3 ms·

My ideal mobile device is an x86 phone that can dock into a tablet which can then dock onto a laptop, which can then dock onto a stationary docking station with

My ideal mobile device is an x86 phone that can dock into a tablet which can then dock onto a laptop, which can then dock onto a stationary docking station with GPU, monitors, storage (I was one of the people who backed the Ubuntu Edge, such a shame that it didn't make the goal). I think we're coming very close to making this possible on both the hardware and the software front. Core M seems only a few generations of optimizations away from being feasible for smartphones in terms of power consumption (Atom is already there if performance is not a top priority), and Windows 10 scales pretty well between tablet and desktop at the moment, and integrating the Windows Phone functionality into the core OS seems like it could be a possibility eventually. The power management improvements to Hyper-V in Windows 10 should make it possible to run other OS's (possibly even Android eventually) in parallel with very little overhead and power consumption penalties.

maxerickson 12y ago
I would very much like a phone, tablet and laptop that are just different views into the same computing environment (obviously with accommodations for the different interfaces), but I don't see any reason why I would want them to snap together. It would be sort of handy to be able to borrow larger devices, but plugging in a cable and having the phone "take over" doesn't have a whole lot of disadvantages compared to having them snap together.
- ocdtrekkie 12y ago
  In the case of portables like tablets or laptops, it might be preferable for the phone to snap in for easy carry. But for a desktop a cable or dock would be more than good enough.
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    I'm looking at it from a perspective that using borrowed hardware would be a rare thing, so instead of snapping the phone into the tablet, 99% of the time you leave it in your pocket. The hole in the tablet would usually be a hassle, while cabling a phone to a laptop would only occasionally be a hassle. Hopefully the technical details of USB3 make it possible to build a smart cable that makes it possible to plug a phone into an untrusted device (only allowing the phone to push video and pull power). I guess such a mode could also be built into the device, but the cable would be a handy place to put a fuse or whatever. A special cable can also have a very straightforward user interface, if it can't be configured, it can't be configured incorrectly.
waps 12y ago
I feel like something like oculus would be better suited. GPU and storage are the size of a cell phone these days. Look at 128G sd cards. How many of those would fit in an additional 1mm thickness of an average cell phone ? 50 ? 150 ? Won't work for the monitors, of course. Also 30"+ monitors are expensive, because they require a large amount of silicon to be precision manufactured, whereas resolution is only really limited by the speed of electronics (that's why a cell phone 1080p screen is 60$ whereas a 30" one is still $300+, and you can barely have higher res displays in bigger sizes. It's cheaper than cpus and the like because it's few layers and very large features, even the worst fab can produce perfectly adequate monitors, but you still need the material). But an oculus rift can use a 60$ screen to make you think you're in a room with a 600" display (really, check their cinema demo. Wow. Just wow). Or a room with 50 600" displays, no problem. Nimble VR can track your hands, and their competitors claim they can do it accurately enough to make you see a usable a virtual keyboard [1]. Why sit down at a docking station with GPU, monitors, storage when you can take it with you ? Why can't I have 5 30" monitors with full computer games while sitting on the train ? In an airplane ? In a 1 sq meter room ? Why would employers bother with any computers/peripherals other than a cellphone at work when a cellphone + occulus can provide a better and more useful experience ? Why can't I sit down in the morning train, snap my fingers, and have 3 large monitors with my working environment appear around me, usable ? Why can't I sit on a plane in an economy seat and do the same, all the while my mind convinced it's really sitting in a huge outdoors open space ... Additionally I wear glasses. Let me tell you, there's no way to have the perfect glasses for every environment. Some part of the monitor is a bit blurry. Just enough to be irritating. The bigger the monitor, the more distance difference there is between the closest pixel to my eye and the furthest. That degrades quality. But I can see every pixel on an oculus rift display perfectly. So, at least for me, such an environment can actually be higher quality than reality (or at least compared to real displays). [1] http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/24/dextype-virtual-keyboard/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/24/dextype-virtual-keyboard/

maxerickson 12y ago

I would very much like a phone, tablet and laptop that are just different views into the same computing environment (obviously with accommodations for the different interfaces), but I don't see any reason why I would want them to snap together. It would be sort of handy to be able to borrow larger devices, but plugging in a cable and having the phone "take over" doesn't have a whole lot of disadvantages compared to having them snap together.

ocdtrekkie 12y ago
In the case of portables like tablets or laptops, it might be preferable for the phone to snap in for easy carry. But for a desktop a cable or dock would be more than good enough.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  I'm looking at it from a perspective that using borrowed hardware would be a rare thing, so instead of snapping the phone into the tablet, 99% of the time you leave it in your pocket. The hole in the tablet would usually be a hassle, while cabling a phone to a laptop would only occasionally be a hassle. Hopefully the technical details of USB3 make it possible to build a smart cable that makes it possible to plug a phone into an untrusted device (only allowing the phone to push video and pull power). I guess such a mode could also be built into the device, but the cable would be a handy place to put a fuse or whatever. A special cable can also have a very straightforward user interface, if it can't be configured, it can't be configured incorrectly.

waps 12y ago

I feel like something like oculus would be better suited. GPU and storage are the size of a cell phone these days. Look at 128G sd cards. How many of those would fit in an additional 1mm thickness of an average cell phone ? 50 ? 150 ? Won't work for the monitors, of course. Also 30"+ monitors are expensive, because they require a large amount of silicon to be precision manufactured, whereas resolution is only really limited by the speed of electronics (that's why a cell phone 1080p screen is 60$ whereas a 30" one is still $300+, and you can barely have higher res displays in bigger sizes. It's cheaper than cpus and the like because it's few layers and very large features, even the worst fab can produce perfectly adequate monitors, but you still need the material). But an oculus rift can use a 60$ screen to make you think you're in a room with a 600" display (really, check their cinema demo. Wow. Just wow). Or a room with 50 600" displays, no problem. Nimble VR can track your hands, and their competitors claim they can do it accurately enough to make you see a usable a virtual keyboard [1]. Why sit down at a docking station with GPU, monitors, storage when you can take it with you ? Why can't I have 5 30" monitors with full computer games while sitting on the train ? In an airplane ? In a 1 sq meter room ? Why would employers bother with any computers/peripherals other than a cellphone at work when a cellphone + occulus can provide a better and more useful experience ? Why can't I sit down in the morning train, snap my fingers, and have 3 large monitors with my working environment appear around me, usable ? Why can't I sit on a plane in an economy seat and do the same, all the while my mind convinced it's really sitting in a huge outdoors open space ... Additionally I wear glasses. Let me tell you, there's no way to have the perfect glasses for every environment. Some part of the monitor is a bit blurry. Just enough to be irritating. The bigger the monitor, the more distance difference there is between the closest pixel to my eye and the furthest. That degrades quality. But I can see every pixel on an oculus rift display perfectly. So, at least for me, such an environment can actually be higher quality than reality (or at least compared to real displays). [1] http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/24/dextype-virtual-keyboard/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/24/dextype-virtual-keyboard/