Universal Android Laptop Dock: Microsoft Nightmare, Or Toy?

ozmanjusri writes with this story from PC World: "A company that makes keyboard docks has announced a laptop-like peripheral that uses smartphones for processing and storage. Since many Android and Apple phones have multi-core processors powerful enough to deliver laptop-level performance, they only lack usable screens and keyboards to be productive for most office work. ClamCase believes their 13.3-inch 1,280 x 720 ClamBook with keyboard, multi-touch touchpad, and dedicated Android keys will make up for the lack, and turn smartphones into fully-functional laptops. A device like the ClamBook could be a real game-changer for the computer industry. If it succeeds, peripheral makers could build docks which would allow any monitor, keyboard, mouse and storage to be powered by any Android phone. It's a combination which would make BYOD offices very tempting for the corporations who are the Windows/Office combination's remaining cash-cow." I only wish the company would license the idea as well to established makers, so otherwise conventional laptops could gain the ability to easily become advanced phone screens, too.

Comments

RaspberryPi + phone?

[Razgorov Prikazka]

And a nice case of course.
I'd rather have a RPi, and a phone to do the phoning.
I just fail to see that this is a "game changer". The steam engine was a game changer IMHO.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[zoloto]

There is one office I do work for occasionally where some workers have an iPad in a custom stand with a keyboard for all their word processing, email processing, and in(ter/tra)-office instant messaging. Some have a monitor if they prefer a larger display, which many do and some use their iPhones for this as well. Granted this wouldn't work if an office required a piece of proprietary desktop (re: non-mobile) software which many do, sadly. However, I know many offices where this is more than acceptable with decent in-house software apps and web apps.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[dreamchaser]

I too prefer a discrete, separate phone. That's why I bought an Asus Transformer Prime. It doesn't have 3G/4G so it isn't tied to any carrier and the keyboard dock was made to match it along with dedicated Android keys and an extra battery. It's the best of both worlds from a tablet/laptop standpoint. The rare times I'm not near WiFi I use a portable hotspot which I use anyways so I can get connected on my laptop if I need to bring out the big guns for a work issue. Most of the time when I'm on the road said laptop, which is a huge beast, can stay in the bag because I get all my needs met by the tablet.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Anonymous Coward]

I use my Android phone with an HDMI cable to connect to a television, monitor or projector and pair up a bluetooth keyboard and mouse if I want to use it like a desktop PC.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[ChunderDownunder]

A raspberry pi is too underpowered for an everyday machine in 2012.

A phone, on the other hand, with quad core CPUs and up to 2 gig RAM is more like it.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Theophany]

That's way too fiddly for most though and requires you have an HDMI capable screen where you want to set down and work, meaning for most applications it is unfeasible outside of the home, where you likely have a proper computer anyway.

If this pairs up with Ubuntu for Android, I'd say there's a damn tempting reason to avoid buying £280-£350 craptops - perhaps one enticing enough to kill off that segment of shitty, bloatware'd, inferior grade hardware that so many unsuspecting consumers fall into the trap of buying into.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Sique]

The steam engine was no game changer in itself, first there had to be machines that the steam engine could power like spinning machines and mechanical weaving looms. And it took centuries for the steam engine to mature, given the time from the early attempts (Denis Papin 1690), first patents (Thomas Savery 1698) over the all purpose engines (Thomas Newcomen 1712), the separate condenser (James Watt 1769), the tubular boiler (George Stephenson 1829) and the composite steam engine (Anatole Mallet 1874).

Which of those engines would be the game changer you are referring to?

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree, it is fiddly because the components are separate instead of being a single unit, but it comes in more handy that you might realise. Sometimes I go over to a friend's house and we use it to watch movies on their television. Other times I can hook it up to a conference room projector for presentations. Yet other times, I carry my pocket projector, which allows me to use it in a variety of places like personal meetings, pubs, camping, etc.

It may not be as convenient to carry as a notebook dock, but there are other benefits to doing it this way.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Richard_at_work]

All of them. There isn't just one game changing event in history, there are a successive series of them almost continuously. No one event makes the use prior to that insignificant, but it can make the use subsequent to that very significant.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Kergan]

You forgot Hero of Alexandria's Aeolipile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolipile

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[gl4ss]

blablabla pi. might as well have a real computer.

the point is exactly that you'd have seamingless - NON CLOUD - data sync between the device you carry and between the device you use on bigger screen. because it's the same data.

anyways, in 20 years this will be pretty normal. it's just going to be a deck. a fucking cyber deck.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Razgorov Prikazka]

The one James Watt made. I know he wasn't the inventor, and there was a long history of utilising steam. Internal combustion engines, gas (as a weapon of war), the machine gun, the Tank (as a weapon), Velcro, and rockets weren't 'stand alone' inventions either, but they _were_ game changers nevertheless.
I just wanted to make clear that something like this just isn't a game changer, it is a tool at best, probably landfill in a year or so.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[ocularsinister]

Its not an intractable problem to run proprietary desktop software via remote desktop to VMs. It might even help cut down on licensing and support costs.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[EasyTarget]

"That's way too fiddly for most though"

My phone came with a docking stand with a HDMI out connector on the back, seems straightforward enough.

"requires you have an HDMI capable screen where you want to set down and work, meaning for most applications it is unfeasible outside of the home"

I look at the back of my monitor @work.
HDMI socket
Then I look at the back of my colleagues Monitors (not all the same make/model, but all under 3 years old).
HDMI sockets

HDMI is now so ubiquitous that that argument does not hold water.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[flyingfsck]

This idea is great until the phone rings...

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Canazza]

Damn straight. It can do one thing reliably at a time, and even then simple Web Browsing can be a chore. the Raspi is for hobbyists and as a teaching tool. In that respect it's an awesome achievment. Those expecting it to replace their laptops will be disappointed.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Canazza]

and that's the point. the Aeolipile was just that: A Steam Engine in it's most basic form. It failed to be a game changer on it's own.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Lumpy]

"Granted this wouldn't work if an office required a piece of proprietary desktop (re: non-mobile) software which many do, sadly."

Only the out of date ones. Even big corps have moved everything to a "web based" or "cloud" setup... yes the cloud is in house, but they love marketing terms.... I heard "Cloud 2.0" being thrown around recently.

Right now, the only people in our office that cant use an ipad or chromebook for their job is Engineering and their need for AutoCad, and Accounting. Oracle has not made a purely web interface to their enterprise accounting systems yet.

But a good 80% of the workforce here, we are looking at moving them to chromebooks.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Lumpy]

"HDMI is now so ubiquitous that that argument does not hold water."

HDMI cant hold water, it's the crappiest connector spec ever devised.

Hint: the older DVI monitors, those secretly hold a HDMI connector in them. IT's called a HDMI to DVI adapter, but dont tell anyone...

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Lumpy]

Yeah, show me an android phone that comes with 2 gig or more ram. The phone makers are still retards by putting a paltry 512-1G of ram in the phone.

Oh and show me a quad core Phone CPU that can actually crunch numbers in any speedy way. If you are doing ANYTHING that requires a lot of complex math, your phone will get it's butt handed to it's self by a old single core P4 processor.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[ChunderDownunder]

Galaxy S3 comes with either 1 or 2 gigs depending on the model.

And what percentage of users do serious number crunching? Of course some users will require a core i7 for others a cortex a9 will be adequate.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Lumpy]

And what percentage of users do serious number crunching? Anyone that uses a spreadsheet for it's intended use. We have Excel Books here that allow sales to create quotes for customers automatically. they do a lot of serious number crunching. Everyone in Accounting does this, as well as all of enginering.

Marketing, they are Ok with cardboard cutouts of computers.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[EasyTarget]

Same criticism was levelled at IDE, PCI and USB, hell even at VHS..

Yet their ubiquity means they were used extensively for years, while 'superior' alternatives have come and gone and are almost forgotten now. It takes a real change of technology to obsolete them (like DVD did for VHS, or SATA for IDE).

HDMI is simple, convenient, bundled into most production chipsets and works well for normal folks, it will be around for ages, deal with it.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[DarwinSurvivor]

There isn't just one game changing event in history...

Some would argue that "fire" would fall into that category.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[asylumx]

The human race has improved on fire several times since its inception. For example: barbecue grills, acetylene torches, forges, etc. We've also improved the ways we make fire and the ways we extinguish fire.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[DrgnDancer]

"This" as in this particular device? Sure you're probably right. "This" as in "this concept for portable computing" could be a game changer. Lots of people have been postulating the idea of a sufficiently powerful smart phone being docked into a "peripheral array" including storage, monitor, keyboard, and mouse as a possible future path for mainstream computing. This device is a strong move in that direction, and in that sense it could be a game changer. Much as the desktop, the laptop, and (arguably) the tablet have been. All of them took the essential concept of "computer" and changed how we interacted with them and thought of their capabilities. Entirely new use cases and capabilities were unlocked by each of those platforms, and equally much can be unlocked here.

Much as the first laptops were entirely forgettable, underpowered, and mostly novelties this particular device may be landfill fodder in a year or two. But like the laptop, the concept this device represents has the capability to change much about how we think about and use computers.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[ChunderDownunder]

Where did I imply a phone was a general purpose solution for all industries?

The original poster was suggesting he use a phone as a phone and a raspberry pi as a computer. A phone that has 4 times as many cores and 8 times as much memory is a better choice. The raspberry pi doesn't even support hard float nor simd instructions as found in neon.

Your mileage may vary.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[TheRaven64]

An Excel spreadsheet is not serious number crunching. A few million calculations, mostly integer, per second was a heavy number crunching load back in the '80s, when people were doing largely the same calculations on a 4.77MHz 8088, but even a 100MHz ARM core can easily keep up with the recalculations of almost any spreadsheet. Redrawing the window with antialiased text is likely to be more computationally demanding than recalculating the spreadsheet itself.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Joce640k]

We have Excel Books here that allow sales to create quotes for customers automatically. they do a lot of serious number crunching. Everyone in Accounting does this, as well as all of enginering.

I don't think your definition of "serious number crunching" is the industry standard.

I think a device which can do the physics simulation for Angry Birds can probably handle a sales quote...

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Eponymous Coward]

This is a model that I've seen as well. Basically all communication-related activities have moved to the iPad. The PC is there for heavy lifting (Office Apps) and dealing with custom software which is typically IE6 + ActiveX stuff. Other than the Office apps, the PC are devolving back to terminals. The exceptions are in engineering and marketing departments where they use CAD and Photoshop type stuff.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[AngryDeuce]

If you are doing ANYTHING that requires a lot of complex math, your phone will get it's butt handed to it's self by a old single core P4 processor.

That's the thing, though, most people aren't doing anything like that. Most people are just using the typical office software suites with some proprietary software thrown in the mix. The computers in many corporate environments are achingly old as it is...a modern mobile device can easily stand up to many of them in practical use.

Obviously this will never be a one-size-fits-all solution, but we're rapidly approaching the point (if not already at that point) where most applications, be it personal media consumption, general office work, whatever, can adequately be performed by a mobile device, and a dock with fully functional peripherals would do more to drive things that way...

The people that need the power of dedicated hardware will still have their beige monstrosities on their desk, but I doubt that's going to be more than 10% of users out there, and with 'The Cloud', we may actually be approaching that point where the computer as we know it is nothing more than a terminal to the real number cruncher's stored down in the basement out of the way.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Patch86]

I beg to differ. My employer has many thousands of monitors/projectors/etc. spread across hundreds of sites, and I've never yet seen a single one with HDMI. HDMI is common on new devices- but most devices aren't new. We're not likely to replace those thousands of displays for years yet, not until the hardware starts to fail. In my own home, my main TV has HDMI- but my LCD monitor and spare TV do not. Also, none of the Laptops in my house (three of them) have outputs other than VGA- so I can't realistically buy any display device which lacks VGA for the foreseeable future.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Lumpy]

" works well for normal folks"

You must not use it. It falls out at whim and is easily damaged. IDE,PCI and USB do not suffer from those epic failure points.

and if you think it will be around for ages, you also dont know much... Display Port is rapidly replacing it. HDMI will end up as the shortest lived connector spec out there.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

Pubs? Really?

