[Discuss] how much can i use a smartphone as a computer?

[mark at buttery.org (Shirley Márquez Dúlcey)]

Hate to bring up the W word here, but in the near future there will be
Windows 10 phones that can fully double as a computer if you add a
keyboard and mouse. The small display will be somewhat limiting, but
you could also connect a monitor or TV if you like. Aside from that,
if you get an x86-based phone rather than an ARM-based one it should
be possible to run any desktop Windows application. My Zenfone 2
already has the right hardware stuff - it uses a similar x86 SOC to
low end laptops and tablets - though it's an Android phone rather than
Windows.

In theory, Ubuntu Phone offers the same promise. But it's nowhere near
ready for prime time yet, and unless it starts to get manufacturer
support it's unlikely that it ever will be - the driver issue will
kill the possibility of running it well on generic unlocked phones.

Finally, Android itself offers native support of keyboards and mice,
either Bluetooth or connected to a USB to go port. Using a keyboard
and mouse works well with some apps but not all. Android apps are not
yet full replacements for the ones you can run on a desktop computer
but they are getting closer, and will continue to close the gap as
phones get more powerful.

On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 1:45 PM, Dan Ritter <dsr at randomstring.org> wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 09, 2015 at 12:52:45PM -0400, barry wrote:
>> when i was in high school they promised us 100$ pocket computer, i
>> remember radio shack tried once... y this not happen?  i'm so
>> dissapointed!  of all the stinkin bells and whistles they pack into
>> these things, y not at least pack a virtual computer on it?  is
>> certainly computationally capable ....
>
> Yes, but that's not what three billion people want.
>
> You can do it, it's just not easy, and the big question is: what
> do you want to get out of it?
>
>> would android cellphone at least navigate directory structure on an sd
>> card and manipulate it properly if i wanted to move around text files
>> etc...?
>
> Sure. Install any file manager app -- OI File Manager is a good,
> free, open-source choice -- and that's easy.
>
>
> -dsr-
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