Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Microsoft's Continuum...Very Disruptive



 Simply put..Microsoft's Continuum turns Windows 10 phones into desktops.

Could a Windows 10 phone be the "mobile Chromebook"? One device that connects to the Cloud and delivers content to any display. Could those Chromebooks and other "dumb clients' get even dumber?

Using a Win 10 phone your iPad, laptop, PC, TV becomes just a display.







In contrast to Apple’s “Continuity,” which aims to make moving between phone, tablet and desktop seamless, Microsoft’s Continuum instead has the phone you’re using adapt its interface depending on the context you’re using it.


Dubbed Continuum for Phones, it’s designed to take advantage of new universal apps that run across Windows 10 on phones, PCs, tablets, and the Xbox One. If you’re running a mobile version of Excel on your phone it will magically resize and transform into a keyboard- and mouse-friendly version for use on a bigger screen. It feels like the future.

In an on-stage demo, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore connected a phone to a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and instantly the UI he was using adapted to the new inputs and outputs. While the operating system interface we saw on screen didn’t look exactly like Windows 10 on a laptop or desktop computer, the applications shown (especially PowerPoint) did. Instead of making minor adjustments to a presentation using a 5-inch screen, you can simply connect to an HDMI-compatible monitor and have all the space and tools you would on a full PC.
 
 the feature really shines when apps have been built to scale across form factors,(source)

lets Windows 10 devices use a single device for mobile, tablet, and desktop interfaces. For example, a Windows 10 Phone can be converted into a full-sized desktop after being plugged into a larger screen. In the near future, consumers might only need a single all-in-one mobile device instead of a phone, tablet, notebook, and desktop

Ideally, all those users would be tethered to Microsoft's cloud-based productivity apps like Office 365 and OneDrive, while user data would be synced to Azure, its growing cloud computing platform. (source)