The smarphone is growing up. Turning one’s phone into a full-blown PC by simply connecting it to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse is now a reality thanks to Beijing-based startup Jide Technologies and its new Remix OS Android-based software.
Microsoft has had this sort of project in the works with Windows 10 and Continuum, but it looks like Jide Technologies has become the David to Seattle’s Goliath, and has beaten the tech giant to the punch.
The new Remix OS is a Mobile, or ROM, setup for smartphones and is slated to be released during the second half of 2017. The ROM operations will be as close to Android stock technology as possible when in a phone mode but, when plugged into a display and keyboard, it will turn the device into a PC.
There are some drawbacks to the Remix OS, like the fact that Android’s Google Play Store doesn’t come pre-installed, so users will have to get it themselves. Not exactly plug-and-play, but not too much of an inconvenience, either, given the benefits.
Jide Technologies calls this dual feature Remix Singularity, and it is coming soon.