usually heavier and always clunkier to set up.
- shortrounddev2 1y ago
  If I'm doing that, why wouldn't I just bring my laptop
  - fsflover 1y ago
    Single place for all your data, easier to manage and back up. Single device to take with you.
    - bigstrat2003 1y ago
      I don't personally think there's any ease of management advantage to be gained, but that depends on whether one wants their phone to have the data that's on their computer. I don't, personally. But I think there's definitely no advantage from a "single device" when you have to take something just as big as taking a laptop anyway.
    - shortrounddev2 1y ago
      I'm not trying to shit on this as a neat tool, but my phone is not the single place for all my data, and I find it considerably harder to manage. If I'm bringing my phone, an external keyboard, and a portable screen (and, presumably, a mouse) with me, it's not really a "single device", it's more like 4 devices that poorly imitate a laptop and don't offer as much functionality
      - fuzzfactor 1y ago
        Plus, when far from a homebase, some people are going to bring two laptops anyway so they can have twice the reliability of your average person. Don't ask me how I know . . .
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
- WorldPeas 1y ago
  I've comfortably used a 7 inch tablet as a pocketable phone, such a thing with a keyboard would likely be a "complete" solution
szszrk 1y ago
I'm not sure why you neatpick that. I feel the complete opposite. HDMI screens are everywhere. Usb-c ones less but still present. I have a screen at work, with keyboard and USB hub. Same at home. And at most of my friend's homes. I have a screen (tv) in a hotel and flats to rent. I even had one in a cabin recently (use them with tv stick for my kid's shows). I also have an external USB/HDMI screen that is lighter than a laptop, that I sometimes carry for multiple reasons. Keyboard is a bit harder, I won't have it provided in a hotel, but there are plenty of small and light models, foldable etc.. I choose current phone specifically for usb-c/HDMI option and a full desktop experience and use it often. It's easy, it's fast, it's stable. Perfect for mobile gaming with a small BT gamepad as well. I struggle to find a place without a HDMI screen waiting for me.
- iAMkenough 1y ago
  I feel the opposite of you and not sure why you defend it. I can not think of the last time I plugged my phone or tablet into an HDMI screen I didn't own.
  - etbebl 1y ago
    Projectors are what springs to mind for me. Though I guess less relevant if you work remotely.
    - nemomarx 1y ago
      Kinda solved by sharing on teams in a conference room now?
- eldaisfish 1y ago
  i struggle to see your point. Your suggestion is that people should carry around four devices with them, poorly integrated, clunky, all for the experience of plugging to their phone? At that point, what advantage is there over a laptop?
  - szszrk 1y ago
dcminter 1y ago
The use case for me is mostly hotel stays. When travelling for fun I don't particularly want the weight (and risk) of packing my laptop, but I would like to be able to play movies and music on the hotel TV. With a cheap light keyboard I could also do email and similar light admin things with the benefit of the bigger screen. Until recently I was also travelling frequently for work with a heavy MacBook running a variety of Enterprise malware that would prevent me from doing any personal stuff with it - being able to use my own phone for light leisure activities that I normally do on the personal laptop would have been very useful for the boring hotel evenings. Adding another kg+ of laptop to the already heavy backpack was too annoying to put up with - my cheapo bluetooth keyboard and mouse weigh in at a much more acceptable 280 grams. In short, there's a use case - but most phones are too locked down to take full advantage of the possibility.
- jonathanlydall 1y ago
  I tend to bring my AppleTV + HDMI cable with me whenever we travel. Its small size makes it largely inconsequential from a luggage point of view and it’s already fully set up with all my streaming apps. It also doesn’t tie up my phone if anyone else wants to watch TV.
  - dcminter 1y ago
    Yeah, I'm considering a pi500 as a similar alternative. I need to check the weight, but if it's low enough and they release a version with m2 I'll surely try it.
- wishfish 1y ago
  This is why my iPad Mini is my main travel device. Small enough that it fits in my pockets. But the screen is big enough that it's comfortable to use. More comfortable than the Pro Max. Have a cheap bluetooth keyboard with integrated stand so the mini can be used as a laptop. Take the mini with me when I go places and leave the keyboard in the hotel. Would make me sad if someone stole the keyboard but it's a far smaller loss than if a laptop was stolen. Gives me a more peace of mind. If only the Mini had true 4k output, it would be absolutely perfect. But it only does screen mirroring which limits it when plugged into a monitor or hotel television.
m463 1y ago
There are now ar glasses that do HDMI, and there are lots of portable keyboard solutions, with a trackpad or trackpoint or just a mouse. haven't tried it, but I see glasses as an almost practical future.
ryukafalz 1y ago
If phones consistently gave you a useful desktop environment when you plugged them into a monitor, I imagine that might change. I think offices are the most likely places to have something like this, though. My company has monitors with USB-C dock inputs set up at each desk; you grab a desk and plug your laptop into it when you get there. But they're just using DisplayPort Alt-Mode, and a phone with a desktop mode would work with them as well. I wish I could do that for work; would save me from lugging around a rather heavy laptop. :)
jez 1y ago
I could commute to the office every day with nothing but the shirt on my back and the phone in my pocket if my work-provided device were my phone. I would not need a backpack or briefcase, which means that for any errands or dinner plans after work, I don't fumble with a backpack. I already leave my preferred keyboard+mouse at my office desk. If I needed to fly to another office for a business trip, same story: I could sit down at any desk, grab a spare bluetooth keyboard from IT (if there isn't already one on the bookable desk). If I'm over at a friend's house for dinner and get paged, I could just ask to sit down at their desk and plug my phone in. I would love to not have to carry a laptop around to all the places that I do today.
- sudhirb 1y ago
  I remember being somewhat sold on this story by the PinePhone, but it seems like it might not be possible to buy one new nowadays. Having just looked up the PinePhone again for the first time in a while, it does look like the Ubuntu Touch project is still alive and kicking, and compatible with some modern commercially available phones! The main thing preventing me from having a non-standard Android phone/distribution as a daily driver is access to mobile banking apps - I'm yet to check for myself but as I understand, having an unlocked bootloader means that banking apps will consider the device "compromised" and will not work.
technocrat8080 1y ago
Why can't the phone itself act as the input device? Sure it's not a full-fledged keyboard, but it could work wonderfully in a pinch.
- fragmede 1y ago
  it should at least work as a trackpad.

