The fusion of mobile phones and PCs behind UbuntuEdge

I once made a project with lofty ideals. The product is a smartphone accessory called a super docking station. Through the micro-usb interface of the mobile phone, it allows the mobile phone to connect to the keyboard, mouse, display, and other peripherals at the same time, using the smart phone as the Personal Digital hub, that is, the PC host. However, due to restrictions and other reasons, the project was terminated. A few months after the project was terminated, we saw the news that Ubuntu was about to launch a mobile operating system. In addition, the advanced edition can be used as a desktop operating system when the mobile phone is connected to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, later, an audience came out.

I once made a project with lofty ideals. The product is a smartphone accessory called a super docking station. Through the micro-usb interface of the mobile phone, it allows the mobile phone to connect to the keyboard, mouse, display, and other peripherals at the same time, using the smart phone as the Personal Digital hub, that is, the PC host. However, due to restrictions and other reasons, the project was terminated.

A few months after the project was terminated, we saw the news that Ubuntu was about to launch a mobile operating system. In addition, the advanced edition can be used as a desktop operating system when the mobile phone is connected to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, later, another Ubuntu Edge mobile phone was launched to raise a crowd of $32 million. The Ubuntu mobile phone system and Edge mobile phone are basically the same as the docking station, and they both want to win the PC's life. This may be a bit acute. In other words, it is necessary to promote the integration of mobile phones and PCs.

The reason why I wrote this article is that many comments have hardly touched on the mobile phone and PC convergence issues behind this, so I would like to talk about some of my views on integration.

Performance is not a problem

The current smart phone can be said to be a small computer, but it does not have input and output devices such as keyboards and monitors. The computer can do most of the work, and the smart phone can do well, therefore, smartphones can meet the daily Digital hub needs of most people. Of course, many people will jump out and say that smart phones do not have professional software or large high-quality games. I cannot help but wonder that cloud computing was not so popular in the past. Why did they never know it, relying on cloud computing in a network with sufficient bandwidth, the performance of local devices can be used as long as they reach the basic level.

Onlive abroad provides cloud game services, and they also provide software and system cloud usage, consistent with the principles of cloud games, including Android and iOS clients. Onlive cannot be used in China, but some companies in China are doing similar things. I have tried cloud games of a company in China, with a bandwidth of 10 Mbit/s and basically cannot feel the delay of the game screen, acceptable image quality. Google and Microsoft both have cloud office services. In the future, there may be cloud 3D modeling and rendering, cloud compilation, or other cloud computing services. As for some domestic companies, network storage is also a cloud computing hat, which is abusing the concept.

What Ubuntu should do most

If Ubuntu wants to promote an operating system that combines mobile phones and desktops, in the long run, the most important thing to do is to bring up a bunch of mobile phone manufacturers with a standard hybrid multimedia data transmission technology that can simultaneously transmit video data, file data, and power, instead of a mobile phone, it is a sign that mobile phone manufacturers are about to compete for their jobs. They will be unhappy.

The purpose of the hybrid multimedia data transmission technology is to allow an interface on a mobile phone to transmit a variety of different types of data at the same time. Similar to Intel's lightning technology, lightning technology is most useful on mobile devices, instead of on the computer, there is enough space on the computer, and there is no space on the mobile phone.

The hybrid multimedia transmission technology works with the docking station. According to the current technical conditions, the docking station is the best aid for integrating mobile phones and PCs. On the Ubuntu Edge, in addition to the wired connection between the display and the mobile phone, other accessories are wireless connections. If you want to use a USB flash drive, even if the user stamps the mobile phone, it cannot be connected, important peripherals are not reliable at present through wireless connection.

Some mobile phone manufacturers have been planning similar things. In the micro-usb interface of Samsung i9300, there is a row of 6pin pins behind the normal micro-usb 5pin pins, the six pins are used to transmit video data. That is to say, the i9300 interface can transmit usb data, video data and power at the same time, after the i9300, all Samsung's high-end mobile phones were equipped with such an interface. Last year, Samsung launched a docking station in Europe and America, but there were not many people who knew it publicly. When meizu launched MX2 last year, there was a docking station. I knew it and negotiated with them. Then their docking station was gone. I just wanted to scare them, I didn't want to stop them.

Who will use this?

When mobile phones and PCs are integrated, there is a yellow calendar that can be turned over. There are far away Blackberry, and there are near Motorola. Motorola's solutions are already commercially available, but Motorola's usage scenarios are wrong, motorola has launched two types of products, but the base of a notebook similar to a mobile business is mainly promoted. According to the use cases of mobile commerce, since we need to carry a base similar to a notebook, so why not bring a laptop that can be used independently? In addition, this scenario requires the equipment to be as stable and reliable as possible. Motorola wants business users to stamp their mobile phones, this is risky.

Who is the use of mobile phone and PC products? First, this product is used for light office and light entertainment at home, it is intended for people who do not have high requirements on computers or do not want to spend too much money. Integrated products can meet the basic needs of users in various forms at a low comprehensive cost, and cooperate with cloud computing to meet higher requirements. Although cheap tablets have solved the needs of some people, the low-end and Middle-end markets are quite impressive. This requires educating users to accept the use of mobile phones and PCs.

The docking station project could have been invested. Although there were few, it was terminated considering that these were not something a small team could do. Ubuntu will first attract professional technical staff and IT lovers. Maybe something will work out, from the so-called chip computer selling by Raspberry Pi, we can still expect a miracle to happen.

I have to say android

Google released the android multi-window patch package some time ago, which allows android to achieve multi-window effects similar to windows. We also wanted to achieve it before, but it is troublesome. Now it is officially supported. That is to say, the biggest difference between Android and desktop systems has been eliminated. If Android is used to integrate mobile phones and PCs, what about Ubuntu.

I guess Google's goal may be to enable android to bite windows in the computer market, or to use tablet and notebook products, so they are not interested in Ubuntu for the moment, but who knows what bad things Google will do.

My inner monologue

The crowdfunding target for Ubuntu Edge is $32 million. The Hype may be more meaningful than the actual funding needs. However, I still hope they can make their products. I wanted to donate the dock patent to ubuntu, but I didn't care about it in the ubuntu Chinese community. I will keep it myself first. If you are interested in the open source community, contact me.

Hybrid multimedia data transmission technology should also be available in the automotive multimedia equipment field. I used to be curious about O2O in the apparel market, because vertical O2O in the food and housing industry has a group of well-known companies, but the clothing industry is not doing it, so I used my spare time to chat with the clothing store owner around my residence and did some research. I had some gains and wrote something to share my views with you.

Related reading:

Ubuntu Edge Mobile Phone graphic impression all metal cool black http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-08/88810.htm

Canonical seeks to raise $32 million to make a smartphone Ubuntu Edge http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/87760.htm

Canonical CEO Jane Silber talked about Ubuntu Edge http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/87898.htm in an interview with CNBC

Canonical added a new $50 specification http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/88128.htm In the Ubuntu Edge funding project

Ubuntu Edge mobile http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/87762.htm

Ubuntu Edge Cell Phone funding not up to expectations http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/88129.htm

Mark Shuttleworth announces Ubuntu Edge will receive six years of support http://www.linuxidc.com/Linux/2013-07/88014.htm

For more information about Ubuntu, see Ubuntu special page http://www.linuxidc.com/topicnews.aspx? Tid = 2