Hey wait guys, stop drinking beer and watching the football game so I can show you my techinique for killing pigs with flying birds projected on a wall!

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

What is better than x86, and what are you using to determine what is better? For price/performance it wins for everything except smartphones, which is why it hasn't been widely used in smart phones.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[jittles]

You do know that they have AutoCad for iPad, right? Its free too. You can view the drawings for free. They charge you to create content, but you can do that on your iPad too!

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

Yet other times, I carry my pocket projector,

I remember when this used to be called a pocket protector.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[jmorris42]

> This is a model that I've seen as well. Basically all communication-related activities have
> moved to the iPad. The PC is there for heavy lifting...

Isn't this ass backwards? Buy a $500 (but probably a lot more, especially if cell data is involved) iPad and add another few hundred dollars for docks, displays, input devices and licenses for a sack of overpriced apps that can allow it to move from unusable to 'lame' for a desktop user. Lacking a wired network port they MUST suck in a cube farm, especially if remote display of terminal server is involved. Which do you want to run remote display over? Switched GigE or hopelessly overcrowded WiFi. Exactly.

Meanwhile the 'heavy users' run a generic PC that you can buy with display, inputs AND a copy of Office for hundreds less.

This is a vortex of stupid driven by three idiotic notions. One, that Apple (or Android) products are suitable for corporate use. Two, that Apple is pushing hard to get their stuff into the workplace but are unwilling to actually DO anything to compromise their 'perfect' vison of chains for everyone to make it happen, believing their RDF will instead force business to adapt their business practives to Apple instead. Finally, the eternal belief that employees can or should use consumer products in the workplace. Yes they use Windows in both but that is more of the reverse, using a cut down version of a corporate product at home. Which is of course one of the problems with Windows.

The PC (mostly the Apple ][) did break into the corporate world in the opposite way but that was because of epic failures on the part of the old priesthood of IT. The Apple was almost totally unsuitable but since the priesthood left such a huge unfilled need it was used in spite of its limitations. And we fought those limitations in adapting the early PC into the workplace for almost two decades and still fight some today. Name the huge unfulfilled need the iPad satisfies that a PC doesn't? Until somebody answers that question I just don't see it being a productivity enhancer worth reversing the long established trend toward lower TCO per unit productivity in corporate IT.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Patch86]

Nope. One of the laptops is an ancient (but perfectly serviceable) Pavilion. The other two (one Asus netbook and one full-sized consumer grade HP) are both less than 2 years old. And not a CRT in the house. That's not counting my work laptop (a Thinkpad), which I don't have a choice in using- it's the one provided by my employer. That's only got VGA too.

Obviously if you go and spend good money on a brand new, decent spec computer you should expect HDMI. But not all computers meet that description- the overwhelming majority of computers and peripherals in the world are bought as cheap as possible, and are kept in use for as long as possible.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Dishevel]

I would much rather use DVI + Audio or Component.
More cables yes but they are better at what they do.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[MuH4hA]

same as jmorris42, bought a ThinkPad X201 about a year ago, which only has VGA out. Also got 2 Dell WUXGA-Displays (24'') with VGA, DVI, Displayport, even an USB-HUB and guess what? No HDMI.. also they were initially released in August 2011, so no CRT ;)

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

If one of my friends tried that, I'd find another friend. There is nothing worse than a forced slide show of other people's pictures. At least at a pub you can drink until you can't see the pictures anymore.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[HappyPsycho]

Last I heard the two are designed to co-exist, HDMI for TVs and displayport for computers, I guess they don't plan features like the whole multimonitor over a single cable for HDMI that display port now supports.

Display port may be the superior alternative (higher data rate, can support ethernet and a whole host of other protocols as well as audio) but I can't see HDMI being that short lived when the two dominant gaming consoles out (Xbox & PS) and allot of dvd / blueray players using it. Given that it is trivial to convert between DVI, HDMI and display port, I believe they will co-exist for a while (until some feature that the end user cares about becomes unique to one), display port slowly chipping away at DVI and HDMI eating composite alive.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[HappyPsycho]

Do they have DVI? Then for less than 5 bucks you have HDMI.

For the laptops, I'd say the graphics on them is most likely crap so it would never have made sense to put a different connector. Any laptop I've seen that carries a decent graphics card carries HDMI or display port.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[HappyPsycho]

Not sure I agree, Most phones are not quad-core beasts, I'd even argue that most in the wild now are not even dual cores actually single core running around the 1Ghz area with anywhere from 256M to 1G of RAM.

Save engineers, or other heavy graphics users, who actually uses that on a PC far less a phone. Sorry MS office doesn't count as a heavy app, bloated sure but by no means the reason I would upgrade an XP-era machine which is the level I would put most phones at.

The PC has proven that for most users dual-core is enough, I expect the same trend to be followed by phones so I still expect most users to upgrade but not really go further than that. The primary force holding back such a move in my view will be how to provide power for those extra cores.

The final counter would be the raspberry pi has hardware accelerated graphics which is where most of the computation in a "normal" user's PC happens. Given that it can playback 1080p video and play quake 3 (@60fps) indicates that it can challenge the current netbook market.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Eponymous Coward]

I think you are forgetting user preferences. The days when IT could dictate the hardware and software environment are mostly over, except perhaps for the most mundane jobs. People want to use an iPad. They have it with them everywhere, they are fun to use, and they work great. Overcrowded WiFi isn't a huge problem because email and light word processing doesn't require much bandwidth.

The iPad is attractive and people like using it. That matters and it's a need the PC doesn't satisfy. (see stuff written by Don Norman, Virginia Postrel, and lots of other people for arguments supporting my assertion).

All of this matters because it's very difficult to find great people these days. When you have somebody you want to keep, you change your IT policy to accommodate them when you can. If your employees are fungible, you can be more dictatorial.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[mcgrew]

Much as the first laptops were entirely forgettable, underpowered, and mostly novelties

No, they weren't. The first portable computer I ever saw was around 1983 or so, the size of a small suitcase, heavy, with a standard 8088 (same as an IBM PC, it was in fact an IBM), 64k of memory, a five inch monochrome screen and a 5 meg hard drive. Most computers smaller than minis then didn't even have hard drives, they used floppies only, and 64-128k was in most desktops.

In the early nineties we had a Compaq portable at work with a larger screen, better CPU, and it was as powerful as the best PC we had in the office.

When laptops came out they weren't as powerful as desktop computers, but they were more powerful than five year old desktops and would run any office software you threw at them. Not forgettable, not underpowered, and certainly not novelties.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[jmorris42]

If you have someone worth keeping who is dumb enough to want to use an iPad in spite of it being totally unsuitable, and has drank so much of the flavor-aid they would switch jobs to keep the Apple logo. That small subset perhaps is worth some effort for. Assuming you aren't in an industry that would put you in jail for permitting information to leak in such a careless fashion. Also assuming this worker doesn't do anything information based... and thus doesn't require the use of more evolved software than a media consumption device such as an iPad provides. So when applying those constraints you get left with a few super sales weasels and pointed haired bosses in industries with zero privacy laws. Not world shaking.

It isn't just the total unsuitability of iProducts. It is the use of ANY non controlled device that is a no-go in many environments. You can't allow an employee owned Windows/Mac laptop to have access to information subject to privacy laws. And all the demand in the world from the low level troops in a company to isn't likely to get those laws rewritten. Because management isn't going to deploy their lobbying resources to get something they know is dumb, dangerous and expensive legalized.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[hairyfeet]

Not to mention this "thing" misses a fundamental truth that even today so few geeks can comprehend. Ready? because its heavy...To the average user the cell phone isn't a computer its a "Phone that i poke that plays Angry Birds and does FB". The average user looks at cell phones the way they look at an ATM, its a "poking screen" and NOT a computer. A computer runs Windows and lets them use that pile of X86 programs that they have built up over the years which this thing won't do. This is why the ARM netbooks went nowhere fast, because a netbook is NOT some general web device to the average user, its a "baby laptop and should do everything a big laptop can be slower, because babies are littler than grown ups".

As someone whose dealt with consumers 6 days a week since Win 3.x I know their ways are strange, in fact in many ways its like talking to a martian. Things that WE think are obvious, or take for granted, as just as alien to them as could possibly be. You see to them a thing IS what it LOOKS like. If it LOOKS like a laptop it should BEHAVE like a laptop, because to them if it has a keyboard and a flip up screen and a touchpad it should run their Windows stuff because it looks like the thing that DOES run their Windows stuff.

Look I KNOW it sounds crazy, but that is how they think, believe me I've seen it more times than I can count. A phone is a screen you poke, a tablet is a "really big phone that don't make calls" and a laptop runs Windows and will play those old games they got at Walmart several years ago, that's what they want, and that's what they get. If you want to sell big to the masses you have to think like them, crazy as that thinking is.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[wed128]

(higher data rate, can support ethernet and a whole host of other protocols as well as audio)

Can't speak for data rate, but HDMI supports both ethernet and audio...

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Narnie]

What sort of pants-on-head retarded are we talking about? Calculating fuel costs for launching a probe to orbit Mars with sliding launch windows and variable payload weight by projecting oil futures? Or are they just adding up all the sums and then multiply the result by a fraction of 0?

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Eponymous Coward]

they would switch jobs to keep the Apple logo

You're deluded if you think the preference for iOS and OSX products is simply one of fashion. A lot of OSX machines are used simply because they are the most versatile in that they can run Mac, Windows, and Unixy software. The fact that they are built well and look nice is just a productivity bonus.

You can't allow an employee owned Windows/Mac laptop to have access to information subject to privacy laws.

Yes you can. Just because the device was purchased by a corporation doesn't magically make it safe to use with sensitive data. There are some environments with strict controls that absolutely do dictate the hardware/software environment, but that isn't typical.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[jmorris42]

> A lot of OSX machines are used simply because they are the most
> versatile in that they can run Mac, Windows, and Unixy software.

Please don't change the subject. Today's topic is consumer oriented media consumption iProducts like the iPad and iPhone. The Mac does have a niche in the enterprise, hell most art departments probably would change quit en mass if you tried taking their Macs away. We could argue till the universe goes cold whether a Mac really is actually a better platform but it is an undeniable reality that the typical art dept believes it to be so and that is that.

> Just because the device was purchased by a corporation doesn't magically
> make it safe to use with sensitive data.

Obviously correct but meaningless and misleading. A corporate owned device is controlled by the owning entity, subject to auditing, enforced security configuration and/or software, encryption mandates, installed software, etc. If the corp can tell you what apps you may, may not or must install on 'your' iPad it ceases to be 'your' iPad. If the corp demands the right to yank an image and inspect it on demand, reimage it if they find anything they don't like or just because they want to, it isn't 'your' iPad anymore. If they demand the right to remote wipe it should you declare it lost OR leave their employement it isn't exactly 'your' property. And if the corp is going to supply your computing hardware there is little reason for them to select an iProduct over competing products that better fit a corporate environment and cost a lot less.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[amorsen]

You must not use it. It falls out at whim and is easily damaged. IDE,PCI and USB do not suffer from those epic failure points.

