2mo ago

First Look at Google’s Unfinished DeX-Like Desktop Mode for Android

tech.yahoo.com First Look at Google’s Unfinished DeX-Like Desktop Mode for Android

It's long overdue.

Hacker News @lemmy.bestiver.se

Google’s unfinished DeX-like desktop mode for Android

tech.yahoo.com /phones/articles/first-look-google-unfinished-dex-181424457.html

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46 comments

ITT: "My [insert model] has had it since 1865, SNORE!"

If Android lands this in a good way, I may finally switch off of iPhone. I do not need a laptop and a phone if I can just dock my phone and get my work done.
I do have a desktop at home, but I do occasionally enough need to travel and bring a laptop. It feels kind of like a waste, but a portable monitor, keyboard, and mouse would be great if I could just dock my phone and do my meetings.
Since I host meetings, tablets don’t offer enough functionality.
- Carrying three separate devices (portable screen, keyboard, mouse) seems more hassle than carrying a single device (a laptop). Though it could be useful if I already have a screen, a keyboard and a mouse where I'm going.
  
  With DEX you can use your phone as a touchpad.
  
  One can have a laptop-form dock station. Or something like.
  
  Not so much about hassle, but cost.
  Why spend $1000 on a phone and $1000 on a laptop when just one would do.
  https://nexdock.com/order-nexdock/
  Devices like this would solve the problem of carrying a screen and keyboard.

I messed around with dex forever ago, it was surprised at how much worse it could have been, but wasn't.
- I love it on my tab s9+ with keyboard case. It has a few weird things I wish ere better but not really an issue. Like, it'd be cool if the keyboard could drag select text like a pc and a few other things. Overall, really awesome though

What ever happened to google merging chrome and android that was talked about like 10 years ago?
- Probably been in the Google idea/product graveyard for the last 9 years
- Didn't they recently talk about merging Chorme OS and Android again tho?
- Fuchsia? It became the OS for their nest line of products I think.
  Now they're doing away with chrome os I guess to make Chromebooks run android in an attempt to compete with Apple's iPad line. I actually suspect Dex is part of this.

My Motorola Edge+ 2023 has desktop mode when connected to an external display.
- And my Samsung has had it for longer than that. But this one is made by Google.
  
  But this one is made by Google.
  So it's gonna be feature starved and then gets abandoned and killed
  
  Can DeX be used with just an external monitor without a PC?
- Motorola have been doing desktop modes since the Atrix 4g. Samsung have had it for a long time as well (s8 or s9?). Its kinda crazy how slow google is at getting this out for stock android.
  
  I still have one. The problem was 1. It was not powerful enough and 2. It required dedicated hardware.
  With new phones coning with the option of 16GB ran and up, and being able to connect to any monitor over display port alt mode, the time is ripe.
  
  I really wish their whole lap-dock concept had succeeded. Or at least ran a few more generations, so I could get an upgraded model with USBc
- Windows Phones had this even earlier
  
  Continuum was ok, but Motorola’s Atrix 4G had a lap dock even earlier. It was an outdated version of Ubuntu, if I remember, but it worked. I still miss WP though.
- My Huawei P10 Pro that i got in 2017 had a desktop mode. That was 8 years ago!

They were just waiting for Microsoft to add advertisements to Windows so they can do the same. Now it can be a new revenue channel and will see the light of day.

PureOS on Librem5 already does a "desktop mode".... snore.
- Do you have one? How well does it work? I'm interested in getting a Linux phone, but am worried it will be a waste of money.
  
  I own a OnePlus 6 with postmarketOS. My daily driver is a Pixel 7 with CalyxOS and microg turned off.
  Despite having effectively only FOSS apps on my Android daily driver, I can't daily drive postmarketOS. It's making great progress, but isn't nearly stable enough as a modern smartphone, and several other issues hold it back;
  Sleep states. Currently you get to choose between your phone going to sleep (~ a day battery life) but without notifications, incoming calls, alarms, etc. Or your phone "staying awake", where you'll have those features but only ~4 hours battery.
  Hardware video decoding, which "can work" but only in select apps, and they're not great for mobile.
  Audio issues, such as no audio from the earpiece, microphone not working, or no audio at all.
  If you rely on non-foss Android apps, there is Waydroid, but it's not a perfect solution and might have issues.
  It's not a "waste of money" if you want a device to experiment or tinker with, or if you want to follow progress of Linux mobile, but it is extremely unlikely to replace your daily driver.
  
  I have done no research, but my guess is it will be a waste of money right now. Any existing linux phones are too new for everything to be figured out. Pricing is likely very high for what you get right now too, since they don't have the scale yet (and probs other things).
  I believe they are mostly an enthusiast type deal at the minute.
  With some more time I believe they will become very appealing.
  
  Getting a flagship android is already a waste of money. They lose support in a few years and expect you to buy another

46 comments