This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Samsung has been doing this with Dex for many years ffs.
That's cool... I guess...
What I really want is to continue to use F-Droid though.
Imagine what the world could be if we had repairable Arch Linux Phones that can go full desktop mode just like the pixel rn. Aaahhh that turns me on!🤤
What is an android PC? Is that like a boat car?
All phones are PCs, this is just connecting external displays.
The shock is that it couldn't already.
It's more than just that, it's too slow a desktop OS like environment that's more suited for mouse and keyboard too. It's not just your phone screen on a bigger screen.
I guess the point is that phone hardware has been powerful enough to do it for a while. It's surprising that no big companies other than Samsung really put any effort into making it work software wise.
Nah it's more like a toaster fridge
Why say "Your Pixel can now..." when my Pixel can't? Why not say "Pixel 8 and newer devices can now...".
JTskulk, it is only your Pixel that can not. It works for older Pixels as well, but they specifically tied a few kill switches to your commonly known geo-locations and anyone who ties their shoelaces in a fashion deemed less mertiable.
last thing I want is an android pc. well maybe not the last but nope
I found these kind of features really useful. I had to submit some documents that I needed to do some work on before they got sent off. Everything was local, and with a keyboard/monitor/mouse I could have a browser, my email, and the document I was editing on the screen at the same time. So much faster typing and clicking.
I use my Steamdeck for that more often now if I just want a desktop while i am traveling if I don't want to bring the laptop. I just mount the phone as a folder, so even that is easy.
I mean I get it kinda. I just have never really went for the smartphone thing. The laptop is basically my end all be all of technology. I too though love my steamdeck. I actually bought it as kinda of indulgence that I justified with the idea it would become my new laptop but I really like having gaming on a different device and just not worrying about it on my laptop.
It didn't already do this? Why did I have phones and tablets that could do this already?
A PC where I can't install what I want? WTF is the point of that bullshit.
Thanks but I'll stick to my steam deck for my portable Linux computing needs where I can do what the hell I want.
I guess we'll see how that goes come September timeframe.
I'm sure it'll go pretty well on GrapheneOS
Not sure why everyone seems to think GrapheneOS is going to be immune and unaffected by Google actively trying to fuck AOSP to death.
We'll see what happens long term but they will be unaffected by the September changes.
There is no such thing as an Android PC.
Now there is
No, it's a phone with a monitor and keyboard. As far as I'm concerned a Chromebook is also not a PC, it's a phone that's shaped like a laptop.
That's certainly an opinion.
I consider my phone to be a PC, and my work phone not to be, because one is clearly a personal computer, and the other a work computer.
brb.. need to go send an email from the WC
A Chromebook has literally no phone related functionality. No SMS or calling.
This used to be exciting stuff about ten years ago when some of us still thought Google was doing cool things.
I think it is just supposed to be Samsung DeX
yay, locked down unrepairable computers owned by a us company that aids in war and surveillance!
We are talking about Android, not Apple.
Android phones can be user repaired and repaired by third parties without Googles permission.
depends on what you need repaired. upgrades are a big no too.
It's either Linux phone or fighting in the trenches a losing battle against one the most powerful companies in history. Android offering a desktop mode is good if taken in the context of running an open source software on hardware you own.
yeah, it's nice in that context.
in fact, it's something that could have been a thing for a while, they had phones doing this in 2012ish.
Your Pixel
Limited to Pixel 8 and newer devices and no 4k yet.
Oh, so your Pixel, but not my Pixel.
Yep. Pixel 7P over here really bummed that this isn't available because of poor choices Google made at the hardware level on this phone.
Let's be clear, for a feature that Samsung phones have had for a decade at this point.
This feature debuted on the Moto Atrix in 2011. There was even a version of Ubuntu that could use the feature.
I have a 9a running Graphene and with a "usb C laptop dock" I can use it in "desktop mode", but I would warn that it is still EXTREMELY buggy and finnicky.
Still neat though.
So sort of like the Continuum mode that Windows Phones had, like, ten years ago?
I had video out via MHL back in like 2013 and a usable desktop environment on an HTC M7 or something like that. Haven't had a phone that could do anything similar since, and it's kind of wild with how much more powerful phones are these days that desktop modes aren't more common. I would love to not have to carry a laptop around when my phone is more than powerful enough for what I do for work.
