Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock
-
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
Overall, there's a lot of ways to look at it, and a lot of possible issues that could be addressed with most of these options. As far as I'm concerned, at least right now, it's a preference thing.
This is another way of saying "it's only irrationality that would make someone choose this." If their preference is... less convenient.
Don't get me wrong, it's a super neat idea and I'm sure they are doing a great job with it. But at $150, I just don't see it making sense. Make it $30 and, well I still wouldn't buy one because I have a Chromebook so this thing isn't worth $5 to me, but for someone without a Chromebook, I'd be recommending it. It's the lack of real cost savings that makes the other stuff make it just silly.
-
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
The point was not to have a desktop. The phone became the desktop. It was a full Ubuntu desktop.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
Right, I love the idea in theory, but I don't want any desktop device that becomes a dead monitor when my phone walks away. And in my office experience, that's often. Every bathroom break, every meeting, every meal... your docking and undocking. I take my phone with my easily 30-40 times a day away from my desk. No device can handle that level of plugging and unplugging.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
Overall, there's a lot of ways to look at it, and a lot of possible issues that could be addressed with most of these options. As far as I'm concerned, at least right now, it's a preference thing.
This is another way of saying "it's only irrationality that would make someone choose this." If their preference is... less convenient.
No, it's more along the lines of there are a vast amount of problems to solve. Some of those problems matter more to some people than others. For example, me. I hate the lack of power of a chromebook and despise track pads and chiclet keyboards.
However, someone like you might not mind the track pad/ keyboard too much, and you may stick to a minimal load on the chromebook, which means those problems wouldn't affect you as heavily. -
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I think this is what Sentio is attempting, just in a laptop form factor.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@scottalanmiller said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
Overall, there's a lot of ways to look at it, and a lot of possible issues that could be addressed with most of these options. As far as I'm concerned, at least right now, it's a preference thing.
This is another way of saying "it's only irrationality that would make someone choose this." If their preference is... less convenient.
No, it's more along the lines of there are a vast amount of problems to solve.
No, that's my point. That's irrational. Because this doesn't solve any. None. Hence the issue.
-
@dafyre said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I think this is what Sentio is attempting, just in a laptop form factor.
And maybe they will, someday, make this work with a desktop, too. So then it becomes one device, multiple form factors. Add in wireless connections and it starts to get intriguing.
-
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
The point was not to have a desktop. The phone became the desktop. It was a full Ubuntu desktop.
I feel like this would be better addressed with a thin client. Then you don't have to worry about the connection cycles and possibly battery on your phone.
-
@dafyre said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I think this is what Sentio is attempting, just in a laptop form factor.
But you still need another app from what it looks like. This was all inclusive to the phone. Full LibreOffice, full Firefox, etc.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
The point was not to have a desktop. The phone became the desktop. It was a full Ubuntu desktop.
I feel like this would be better addressed with a thin client. Then you don't have to worry about the connection cycles and possibly battery on your phone.
Most phones back then had replaceable batteries so idk if they considered that a problem.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
For example, me. I hate the lack of power of a chromebook and despise track pads and chiclet keyboards.
This is carried on with the Sentio. Chromebooks offer high power, at high cost. The Sentio does too, but requires you to spend even more on phones to do that. And it has the same track pads and chicklet keyboards.
Chromebooks can use full keyboards and mice just like the Sentio.
-
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
The point was not to have a desktop. The phone became the desktop. It was a full Ubuntu desktop.
I feel like this would be better addressed with a thin client. Then you don't have to worry about the connection cycles and possibly battery on your phone.
Most phones back then had replaceable batteries so idk if they considered that a problem.
Fair point.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@stacksofplates said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
I miss what Ubuntu was trying to do back in 2013. They had it so you could just plug your phone into a dock attached to a monitor and that became your PC. It was Android on the phone and a full Ububtu desktop experience on the monitor. Didn't need any apps or any hardware other than your monitor. It was an interesting idea but never materialized for some reason.
I feel like this is somewhat of the goal with some of these docks and such. The problem it brings up is where are you going to have a monitor but no desktop? So you'd have to unplug the monitor from your desktop and plug it back it. Or at the very least switch inputs, which can hinder what you're used to when you're working at your desktop.
The point was not to have a desktop. The phone became the desktop. It was a full Ubuntu desktop.
I feel like this would be better addressed with a thin client. Then you don't have to worry about the connection cycles and possibly battery on your phone.
Often, but this is about a fat client, thin clients tackle a different problem.
-
@scottalanmiller said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
For example, me. I hate the lack of power of a chromebook and despise track pads and chiclet keyboards.
This is carried on with the Sentio. Chromebooks offer high power, at high cost. The Sentio does too, but requires you to spend even more on phones to do that. And it has the same track pads and chicklet keyboards.
Chromebooks can use full keyboards and mice just like the Sentio.
Right. My keyboard/mouse section was actually meant as an individual solution, apart from the chromebook or Sentio. It could be used with these as well, sure, but it brings me back to "What is the problem you're trying to address?"
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
However, someone like you might not mind the track pad/ keyboard too much, and you may stick to a minimal load on the chromebook, which means those problems wouldn't affect you as heavily.
None of those things affect me because they aren't real issues. They are imagined issues. Hence my point of irrationality being the basis for believing that the Sentio might have a usability case. All of the "benefits" appear to be from a belief that other options do less, but they don't. We already have all of the benefits of the Sentio today in the real world. Without the caveats.
-
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@scottalanmiller said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
@fiyafly said in Sentio, an Android Laptop Dock:
For example, me. I hate the lack of power of a chromebook and despise track pads and chiclet keyboards.
This is carried on with the Sentio. Chromebooks offer high power, at high cost. The Sentio does too, but requires you to spend even more on phones to do that. And it has the same track pads and chicklet keyboards.
Chromebooks can use full keyboards and mice just like the Sentio.
Right. My keyboard/mouse section was actually meant as an individual solution, apart from the chromebook or Sentio. It could be used with these as well, sure, but it brings me back to "What is the problem you're trying to address?"
Okay, but we are discussing the Sentio here. And whether or not it has something to bring to the table.
-
-
As a laptop configuration, I don't see much value in it because at the price they are offering a Chromebook would be a lot better. Now if they had a small dock that would hook up to two external monitors and a regular keyboard or mouse. I might then be interested.
