Softpedia reports
A phone that is powered by Android and magically transforms into a Linux desktop when connected to an external display has been tried before. It was called Ubuntu for Android and it was one of Canonical's earliest attempts at some sort of convergence between the mobile and PC worlds.
It never succeeded and it was never launched. [The idea, however,] was working and they had a preliminary version of it in a sort of functional state. It's not clear why Canonical dropped the project but it probably had something to do with the hardware which wasn't all that powerful three or four years ago.
Maru is trying to do a similar thing. [...] [Now that] the team behind this project has better hardware, [....] it should work--at least in theory.
For the moment, Maru only works for Nexus 5 and it's in a closed beta. This means that if you subscribe, maybe you'll be given access. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the kind of project that can work on anything and support needs to be added to each individual phone model.
[From the project site [1]]
Maru Mobile is built on the latest Android Lollipop. It ships with zero bloatware, so your phone runs snappy and has lots of free space for all your apps. Maru Desktop brings you true multitasking and desktop productivity in a lightweight package.
[Update: Maru is being open sourced!]
[1] The site's content is behind scripts; the archive.is link bypasses it.
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Bryan Lunduke at Network World reports
I just watched a video, from XDA, that showed a live demo of Ubuntu that, I kid you not, made me do a little happy dance. Just so we're on the same page, go watch that video right now—at least up to about the 4-minute mark where the hands-on demo of the tablet ends.
[...] After watching this video, [all my previous disappointment with Ubuntu] melted away for two absolutely wonderful reasons.
First, the "convergence" vision actually appears to be reaching a point where it is usable. Take a phone (or tablet), plug in a monitor and you've got yourself a full desktop PC. Not just that but a full desktop that can run traditional Linux software like LibreOffice and GIMP with state preserved between "mobile" mode and "desktop" mode. This is a big freaking deal.
What's more, it appeared to be working rather well with quite a few nice touches. The phone, when docked to a monitor, even becomes an input device; You can use it as a touchpad mouse and a virtual keyboard. Not necessarily something I'd use very often (if I'm docked to a monitor I probably have a keyboard handy) but a cool detail just the same.
[Second], after that was demoed, the tablet came out. At which point I believe I began drooling a little.
[Continues.]
The Verge reports
Maru OS lets phones run both Android and Debian Linux, and now, months after being in private beta mode, all Nexus 5 users can put the operating system on their device. Their phone will run like a Linux desktop when it's connected to an external display, mouse, and keyboard. It's very similar to the Continuum feature Microsoft introduced in Windows 10 for phones last year. That desktop state will still be preserved after the phone is disconnected from its keyboard and monitor.
The Nexus will run like an Android device the rest of the time. While the OS is only available on the Nexus 5, Maru expects to come to other devices as people pick up on its open source.
Previous: Maru OS: an Android ROM that Turns into Debian when it Senses Connected PC Peripherals
New laptops are drawing upon features/attributes associated with smartphones, such as LTE connectivity, ARM processors, (relatively) high battery life, and walled gardens:
This year's crop of CES laptops -- which we'll define broadly to include Windows-based two-in-one hybrids and slates -- even show signs of a sudden evolutionary leap. The long-predicted PC-phone convergence is happening, but rather than phones becoming more like computers, computers are becoming more like phones.
The most obvious way this is happening is the new breed of laptops that ditch the traditional Intel (and sometimes AMD) processors for new Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm. So far, we've seen three of these Snapdragon systems announced: the HP Envy x2, the Asus NoveGo and the Lenovo Miix 630.
Laptops with lower-end processors have been tried before, with limited success. Why is now potentially the right time? Because these systems aren't being pitched as bargain basement throwaways -- and in fact, they'll cost $600 and up, the same as many mainstream laptops in the US. Instead, they promise some very high-end features, including always-on LTE connectivity (like a phone) and 20-plus hours of battery life with weeks of standby time, which also sounds more like a phone than a PC. The tradeoff is that these Snapdragon laptops run Windows 10 S, a limited version of Windows 10, which only allows apps from the official Microsoft app store. That's also similar to the walled garden of mobile OS apps many phones embrace.