USB and SATA were criticized for the exact same failings. IDE certainly does not fall out on a whim, but it is quite easy to damage; it is useless if you plan to plug/unplug more than say once a week. Luckily IDE is dead. PCI does not have any locking mechanism built in, that is entirely up to the cases. The cases generally do a good job of it, but then cases could also provide proper locking mechanisms for HDMI -- it isn't the fault of the connector that they don't.

Micro USB is truly brilliant though, you can throw a device down on the connector and the cable will break, not the phone.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[aaronb1138]

I agree with jmorris completely, and it's a point I've been making to people for months.

The only way I see such an infrastructure as a "good thing" is if there was a universal phone / pad dock and they run all of their REAL applications on some form of RDS / VDI / Citrix / VMware / HyperV farm. Also, in the case of tablets, the dock should be attached to the regular monitor as a second monitor. Sounds great until one considers the ridiculous cost any vendor would charge for a monitor with an MHL cable and universal tablet cradle. Not to mention all of the absurd costs to interface with any Apple iStuff.

Citrix at least sees this as a potential evolution vector with the relative quality of the Citrix Receiver betas for iOS and Android. Make the receiver (or similar secure RDP client) capable of recognizing the disconnect from wired ethernet and have it prioritize to Wifi then 3G/4G all while maintaining the session persistently, and you would have a heck of a tech demo.

At the current moment though, any business wanting to invest in making their workforce remote enabled, whether via web based cloud application fluff or proper virtualization, is much better served buying mainstream corporate grade laptops and docks. BYOD is pure status symbol and showing off, even now, 3 years in, and none of the productivity studies to date have been positive.

Assuming academia has taken notice and is doing long term testing, I predict the following results within the next 2-3 years regarding iPad and Android tablet use for "work" purposes after long term use (>1 year solid):
1) Productivity versus a laptop or desktop, loss of greater than 10% (likely as high as 15-20%, purely quantitative) across greater than 70% of workforce for all activities except e-mail. Loss would be higher, but reduced multitasking will actually benefit average ability / intellect workers, mitigating total loss by some degree.
2) User experience, highly divergent, 50% much more satisfied, 20% highly dissatisfied. The remainder won't have a strong opinion after long term use and will hover near neutral. Paradox of choice and worship of choice effects will manifest and the vast majority will still prefer having the option to use "alternative" devices regardless of impact.
3) Support costs: up by 15% or more for configuration and re-training needed. Does not include user retraining.
4) Infrastructure costs: up by 25-400% depending on the degree to which PC infrastructures are fully replicated to tablet and phone environments.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[aaronb1138]

Terminals vs. full desktops is merely a cyclical trend. Eventually some of the truly interesting technology will come out to the masses and again, a local, low latency PC with dedicated processing power will be needed again. Consider when a local PC can be Watson (IBM) but needs all the resources of the i25 CPU and GTX 3000 to do it. Time-sharing PC resources via semi-dumb terminals only works because the current applications can't interact with the user and the user can't interact with the application fast enough for latency and power to be relevant right now.

It's just as cyclical as high speed serialization versus massive parallelization in CPUs, RAM, Storage, etc. RAMBUS vs DDR, PATA vs SATA, USB 2.0 vs. 3.0 vs Firewire vs Thunderbolt, ISA vs VLB vs PCI vs AGP vs PCI-X vs PCI-E, Sharding vs Instancing vs Singular Cluster. It all just cycles from one back to the other.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[dbIII]

Then you just pick up the mouse :)
http://www.chinagrabber.com/ProductImages/phones/skype_mouse_phone_03.jpg

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Eponymous Coward]

All of the scenarios you have laid out are much better served with a laptop. I don't know anybody who seriously wants to do remote desktop type stuff on their tablet. It's an awesome capability for those occasional times when you forgot something, but nobody wants to work for long like that.

Don't think of the iPad as a laptop replacement. Think of it more as an email and messaging machine (not unlike a Blackberry) because that's the main usage model I've seen so far. There are also some very nice sketching apps coming out and that's something that a laptop doesn't do very well.

In the past couple of years, there's been lots of people replacing their Blackberry phones with iOS and Android phones. Do your productivity, ux, support, and infrastructure predictions apply to that as well, or are smartphones somewhat interchangeable inside corporations?

I personally think there's a lot of opportunity here and people are going to find that they are doing different things with tablets, not just replicating old stuff on new devices.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[Marxist Hacker 42]

If MS Office 6.0 could run on a 100Mhz Pentium just fine, I see no reason why Office Apps can't run on Mobile phones,

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[zoloto]

We've tried that but the iOS version of AutoCAD just doesn't cut it compared to the desktop. That and any requirements of sending documents to an AutoDesk "cloud" space is unacceptable for proprietary design shops no matter how "secure" they're purported to being.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[zoloto]

You keep using "dumb" and "unsuitable" as if you know all the ends of any office workers job requirements. The options to use devices with lower power requirements was a huge motivating factor and the power bill has since reflected more money in our pockets. Choosing the iPad over an android tablet was a "no brainer" on our parts due to workflow of the IT department and easier tools in management for the user profiles on each device. All the monitors and keyboards were kept from the old systems, 22" widescreen Dell monitors already purchased.

This wasn't just a top down decision but a collective decision process throughout the entire company. The costs of newer machines and updated licensing for the office software compared to the alternative was far over what the alternative (re; current setup) was. And with the slow rollout on a section by section basis people adapted slowly to the change (and accepted it since it was what they wanted) and IT could keep up with any training required. It also allowed IT to adjust policies, configurations etc.

Those who's positions required more than the iPad could do were of course given updated systems as planned, and as some of their job functions evolved and updated, they were given iPads as well. With the added mobility of the devices it has made collaboration simpler, especially during meetings. You simply have no idea how effective it is to use them even with the Apple TV for meetings and collaborations amongst groups.

The cost savings was immense and the interactivity has gone up with the mobility of individuals and groups.

Quite frankly you sound like you're talking out your ass as an - I'm IT and I know everything bullshit yadda yadda *cue more verbal diarrhea* - slug that can't keep up with the times and demands of real business needs.

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[jittles]

I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to send your documents to their cloud service! I am not a big fan of those cloud services in the first place, and it scares me when a company uses Google Docs (now Google Drive), Dropbox, or anything else to host business essential documents! I worked for a defense contractor that paid $$$ for a Proposal system that was basically just GIT or SVN with a front end that hid the details of the VCS. I couldn't believe they trusted a third party with documents that could make or break the company. Especially since the company already had two SVN and one Microsoft Team Services servers going. They could have lumped that in with one of the other servers, or ran their own!

Re:RaspberryPi + phone?

[nobodie]

Yes, but since buying decisions are being made by ... well, let me avoid the rude adjectives here, let's just say people who don't really understand how to make technology decisions, then of course we have foolish decisions being made based on advertising.

How many times a day do you (if you listen to commercial radio) hear something about a company's new iPhone or iPad application. Frankly folks, has anyone considered that this constant promotional material for Apple, disguised as an advertisement for some other company or service, has warped not just the tech landscape but the entire idea of marketing. Apple doesn't have to spend very much for marketing since they have "product placement" in damn near every advertisement for every other product in the world. I am eagerly awaiting the new Apple app that will provide information about where to buy the cheapest Android phone, so that you will have an Adroid company advertising for Apple as well.

So, how could the people making decisions, based on their experience of the advertising that permeates their world, make any other decision? Their world is completely warped by America's marketing juggernaut and they do, actually, believe that an iPad can take the place of a computer.

(Disclaimer, I don't work for none of these peeple. I have owned Apple products in the past but don't now. I use a 6 year old mobile phone and a one year old WeTab tablet, which is, in my opinion, able to function as a complete computer with just a keyboard)

BYOD...

[Bert64]

A lot of BYOD offices still provide desktop computers, but want to cut back on the cost of providing cellphones...
With these docks, you could provide a single device that serves both functions, thus mitigating the risks of BYOD and reducing costs at the same time.

As for the security aspect, a bunch of separate android running devices would be a considerably harder target to attack than a stack of windows workstations which are joined to a domain.

Re:BYOD...

[Jahta]

With these docks, you could provide a single device that serves both functions, thus mitigating the risks of BYOD and reducing costs at the same time.

As the risks of BYOD are primarily about things like data theft/breaches and introducing malware into the organisation, I don't see providing a nice screen and keyboard as a mitigating factor.

Re:BYOD...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure how the IT lifers / drones on slashdot can be so misguided sometimes. BYOD isn't worried about cost, they're worried about security, big time. Having a bunch of separate cellular devices is a security nightmare, at least with the current policy enforcement situation even in 4.0. Oops so and so installed malware in a game they downloaded from the official store. It's even scarier than on PCs as users inherently seem to trust app stores.

Re:BYOD...

[Pieroxy]

users inherently seem to trust app stores.

My app store has been curated by Steve Jobs (R) himself. It is surely safe !

Re:BYOD...

[Rich0]

As the risks of BYOD are primarily about things like data theft/breaches and introducing malware into the organisation, I don't see providing a nice screen and keyboard as a mitigating factor.

Well, it isn't a risk in the same sense, but the other risk with BYOD is employees not being able to effectively work together.

Right now BYOD is OK because people only use it for email and browsing, for the most part.

When you try to apply that to everything else, you start having problems. One employee starts authoring all their documents in one format, and another uses a different one. So, you impose some standard. Now a bunch of employees can't comply with the standard readily, unless you buy a lot of software for them. Some employees have devices that don't work well with the corporate Exchange server or whatever.

So, then you start certifying individual models of devices. At that point you're not really doing BYOD so much as Pay For the Corporate Device. My own company has started taking that route, which just means that I don't use my smartphone for work. They don't even certify a single device for my carrier, and since they aren't paying for my phone bills, I'm not going to revolve my phone around their selections.

Re:BYOD...

[Bert64]

Well the risks are that the device is not under your control, so you cannot wipe it etc...

Data can be stolen from a company supplied device, and malware can be put onto one just as easily.

On the other hand, a bunch of isolated android devices will be far less susceptible to malware than a bunch of windows boxes which have common access credentials.

Re:BYOD...

[Bert64]

Which is why open standards are so important...
It works for browsing and email simply because there are standards in those fields. The only reason it may not work in other areas is due to a lack of standards, and that's what needs to be fixed not trying to paper over the cracks with "certified" devices.

Re:BYOD...

[Lumpy]

Even harder is a chromebook setup. This eliminates the need to pay for cellphone data plans, they pay for the data plan on the company owned chromebook. Then tell the employee to stuff it in their arse about getting reimbursed more than $10.00 a month for their cellphone bill.

It allows the company to screw the employee while maintaining security and you get automatic backups. Simply deduct the cost of a new chromebook + 40% from the employees paycheck if they get thiers stolen and hand them a new one after you reset their password.

All done. You can fire 90% of the worthless IT department, submarine the cost of replacement laptops back onto the worker by taking it out of their pay, and not even have to have a phone system because you are also making the worker pay for all your business communications. Bonus points if you can figure out how to deduct the Chomebooks data plan also out of the workers paycheck.

Heck put that plan in place and I'll bet they promote you twice and give you a nice big golden parachute. Corperate america loves it when you can screw the employees for better profits!

Re:BYOD...

[foniksonik]

When identity is managed externally (eg cloud) to a domain controller, these problems become someone else's SLA nightmare (unless you are the cloud).

People still have to log in. They just do so to one or many third party systems.

Active Directory while convenient for help desk is really the biggest problem for network security. Get rid of it altogether then look at what's broken or unusable and solve those use cases. Shared drives with ACLs, shared auth tables. That's it and one of those is the number one problem.

Re:BYOD...

[ArcherB]

When you try to apply that to everything else, you start having problems. One employee starts authoring all their documents in one format, and another uses a different one. So, you impose some standard. Now a bunch of employees can't comply with the standard readily, unless you buy a lot of software for them. Some employees have devices that don't work well with the corporate Exchange server or whatever.

