I have been using Continuum as a "kitchen PC" replacement almost daily for about 3 months. It is intended for light use such as browsing the web, streaming youtube videos, messaging, etc. Here is a link to my set up. http://forums.windowscentral.com/continuum/414760-finding-good-use-continuum.html
Microsofts intentions were good here and i think this is a good start. But beyond that, this new technology will not replace your desktop PC in any way shape or form. I'm not even going to get into the fact that x86 apps wont run here because we all know that. I want to talk about the technology as-is. Plugging the phone into the dock and getting started is hit or miss right out the gate. Sometimes my phone (950XL) will freeze completely or not display on the screen, a restart almost always fixes this. Using Continuum feels like i am using a mid range computer from the late 90s. The animations are slow and buggy, the browser is slow and takes forever to load even with an amazing 175Mbps internet connection. The most annoying thing is that the browser only loads one page at a time, so watching a YT video stops when the browser is minimized or a new tab is opened. After about 15 or 20 minutes of use (maybe less) the phone gets very very hot and bogs down to a CRAWL. Once i had to take it off the dock and put it in the fridge because it was so damn hot. I wouldn't even think about doing something intense like running office or playing games - fuggedaboutit!
Now on to the positives. Setting a PC that allows you to do all of the basics (email, YT, web, messaging) in a part of your house for under 200 is priceless (assuming the cost of the phone already). The dock was free with the XL, the monitor i used 23.5 FHD lenovo was $100, the keyboard 30, the speaker 30, and the mouse (had this from my pro 2). The wow factor and coolness of showing this off to people is pretty rad. It's a futuristic type thing that almost no one knows about it because, well, Windows Phone. Also the fact that this is your PHONE is a really nice plus. Say you want to type messages (SMS) on a full screen and keyboard, it makes it really nice and convenient to do this. Checking emails full screen, photos you've taken, rearranging tiles, etc is much more pleasant to do on a full keyboard and mouse.
All in all i think that Continuum is a good first crack at using the phone as a desktop PC and it does function the way it's intended if you don't mind putting up with the slowness, bugs and overheating issues. I will continue to use Continuum but not push it beyond a few minutes a day and try to keep everything light.
What are your thoughts on Continuum?
Microsofts intentions were good here and i think this is a good start. But beyond that, this new technology will not replace your desktop PC in any way shape or form. I'm not even going to get into the fact that x86 apps wont run here because we all know that. I want to talk about the technology as-is. Plugging the phone into the dock and getting started is hit or miss right out the gate. Sometimes my phone (950XL) will freeze completely or not display on the screen, a restart almost always fixes this. Using Continuum feels like i am using a mid range computer from the late 90s. The animations are slow and buggy, the browser is slow and takes forever to load even with an amazing 175Mbps internet connection. The most annoying thing is that the browser only loads one page at a time, so watching a YT video stops when the browser is minimized or a new tab is opened. After about 15 or 20 minutes of use (maybe less) the phone gets very very hot and bogs down to a CRAWL. Once i had to take it off the dock and put it in the fridge because it was so damn hot. I wouldn't even think about doing something intense like running office or playing games - fuggedaboutit!
Now on to the positives. Setting a PC that allows you to do all of the basics (email, YT, web, messaging) in a part of your house for under 200 is priceless (assuming the cost of the phone already). The dock was free with the XL, the monitor i used 23.5 FHD lenovo was $100, the keyboard 30, the speaker 30, and the mouse (had this from my pro 2). The wow factor and coolness of showing this off to people is pretty rad. It's a futuristic type thing that almost no one knows about it because, well, Windows Phone. Also the fact that this is your PHONE is a really nice plus. Say you want to type messages (SMS) on a full screen and keyboard, it makes it really nice and convenient to do this. Checking emails full screen, photos you've taken, rearranging tiles, etc is much more pleasant to do on a full keyboard and mouse.
All in all i think that Continuum is a good first crack at using the phone as a desktop PC and it does function the way it's intended if you don't mind putting up with the slowness, bugs and overheating issues. I will continue to use Continuum but not push it beyond a few minutes a day and try to keep everything light.
What are your thoughts on Continuum?