[...] There's another take on phone-laptop convergence happening here at CES. Razer, the PC and accessory maker, always brings one or two inventive prototypes to CES, such as last year's triple-screen Project Valerie laptop. The concept piece for CES 2018 is Project Linda, a 13-inch laptop shell, with a large cutout where the touchpad would normally be. You drop a Razer Phone in that slot, press a button, and the two pieces connect, with the laptop body acting as a high-end dock for the phone. The phone acts as a touchpad and also a second screen, and it works with the growing number of Android apps that have been specially formatted for larger laptop screens or computer monitors.
Related: Symetium Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for a "Smartphone PC"
Maru OS: an Android ROM that Turns into Debian when it Senses Connected PC Peripherals
What Are Must-Have Specs for a Laptop in 2017?
ARM Based Laptop DIY Kit Ready to Hit the Shops
Windows 10 PCs Running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 to Arrive this Year
Microsoft Knows Windows is Obsolete. Here's a Sneak Peek at Its Replacement.
Samsung to Give Linux Desktop Experience to Smartphone Users
Samsung Shows Off Linux Desktops on Galaxy 8 Smartphone
First ARM Snapdragon-Based Windows 10 S Systems Announced
Snapdragon 845 Announced
Qualcomm Joins Others in Confirming its CPUs Suffer From Spectre, and Other Meltdown News
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 16 2016, @10:59AM
Hallelujah! It's Linux.......on a phone...........on a desktop.
Wait. This means the desktop is dead.
Fuck. Linux never made it to the desktop because the desktop died first.
(Score: 1, Disagree) by Arik on Tuesday February 16 2016, @03:52PM
The desktop was never anything but a bad metaphor and a label for a half-assed substitute for a workstation.
I got no use for either of them, thanks.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Tuesday February 16 2016, @11:31AM
I imagine this took time but it needs updated. Lollipop is a potential problem because it is already out of date. The nexus 5 is a bit old too. Rebuilding on marshmallow and the 5x or 6p would bring security updates on the android side. The real killer would be USB-c for the peripherals, which this practically begs for.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday February 16 2016, @11:56AM
Whatever happened to wireless DisplayPort using WiGig?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Farkus888 on Thursday February 18 2016, @02:14AM
No idea... my best guess is range issues and options like chromecast and miracast being available already killed it. USB-c does displayport and you are theoretically cabled in anyway with this OS, at least when you need an external display.
(Score: 3, Funny) by wonkey_monkey on Tuesday February 16 2016, @12:43PM
A phone that is powered by Android and magically transforms into a Linux desktop when connected to an external display has been tried before.
I think I see the flaw in the earlier attempts. You want to try technology, mush.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 16 2016, @01:09PM
Technologically speaking, a SBC (odroid c1+ for the record) whose specs are less than the latest phones delivers a smooth libreoffice and web browsing experience even on lubuntu (I'd rather have a port of antix on it but ok).
If all android phones do not come with a linux desktop, after asking the user if he's willing to sacrifice a meager couple gb of storage to host it, it's a commercial choice. Vendors do not want to sell personal computers (be they in the phone form factor) they want to rent out appliances. A mere matter of cash flow which costs A LOT in terms of lost time to society.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 16 2016, @10:22PM
Ubuntu Touch appears to be on the leading edge of getting convergence right.
Like Maru, it senses what's connected and gives you the corresponding UX.
In the coming weeks, they're hoping to get hooked up with existing vendors of Android devices.
odroid
About an order of magnitude improvement on price over some smartphones.
...but you lose the portability of a COTS phone|tablet.
...or do you have a packaging paradigm that covers that nicely?
I'd rather have a port of antiX
As small as that crew is, I'm amazed at how much they -do- get done.
...but we can dream.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]