As far as I’m concerned the talk about a “Post-PC” area is just that: talk. As long as the hardware specifications of smartphones don’t match the ones of entry-level computers, and mobile operating systems don’t support a desktop mode, desktop PCs will still be popular, and I can see it everyday as 60 to 70% of visits of this very blog are made with Windows, Linux and Mac OS computers. However, that’s not to say mobile and desktop converge is not getting closer, as on the software side, Canonical is working on bring Ubuntu to different form factors and support desktop mode for mobile desktop, and Microsoft is also working on Continuum, and on the hardware side, Asus announced a smartphone with 256 GB storage and 4GB RAM, which is pretty close to the specifications of an entry-level computer these days.
Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Edition specifications:
- SoC – Intel Atom Z3580 quad core processor @ up to 2.5 GHz with PowerVR G6430 GPU
- System Memory – 4 GB RAM
- Storage – 256 GB internal storage + micro SD slot up to 128GB
- Display – 5.5″ IPS display (Full HD)
- Camera – 13MP and 5MP PixelMaster cameras
- Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS, FM radio
- Cellular Connectivity – LTE cat 6, dual SIM, dual active (DSDA).
- USB – Micro USB OTG port
- Sensors – G-Sensor/E-Compass/Gyroscope/Proximity/Ambient Light Sensor
- Battery – 3,000 mAh
- Dimensions – 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm
- Weight – 170 grams
The specs are impressive and based on Zenfone 2 Deluxe, just with more storage. However, the phone runs Android Lollipop, and appears to lack HDMI and/or MHL support, so it’s probably not something you’d run as a desktop replacement just yet.
Zenfone 2 Deluxe will sell for 1,999 Brazilian Reals ($560) with 128GB storage, but price for the “Special Edition” with 256 MB storage is not known at this stage.
Via XDA Developers and Asus Fanaticos
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
“and one the hardware side”
I think the main problem still remains the input and output part of it. You can already get a phone sized mini PC which is good enough to run Windows or Linux for trivial taks but without a keyboard and a large screen you’re just not getting that PC experience.
Right now I’m sitting in front of a 22 inch 16:10 screen and using a full sized keyboard and a smarphone or even a tablet just wouldn’t do 🙂
@Marius Cirsta
Yes, you need all coming together. But wireless keyboards and mice are already there, and putting the phone in a dock connected to your monitor should fix the lack of large screen.
For me convergence is that you use your phone as a phone on the go, and then once you are at your desk, you get to use it with keyboard, mouse and big screen, and you should not see any differences between using a phone or a desktop PC.
@cnxsoft
Well of course you can dock them and use a wireless keyboard, mouse but then when attached to the dock they can also have extra strorage available.
Still I don’t really see people docking their phone to use as a laptop and there were solutions for that… maybe with good hardware and more importantly with good software this might happen.
Then again maybe people want them separate ? How will you answer your phone when it’s acting as your laptop in a dock ?
Your visitor sample is likely biased but it wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t much different on most general sites. FWIW most visits to my purely technical/hobbyist/personal blog also seems to happen during working hours so my guess is work/school machines are still the(?) major browsing platforms. otoh phone-browsing will forever be a pretty miserable experience so it’s probably not a terribly good proxy for “computer use”.
But on the hardware side IMO i think the cpu’s are more than already there. The hardware is let down somewhat by memory speed and power/thermal needs but tbh i think the biggest drag as ever is the software side since the architecture is still essentially tied to the abysmal (w)intel model of “database processor” of their original PC design i.e. pump everything through the cpu, and BTW what are threads or interrupts?
And on top of that there’s now so much software complexity most of it is merely scaffolding and not functional (e.g. look at a modern browser, it’s all scaffolding, all the way down). This also drives bloat due to economic reasons: it’s just not economically feasible to write good, tight software, when a buggy prototype from a write-one RAD tool will do the job “well enough”.
Also the implication that hardware is inadequate comes from manufactured/fake impatience with the more visible “press” only interested in technobabble and junk facts and figures that don’t significantly impact on functionality. In many cases these are just part of the PR machine to sell more hardware themselves, and the most of the rest are caught up in the ride like kangaroos in a set of headlights. (no, i’m not implying anything here 😉
@Marius Cirsta
If the physics allows then it can always be solved given enough money – which just means finding a big enough market. Connector-less docking is already possible which makes it practical.
Heat is the only physical barrier left preventing a true pocket-to-desktop-to-pocket machine (on the hardware side). And solving that “only” requires a connectorless heatsink and enough power control to throttle fast enough so that you can pick it up without being burnt/frozen. The latter is more or less there and the former doesn’t seem insurmountable.
@Marius Cirsta
You make some good points. I’ve jsut rememeber a demo from ARM last year @ http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/07/03/peek-into-the-smart-home-of-the-future-with-arm-seamless-computing-iot-demo/
Where they put the smartphone on a wireless charging desk, and it switches to desktop / tablet mode, connects to a display via Miracast, and Bluetooth mouse and keyboard automatically. If you receive a phone call you can take it back in your hand and it become a smartphone again.
About having two separate devices, I assumed that people would rather buy a $600 phone with desktop capabilities than buying for instance a $500 phone and $500 computer for convenience and save money, as long as the experience is the same, which is clearly not the case today. Anyway these are just speculations about the future, and we’ll have to see how things turn out.
All these new phones have very attractive specs but basics like photo camera and video, they are not good at all, better stick with known names.
@cnxsoft
I do not think that phones will be docked to replace the PC.
Most probably the TV at home will allow to add keyboard and mouse to the screen, and the storage in the phone will be synchronized to that kind of home computer.
@cnxsoft depends on the person and sectors you look at.
If work pays for your phone, you won’t want to be using it outside of work hours
(unless you want your work monitoring you 24/7, which a lot of companies will do)
and also most companies that provide a phone also provide a pc.
For work with byo devices, companies don’t know what apps people have ,so
then need to provide virtualised “desktops” , citrix, vmware etc
so you have a standardised desktop with all employees having the software they need.
More likely docking for some home users.
For some of us having multiple devices is the point, to ensure one device isn’t a single point of failure
for work (especially if on call or out of the office or at remote sites). Separate phone, tablet, laptop, ereader and usb battery pack and thats not including extra stuff for rural or remote site visits
That first sentence (and larger argument) is pretty silly. No one cares if phones outright replace PCs. The meaning of the term post-pc is that we have moved beyond a single type of personal computing device. Smartphone sales have already eclipsed PC sales. No one is saying PCs will go away, but hoping for the specs of a phone to match those of a PC is a pretty roundabout way of making sure your battery dies real fast. Can’t imagine what crap battery life the “world’s first” 4GB RAM phone might have. Note they only mention the battery capacity.. not life.
thanks for blogging though!! love the info.
Incidentally, Zenfone 2 has a bad reputation about battery charge lasting…
I wonder what Android build (x86) is it from? Intel, Asus or based on Android-x86? Any inside info about hacking this device? And how about the Google Play Store, does it detect if an specific Apps runs only in ARM?
Yeah, so many questions…. I am curious. If this had an HDMI port would it be a great device to run Ubuntu…