Summary
For what uses?For others: Microsoft, Ubuntu...Andromium OSLeena DesktopMaruOSRemix OS and Phoenix OSChrome OSCloud computingHow to connect your Android to a screen?How to connect a mouse or keyboard to Android?CommentsSome time ago, I had shared with you my method to transform your Android device into a PC monitor. Very convenient. Here is a new use for his Android device: transforming it into a PC, by adapting its interface. We tested a few solutions, and we selected four.
What is the difference between an Android device and Windows 10? Finally, from an ergonomic point, quite a few things. Windows 10 was designed to be used with a mouse and keyboard, Android was designed for touch screens. The first tries to develop its interface to be used more easily from a touch screen. The second accepts mice and keyboards, but its interface has not been designed for PC use.
Obviously, Android lacks a few interface elements: a taskbar to display all open windows and programs, resizable multi-windows, double-clicking the mouse or even right-clicking . Some applications also need to be redesigned, menus designed for touch are still not easy to use with a mouse. Fortunately, there are alternatives and solutions to adapt Android to PC use. Here are the solutions we tested.
For what uses?
Indeed, before getting started: you might as well know why getting started. Android was not yet designed to be used as a PC. In some cases, however, it may be practical. You can use your smartphone as a backup PC, on the go or to replace your laptop. You can also use your smartphone for simple office tasks, such as browsing web pages or word processing. Our smartphones are now powerful enough to perform advanced tasks, moreover the Snapdragon 835 will be able to run Windows 10. You can also use old smartphones but also Android tablets by transforming them into real office machines.
At others
Before presenting the Android solutions, make way for a mini bibliography. Transforming your smartphone into a PC, or your PC into a smartphone, is nothing new: Motorola had already designed the Atrix with its Lapdock.
More recently, Windows for its part has put forward a pre-integrated mode: Continuum mode allows you to use your Windows 10 Mobile like a PC. Canonical, too, is pushing developers to offer unified applications, capable of running on smartphones as well as on PCs with the same functionalities.
During CES, we discovered the Mirabook. The French company Miraxess presented the Mirabook at CES, a dock that looks like a laptop with its 13.3-inch Full HD screen. But in fact, the Mirabook does not integrate any intelligence. All you have to do is plug in your smartphone using the USB Type-C port to transfer the display (and therefore the power) from the smartphone to the Mirabook.
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Andromium OS
This is the simplest and most effective solution, but… it is far from being finalized for the moment. For once, when you currently launch it on your smartphone, you must not run out of power and RAM. It is an application that requires a lot of resources. This project was born in 2014 after a failed crowdfunding campaign, it is a rather special launcher. The most interesting part of this solution is its ability to install on any device, without having to tweak its system. It requires no root access, and runs without flinching.
The team behind this project has done a remarkable job, with the design of tailor-made apps. Unfortunately, traditional Android applications are not wrapped in windows, which limits the interest of this system. We can nevertheless highlight the presence of a dedicated browser, a file explorer and even a minesweeper game. These windows can be minimized and moved, like on a PC. Finally, some settings are accessible at the bottom right of the screen, such as the remaining autonomy or the management of connectivity.
What remains a pity is the general slowness of the application, which is sorely lacking in optimizations. The developers are currently focusing on the deployment of new features, the system will not be ready for several months. However, it remains usable, so we have selected it anyway. You can change the density of the interface, but it requires restarting your smartphone, and you can easily use it with a Chromecast on a PC or TV screen.
The SuperBook campaign
The team behind Andromium has embarked on the design of a laptop equipped with an 11.6-inch screen, the SuperBook. It is a receptacle for your smartphone sold at 100 euros.
To use it, nothing could be simpler: just install the Andromium OS application on your phone then connect it to the USB port of the Superbook, and the PC takes over while recharging your phone. Knowing that you will need a USB OTG compatible phone, which is the case with most smartphones these days. To check the compatibility of yours, do not hesitate to consult our article on USB OTG.
