Is DeX the end of Continuum and by Extension Windows Mobile?

[Tunde Fajimi]

OK, so I just read that Samsung is launching DeX (their Continuum-competing feature) with the soon-to-arrive Samsung Galaxy S8. From initial looks and initial reviews on other tech sites, they have a solid (not perfect) product, which will help the S8 to sell even more.



Perception is king. Is this the death knell for Windows mobile?

 

[meattray]

Definitely looks like an interesting feature but really depends on what all is available for it. They made it look pretty easy to go in and edit a PowerPoint presentation.

 

[xandros9]

Windows 10 Mobile has been dead/on life support since Microsoft's effort into it died down.

It will still be around but it won't be, and isn't, a big player anyway.

 

[Leonel Funes]

Hardly the death of Continuum or Windows 10 Mobile. I'm pretty sure enterprise will still see the value of Windows on mobile devices, and with what's being said about Microsoft and the future of Continuum (and CShell), it'll only get better.

I hope it helps Microsoft instead by hopefully comparing Samsung's solution to a feature in Windows

 

[midnightfrolic]

I wouldn't say the death of Continuum. But MS can learn A LOT from it. I just watched the demo video of it in action. It puts Continuum to shame. Continuum was from MS, the MAKERS of window'd apps and programs, THE desktop experience. And this is Samsung's first iteration. Even the Dock is considerably better.

Multi window support, and window drag-n-drop, resize windows. Full task taskbar. A MUCH more polished Windows desktop experience....from a company that originally dealt in trades, insurance, securities, and textiles. I've been giving feedback about these exact features since a couple of years ago.

As a Lumia 950XL owner and avid Windows/Mobile fan, this is a slap in the face. A very hard slap.

 

[dgr_874]

I wouldn't say the death of Continuum. But MS can learn A LOT from it. I just watched the demo video of it in action. It puts Continuum to shame. Continuum was from MS, the MAKERS of window'd apps and programs, THE desktop experience. And this is Samsung's first iteration. Even the Dock is considerably better.

Multi window support, and window drag-n-drop, resize windows. Full task taskbar. A MUCH more polished Windows desktop experience....from a company that originally dealt in trades, insurance, securities, and textiles. I've been giving feedback about these exact features since a couple of years ago.

As a Lumia 950XL owner and avid Windows/Mobile fan, this is a slap in the face. A very hard slap.

Ya, watching the multiwindow part was really hard as a continuum fan.

 

[Tunde Fajimi]

I wouldn't say the death of Continuum. But MS can learn A LOT from it. I just watched the demo video of it in action. It puts Continuum to shame. Continuum was from MS, the MAKERS of window'd apps and programs, THE desktop experience. And this is Samsung's first iteration. Even the Dock is considerably better.

Multi window support, and window drag-n-drop, resize windows. Full task taskbar. A MUCH more polished Windows desktop experience....from a company that originally dealt in trades, insurance, securities, and textiles. I've been giving feedback about these exact features since a couple of years ago.

As a Lumia 950XL owner and avid Windows/Mobile fan, this is a slap in the face. A very hard slap.

Exactly! A hard slap!

How well can a software (or other) company deliver on its innovation and quickly iron out teething issues before the competition can catch up? Microsoft has shown time and again (except for Teams recently) that they often don't do so well in pioneering things.

The UI for the S8 was just so polished at launch. I loved the way the Wi-Fi/signal strength/time/etc. functions dropped to the usual Windows desktop notification area of the screen, unlike Continuum.

Your points about the windowing and drag-and-drop were so true. Imagine the effort it took to do this in such a comparatively short amount of time. Imagine if they continue to push for the next 6 months post-release.

 

[editguy]

If Windows mobile dies, this won't be the primary reason. This is not a feature that is heavily used, anyway. Although it sounds cool, a lot of people would still prefer a device like the Surface in addition to a phone, because it's much more capable and you don't have to dock it. I've used Continuum on my phone, but since I don't travel there's really no compelling reason to connect it when I have a desktop and a tablet. If I was travelling, I would use it much more. I don't see this as being a major selling point on the S8, either. But I suppose time will tell.

 

[Zeem Frostmaw]

Yeah, while this obviously won't 'kill' W10M, it does guarantee that Continuum in it's current 2015 form cannot be a competitor.

I'm hoping that this is giving Microsoft an extremely strong nudge about the direction they need to take Continuum. If stuff like drag-and-drop and a proper file explorer doesn't make it into their next iteration of Continuum, the platform has no hope.

 

[Drael646464]

Yeah, while this obviously won't 'kill' W10M, it does guarantee that Continuum in it's current 2015 form cannot be a competitor.

I'm hoping that this is giving Microsoft an extremely strong nudge about the direction they need to take Continuum. If stuff like drag-and-drop and a proper file explorer doesn't make it into their next iteration of Continuum, the platform has no hope.

Considering MS helped Samsung with DeX, they must feel their next iteration is competitive enough. I think though honestly continuum will have to be full windows on arm with cshell before its something regular folks are interested in - a proper PC replacement, rather than an enterprise tool for travellers.

I am pretty sure DeX won't be very popular. ATM it can only run office fully scaled. Everything else just runs like it does on a phone. And android apps don't generally real time multi-task, so I can't actually see a lot of benefit to running multiple windows.