I think this is where Google Docs... or drive... or whatever comes in handy. You'd be surprised at how many companies are switching from Office/Outlook to GoogleDrive/Gmail for this very reason.

Fact is, a phone is not going to be handle what a common desktop is capable of. However, for most employees that don't need to compile code or render a design in 3D, this solution works extraordinarily well.

Re:BYOD...

[Rich0]

Yeah, but at work I've seen the following:

1. The email server is Exchange, using EAS, and the company is very picky about what clients they allow, and thus they blacklist devices based on the info they supply when authenticating. Why none of the FOSS Android distros don't let you edit this stuff easily is beyond me. This is easily fixed by figuring out whatever the iPhone uses and spoofing it.

2. Half of our "web" applications use plugins of various types, which means they aren't really web apps at all. While html might be a standard, ActiveX and plugins in general aren't really. I saw massive carnage at work a few months ago when a "web-based" application was upgraded and there were issues with getting the plugins updated on all the client computers. Obviously they got some box checked for "web-based" without giving any thought to why it is that web-based apps are preferred in whatever selection process they were gaming.

Re:BYOD...

[Rich0]

I think this is where Google Docs... or drive... or whatever comes in handy. You'd be surprised at how many companies are switching from Office/Outlook to GoogleDrive/Gmail for this very reason.

Sounds good, until the company picks a standard that doesn't work on your device, except via some degraded mobile interface. Probably not so much of an issue if they pick Google, but for whatever reason I just can't see the PHBs making those decisions picking Google...

Re:BYOD...

[DragonWriter]

I think this is where Google Docs... or drive... or whatever comes in handy. You'd be surprised at how many companies are switching from Office/Outlook to GoogleDrive/Gmail for this very reason.

Fact is, a phone is not going to be handle what a common desktop is capable of. However, for most employees that don't need to compile code or render a design in 3D, this solution works extraordinarily well.

Its funny you should put the second paragraph in the same post as the first. You seem to recognize that you don't need a desktop office suit to do the tasks usually associated with an office suite, but compiling and 3d rendering have, if anything, a longer history of things that are handed off to an application remote from the device where the associated UI is accessed. There's no more reason -- and arguably less -- that your code compilation or 3d rendering have to occur on your desktop machine than that your office suite has to be a desktop app.

It's the apps, stupid!

[hackertourist]

they only lack

No, there's much more missing than just the large screen and keyboard: Office applications, for one. A web browser is not enough.

And as we've just seen in the /. stories discussing Windows 8, a mobile UI is NOT a good idea for a laptop/desktop.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Kangburra]

I have an office application on my phone, I forget what it is but I can open Excel an Word files in it. Maybe not as well as MS office but that even depends on the version you have compared to the document author.

The idea is awesome, all my info on my phone easy to access and work with on the go. It is not going to replace laptops but it is going to dent netbooks.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[PSVMOrnot]

I second that, and would mod it up if I had mod points.

Anything like and Android/Apple phone, tablet is essentially a read only device*. You can't do any meaningful creative work on one. Until it has a decent free office app, a whole host of programming IDEs & compilers, image editors and the ability to view more than one program at a time... well it's just a nice toy for reading ebooks and playing angry birds.

* in the loose sense: sure there is some ability to write stuff; like notes, contacts, appointments, facebook stuff, etc. but you can't write a sizable computer program or do image editing, or basicly anything really useful.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Inda]

Google Docs inside my phone's browser works fine, and there are binaries that open word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

I wonder why a dock is needed at all. Bluetooth for the keyboard and mouse. WiFi to send the image to a monitor. All are possible today.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[GNious]

Doesn't some Android phone come with full Ubuntu installed, for these situations? I think there is some kind of open office application available for Ubuntu, which means that a phone can truly move from a Phone UI/App-set to a laptop/nettop ditto by just sliding it into a case or dock.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Eirenarch]

Exactly! The summary makes it sound as if corporations are buying Windows/Office because it is the only thing that works on desktop hardware while in reallity they are buying desktop hardware because it is the only thing that runs Windows/Office.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[ignavus]

No, there's much more missing than just the large screen and keyboard: Office applications, for one. A web browser is not enough.

My Android tablet - which has its own laptop-style keyboard (it's an Asus Transformer) - comes with an office suite - Polaris.

This is what the netbook should have been - small, lightweight, keyboard ... and Android. The Transformer is all that. Hope they keep making it - or some other vendor picks up the idea.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Vanderhoth]

AIDE works really well as a java IDE/compiler for my HTC Android phone. I also use Google docs for Writing reports and modifying spreadsheets, which works well enough.

Is it perfect? Not even close.

Given a choice I'd do my work on a desktop/laptop. The one major thing my phone lacks, to make it more productive, is a full keyboard, a mouse and a fill monitor. There's also a trade off in processing power for conveniences. Even without the docking station I still always have the phone to do work on when something needs a quick change, but the docking station would just mean I don't have spend time transferring code to my phone. Obviously this is for the specific type of work I do, it would be useless for writing larger applications, but for simple productivity apps this could work.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[ChunderDownunder]

The closest I've seen to some entity getting the concept is KDE Plasma Workspaces.

Use the 'Active' workspace when you're on a touch-screen and 'Desktop' when you're connected to a mouse, keyboard and 21" display.

Same KDE/Qt experience re-skinned for each environment and, presumably using the same settings underneath.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't trust Ubuntu for Android for one reason (scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the image next to "Ready to talk?")

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[LingNoi]

> A web browser is not enough.

If you use Google Apps then it is.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[hackertourist]

If you only use Office, then yes. In my case, Office is just one of 20 apps I need on a regular basis. None of them are available for Android.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[LingNoi]

> If you only use Office, then yes.

You're contradicting yourself...

> Office applications, for one. A web browser is not enough.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Targon]

Many offices need more than just general compatibility with MS Office, but need it to be 100 percent in terms of format and such. This is what many people forget, that "it does this" is NOT the same as doing it well, or properly. How many times have you seen comparisons between the advertised product and more established products with a check-box list of features, but people who use the features discover that how well a used feature WORKS is more important than just having the feature available.

The idea of a docking station is good, but people are currently treating phone or tablet applications from the point of "good enough for phones", and don't look at the question of "is it good enough to replace what is used in the office?" question. Openoffice, or Libreoffice are decent for document editing, yet you don't see these used as the primary office suites used in offices. The same applies here, replacing what is used in an office, is it good enough, and compatible enough.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever heard of Citrix or VNC, to name just two examples? Have a stack of Citrix farms and hook up a Citrix client from the phone to the office net and instant, full sized desktop. Heck I've even used Citrix on my Samsung SGS2 to catch work mail and fix very simple DB problems at work when I've been on call and out and about, and that's on the crappy touch screen keyboard. Even easier with a full QWERTY and a 28" screen hooked up to it I would imagine.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Lumpy]

"Anything like and Android/Apple phone, tablet is essentially a read only device*. You can't do any meaningful creative work on one."

All the bloggers out there would disagree with you....

Oh wait.... I see what you did there......

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Lumpy]

Sounds like they never tried google docs...

Granted, if internet is down, you cant do anything but loot the vending machines in the break room.... Thus the biggest problem with "cloud computing"

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[gbjbaanb]

I wonder why a dock is needed at all.

for power mainly, its easier to plonk it onto a dock than it is to play "where's the cable hiding this time". The Samsung Galaxy 3 comes with a dock charger now, and a wireless display dongle (ie you attach the dongle to your TV and it mirrors your phone display)

While I don't think these are sufficient to replace a PC, it shows we're slowly moving in the right direction.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[hodma727]

Much as I prefer iOS, if I ever did decide to buy an Andriod device it would be either the usual cheap POS, or... a Transformer. The hardware looks quite decent with the keyboard and trackpad.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[jedidiah]

Actually, most of the bloggers out there agree with the basic idea that a tablet is a read only device.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[hackertourist]

As I said, "for one". No contradiction.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[flappinbooger]

they only lack

No, there's much more missing than just the large screen and keyboard: Office applications, for one. A web browser is not enough.

And as we've just seen in the /. stories discussing Windows 8, a mobile UI is NOT a good idea for a laptop/desktop.

Perhaps regular readers of /. won't be the target market for this device, but I think it's a fantastic idea. People live on their phones, they have all their contacts on it, email, texting, facebook, and all their music. They take pics and movies on it. There are mobile office apps, google drive and dropbox.

If it was possible to get home and (easily) dock your smartphone to this device to give it a real qwerty KB, a large screen so you can rest your tired eyes, and charge it at the same time? Hook it up to your home stereo speakers and keep playing that song you were listening to on the way home? How about HDMI to the widescreen?

If all your stuff is on the smartphone, why have redundant devices? I think it's a stellar idea for a lot of people, and I wish I'd thought of it!

With "Teh Cloudz" our data will gradually migrate to be in ONE PLACE for simplicity - why not one device? Simplicity is the new killer app. Being simple sometimes takes more engineering than just being high tech.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Simon Brooke]

The reason no-one has yet bothered to port decent office apps to Android is the lack of a keyboard and decent display. If these things catch on (and, provided it was enough cheaper than an Asus Transformer, I'd certainly buy one), then the apps will come.

The first computer I worked on, an ICL 1902, had 8K 32-bit words of core storage, which is to say the equivalent of 32Kb of RAM. It ran at about quarter of a million instructions per second. It supported 18 simultaneous users on teletypes (proper teletypes, with paper rolls, not these new fangled 'glass teletype' things). Later on in life, I was responsible for one single Intel 80486

box (66 million instructions per second, and if I recall correctly about 64Mb of RAM) running UNIX System V.4, which supported a typing pool of thirty typists all doing word-processing on dumb terminals, and five accountants mostly using spreadsheets also on dumb terminals.

My HTC One X runs at 6 Billion instructions per second. OK, they're RISC instructions so you can maybe half that to get a comparable number, but even so... It has 2Gb of RAM. It is five orders of magnitude faster than that ICL 1902, two orders of magnitude faster the 486. The idea that the phone in your pocket isn't a sufficiently powerful computer to support one user doing ordinary office tasks is simply silly. What's been lacking up to now is a convenient user interface for office tasks. Devices like this solve that problem.

Build it, and they will come.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[xtal]

It's not the apps.

Adding a small processor won't increase the BOM of a device like this relative to your phone. You're better off using your phone as either a document repository or a gateway to the cloud via tethered communications. I do that now.

I'd rather carry a phone and a tablet if I'm going to lug around yet another screen.

Not seeing the appeal here..

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[FitForTheSun]

Indeed. I don't do office apps on my tablet (original Transformer), but I could, because it came with one already installed. Of course, with the Transformer, doing office work on your tablet is sort of the whole point.

I think GP didn't think through his comment very well.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[CowTipperGore]

Trashing some mod points to respond since I've yet to see anyone else mention this in the thread.

Why does everyone assume that all the work has to happen on the local device? With the the movement to VDI and good RDP clients for ever major mobile platform, why can't we use a dock and a remote desktop? I could have a full-size display, mouse, keyboard, and a Windows desktop served by TS, Citrix, or VMWare while at my desk, and pop out the iPad, Transformer, etc, to carry with me when mobile. Something like Good Technology's MDM would give me secure email access while on the go and I could use a VPN connection to get my desktop if I needed more.

Of course this won't work well for apps that don't do well in a VDI environment but I don't see why it wouldn't suffice for the bulk of our office workers, executives, sales staff, etc.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[WelshRarebit]

> This is what the netbook should have been - small, lightweight, keyboard ... and Android.

