Chasing Unicorns

@dstrauss not currently, still limited by mirroring support from IOS. MS is supposedly working on a possible solution that would at least allow full screen, full resolution of the external display (sort of like what Netflix does) ETA spring

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That’s the problem. Gluttonous websites and Chromium has seen to it that the performance improvements are wasted.

Not to mention most apps based on ‘web technologies’. Take Spotify’s Windows program - terrible performance for what it does. And don’t get me started on Discord (actually better to run it in a browser).

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Back in the day I was interviewing potential candidates for my company. I remember one of the candidates showed up with that Asus phone that could dock into the back of a laptop shell. He had it in laptop mode and was typing away at some sort of email or something while waiting for the interview. He then pulled it out of the laptop and answered it, because apparently he was getting a call. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world at the time. It was a little bulky where the phone connected to the laptop dock, but it was still pretty cool and portable. I asked him about it in the interview when we were wrapping up, and he had nothing but good things to say about it overall. Afterwards I thought, how cool would it be to then take that same phone home and plug it into a desktop like dock setup?

The thing is, the market didn’t support it. Nor did it support it when HP tried with the X3 I think it was called, or any of the others. I think it’s a cool idea for a lot of us, but it’s still too niche for what people actually want. Most people are happy with their phone as their main device without the need for it to be more, especially with screens getting larger each year.

And honestly, right now, I don’t know if I still want that solution. There are other limitations if your phone is your only device, like, what if the phone call the guy got needed info that he could be looking at on the laptop? Now he’s got to hold the phone away from him and find it on his phone. I think a phone is a better companion device overall. I’m actually thinking of downgrading to a smaller phone and either getting an IPM6 to carry with it. But, that might be the dream right there. If Apple could pack an M2 into an IPM6 form factor, give us iPad Pro specs, making it an iPad Pro Mini and figure out a docking solution with MacOS, that would be the dream. I’d even accept a magic keyboard like alternative similar to that Asus phone, where the IPPM slides into a slot that docks for a larger screen and keyboard base just to blow it up to laptop ish size when I want it.

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This is why I’m sticking with the SP8. Despite being as heavy as two iPad Pro 11’s, no more compromises, work arounds, or non-existent file systems. Just real honest to goodness Windows 11 on the go, wherever I go, 24/7…felt good to say that…

PS - that iPad Pro 11 with Magic Keyboard is 2.34lbs - my SP8 plus Type Cover is 2.58lb - I think the 0.24lb penalty for a more complete experience is worth the sacrifice…and the Slim Pen 2 won’t fall off in the bag like the Pencil 2…

PPS - the iPad Pro 12.9 with magic Keyboard tips the scales at 3 lbs… :roll_eyes: :rofl:

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Got to use a SP5. Pen was an instant turn off for me.

I heard that SP8’s pen is fantastic. But I’m too much of a Wacom fanboi at heart.

I think it’s a mix of developers wanting to take advantage of the performance available to them, and developers not knowing how to control performance. A lot of developers are either self taught, or didn’t really have instruction on efficiency versus, just “hey, it works”. I had one instructor who gave us three rules. The first was “Make it work”, followed by “Make it pretty” and “Make it efficient”. The problem was, so many people in that class got stuck on the Make it work thing and didn’t really look past it once they got a working app built.

But there’s also the issue of OSes doing the same thing. They keep getting updated with the “latest and greatest” features, that often aren’t optimized for older processors. Gotta keep pushing the envelope further! And let’s be honest, if they didn’t, what shiny new device would we buy next year? And how would they sustain themselves as a company if we didn’t keep buying the shiny new toys?

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My biggest hurdles to unicorn devices is my need for full desktop MS Office (macros) and GPU power.

If I had no other choice, this is the pocketable setup I’m bringing.
Minimal_setup

GF3 with a remote desktop (Moonlight)
Textblade keyboard (beta only unfortunately)
Capclip mouse

I’ve used this before in situations where I know my backpack is not secure, like conference days where I’ve checked out of hotels, so I don’t bring my laptop.

If I don’t need a GPU but need desktop Windows, I’ve even gone to the extremes of using a PC stick via Superdisplay or relying on hotel room TV as a large monitor with RD. By the time I realize the kludge of external wires, keyboard and mouse that I need to bring, I wind up realizing that I should just bring my GB12 and sanity prevails (sometimes…)

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I WANT!

YOU WON’T (get). The company site appears to be dead/broken. I get a popup saying to use iOS 8.0 or later on both my iPhone and iPad mini 6, then a blank screen after clicking Close.

Borked Site

Weirdest thing. I can only guess they were limiting it to Apple users and have since ceased keeping it updated and functioning.

I’ve personally given up on the one-device pipe dream. I think the least I could do is three.

  • Phone, gotta have that. I don’t have the @mesosphere pockets (boo, mesosphere didn’t make the move to the new forum), so I need at least one phone-sized device for all those handy travel apps.
  • Work/game/media device with a solid lap mode. I think a lightweight (<2.5 lbs) 12.5" powerful yoga-style laptop with OLED screen and TB4 for eGPU would do it for me. I don’t think it exists though, right? All the X1 Yogas are 3lbs or more, or at least they were, and OLED doesn’t seem to be available on X1 Yogas.
  • iOS tablet 11"-ish, for magazines (Readly, Apple News+) and music creation apps. Cubasis 3 FTW.

I’m saying I could do three, but the truth is I have six. :grimacing:

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Joe, I’m going to raise an objection because I don’t think any phone should should be a part of the device count. They are so ubiquitous and essential they aren’t a part of the equation - your “gotta have” observation is spot on - so this would be a two device solution.

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I only added that because some people are trying to have a folding phone double as a iPad style tablet, and who knows, in some future as a dockable desktop replacement. Unfortunately until Apple comes out with a foldable iPhone I’m going to be stuck with iPhone + iPad + lapable PC for the foreseeable future.

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PS - I’m NOT giving up on the pipe dream, but I’m finding Google News is no competition for News + - but I like your thinking about a folding iPhone…

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I feel you. I just decided to define a win as everyday I can get by with only carrying 2 of those.

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Back in the day I was interviewing potential candidates for my company. I remember one of the candidates showed up with that Asus phone that could dock into the back of a laptop shell. He had it in laptop mode and was typing away at some sort of email or something while waiting for the interview. He then pulled it out of the laptop and answered it, because apparently he was getting a call. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world at the time.

I feel compelled to ask…but did he get the job? If your company was a tech company, I could see him maybe using that phone deliberately to have provoked that reaction from you in hopes you would look more favorable on him.

He did not. He bombed the technical part of it ironically.

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Yes, its looking like it’s dead.
It’s a shame too, the keyboard folds into a 1"x4"x0.5" form that can be easily pocketed.

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Update to Dex to use a second screen:

later
-1

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I’m thinking that when we see a two-by fold we’ll get an 11" screen when completely unfolded, a tablet device when partly unfolded and a phone when folded. Together with a TextBlade style keyboard and tiny mouse (I’m not even gonna tell you what a mouse means in Swedish) you have a unicorn one-in-all solution. Even without @mesosphere pants. Add t that an external foldable penabled touch screen and I’ll leave thise miserable earthly existence a happy camper.

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Guessing the Galaxy Tab 6 Lite is excepted?