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Google is building its own DeX: First look at Android's Desktop Mode

(www.androidauthority.com)
442 points logic_node | 1 comments | 13 May 25 14:30 UTC | HN request time: 0.197s | source
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kome ◴[13 May 25 18:43 UTC] No.43976232[source]▶
I’m against smartphones. Sure, they’re a technological marvel, but they’re also incredibly dumb in practice. They’re built mainly for consumption, not creation. They feel like walled gardens that limit freedom and stifle creativity. The hardware might be amazing, but the software is awful. In the end, they mostly just make our kids dumber.

What I’d really like is a personal computer I can plug into a screen to work, then carry with me when I’m done. That would be a real step forward in personal computing. It would make laptops unnecessary.

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1. ndriscoll ◴[13 May 25 22:21 UTC] No.43978412[source]▶
Look at the ultra-compact form factor minipcs from e.g. beelink and gmktec. It's pretty much what you describe, and is an actual computer that you can run real operating systems like Linux on. The form factor is roughly 4" x 4" x 1.5", so fits in a pocket. On the low end, you can get an N150 with 8GB DDR4 for ~$125 on Amazon, which is still monstrously powerful for productive desktop use.

Something like a Steam Deck or RoG Ally could also fit the bill. Gaming handhelds seem to be turning into "phones but if they didn't suck" (i.e. didn't run Android/iOS).