The original netbooks were a lot closer to that than the jokes being sold to fools today. ASUS really screwed the pooch on that one, they practically invented a new form factor that was wildly popular and had all sorts of potential for breaking from the death grip of Microsoft. But instead of forging ahead and building something like Android or iOS, they switched to a castrated version of Windows. As a result the netbook went nowhere and the iPad became the revolution.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[CowTipperGore]

How about an RDP application? Now you can run any office application you want.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Patch86]

Google Docs has a native application for Android. Not to mention plenty of alternatives- Google search "office suite for android" and you'll see plenty. Just because it lacks MS Office it doesn't mean it lacks an office suite.

On the latter point, Ubuntu For Android might interest you- the concept is to have an Ubuntu desktop environment running as an app within Android. That means Unity/KDE/XFCE/etc. available from your phone. If it ever sees light of day, of course.
http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[ozmanjusri]

I one can't wait. Where do I send my money?

Google.

Google announced Tuesday, June 5, 2012, that it has bought Quickoffice, the maker of a widely used mobile application for working on documents created in Microsoft's programs for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2012/06/06/google-buys-maker-quickoffice-mobile-app/YGEpy0iBT7PxGI09lSXhpM/story.html

That's one of the reasons I'm betting this sort of gadget will be a game-changer.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Targon]

If you are using a remote desktop, that eliminates the whole discussion about replacing your WORKSTATION at work with an android device+docking station in the first place. I was not saying that there is no point to a docking station approach in SOME situations, but if the idea is to replace your normal workstation with an android device plus docking station, that generally won't work.

If you have a desktop machine as a workstation ALREADY, you don't need a docking station for your phone/tablet. If you are looking at something like an intelligent "terminal", then the question is if the docking station for your phone is more cost effective compared to a thin-client or even a low-end workstation. $350 for a docking station for your phone, or $350 for a real computer that will run your apps natively with a workstation that can be locked down for security?

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[tepples]

If cable Internet is down, you use DSL to which you subscribe as a hot spare. Compare: How much work can your call center do while phone service is down?

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[nine-times]

True, but I think this is only a first step. Office applications for mobile platforms are getting better, and meanwhile mobile platforms are getting more powerful. I'm now convinced that Apple plans to do what I imagined for the future for quite a long time: make your phone your computer.

I'm imagining that within a few years, it won't really make sense to have a desktop computer, a laptop, an iPad, an iPhone, and whatever else. Instead, you'll essentially have a smartphone that contains enough processing power and RAM to run a full desktop operating system. When it's alone, it operates as a smartphone. When you dock it at a desktop docking station, you'll get a full keyboard, mouse and monitor and it will run a full desktop UI (you may even be able to include additional processing power in the dock).

From there, it just becomes an issue of building different docs for different situations. You can have a tablet dock for when you want it to have a bigger screen. You can have a laptop-like dock for when you want a good platform for working on-the-go. This way, all of your documents and settings go with you wherever you go, and there's no need to setup complicating syncing solutions. It's kind of like having your smartphone running on a LiveUSB distribution that can be run anywhere.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Patch86]

WiFi capable monitors aren't exactly standard. That would either limit a device to just a handful of the newest high-spec devices, or would mean carrying around extra bits of kit to enable connectivity (which would defeat the object of making it wireless). You'd also want the device to be hooked up to a power supply if we're taking this seriously- my Android phone only has a couple of days battery life, and it would be a lot shorter if it were attempting to run desktop applications all day.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[CowTipperGore]

Let me clarify my assumed situation. Many companies are on the cusp of VDI today. These companies issue desktops to "normal" desk-bound employees and laptops to mobile employees. Many mobile (and some less mobile) employees also have a smartphone and/or tablet. A big benefit of VDI is savings in hardware and simplifying support by moving to simple terminals instead of full-blow workstations. But these mobile workers complicate this by requiring a laptop.

What if the more mobile users were instead given a tablet and docking station? For a cost somewhere between the terminals and laptops, you are still mobile and still using a remote desktop. I'm not suggesting that every employee and every situation warrants a mobile device and docking station. Only that the consistent cries of "this can't work because there are too few native apps on tablets" are seemingly misguided in the cases where the arrangement otherwise makes sense.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Belial6]

Inductive charging is the real answer for power. If even one major manufacturer would make it standard in their phones, and didn't find some kind of IP shenanigans to prevent interoperability, everyone else would follow suit very quickly. The chargers being ubiquitous would happen almost overnight.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[Lumpy]

If internet is down that means the Central Office exploded because the OC3 into the building we use for internet is down. And that means that DSL will not work not Cable Internet.

Re:It's the apps, stupid!

[amorsen]

No, there's much more missing than just the large screen and keyboard: Office applications, for one. A web browser is not enough.

Is there any point to office applications these days? I used to depend on Word/OpenOffice.org to read/edit documents, usually documents which arrived by email. Now I can't remember the last time I received anything but a PDF in an email. Internal stuff is all Wiki or otherwise web; if I need to share it with a partner I just print to PDF or copy from the Wiki into the email.

Actually that's not quite true, I have received quite a few Excel sheets too. I could actually do with a spreadsheet extension on the internal Wiki, now that I think about it.

And when the phone rings?

[niftydude]

You have the choice of:

1) keeping the computer screen up and hands-free talking and annoying everyone in your office,
2) Picking the phone up out of the dock for a more private conversation, but losing your computer screen which could be a problem if someone has a question that requires your computer, or
3) Wearing one of those stupid headsets every time someone makes a call.

I like the idea, and the hardware looks sexy, but none of those options appeal to me. Anyone have a better way?

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Medinos]

By "stupid headsets" do you mean a bluetooth earpiece? May not be something everyone wants, but it still seems like a feasible option. As long as you don't mind looking like one of those people who seem to be arguing with themselves (while usually talking with their hands) if viewed from the wrong side.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Inda]

1) Send the display image to the monitor via WiFi
2) See #1
3) See #1

Re:And when the phone rings?

[nabasu]

Even though you might find option #3 stupid, a lot of us don't. Using a Bluetooth-headset makes this a non-issue for most us. There are other issues with the set up though.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Anonymous Coward]

They generally come with hair gel to complete the douche bag look. Previous model BMW not included.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[JustOK]

Oh Noes! This Product is Out of Stock. This product is not available for purchase at this time.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Lumpy]

Just wear mirrored sunglasses and a white shirt with a white tie while wearing sandals with socks and you will fit right in.... But you need to buy a BMW to complete the look.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Lumpy]

My monitor does not have Wifi or the ability to receive an image. In fact I cant fine ANY out there that can outside of a 42" TV, and my cube does not have the space for that nor will HR allow it.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[uglyduckling]

Or get one of these.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Sloppy]

[When the phone rings]

Anyone have a better way?

Don't answer. Or don't even install the "ring when someone wants to talk to you" application.

What do you do when your desktop computer "rings?"

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Patch86]

3) Wearing one of those stupid headsets every time someone makes a call.
 

Situation 1: The phone rings. You pick the handset up from the desk/your pocket, push the "answer call" button, and then press the device against the side of your head.

Situation 2: The phone rings. You pick the Bluetooth gadget up from the desk/your pocket, push the "answer call" button, and then press the device against the side of your head. Clip behind ear if you want.

Honestly, I don't see the big deal. I don't own or have any need for a Bluetooth headset at the moment, but I can see that as being a valid and pain-free use for one.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Anonymous Coward]

3) Wearing one of those stupid headsets every time someone makes a call.
 

I had a Bluetooth headset for a while, but in the end I decided it would just be simpler to have the word CUNT tattooed across my forehead rather than constantly having to walk around with a piece of electronics in my ear.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Belial6]

That is one reason data connection via dock is a bad idea. (The other being that phones are incompatible in shape, so docks are not interchangable.) A dock is a 1980's solution to a 2010's problem. HS Bluetooth allows the management of Wifi for connection to the "wireless dock". Bluetooth keyboard and mice are already readily available, and the phones already use them. NFC is a perfect paring mechanism, so it becomes trivial for even the least technically inclined, and inductive charging handles powering the device.

The usages should look like... User walks up and sets their phone on what looks like a mouse pad. The phone starts charging, and because of the NFC the 'wireless dock' knows that this is the device it should be connected to, so, the screen pops up with their environment, and the mouse and keyboard now control the phone. If the phone rings, the user picks up the phone, and the phone stops charging, but everything else works just like it did until the user either disconnects via a widget on their phone, or the phone leaves the Bluetooth range of the 'wireless dock'.

This kind of setup would be good for a lot of mainstream uses, and would be awesome for a lot of niche uses. Things like hotel rooms. Hotels already have TVs. Most are switching to large flat panels. A connected (wirelessly of course) connected mouse and keyboard in the drawer underneath, and every hotel room hand have a computer workstation for their guests. Presentations at conferences could just have a pad on the podium for presenters to connect. TVs in the home would be trivial for displaying videos stored on not only the household members phones, but also guests phones.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Belial6]

It doesn't have it today, but if we are talking about replacing your desktop, replacing your monitor is not enough of a stretch to be on the radar. For those that are obsessive about using the existing monitor, an external receiver would also work. For those that just can't cope with either of those, you could just be a late adopter and not an early one.

Re:And when the phone rings?

[Branciforte]

Just walk next to someone else doing the same thing. It will look like you two are having a conversation.

Re:wedge

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

It isn't a wedge and it doesn't look like a MacBook Air. Sorry, but you'll have to wait a lil longer before you can post at +2.

Where has this guy been hiding?

[Assmasher]

IT guys at large corporations have been monitoring this for at least TWO YEARS.

Heck, a friend of mine who works for SIEMENS says they've done some limited roll outs using the Atrix as a desktop replacement for some field support personnel. They've got teams learning the ins and outs of creating custom OS images for given phone sets so they can simply image peoples' phones the same way they do when you connect your laptop to their system now.

How eager people are to connect their 'work' phone, and what 'work' phone means now, is a bit more up for debate there. My friend says a lot of people are excited at the idea of ditching desktops AND laptops for certain types of employees and simply having offices filled with docking stations.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[Nerdfest]

What's sad is many corporations will short-sightedly force people onto iDevices and end up worse off than they were with Microsoft, with them now being tied to a single hardware provider. I find it quite strange when there's an open source solution with a variety of hardware options.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[otuz]

Why would a single hardware provider be worse than a single software provider? The latter was never an issue for most companies. If anything, it's better for them if there is just party to support for both hardware and software if something goes wrong. You know, most companies aren't hackerspaces, where every user spends all their time tinkering various devices just for the sake of tinkering.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[Vanderhoth]

I don't mean to be rude, but I found your post very confusing.

First you said:

Why would a single hardware provider be worse than a single software provider?

Then:

it's better for them if there is just party to support for both hardware and software if something goes wrong.

I'm of the opinion that the only thing worse than a single hardware provider, is a single hardware provider that is also the singe software provider. I mean, WOW, just put all your eggs in one basket and then pull all competition out of the scenario and I'm pretty sure that "support for both hardware and software if something goes wrong" will go right out the window.

You know, most companies aren't hackerspaces, where every user spends all their time tinkering various devices just for the sake of tinkering.

There is a huge range of devices in my building, my group is primary Java and Matlab developers using windows machines. We write software for scientists running Linux machines to analyzing data that was collected and processed from satellite imaginary on Macs. Just because someone is running open source solutions doesn't mean they automatically spending their time "tinkering". A statement like that is dangerous if read by ignorant bosses and makes you seem a very out of touch to anyone that is actually in the know. Linux and Mac machines and their respective software are used to do real work, just like windows. Not all the scientists where I work are Linux gurus and they don't spend their time tinkering. Propagating the stereotype that someone using open source solutions is just tinkering really creates an image that people using open source solutions aren't doing real work, which just isn't true and is harmful to the community. Some pointy haired boss is going to read a comment like that and take it to heart.