fsflover 1y ago

You could also use it with Nexdoc, https://nexdock.com https://nexdock.com

LoganDark 1y ago
Lapdocks are an amazing concept, but I haven't found a single one with my preferred keyboard layout yet. Same problem as laptops in general.

ranger_danger 1y ago

you can always bring a portable screen/keyboard with you

happyopossum 1y ago
I've yet to find a portable screen and keyboard that can even remotely compare in display quality or battery life to a MacBook Air, and the 'portable' combination is usually heavier and always clunkier to set up.
shortrounddev2 1y ago
If I'm doing that, why wouldn't I just bring my laptop
- fsflover 1y ago
  Single place for all your data, easier to manage and back up. Single device to take with you.
  - bigstrat2003 1y ago
    I don't personally think there's any ease of management advantage to be gained, but that depends on whether one wants their phone to have the data that's on their computer. I don't, personally. But I think there's definitely no advantage from a "single device" when you have to take something just as big as taking a laptop anyway.
  - shortrounddev2 1y ago
    I'm not trying to shit on this as a neat tool, but my phone is not the single place for all my data, and I find it considerably harder to manage. If I'm bringing my phone, an external keyboard, and a portable screen (and, presumably, a mouse) with me, it's not really a "single device", it's more like 4 devices that poorly imitate a laptop and don't offer as much functionality
    - fuzzfactor 1y ago
      Plus, when far from a homebase, some people are going to bring two laptops anyway so they can have twice the reliability of your average person. Don't ask me how I know . . .
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
WorldPeas 1y ago
I've comfortably used a 7 inch tablet as a pocketable phone, such a thing with a keyboard would likely be a "complete" solution

szszrk 1y ago

I'm not sure why you neatpick that. I feel the complete opposite. HDMI screens are everywhere. Usb-c ones less but still present. I have a screen at work, with keyboard and USB hub. Same at home. And at most of my friend's homes. I have a screen (tv) in a hotel and flats to rent. I even had one in a cabin recently (use them with tv stick for my kid's shows). I also have an external USB/HDMI screen that is lighter than a laptop, that I sometimes carry for multiple reasons. Keyboard is a bit harder, I won't have it provided in a hotel, but there are plenty of small and light models, foldable etc.. I choose current phone specifically for usb-c/HDMI option and a full desktop experience and use it often. It's easy, it's fast, it's stable. Perfect for mobile gaming with a small BT gamepad as well. I struggle to find a place without a HDMI screen waiting for me.

