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posted by martyb on Monday November 13 2017, @04:45AM   Printer-friendly
from the converged-gnu/linux-teased-part-2 dept.

El Reg reports

Ubuntu--all of it--running Eclipse on a phone, and a DeX dock

Video Samsung's shown a little more of its plans to run fully-fledged Linux desktops on its 8-series Galaxy smartmobes.

Samsung teased the idea of Linux on its flagship phones in October 2017, promising that Linux would run in your hand or, if you use its DeX dock, in full desktop mode on a monitor. Now it's released [a video] to show off its idea.

Described as a "Concept Demo", the vid has a couple of interesting moments.

The first comes at the 12 second mark, after the "Linux on Galaxy" app has been run. At this point we see Ubuntu 16 listed, along with a plus sign to add other OSes to the app. This appears to make good on Samsung's promise that you'll be able to have multiple OSes in your Galaxy.

Not long after the app boots, an Ubuntu desktop duly appears and runs Eclipse [the FOSS integrated development environment].

In its original announcement of Linux on Galaxy, Samsung said it was aimed at developers wanting Linux wherever they may roam, on the off-chance they feel like doing a spot of coding on a very small screen. At 1:09 in the video below, the company puts some meat on those bones by suggesting Linux on a smartphone means developers can "use classic IDE desktop IDE for native ARM development."

Which sounds a bit more like it as The Register can imagine developers using a handset to test an app and tweaking it on the run, popping a phone in and out of a dock when a proper look at the code is required

Samsung's still not saying when Linux on Galaxy will debut, but at least now we know it's more than[sic] advanced than mere announcementware. The company's still offering the chance to sign up for more info about the tool, here.

Previous: Samsung to Give Linux Desktop Experience to Smartphone Users


Original Submission

Related Stories

Samsung to Give Linux Desktop Experience to Smartphone Users 57 comments

Samsung has announced a new app called Linux on Galaxy that works with its DeX docking station to bring a full Linux desktop experience to Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphone users.

Comments from IDC sounded skeptical saying the concept is "interesting at best", but "the No. 1 challenge is that there is no public infrastructure for where you can dock your phone, other than in your home or office... Where you really would like to have that is at a hotel, at an airport, etc."

Samsung is touting their DeX environment as "supremely better than all the earlier attempts to have a smartphone docking into a big screen".


Original Submission

Laptop and Phone Convergence at CES 17 comments

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.


Original Submission

Chicago Police Department Partnering with Samsung for in-Vehicle Smartphone Docking 30 comments

Chicago Police Department Piloting Samsung DeX in Vehicle

Chicago Police Department is rolling out a pilot of Samsung's DeX in Vehicle solution, providing officers the ability to dock their Galaxy smartphones and access policing applications on a dash-mounted display and keyboard.

The mobile-first initiative, announced at a press conference on August 21, aims to leverage the power of officer smartphones to streamline in-vehicle computing access. Officers participating in the pilot will be able to access computer-aided dispatch and other Chicago Police Department systems to conduct background checks and complete reports. Photo and video evidence captured on the smartphone will also be immediately accessible to attach to reports. The initial pilot will roll out for CPD's 11th district.

Also at Engadget.

See also: Living up to the promise of Continuum for Windows Phone, Samsung Dex makes its way into police cars

Related: Samsung to Give Linux Desktop Experience to Smartphone Users
Samsung Shows Off Linux Desktops on Galaxy 8 Smartphone


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @05:29AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @05:29AM (#596075)

    This is like running an OS on an app...

    • (Score: 1) by petecox on Monday November 13 2017, @07:55AM

      by petecox (3228) on Monday November 13 2017, @07:55AM (#596091)

      Android running GNU/Linux inside an app/chroot/container of some sort.

      So yes this would be the inverse of libhybris/halium based solutions such as Sailfish/Plasma Mobile/Lune OS that run a glibc-based GNU/LInux bootstrapping a minimal bionic Android image for hardware support. (and optionally another container for Anbox and Android app support).

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by MostCynical on Monday November 13 2017, @06:51AM (1 child)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Monday November 13 2017, @06:51AM (#596087) Journal

    "hey, there's probably an app for that."