My group had a hell of a time after our boss stumbled onto this article The Zero Defect Vision where the journalist suggested that it was possible to write software that has a 0.0003% bug ratio. We use agile development practices with monthly software releases and have a 5% bug ratio with a lot of our larger systems. We pointed out several times there were spelling and grammar mistakes in the article, which were missed by both the writer and editor. Then we went on to explain that although doctors make very few mistakes during surgery, the techniques they use were perfected over hundreds of years, and not all of the patients used in the process actually survived. Basically everyone of the professions talked about in the article had their period of trial and error and accidents, some of which actually lead to the loss of life. At least our software has never killed anyone, at worst there was an indexing issue or the output was in a space delimited format when it should have been comma separated. We managed to get our boss to back down from his holy crusade to have us produce 100% bug free applications when we basically stopped making monthly releases, because in an agile environment there's always some new feature or bug to fix, which would normally be pushed to the next release cycle.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[Nerdfest]

Microsoft is not a single software provider. Apple is once again closer to that as well, requiring you to pay extra to break out of the walled garden. You find out what the problem is with a single provider when they decide on huge price increases. dropping support for certain features (hardware especially) or including proprietary interface that locks you to them for peripherals. Having options available is far from a 'hackerspace' ... it's about having the best solution. I'm not saying iDevices are bad, I'm saying you're not as limited when choosing a solution where multiple options are available. ... and open source means you need to tinker now?

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[gbjbaanb]

bear in mind most companies use single hardware providers anyway - you get a better deal, better (well, single point of contact) support and single purchase orders if you buy all your computer gear from a company like Dell or IBM. So most do.

You sometimes get 2 providers - one for clients and one for the datacentre, but you almost never get a mishmash of bits bought from all over.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[Nerdfest]

You still have a choice of who those providers are, and you can switch occasionally to one who gives better prices, better support, or better hardware. If you go with iDevices, you can't do that. You're essentially worse off than back in the old IBM days.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[otuz]

It's not about hardware anymore, if it ever was. It's about the entire platform and the software is the major part of it. Not at all different to how they currently operate, essentially locked into the windows platform, and they usually see it as a benefit, not a drawback. That's why it's so hard for multivendor approaches, like linux-based systems to catch on in the corporate world.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[otuz]

The backbone of Apple's business is their merchant position in the AppStores and the iTunes media store. Not their hardware or software per se, it's about the system and control of the entire platform, while still enabling profits for developers and other third parties targeting their platform. Not at all different from how the way Microsoft operates its platform, except they didn't see the opportunity of bundling a package manager / store suite like how Apple does it, and they never had a chance to control the hardware platform except in the game console business.

Still, the core assets of a business is their data, hardware and software expenses are just the cost of the tools. They can do the switch to any other platform as long as they can somehow export and import their existing assets. If they fail to manage their assets, they learn a lesson unless they go under. It's purely a matter of tools, and the operating cost of the tools. Apple kinda beat Microsoft at their own game. It's not impossible for others to beat Apple at their own game, and at least Google is trying.

The main difference between an Apple user and Google user from their respective business perspectives are that the Apple user is still a customer, whereas the Google user is the product itself, whose usage patterns are sold to their customers; the advertizers. Microsoft is also still in the game, but I believe their strongest assets are bound to the x86 Windows platform, which I don't think has a very bright future. If they fail their ARM transition, they are gone. Outside the Apple/Google/Microsoft trio, there are very little choices from a typical corporation's standpoint. Facebook might still have a chance, if they play their cards right, but IMO the future of Facebook looks like the present of MySpace.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[otuz]

I'm not into politics nor into evangelizing one way or the other. I'm here to state and discuss the state of the art. It can either be accepted, disputed or reacted upon. The rules of the game changed and it's been and will be just evolution from that point onwards. Google is still trying hard to duplicate Microsoft's past x86 success with multiple second-party hardware vendors, so it's not like Apple is the only choice. Microsoft won't give up without a fight either, and they are quite busy trying to make Windows 8 into what they see as their success plan.

Re:Where has this guy been hiding?

[Hatta]

Why would a single hardware provider be worse than a single software provider?

A single hardware provider can run into supply chain issues.

Docking Stations for the masses

[Anonymous Coward]

This would be perfect for classes, conferences, meetings and public internet access points (internet coffee shops).

Imaging going to a conference or meeting with a phone, placing it on a docking station and you have a laptop at hand.

If it went that way, lets hope that this ClamBook thingy will have some hard-coded security features to prevent malaware and viruses. Companies always tend to f*ck things up just for a small amount of profit and so called marketing statistics / data.

Re:Docking Stations for the masses

[FatLittleMonkey]

If it went that way, lets hope that this ClamBook thingy will have some hard-coded security features to prevent malaware and viruses.

On what would the security run? Clambook is not the computer, it is a display and keyboard for the computer.

Re:Docking Stations for the masses

[Kergan]

Perhaps, but in this case I'd rather have an actual keyboard, mouse, and a huge screen. This product is supposedly meant to be transportable.

Maybe this is the idea

[aglider]

The phones are quite handy, but too small for real mobile usage (apart the calling stuff).
This idea looks quite interesting as it'd add to a smart phone just what's missing for real usage.
But I see two major cons:
1. That thing would drain the phone battery very fast, whatever technology it will use for the display.
2. There's still the "other way around": use the smartphone to add a netbook/notebook what's missing (the connectivity) which is already widely available via bluetooth and/or USB.

I personally don't see the tablets a real mobile killer application: they're too large to be handy, there's still no keyboard (unless you have to type a 140 characters message), adding an external keyboard will bring the same weight as a netbook, with less features an power.

So I'd say: let's see how it goes!

Re:Maybe this is the idea

[otuz]

1. Why would the phone power that thing? If anything, it of course includes its own charger and battery and changes the phone, while it's docked.
2. That's what we have now, and requires maintenance of two separate systems: the phone and the laptop. Unifying them would definitely be a benefit, not a drawback.

Re:Maybe this is the idea

[MrDoh!]

You'd have the dock powered, charging the phone. (maybe even using the corporate wired network for security/speed reasons).

Re:Maybe this is the idea

[fermion]

My first though is without a battery the dock is a non starter. What does everyone want when they leave work. A fully charged phone.

Re:You're not that young, oz

[BluBrick]

And I'm sure the reality is that the future of this device is somewhere between your two hyperbole-laden extremes - but that's not quite as exciting now, is it?

Ubuntu has already done this, sort of

[andyn]

Mr. Shuttleworth has already been offering Ubuntu desktop on Android phones for phone vendors. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work for laptops.

Re:Ubuntu has already done this, sort of

[caseih]

Wish I had mod points to mod you up. The Ubuntu idea, combined with this sort of laptop dock would actually be able to completely replace my laptop. In fact I know that for several uni professors, they would love to be able to stick their phone in a dock on their desk, use it as a full desktop system (keyboard, mouse, 2 screens, printers, etc), then while traveling or at home use a laptop-like dock. With the full desktop OS being available (Linux in this case), they would have everything they need and more. Android would really only be interacted with when undocked, or in a little android window on the desktop.

If any of you haven't seen the Ubuntu for Android videos, check it out. it's pretty slick. Complete phone integration in the linux desktop (notifications, access to android apps, cell radio etc). Honestly, it's the only mobile OS development that's got my attention in recent memory.

This idea fits with predictions

[erroneus]

The palm pilot gave answer to the need to take your data with you but it didn't offer much in the way of user interface because the device itself was limited by its size. This fundamental problem hasn't been addressed well since.

But now, we are seeing something I once told people was coming -- the computer [and data] is in your pocket and everything else becomes just the user interface. So wherever you go, you just plug in to whatever interfaces are available... whatever interfaces are appropriate. Your desk? Your car? The table at a restaurant or coffee shop?

Yeah, this is Microsoft's nightmare. They could have gotten involved with some of these really good ideas, but instead, they put their money and effort into keeping things the same which pretty much never works.

straw and clouds

[village fool]

One more straw to break Micro$oft's back - and this could be a big straw. Yes, there is still the problem with proprietary office software, but isn't everything going to the cloud anyway? Beats tethering.

why laptop style?

[bfree]

Is this saner than docking by connecting a video cable (i.e. hdmi) for an external monitor and usb cable to storage, input devices and even networking? The only potential problem I see then is charging via the same usb port which I admit might be tricky at best with current phones. Plenty of tablets have multiple usb ports and/or dedicated charging ports though but I'd imagine a tablet (I'd fancy 7" @ 720p or higher myself) would be far more usable on it's own for the sort of apps you would run docked. A real (desktop) browser or office suite on a phone is impractical for all but the most trivial uses on 4.x" resistive screen let alone the capacitive screens which appear to have taken over.

Re:why laptop style?

[gl4ss]

well.. asus is doing the monitor thing.

the dock is obvious of course.

Nothing new about this idea

[Anonymous Coward]

There is nothing new about this idea of using a mobile phone with a laptop shell. Motorolla has a similar device known as lapdock since more than a year now:
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/IN-EN/Consumer-Products-and-Services/Mobile+Phone+Accessories/Docking-Stations/Lapdock-100-IN-EN

Seems a shame to leave a processor out

[MichaelSmith]

My 300 AUD eeepc would not be much cheaper without its crap processor but a remote desktop client for android would be really useful, so maybe this will show up as an application for cheap netbooks.

Re:Seems a shame to leave a processor out

[vlm]

My 300 AUD eeepc ... maybe this will show up as an application for cheap netbooks.

It showed up years ago. The term you don't know to google for is "android x86 project". I've been running android on my old eee netbook for quite awhile. Its free and I'd strongly suggest everyone give it a try.

Android makes a better netbook OS than either the preinstalled linux it came with, the full Debian install I did, or windows.

Android with keyboard and touchpad is much faster to use than android with touch screen. I never learned all the multitouch stuff so I'm not missing anything.

One thing I don't like is android x86 burns battery about as bad as any other OS. For whatever weird reason I subconsciously thought it would run for 12 hours like my phone, but it doesn't. Its not any worse than any other linux install, but not any better.

Re:Seems a shame to leave a processor out

[MichaelSmith]

I can't do android development on android, so I do it on ubuntu on the eee. For me, android is fine for a phone but it is a long way from being adequate on a laptop.

Re:Seems a shame to leave a processor out

[vlm]

I'm told there are some pretty decent VNC clients that I don't use. I suppose if you're doing android 3-D game development you'd be SOL but for everything else VNC should be OK?

I haven't developed and run on a local box since university, although I remember those days. At work my development box is a virtual image as a test server, and I'm not even sure what geographic state its in at this time. As an image it doesn't have the concept of a local console, just what amounts to a wrapper around something like VNC or whatever vsphere uses for console access. I've fooled around IDEs but I always seem to go back to VIM or occasionally emacs. At home everything I do is done inside one image per project that I create and destroy as I work. Its pretty easy once you script it all up... at work I need to do all manner of requests and paperwork to get another image so I can't do the "one project per image" thing there, which is a PITA.

I have done a little FPGA and microcontroller command line development at home, which works pretty well remotely, also I get more work time since I can power everything up, then leave the room and work in the kitchen / living room / outdoors. I have not tried GUI IDE over VNC work, but it might work for my FPGA/microcontroller stuff or your android stuff.

License?

[Goaway]

I only wish the company would license the idea as well to established makers, so otherwise conventional laptops could gain the ability to easily become advanced phone screens, too.

"License"? I that here on Slashdot we wish that there were no patents, so that existing companies could just copy the idea more cheaply and put the inventor out of business?