iAMkenough 1y ago
I feel the opposite of you and not sure why you defend it. I can not think of the last time I plugged my phone or tablet into an HDMI screen I didn't own.
- etbebl 1y ago
  Projectors are what springs to mind for me. Though I guess less relevant if you work remotely.
  - nemomarx 1y ago
    Kinda solved by sharing on teams in a conference room now?
eldaisfish 1y ago
i struggle to see your point. Your suggestion is that people should carry around four devices with them, poorly integrated, clunky, all for the experience of plugging to their phone? At that point, what advantage is there over a laptop?
- szszrk 1y ago

dcminter 1y ago

The use case for me is mostly hotel stays. When travelling for fun I don't particularly want the weight (and risk) of packing my laptop, but I would like to be able to play movies and music on the hotel TV. With a cheap light keyboard I could also do email and similar light admin things with the benefit of the bigger screen. Until recently I was also travelling frequently for work with a heavy MacBook running a variety of Enterprise malware that would prevent me from doing any personal stuff with it - being able to use my own phone for light leisure activities that I normally do on the personal laptop would have been very useful for the boring hotel evenings. Adding another kg+ of laptop to the already heavy backpack was too annoying to put up with - my cheapo bluetooth keyboard and mouse weigh in at a much more acceptable 280 grams. In short, there's a use case - but most phones are too locked down to take full advantage of the possibility.

jonathanlydall 1y ago
I tend to bring my AppleTV + HDMI cable with me whenever we travel. Its small size makes it largely inconsequential from a luggage point of view and it’s already fully set up with all my streaming apps. It also doesn’t tie up my phone if anyone else wants to watch TV.
- dcminter 1y ago
  Yeah, I'm considering a pi500 as a similar alternative. I need to check the weight, but if it's low enough and they release a version with m2 I'll surely try it.
wishfish 1y ago
This is why my iPad Mini is my main travel device. Small enough that it fits in my pockets. But the screen is big enough that it's comfortable to use. More comfortable than the Pro Max. Have a cheap bluetooth keyboard with integrated stand so the mini can be used as a laptop. Take the mini with me when I go places and leave the keyboard in the hotel. Would make me sad if someone stole the keyboard but it's a far smaller loss than if a laptop was stolen. Gives me a more peace of mind. If only the Mini had true 4k output, it would be absolutely perfect. But it only does screen mirroring which limits it when plugged into a monitor or hotel television.

m463 1y ago

There are now ar glasses that do HDMI, and there are lots of portable keyboard solutions, with a trackpad or trackpoint or just a mouse. haven't tried it, but I see glasses as an almost practical future.

ryukafalz 1y ago

If phones consistently gave you a useful desktop environment when you plugged them into a monitor, I imagine that might change. I think offices are the most likely places to have something like this, though. My company has monitors with USB-C dock inputs set up at each desk; you grab a desk and plug your laptop into it when you get there. But they're just using DisplayPort Alt-Mode, and a phone with a desktop mode would work with them as well. I wish I could do that for work; would save me from lugging around a rather heavy laptop. :)

jez 1y ago

I could commute to the office every day with nothing but the shirt on my back and the phone in my pocket if my work-provided device were my phone. I would not need a backpack or briefcase, which means that for any errands or dinner plans after work, I don't fumble with a backpack. I already leave my preferred keyboard+mouse at my office desk. If I needed to fly to another office for a business trip, same story: I could sit down at any desk, grab a spare bluetooth keyboard from IT (if there isn't already one on the bookable desk). If I'm over at a friend's house for dinner and get paged, I could just ask to sit down at their desk and plug my phone in. I would love to not have to carry a laptop around to all the places that I do today.

sudhirb 1y ago
I remember being somewhat sold on this story by the PinePhone, but it seems like it might not be possible to buy one new nowadays. Having just looked up the PinePhone again for the first time in a while, it does look like the Ubuntu Touch project is still alive and kicking, and compatible with some modern commercially available phones! The main thing preventing me from having a non-standard Android phone/distribution as a daily driver is access to mobile banking apps - I'm yet to check for myself but as I understand, having an unlocked bootloader means that banking apps will consider the device "compromised" and will not work.

technocrat8080 1y ago

Why can't the phone itself act as the input device? Sure it's not a full-fledged keyboard, but it could work wonderfully in a pinch.

fragmede 1y ago
it should at least work as a trackpad.