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:15AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:15AM (#596094)

      Every time I hear app I just wanna fapp! Anyone have some sweet badonkadonk apps available?

  • (Score: 2) by jimshatt on Monday November 13 2017, @08:11AM (3 children)

    by jimshatt (978) on Monday November 13 2017, @08:11AM (#596093) Journal
    It looks like the video is sped up somewhat and probably edited to cut waiting time out.
    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:25AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:25AM (#596096)

      This is like complaining somebody sped up a video of a person breaking a glass bottle in their anus.

      • (Score: 1, Troll) by jimshatt on Monday November 13 2017, @09:43AM

        by jimshatt (978) on Monday November 13 2017, @09:43AM (#596116) Journal
        Totally! I scour the internet for videos of persons breaking glass bottles in their anuses, and then complain about them speeding the video up. It's my raison d'ĂȘtre.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @01:35PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @01:35PM (#596166)

      The title of the video is "Concept Demo".

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:35AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:35AM (#596101)

    Is this some kind of User Mode Linux running on top of Android - which is already running on top of Linux - or is it the usual falsely advertising Bash as Linux?

    Like Microsofts "Subsystem for Linux" is often referred to as Linux running on top on Windows, even though Linux is the only thing it's NOT running.

    • (Score: 2) by letssee on Monday November 13 2017, @10:29AM

      by letssee (2537) on Monday November 13 2017, @10:29AM (#596120)

      My guess would be it's just chroot. chrooted ubuntu has been possible on any rooted android phone for a long time now. Just add a decent X server on the android side and you're ready to go.

      but I didn't read TFA, su it's all just handwaving (though handwaving based on having used Ubuntu on various android phones in the last 2 years).

      Might still be a good thing, as my current workflow for using Ubuntu on my phone is somewhat convoluted (Start X server app, start chroot with bash, run desktop environment manually).

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @12:39PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @12:39PM (#596149)

    Year of the (Mobile) Linux Desktop (App) is almost here!

  • (Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Monday November 13 2017, @12:54PM

    by opinionated_science (4031) on Monday November 13 2017, @12:54PM (#596152)

    I had a strange thought, that this would be an amazing hackers device, no?

    Ok I know the device itself will have binary blobs to run the display and radio, but just having a distro platform converge with android is quite nice - and better still on decent hardware.

    Of course, they'll find some way to mess it up. Perhaps M$ will force the deployment of the office tools and it'll run too slow to be useful...

    But generally a good thing, no?

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by kazzie on Monday November 13 2017, @01:30PM (4 children)

    by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 13 2017, @01:30PM (#596163)

    Where's the keyboard?

    Show me a hardware keyboard on the phone, then we'll talk.

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by RS3 on Monday November 13 2017, @03:22PM (1 child)

      by RS3 (6367) on Monday November 13 2017, @03:22PM (#596214)

      Bluetooth keyboards.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by HiThere on Monday November 13 2017, @05:59PM (1 child)

      by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 13 2017, @05:59PM (#596340) Journal

      The real problem is screen size. Phone screens aren't well adapted to desktop OS systems. Keyboards and mice can be attached separate from the phone, but the screen is a different problem. If you're going to cart a monitor around, then a laptop is a far better solution.

      --
      Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:09PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:09PM (#596421)

        I think the most important missing thing is freedom. Smartphones are a trap.

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by boltronics on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:32AM

    by boltronics (580) on Tuesday November 14 2017, @02:32AM (#596618) Homepage Journal

    I've got an S8+ and was I was going to purchase the DeX dock until I heard it can only output 1920x1080 to an external display. It can do 2690x1440 WQHD+ on the phone, but only 1920x1080 FHD on an external monitor. Since I'm running a 2560x1440 QHD screen, I decided to give it a miss.

    It's quite frustrating that despite being a popular 16:9 resolution, so many devices won't support QHD. eg. the PS4 Pro will happily do 4K or FHD, but nothing in-between. The Xbox One S will play 4K blu-rays, but not on a QHD screen - I have to use a normal FHD blu-ray and have my monitor upscale. That's why I mostly just play everything on PC (which incidentally is the only thing that also makes use of the full 144Hz the monitor is capable of).

    --
    It's GNU/Linux dammit!
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