Re:License?

[nomaddamon]

Patents are OK as long as you actually invent and market/license something.
If you take some exiting idea, patent it and expect other companies to pay you for it... then you must be living in the US...

This is virtually the same thing as laptop docs... not to mention existing mobile docs (Motorla Lapdock)
Anyone claiming license fees or royalties from this "invention" is actually hindering innovation and it's widespread adoption

Been waiting for this

[MrDoh!]

And, as hinted, to have this as an option in ALL laptops(heck, even desktops) that if you boot up with a phone attached, it passes control over to that. And/or, have an image to boot from the phone that runs inside Windows/MacOs/Linux. self contained VM that launches and uses phone resources (well, not a VM, a transposed machine).

Re:Been waiting for this

[Patch86]

That would be reasonably straight forward from a phone point of view. Just have the phone act as a USB hard-drive with a bootable live OS on it, in the same veign as Puppy Linux.

The fiddly bit of booting to a USB hard-drive is always at the other end- making sure your laptop/desktop actually has the ability to do so, and it isn't blocked to you, and the boot device order is correct, and so forth.

Fucking stupid - processors + storage are cheap

[Anonymous Coward]

What a fucking stupid idea - the processor + storage are the CHEAP part of the phone. Now instead of having a phone + a laptop, you wind up with a phone + a lobotomized laptop that doesn't work without the phone, at a cost that's close to that of the complete set...

Re:Fucking stupid - processors + storage are cheap

[Solandri]

What a fucking stupid idea - the processor + storage are the CHEAP part of the phone.

Storage may be cheap, but the data on it is not. Ultimately, this is one solution to the problem of synchronizing data across multiple devices. Slashdot rejects the notion of cloud computing. Many of these devices are only networked intermittently so rsync is out. That pretty much leaves storing your data on one device and accessing it directly through multiple devices. Which will it be? You can't call both this and cloud computing stupid - that's equivalent to saying people don't need to sync their data across multiple devices, which is clearly not the case.

Re:Fucking stupid - processors + storage are cheap

[cas2000]

the processor + storage are the CHEAP part of the phone.

actually, that's why it's not stupid - upgrade the phone every year or so without tossing away the bigger screen. the phone's CPU will be significantly improved in that time, the screen won't.

(i.e. the exact opposite of the cretinously wasteful design of all-in-one computers like imacs - you can't upgrade an imac without discarding that beautiful 27" screen).

Ubuntu for android :)

[grusapa]

In every dual-core phone, there’s a PC trying to get out. http://www.ubuntu.com/devices/android

Re:Ubuntu for android :)

[vlm]

Then there's the reverse of that concept, installing android on commodity x86 hardware

http://www.android-x86.org/

They coul do it loooooong ago....

[vovkav]

Damn!
They could do it bback in 2008 with any device that had USB host (I was experimenting with acer n30 back then)...
And Get a "5yr old" desktop with some arm-linux flavor in a formfactor of PDA.

Warrantless Search?

[retech]

Since a good portion of state troopers now have the ability to crack a cell phone in their car, what kind of company security issues is this going to create? (not to mention the personal ones)

Palm already had this idea, which means HP does

[Targon]

Palm had come up with this sort of thing called the Foleo. It never took off, but since HP bought Palm(and then killed it), HP does have access to the idea as well. The issue I have with the article is that performance has never really been evaluated in a proper comparison between an ARM based laptop and an AMD or Intel based laptop. What is acceptable on a phone or tablet may not seem enough for the normal load put on a laptop.

Re:Palm already had this idea, which means HP does

[wiedzmin]

Right. Foleo is more like a Playbook, than this.

EOMA-68

[mysteryvortex]

This idea might be better implemented as an EOMA-68 to android phone converter. Then you could use any EOMA-68 compatible devices with it including, but not limited to, clamshell keyboard/screen/touchpad devices. (I.E. a netbook shell)

As far as the RPi; I'm much more interested in this EOMA-68 compatible card which uses the more powerful Allwinner A10 CPU. That gets you the capability to run a complete open source stack (including GPU) and a datasheet! (Something which Broadcom refuses to give you for the RPi even though it was designed by Broadcom employees!)

Shamelessly copy-pasted specs for the Allwinner A10:

        1.2ghz Cortex A8 ARM Core
        MALI400MP OpenGL ES 2.0 GPU
        DDR3 Controller 800MHz 1GB max
        2160p Hardware-accelerated Video playback (4x the resolution of 1080p)
        a NAND Flash Controller that is capable of 8-way concurrent DMA (8 NAND ICs)
        4 SDIO interfaces (SD 3.0, UHI class)
        USB 2.0 Host as well as a 2nd USB-OTG Interface (USB-OTG can be reconfigured as USB 2.0 Host, automatically)
        24-pin RGB/TTL as well as simultaneous HDMI out
        SATA-II 3gb/sec
        10/100 Ethernet (MII compatible)
        a 2nd 24-pin RGB/TTL interface that is multiplexed (shared) on the same pins for a standard IDE (PATA) interface.
        GPIO, I2C, PWM, Keyboard Matrix (8x8), built-in Resistive Touchscreen Controller, and much more.

Re:EOMA-68

[Vairon]

To my knowledge there is no publicly available datasheet for the MALI 400 GPU which is why there's a group trying to reverse engineer the chip to write an open source driver instead.

Also that thing you're calling an A10 datasheet is more like a summary of capabilities. Have you actually compared the 205 page Broadcomm BCM2835 Peripherals datasheet vs the 72 page Allwinner A10 datasheet? The A10 datasheet contains very little information a programmer could actually use to program that chip. The BCM2835 datasheet actually contains information a programmer can use.

For example let's say you're a programmer who wants to use one of the many GPIO lines the BCM2835 or the A10 have available? The BCM2835 datasheet covers that in pages 89 through 105. It starts by giving you a block diagram to show how they're used. It then documents 41 register addresses used to interact with those GPIO lines. It documents each bit of those registers to tell you how to select the operation of a given GPIO pin (input vs output vs function select). How to setup interrupts with those GPIO lines for detect on rising edge vs falling edge and how to read or write to those GPIO lines. All information a programmer who wants to interact with this BCM2835 chip for GPIO will need to know.

On the other hand look at the A10 datasheet and what it says about GPIO lines. It's covered, if you can call it that, on half of page 67. The A10 datasheet only has a summary of how many GPIO lines an A10 has. Nothing else is listed. No information on how to use the GPIO lines is given at all.

Wireless Dock

[Doc Ruby]

If this dock didn't require I physically insert my phone into it, that would be good. Dedicate some kind of wireless connection to my device as long as it's within 10m. With crypto auth backed by a confirm (check to always allow) dialog on my device, gated through Android permissions to my device resources.

Put a CPU and GPU into the dock dedicated to processing the traffic among my device, the display, storage and network. The CPU/GPU in the "dock" could cost maybe $25 extra. Let me plug in for recharging, but only power in a separate cable from an optional data cable connection.

Now we've got my mobile personal data and apps integrated into the local infrastructure, with grades of trust I can use without abandoning safety. Now it makes sense for me to BMOD, not just the cheapo management who can't spring for a $150 Android device of their own.

Re:Wireless Dock

[Targon]

Palm/HP had come up with the perfect solution for this already in the concept of "Tap to Share", which would allow a HP Pre 3 to tap the screen of the HP Touchpad, and have whatever web page, text messages, and so on to sync across to the other device. That would do the job here as well since the idea of a "docking station" doesn't end up being terribly cost effective when screen, keyboard, and other connectors add so much to the cost of devices anyway.

Monkey want shiny.

[FatLittleMonkey]

This. Now.

Why?

Smartphones may well "have multi-core processors powerful enough to deliver laptop-level performance", but only entry level laptops. Ie, those in the $200-300 range. And my guess is that 90% of the costs for those are design, assembly, shipping, marketing, & support. Costs which can't be reduced. (If it wasn't so, there'd be near-disposable $50 laptops using older generation technology.) That means you save almost nothing by leaving out the processor and memory (the only thing the phone provides). Oh, and then they need to add the cost of their custom dock for the phone itself.

Which means just to equal the price of a mass-market entry-level 13" laptop, they will be on razor margins, which means they can spare nothing for the design. So expect it to be slower, uglier, and clumsier to use (since you probably can't make calls and work at the same time).

I could see Apple making something shiny and clever in this design space, and being able to charge enough iTax to make it worthwhile, but this? No.

It would be much more useful if someone came up with a dock for Android tablets and phones that allows either or both to be used as smart-display touchscreens for your main desktop. Ie, it allows the user to move menus, toolbars, palettes, tabs, on to the phone/tablet, or an entire secondary program, or anything the user wants. Elegantly. Without taking focus away from the main window/display.

Or a wireless connection on the dock, so that if you remove the device in the middle of a sync or transfer, it seamlessly continues wirelessly.

Re:Monkey want shiny.

[Belial6]

The answer is putting a few features together with proper software to make it seamless. NFC to notify the clamshell that the phone is "docked". Bluetooth for peripheral connections. High Speed Bluetooth/Wifi for connecting to the monitor.

With these in place, docks become far less phone specific. for a desktop, the dock can just be a spot on the desk that looks similar to a mouse pad. Just set the phone down and the NFC tells the device and phone not negotiate everything into desktop mode while charging the phone.

Beyond that , with the connection only requiring flat surface to flat surface, making a doc for laptop use become a matter of a cheap piece of plastic or cloth.

Re:Monkey want shiny.

[FatLittleMonkey]

No. AirDisplay treats the phone/tablet as a second monitor. "Touch" just hijacks the mouse. Touch something and you lose focus from the main window/display, just as you would mousing onto something on a second monitor. You could have also pointed to AirMouse (iPhone+Mac only, I think), which treats the iPhone as an application specific pointing device, but again, it hijacks the mouse/focus.

Both are only part way there. People are clearly trying. They are doing what they can on the phone side, but I think it's the desktop-OS side that is not able to use a secondary display as an independent input surface. (Which is bizarre given all the research money Microsoft has thrown at novel touch interfaces. And how Jobs was, well, you know, Jobs. And how nerdy-obvious it would be for Linux devs, for their own use while coding, which is usually a way to get something developed in the Open Source world.) You need a third input focus in addition to cursor and pointer - one for touch. Current attempts are just hijacking the mouse (sometimes keyboard) input for touch, touch needs its own thing. Likewise, an independent display stream, not just a clumsy dual-monitor hack.

Re:Monkey want shiny.

[FatLittleMonkey]

Again, they either substitute for the mouse, or parts of a keyboard (such as the number-pad or media controls). They are a great idea for sitting back and remotely controlling your PC (or media centre, or smart-TV, or presentation, or....) They do not augment regular input.

(And again, I think the limit is in the operating system of the PC, not in the phone/tablet.)

What's old is new --- IBM's Metacard concept

[WillAdams]

for the 21st century.

The problem is, two different sets of interface devices demand two different interfaces.

If one could re-work UI elements via theming so that the system would morph from smart phone to desktop interface and back (throwing in an intermediate Tablet size would be a great bonus) this sort of thing might work.

I've always been faintly surprised Apple hasn't had an option where an iPod could be slotted into a MacBook and used to store the user's home directory (as well as backing it up on the hard drive --- then determine which to boot based on the currently inserted iPod).

William

Windows 8.

[GreggBz]

Windows 8 could be the best operating system for this thing.
Stop laughing, I'm serious. The biggest hurdle is trying to merge two input paradigms into one OS. The second biggest hurdle is application support for the power-user.

So, on both counts, why try? An OS that has a huge application base and can switch between laptop mode and phone mode while sharing the same applications and storage is probabbly a better idea.

