convergence News - Page 3 of 4 - CNX Software

March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Your Smartphone Could Become The Brain and Touchpad of Your Laptop (Dock)

Mobile desktop convergence is likely to happen sometimes in the next few years, at least for some users, when your smartphone will be the brain of your laptop or desktop computer. So far I imagined the smartphone would fit into a dock powering the phone – potentially wirelessly – and connects it to a large monitor, extra storage, and a keyboard and mouse. But based on a patent filled by Apple, it may also take another form: a laptop dock where your smartphone fits right where the touchpad is supposed to be. The patent for an “ELECTRONIC ACCESSORY DEVICE” describes “various embodiments of systems and methods for providing internal components for portable computing devices having a thin profile. More particularly, the present application describes an electronic accessory device available to extend and expand usefulness of a portable computing device”. The patent does not appear to describe the interfaces, but presents […]

March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Auxens OXI Brings Windows Continuum Like Desktop Mode to Android Smartphones

Remix OS, Phoenix OS, LightBiz OS… are all Android based operating systems with desktop optimizations, but so far they mostly work on TV boxes, computers or tablets. If you want something that works on smartphones with a desktop mode while connected, your choice is more limited with solutions such as community based Maru OS, or the upcoming Remix Singularity. But there’s now a new player in town with Auxens OXI that works a little like Windows Continuum, but with modifications to the Android API. OXI is based on CyanogenMod 13.1, with work being done to switch to LineageOS 14.1, and offers a desktop-like environment for Android with support for multitasking, multi-window support with resizing, notification support, and so on. It works by connecting the smartphone to a secondary screen via MHL, DisplayPort, or Miracast to get a desktop environment, while still being able to use your phone. Apps do not […]

February 22, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Remix Singularity to Bring Remix OS Desktop Optimized Operating System to Android Smartphones

Android is great to consume content, but is a real pain to create content, as operation like copy/paste and multi-tasking you take for granted in desktop OS like Ubuntu or Windows are not well supported in Android. But Jide Technology saw an opportunity and many users are familiar with Android on their phones and tablets, and some on Android TV boxes, so they created Remix OS, based on Android, but with desktop optimization such as better multi-tasking, multi-window support, improved mouse and keyboard integration and so on. They started with a tablet, and then also worked on ARM based Android TV boxes and laptops, as well as support for x86 computers. The company has now unveiled Remix Singularity which aims to bring Remix OS to smartphones in a similar manner to Windows Continuum or Ubuntu Convergence. But beside just mobile and desktop (PC) modes, Remix Singularity will also allow to […]

October 14, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 18 Comments

Ubuntu 16.10 Images Released for Intel Bay Trail and Cherry Trail Processors

Canonical formally released Ubuntu 16.10 “Yakkety Yak” yesterday with a developer preview of Unity 8 including desktop, tablet and phone UX convergence, Hybrid cloud operations with Juju 2.0, Snapd 2.16 with more than 500 snaps, etc.. Ian Morrison (Linuxium) wasted no time, and put together a Ubuntu 16.10 image working on platforms powered by Intel Bay Trail and Cherry Trail processor with modifications to have audio, WiFi and Bluetooth working. If you want to try Ubuntu 16.04 on your device you can download ubuntu-16.10-desktop-linuxium.iso and prepare a bootable USB flash the usual way with rufus, or other utilities. If you’d like to try an alternative Ubuntu flavor such as Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, or Ubuntu MATE, Linuxium got you served too, and you’ll find the images on his blog. Unity 7 is still running by default in Ubuntu 16.04, but if you are curious about Unity 8 convergence desktop/tablet/phone user […]

June 1, 2016June 1, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Meizu Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition Now Supports Desktop Mode via Wireless Display

Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition is a powerful smartphone running Ubuntu based on Samsung Exynos 7420 octa-core processor, 3GB RAM and 32 GB internal store. However, the main disappointment at the time of the launch was that it did not feature any physical video output interface, so convergence (desktop mode) was not available at the time, but Canonical has now implemented wireless display support with OTA11, and the phone will switch to desktop mode when connected to a WiDi adapter. That’s what the company had to say about the release: The latest Over-The-Air update has landed and this is a special one. We’ve introduced wireless display capabilities, which means that you can enjoy the full Ubuntu PC experience running from the latest Ubuntu smartphone, the Meizu Pro 5. And the best bit is, it will be available for all future Ubuntu smartphone and tablet devices (with supporting hardware)! The Product […]

May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Moly PcPhone Runs Windows 10 Continuum on Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Processor, Costs Less than $400

Mobile and PC convergence is slowly happening both on Ubuntu with devices like BQ Aquaris M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet, and various Windows 10 Continuum smartphones. The most affordable offering is likely to come from mainland China vendors, such as Moly PcPhone 6″ smartphone based on Qualcomm 617 octa-core Cortex A53 processor with 3GB RAM, and running Windows 10 Continuum. Moly PcPhone specifications: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Octa core Coretex A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Adreno 405 GPU System Memory – 3 GB RAM Storage – 32 GB flash + micreo SD slot up to 200 GB Display – 6″ Full HD (1920×1080) LTPS display; Gorilla Glass 3 Cellular Connectivity Dual SIM Dual Standby, Adaptive SIM Slot 2G GSM: Band 2/3/5/8 3G WCDMA: Band 1/6/8/9/19 4G FDD-LTE: Band 1/2/3/4/7/8/9/19/26/28B 4G TDD-LTE: Band 38/40/41 Wireless Connectivity – Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC Camera – 13MP auto-focus rear camera […]

February 17, 2016April 26, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition Smartphone is Powered by Exynos 7420 Processor, Does NOT Support Desktop Mode Yet

So far most smartphones with alternative operating systems had rather low-end to mid-end hardware specifications, but according to OMG! Ubuntu!, Canonical and Meizu are about to change that, as they should be about to launch an Ubuntu Edition of Meizu PRO 5 smartphone with an Exynos 7420 octa-core Cortex A57/A53 processor coupled with 3 to 4GB RAM, 32 to 64GB storage., and a 5.7″ display with 1920×1080 resolution. The device will support convergence, meaning it could work in mobile or desktop mode, just like the recently announced BQ Aquaris M10 tablet. [Update: Finally, the USB-C port on Meizu PRO 5 does not support external display, so no convergence, unless Canonical decides to implement convergence over Miracast…]. Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition specifications: SoC – Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (Exynos 7420) octa core processor with 4x Cortex A57 core @ 2.1GHz + 4x Cortex A53 cores @ 1.5Ghz, and Mali-T760 MP8 GPU […]

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

NexDock is a 14″ Lapdock Alternative for mini PCs, Development Boards, Smartphones and Tablets (Crowdfunding)

Motorola once launched the Lapdock, a device that looks like a laptop with a 11.6″ screen and a keyboard, but without processor or memory since it was instead designed to connect to the company’s Atrix 4G smartphone. Motorola eventually pulled the plug on this concept, and maybe it was just ahead of its time, as a startup has now developed NexDock, a device similar to Lapdock with a 14″ display, built-in battery and Bluetooth keyboard. NexDock technical specifications: Display – 14.1″ TN screen; 1366×768 resolution; 16:9 display ratio Bluetooth 4.0 keyboard and touchpad Video input – mini HDMI port Audio Output – 3.5mm headphone port Storage – micro SD card slot USB – 2x USB ports Battery – 3.8V / 10000mAh Li-ion battery Power – 5V/2.5A via 3.5mm power barrel Dimensions – 351 mm x 233 mm x 20 mm Weight – 1490 grams NexDock is operating system agnostic and would […]