Use Your Android Smartphone As A Desktop PC

Discussion in Software PC & Mac started by GLOGIK • Aug 1, 2014.

  1. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Threads:
    16
    Messages:
    78
    Likes Received:
    2
    Hi everyone, I'm so excited to inform you it's now possible to use your high-end Android-based smartphone as a Desktop PC. By this I mean, you can have your smartphone in your pocket wherever you go, and of course, use is it for the usual stuff, make calls, listen to music, send SMS etc. When you need the feel and power of a desktop PC, you simply connect your smartphone to a keyboard and monitor, and viola - you have a desktop.

    How's this possible? The answer is UBUNTU FOR ANDROID . Ever heard of this revamped version of the popular free and open source Desktop PC OS?

    If you have a multi-core Android-based smartphone, then go for Ubuntu for android, and you have a phone that doubles as a phone and desktop.

    How excited are you. See screen-shot below:

    Capture.
     
  2. Navii

    NaviiActive Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2014
    Threads:
    7
    Messages:
    115
    Likes Received:
    0
    It's actually possible for quite some time now, but I don't think it's too exciting. The screen is just too small to do things you couldn't do on your phone anyway. Most programs have an Android alternative nowaday anyways, so it's not really needed for most people.
     
  3. GLOGIK

    GLOGIKMember

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Threads:
    16
    Messages:
    78
    Likes Received:
    2
    Hi, thanks for your response. Actually, I think you don't quite understand the idea behind Ubuntu for

    android. It's not a particular device I am speaking about, it's the ability to turn your usual multi-core

    android-based phone into a full desktop PC once you have access to a conventional monitor and

    keyboard. When you use your device as a phone, it runs android OS, but once it's connected

    to a monitor and a keyboard, it runs the ubuntu OS, giving you the full power of a desktop PC.

    Thanks again for stopping by.
     
    #3Aug 2, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2014
  4. johnnear

    johnnearActive Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2014
    Threads:
    8
    Messages:
    119
    Likes Received:
    3
    Wow that's cool. Correct me if I'm wrong but the way I understand it you still have to buy some extra peripheral in order for you to connect a monitor and keyboard, possible a mouse also, to your smart phone right? Have you tried that before?
     
  5. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2014
    Threads:
    81
    Messages:
    334
    Likes Received:
    29
    Awesome post!

    Looks pretty cool, but I'm sure this has some negatives too...
    Won't this dramatically reduce the life expectancy of your phone?
    As far as the apps that you can run on Ubuntu, you really need to manage your expectations, right? Text editors, and that's pretty much it I guess.

    Still, if you can grab a small monitor and keyboard, what a killer setup for travelling...
     
  6. beccagreen

    beccagreenActive Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2014
    Threads:
    15
    Messages:
    375
    Likes Received:
    7
    Hey that's cool but yeah, you would still need to have some sort of connectors and other stuff to hook it up on a monitor right? But that's really, correct me if I'm wrong but you would need a powerful enough phone to do this right? Like a Dual or Quad core phone?
     
  7. megadelayed

    megadelayedMember

    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2014
    Threads:
    13
    Messages:
    97
    Likes Received:
    0
    I think that this would work really well on a tablet, but less on a smartphone due to a small screen size. I recently tried this on my Galaxy Note 3 (quite a big screened smartphone with a 5.7 inch display) and I still found the size to be just a bit too small for desktop OS us. I might try this on a tablet when I have the free time to see if the experience improves. As for the idea of using this as a desktop/laptop replacement I think isn't that great as you'll need a keyboard and mouse, which you'll have to carry around if you are going to use it as a portable PC, and that's probably less convenient that just bringing a small laptop. As for desktop replacement, for the price of a faster smartphone you can actually buy a higher performing PC anyway.
     
  8. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2014
    Threads:
    171
    Messages:
    834
    Likes Received:
    25
    Thanks a lot for sharing this! I have heard of Ubuntu before, but I haven't really tried using it. This is a great post though. I have a hard time at work because we don't have our own computers. It's amazing to know that I can use my smartphone as a PC. Thanks very much again!
     
  9. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2012
    Threads:
    154
    Messages:
    2,561
    Likes Received:
    233
    My Droid Bionic from a few years ago was supposed to be able to do this. There was an optional device that looked like a laptop, but it was merely a screen and a keyboard that you plugged your phone into, and the whole thing would function like a Chromebook. Needless to say the phone was riddled with bugs, kept losing it's 4G connection - which they didn't fix that issue for over a year, and the add-on device was just too expensive for what it did, it was $250. You would likely only get a year or two's worth of use out of it max, before the version of Android on it would become outdated and slow, and you would be ready to get a new phone.

    I'm guessing you would need some sort of USB to Micro USB adapter, preferably a splitter of some sort too, to be able to hook up the keyboard and monitor (unless you could use a bluetooth connection for the keyboard? I've never heard of using bluetooth for a monitor connection though). The other thing is I don't have the slightest idea of how to use Ubuntu. I installed it on a spare laptop a few years ago, but could not find my way around it at all.