Incidentally, you can do this in Linux too. Install both window managers, say Gnome 3 and xfce, and switch between them at login time with xdm.

Re:Windows 8.

[ChunderDownunder]

Or, as I mentioned in another post, KDE are attempting to bridge the gap by offering workspaces for tablet and desktop.

laptop as keyboard

[blackest_k]

I tend to use my netbook more than my tablet I was thinking why payout for a bluetooth keyboard for the tablet. So

http://anselm.hoffmeister.be/computer/hidclient/index.html.en lets you use your mouse and keyboard with a tablet or phone. Yes maybe a little redundant but at least you can try it out with out paying out for yet another keyboard mouse set.

For this to work..

[Skythe]

1. It would have to be cheap ($100-$150)
2. The screen should be touch.
3. Might the dock supplier need to be include their own Android launcher? Can't see the various different launchers and configurations all fitting perfectly. This would be a problem for people who want to take their phone home and use it but prefer their launcher of choice.
4. Google will have to get into gear for QuickOffice pretty quickly/merge it with Google Docs/pull together all the main bits of functionality missing from each program, make the blur between Google Drive and Google Docs less confusing and improve the overall user experience.
5. Docking/undocking: seamless, no funny business specific to certain handsets.

Universal monitor + hardware keyboard

[k(wi)r(kipedia)]

I wonder why a dock is needed at all. Bluetooth for the keyboard and mouse. WiFi to send the image to a monitor. All are possible today.

Agree, except for the possible part. What we need is something that can allow any Android phone to connect "painlessly" with a range of input/output devices.

I can picture the following future user scenario: Eve wants to show off a high-def movie to her clients. But her cellphone is too small to use as a viewer. The conference room, however, already has a video wall. She just taps her at her cellphone, and the video appears in all its humongous glory. Today, you'd need to load the video into a laptop first and cable the laptop to the monitor or a projector.

Re:Universal monitor + hardware keyboard

[ArsonSmith]

or plug the hdmi cable into the phone. still not as convenient as a network transparent desktop that can be displayed wirelessly onto a nearby TV.

Re:Universal monitor + hardware keyboard

[k(wi)r(kipedia)]

or plug the hdmi cable into the phone.

I didn't realize some (i)phones already had an HDMI connector. You'd need a very long cable if you don't want to be tethered to the monitor while making your presentation. I envision using our hypothetical futurephone as both the video source and the remote control.

Virtual Desktop

[CanoeCrasher]

This could make virtual desktop deployments easier. Many IT organizations want to deploy VDI, but have to deal with mobile workers and their laptops. It's hard to prove an ROI when mobile users have a full laptop AND VDI licenses.

Now, a mobile user can have one mobile device (phone) and use the nearly ubiquitous 4G and Wifi connectivity to get to remote desktops back at HQ's datacenter. No doubling up mobile devices with a tablet.

CC

fuck off with your licensing bullshit

[cas2000]

I only wish the company would license the idea as well to [...]

WTF should anyone license the idea?

they don't fucking own it. nobody owns ideas, especially fucking obvious ones like "put a screen and keyboard on an android device".

even patents don't cover an idea. patents *specifically* do not cover ideas. patents cover inventions of partcular methods of HOW to do something, not WHAT to do.

good idea

[Vorpix]

this has a lot of potential... it gives the "laptop" experience the same flexibility that the "desktop" experience has in terms of reusing the keyboard/mouse/monitor. You buy the clamcase dock once, and may be able to use it for several phones as long as they all use a similar connector to dock with it, and you'd only need to replace that portion of it when it breaks, rather than pretty much every time you upgrade as you would on a laptop.

Cool, but

[fa2k]

What's the point, and what benefit does this give over a laptop?

For the record, I re-installed an app yesterday on my Nexus S, and I just wanted to throw it at the wall because of how slow it was. If phones get as fast as laptops (or better software), then this is a net zero...?

Re:Obvious step

[fa2k]

You're describing a software problem though. A desktop is just an overpowered tablet without a touchscreen. Maybe the Gnome3 and Unity people are on to something after all....

Re:What took them so long?

[ArcherB]

I very seriously doubt that I'm the only one who predicted this more than a decade ago, back in the PDA era.

Still, being Android, I don't expect this to take off. While I'm a huge RIM supporter, the only player I can really see winning in this market would be Microsoft. A shame, really.

I disagree. The only thing needed is a common interface to be shared among all Android devices. A dock is a good idea, but it's worthless if I have to buy one for each model of phone or each year a new model comes out. A desktop style dock would be even nicer, IMHO, but again, it must be an open standard.

Currently, I have two "real" monitors at my desk with a "real" keyboard and mouse. My notebook plugs into the docking station and powers the monitors, keyboard and mouse. When I need to take my stuff on the road, I can still use my notebook, either disconnected or connected to another network. When I get home, I can plug in my own keyboard, mouse and monitor and it's like I never left the office.

Now imagine an office full of cubes and offices with nothing but monitors, keyboards and mice where all the employees would need to do is walk in, plug in their phones, and be off and running. Buy a new phone? No big deal if the docks use an open standard. Need to show a coworker something or travel to a different office? Again, no big deal, just plug in and go. You could do the same thing at your house for your personal computing needs; bonus if you have networked storage at the house for your family pics, movies and other personal data. Also, when traveling between work and office, you will remain connected via your cell network. Everything will still be accessible, only without the convenience of your input and display devices.

And I don't see this limited to Android phones. There is no good reason that iOS or even Windows based phones couldn't use the same docks. Of course, this will require much of the work to be done via remote apps (cloud), but everything I do at my job already requires that. Everything I do uses Cytrix, RDP or other remote protocol to access apps running on a VM somewhere in a server room anywhere in the world. If it were not for Slashdot, my PC would need to do nothing more than act as a dumb terminal.

This is the type of thing that can finally bring about that "Year of Linux on the Desktop" everyone has been predicting for so many years.

Andriod cores are mismanaged and...

[elabs]

are more of a burden than a boon. You get very little for your money with more cores when running Android. Put Windows 8 on those cores and now you'll give Microsoft a run for its money... with its own software.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Droid does what iDon't: AIDE

[tepples]

I can't do android development on android

You must have missed this story from three months ago about AIDE.

Business vs consumer

[jmorris42]

No, he works. You play at home. My current Thinkpad (X200s bought at the end of '10) only has VGA out. It has DisplayPort on the dock but not on the unit. Because they know what their customers actually have. And you go somewhere and need to plug up to a projector you will get handed a cable with a VGA connector on the end. The projector might have been replaced in the last year or two (it could have failed or something) and now support a digital input but when the conference room was built a VGA cable was run through the wall/ceiling from the projector to a wall jack near where you are going to present from.

In other words VGA is going to stick around until all those locations undergo a major remodel because HDMI isn't enough better to spend money on a crew to come in and add a second cable + HDMI booster + jack.

Re:Really?

[Cute Fuzzy Bunny]

You nailed it. The basic premise is flawed. Even the fastest cell phone cpu would be challenged to keep up with a dual core atom, let alone some of the better cpu's you can find in a sub $300 laptop.

More solutions in search of a problem...

Re:wedge

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Read my comment again.

Re:HDMI Shortest Lived Connector Spec... NOT!

[BBF_BBF]

and if you think it will be around for ages, you also dont know much... Display Port is rapidly replacing it. HDMI will end up as the shortest lived connector spec out there.

Display Port is *not* rapidly replacing HDMI in *ALL* markets. Maybe in the high end office monitor market (where HDMI never made it into the high resolution monitors in the first place) ... but nowhere else.

How many TV's have display port ports on them? How many computer monitors aimed at consumers? How many non-apple consumer laptops? Virtually none.

I'd say that copper based Thunderbolt has a much better chance of being the next "one interface to rule them all" (for short distance runs) than plain display port since it combines display port AND PCI E on a mini display port connector. There's simply no reason for the consumer market to move from HDMI to Display Port at the moment, or in the next couple of years. I'd say that HDMI will last longer Component Video on consumer video, and has already lasted longer than the DVI interface on mainstream TV's.

Oh, btw, I agree that the HDMI connector is a POS, and the use of the DVI/HDMI spec for consumer audio/video where long runs are sometimes necessary is also garbage, but I just disagree that it won't be around for much longer.

Re:What took them so long?

[Belial6]

This is why physical docks are a dead end. The "docks" need to be wireless. NFC, WiFi, Bluetooth, and inductive charging cover everything needed to make a dock that is no more proprietary than a mouse pad.

Re:It's the apps, stupid! Answer: VDI

[CanoeCrasher]

You've got Office applications, heavy development environments, all the applications you need. They are in a virtual environment, safely locked away at the corporate HQ datacenter. That way they can keep them patched and secure, and you can use them from anywhere you've got Internet access.

CR

Just what I needed...NOT!

[mschaffer]

Just what my phone doesn't need: Something that will drain the battery.
Honestly, why couldn't it provide power and have a battery?

The target is still moving

[Required Snark]

Almost everything posted so far is moot.

First, there is no single right solution. Desktop machines will not disappear, they will/are becoming a niche. Physically small laptops, pads and cellphones will co-exist and overlap in use. Get used to it.

Evolving technology will force change, and the current classifications are not set in stone. In a biological evolution metaphor, a new environment has come into being, and a lot of new niches have opened up, so there is a lot of "try it and see if it works". Most will not last and be forgotten. No big deal. Users will be buying new stuff all the time. Eventually types will emerge that have longer product life spans.

Sounds great, so long as it's not a "phone"

[Pfhorrest]

This sounds great, provided that they start making "phones" which run real, general-purpose desktop OS's, with perhaps some minified "phone"-like UI for tiny screens (like the built-in one).

I still don't own a "smart phone" because when phones first started coming out with non-telephony features, I said "you're doing this backwards, talk to me when you put a general-purpose computer into a widget that fits in my pocket". Hardware-wise, they've done that now; but the software still comes at it from a "this is a phone, with other extra features that you can buy piecemeal" approach.

Give me a MacBook in an iPod form factor, which I can then click into a tablet housing or dock to a keyboard and mouse, and I'll be in heaven. But stick a bloody iPhone on my 21" monitor? No thanks.

I think it's a great idea

[aklinux]

I switched to an Atrix 4g last year and have both the laptop & webtop docks for it. Between them and cloud services like Dropbox, Box.com and Google Docs, I have almost quit using my desktop and laptops altogether.

Something like this would give me an option other than Motorola. Motorola is OK, but I like having options.

If you need the capability of letting you make phone calls and accessing the internet simultaneously, make certain you can do so with your provider. I am under the impression, but do not know for certain, that providers using CDMA do not have that capability (unless the phone is connected through a nearby WAP). My provider is using GSM and I have no problems doing so.

Re:Obvious step

[wiedzmin]

Don't confuse advances in usability with signs of imminent elimination of hardware form-factors. The benefit of a desktop is in its ability to run 24x7 without overheating or running out of battery, not mentioning the relative performance increase that most any desktop will have over any other form factor, at half the price. The fact that it's harder to use than an iPad, has nothing to do with the fact that it's desktop, that's a problem of the available operating system and it will be solved sooner than someone develops a tablet capable of longevity and performance of a desktop computer. I personally switched to laptops at home, but there isn't a week where I wish I still had the same desktop powerhouse I still use at work, to run a few VMs or a permanent web-cam security program on, without having to worry about all of the above hardware issues.

The claim that there will be no desktop in 5 years is a very popular marketing slideware these days, seemingly next thing after the "cloud" buzzword has been overused, but it's at the very least an optimistic oversimplification. At best - you will see more creative laptop designs (likes of Asus Transformer), but the desktop isn't going anywhere, any time soon.