All this time my old Nintendo DS Lite had been gathering dust in the drawer because I thought it was strictly for games; now I realize its true calling is to be a phone!
Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
61–70 of 183 posts
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
Indeed they did, but this is a device still in development, to be released late 2020. I would not be surprised if the Windows 10 X team is working to make it at least possible to run 10 X on the smaller device. I'd much prefer 10 X with an Android subsystem. But like I said, I'll pick one up regardless.
I'm sure it could run 10 X easily enough, the problem is the same problem that killed the Windows Phone ecosystem. No one's developing mobile/touch apps for anything other than Android and iOS. Windows has been fully touch enabled for years now but still there are almost no apps that take advantage of that, there isn't even a decent kindle app in the microsoft store. I wish this wasn't true but the truth is mobile be…
Yeah, but that raises the question as to what's the upside for Microsoft for building the Duo? Why divert expensive engineering resources to become just another niche Android phone vendor and help shovel money into Google's pockets on top of that?
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#63I'm not sure if everyone forgot a day ago, but if Microsoft had just removed the offline account setting on Windows 10, what could be the likelihood that they could just enforce it in the Surface Line up, even including the Android products? Nice looking Surface lineup and hardware nevertheless, but after Microsoft removing that offline setting, I think that was a big turn off and a no deal from me for now, unless th…
You can still have offline accounts, but they do make it a real pain to figure out how to do it during Windows setup. I have to take PCs offline entirely to get the option now. While Microsoft is doing a lot of be more developer friendly (e.g., I love VS Code), Windows just gets more and more user hostile.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#64I really hope that we see a single-screen Surface phone in the future. IMO, Microsoft have done a fantastic job with the Surface Book. If they could replicate that high-end build quality while providing a solid feature set and a clean Android build, I can't see it not selling well. Throw a headphone jack in, and I'd wait in line for it! The dual screen is interesting, but I don't see its use just yet.
I see a lot of value with this phone prototype over the laptop version.
It gives a better typing experience than a phone currently does & offers unique controls for apps on the 2nd screen.
Whereas with the laptop version I assume people will be missing their keyboard typing experience or complaining about having to carry around a bluetooth keyboard. I still hope they improve their concept of docking an Android phone & using it as a laptop replacement with a keyboard, mouse & monitor.
Hopefully it makes people watch videos in landscape again & quit recording in portrait mode. That alone would be a win!
- Edit - I just read a better article explaining their keyboard concept for the laptop version. That seems like a slightly better experience than I was imagining. Hopefully it's harder to lose than their pen.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#65I'm going to pick one up regardless, but if they can bring Windows 10 X to this device, and provide a docking experience that expands to approximate a full PC, the result would be fantastic.
Good luck. It's not shipping until "Holiday 2020"... if ever. Announcing products like this should be reported on as an embarrassment for the companies that do it.
I guess Microsoft just wants to give developers enough time to adapt their applications to this new platform.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm sure it could run 10 X easily enough, the problem is the same problem that killed the Windows Phone ecosystem. No one's developing mobile/touch apps for anything other than Android and iOS. Windows has been fully touch enabled for years now but still there are almost no apps that take advantage of that, there isn't even a decent kindle app in the microsoft store. I wish this wasn't true but the truth is mobile be…
Which is why I'd like an Android subsystem. I want the basic UI experience and default apps to be Windows 10 X. For 90% of my phone usage, I'm using the stock apps (launcher, email, browser, calendar, etc.), and I'd prefer that to be the 10 X experience rather than Android. I want Android to feel like an app safety net, not the primary experience. But like I said before, even without that, it's still the right device…
Ah yes I missed the bit where you mentioned the Android subsystem.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems it can run Android apps.
It seems it runs on android (with a windows theme).
True, I wrote that comment as I was watching the announcement live stream. It's still pretty much a prototype at this point but I hope they don't mess up that windows theme a lot.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
The MS device is a foldable phone with two screens, not a foldable screen. Samsung's (initial?) failure is irrelevant here.
It won't sell. It's a gimmick.
Remember your comment 5 years from now. There is a reason that most manufacturers are working on dual/folding screens. It is natural to try to get the phone and tablet market at once. I think it's great and hope they have judged their technology correctly, because if done well it is the future.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#69I'm so glad Microsoft is trying again in the Phone space. I wish Amazon would try again, too. It's nice to have choices.
No. Microsoft is much better at handling an ecosystem than Amazon. As far as I can tell, MS is using standard Android with Google Play Services(?) Amazon was trying to create its own ecosystem.
Amazon has a nice suite of services. A phone that has Music, Books, Shopping, Cloud Storage for Photos, and a few key apps (Uber, Lyft, popular games) but somewhat constrained otherwise, would be great for Seniors or people who don't need a high-performance general-purpose computer in their pocket.
Re: Microsoft announces new Surface Duo phone
#70Ok this may be first time when Microsoft phone announcements generate more hype than iPhone