As smartphones turn into powerhouses, several companies are trying to figure out innovative ways to use this power. One very interesting method is converting the smartphone to a computer which is capable of handling basic day-to-day activities. Microsoft has already implemented this with their Lumia phones and Continuum feature. Even Canonical has exploited this feature which allows smartphones to be used as desktops when docked. Guess who joined in on the party? Intel has just revealed its Android phone that gets converted to a desktop. It was revealed at the MWC 2016 in Barcelona and can be implemented simply by using an HDMI cable.
The feature looks pretty neat and it is still a functioning prototype. It has a few bugs that need to be fixed. The phone used at the Intel event was a prototype built by Foxconn. It had an Intel Atom X3 processor along with 2GB of RAM and 16 gigs of internal storage. The hardware is not very mighty and it can only have resolutions up to 720p. The phone is reportedly priced at 100$ which might come as a surprise considering the low specifications.
The phone can be simply connected to a monitor with an HDMI cable. This transforms the screen to a desktop running the Debian OS. Debian is an open source operating system that is composed entirely of free applications under the GNU General Public License. The monitor also has Android running on the side which looks cool. But the resolution is not properly scaled which brings down the whole experience a bit. The feature also requires the phone to have an Intel processor which may sound like a let down to a few people.