Based on materials from The Verge
Another ambitious project that aims to allow a smartphone Android to replace a PC. Is it an OS with a great future or another attempt to cross a hedgehog with a snake, obviously doomed to failure?
Imagine that any smartphone on Android can turn into a PC simply by connecting a display, keyboard and mouse to it. This is exactly what they tried to implement in Microsoft with their Windows 10 and Continuum function. The founders of the Jide Technologies startup, originally from Beijing, want to achieve the same. They recently announced a new version of software based on Android called Remix OS, which is designed to work on smartphones, but be able to support Android and PC.
This feature is called Remix Singularity, and the new operating system is Remix OS on Mobile (or ROM), scheduled for release in the second half of 2017. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Jide co-founder David Ko explains the core concept as follows. Working on a smartphone, the ROM will be 'as close as possible to the stock Android … But imagine that, returning to your office or office, you can connect your smartphone, and it will go into PC mode – just like a laptop or desktop computer '.
Basically, 'PC mode' is itself Remix OS, which Jide has been working on for about three years and has over 4 million downloads to date. It sits on top Android, so the OS acts like a desktop ecosystem with features like pop-ups, start menu, and taskbar, all controlled by keyboard and mouse. You have access to all common applications, from Clash of Clans to Microsoft Word and Google Docs, but this access is more similar to how it is implemented in Windows than Android. Well, or you can just connect your phone to a monitor and it will function like a TV on Android.
And now the question is: who needs it and why? Many companies tried to offer users phones that could work like a PC, but none succeeded. Canonical tried this with their Convergence feature on Ubuntu; Asus – with its PadFone series in the days Android Ice Cream Sandwich, finally, as mentioned above, Microsoft had a more advanced version with Windows 10 and Continuum. In each of the cases, the final product did not take off (and, to be honest, the last attempt Microsoft does not really work yet), and this is due to the combination of insufficiently powerful hardware and missing software. So why does Jide think Remix Singularity will be any different?
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Ko says there are two big benefits to the company's approach: cost and the ecosystem itself Android. Like previous versions Remix OS, the ROM will be free to download and will have access to regular applications for Android (when you download the Play Store – more on that in a moment), which will increase it attractiveness to users in emerging markets, where Android smartphones are the main way to access the Internet.
“In the next five years, about 5 billion people will be online,” says Ko. “And when they go online, their choice will be a smartphone, an affordable smartphone – and it will be on Android '. Ko claims that if these users choose a ROM-driven device, they will get the benefits of a desktop computer for free, when they need it. “If your phone can replace [your PC], that's a savings and it has a big performance impact,” says Ko. He suggests that employees who have a smartphone as their primary device bring it to the office and connect it to a large monitor and keyboard to continue their work on the road.
However, as we could see earlier, this solution does not appeal to people in emerging markets. They have numerous computers and cloud services that people connect to to share files. It's easier than relying on a phone's underpowered processor running a tabbed Chrome browser. Ko is right, factors such as cost and working with Android mean that Remix OS on Mobile will be attractive in its own way, however it is unclear if this will be enough for the system to become widespread .
One of the biggest challenges facing Jide is simply to get their software in the hands of users. The company is currently looking for OEM partners to sell phones that support Remix Singularity, and has experience in this area, having previously worked with Chinese companies selling AIO based hardware Remix OS.
Koh adds that users will also be able to download the ROM and install it themselves, but that seems controversial in light of Jide's target audience of first-timers. There is another, albeit smaller, problem. Remix OS does not come with a pre-installed Play Store, which means users have to download it themselves to access the full ecosystem of apps Android. For an advanced user, this is not a problem, but some people will be scared away. In addition, smooth-looking, Remix OS is not free from bugs and errors, but who needs an operating system that crashes without warning?
Here are a few serious arguments that stand in the way of Remix OS on Mobile's eventual success, and perhaps this is another doomed attempt to get mobile devices to replace PCs. What will be her fate in reality? History says you shouldn't flatter yourself, but Jide is full of hope.
With a release scheduled for the second half of 2017, Remix Singularity still has a lot to tweak, but Ko says it's worth the wait and recalls Chrome OS development towards app support for Android as an 'excuse' for the company's ambitious plans. Jason Zheng, Jide's chief marketing officer, summarizes the conversation about the company's aspirations. “This is the culmination of the past three years of development,” he says. “The ability not to suffer and not carry a laptop or tablet with you is freedom that costs a lot.”