The French at Miraxess plan to do the same thing with the Mirabook, the solution for turning a smartphone into a laptop.
Leena Desktop
Leena Desktop is like Andromium, I find that the application is a little more accomplished. It requires much less resources than our first solution, with a clean and efficient interface.
It takes up, overall, the macOS interface with a task bar and shortcuts at the bottom, and a status bar (like Android). The pre-integrated Android browser is quite efficient, as well as the file explorer.
You can change the density of interface elements on the fly, depending on the definition and size of your screen, but also the distance between your eyes and the screen. Finally, some options allow you to refine the interface, there is a dark theme and the position to disable animations, for example. A free application in the form of a launcher that deserves to be tried (and adopted).
MaruOS
This system requires a little more installation than the previous two solutions. It is an Android ROM that integrates Debian Linux. On the smartphone screen, MaruOS displays CyanogenMod, when the smartphone is connected to a screen, Debian Linux takes over. Indeed, this dual system requires a minimum of resources, the project is limited to the latest Nexus for the moment. By default, there are therefore some Linux programs, such as Gimp, Firefox or LibreOffice. But once the phone is connected to a screen, Debian automatically launches in less than 5 seconds and appears on the big screen, leaving Android running on the screen of the smartphone to be able to use both at the same time.
Remix OS and Phoenix OS
In the option: I use an old PC, an old smartphone or an old tablet to turn them into a desktop machine, here are two interesting solutions. Let's look at the first, since the second is based on the first. Remix OS is a modified Android system. Very easy to install on a USB key, Remix OS is a mobile system designed to be launched on almost any device. As such, it is light, versatile, easy to access and above all… transportable.
You will find a taskbar and a desktop. Android elements have simply been moved, such as notifications at the bottom right, and applications at the bottom left. It looks a lot like a regular Linux distro, except it's Android. You can therefore (more easily) launch Android applications, and you will find Google Play Services (including the Play Store).
Phoenix OS is based on Remix OS, but it's still an interesting alternative used by Alcatel (on the Xess tablet), but also Lenovo (which uses bits of code on the Yoga Book).
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Another project was designed in a 100% Android solution, through a dedicated ROM. The project is called OXI, unlike the other two projects (mentioned above), everything runs on a smartphone.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS has adopted the Play Store and Android apps, it remains a very interesting OS. Admittedly, it does not respond to the problem of the file, but it is an OS to watch closely. Google is doing a very interesting job, Chromebooks are going to be very versatile machines with a good price. Hoping that it will be possible, later, to integrate Chrome OS into a smartphone. Google demonstrates its ability to wrap Android apps cleanly, without requiring extra work for developers.
Moreover, in the first versions of Nougat, we could discover a windowed mode called Freeform Windows. This mode made it possible to resize application windows and move them freely like a desktop OS. Still buggy, this feature is ultimately not present in the latest version of Android, it remains confined for the moment at the project stage and can be unlocked through command lines and the installation of an alternative recovery.
Cloud computing
Finally, it is possible to access a PC environment from a smartphone thanks to cloud computing. We tried Shadow, which gives access to Windows 10 (the equivalent of a Core i7, 12 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070) remotely. The French start-up promises no latency, however you must be equipped with a Very High Speed connection to take advantage of it. We have just tried the Android application on this article.
We tested Shadow on Android, the power of a GeForce 1070 on my smartphoneThe Android client has arrived in a beta version for Shadow service customers, including myself. You can find it on the Play Store, but without a Shadow account you won't go very…Read more
How to connect your Android to a screen?
Once the system is ready, you must be able to connect your smartphone to a screen, such as a TV or a PC monitor. For once, several possibilities are available: the first is to connect your smartphone with a cable. This method is not available for all devices, you need to make sure your device is MHL compatible. Then you need an adapter, microUSB or USB Type-C. Please note, few USB-C smartphones are MHL compatible, this is not the case with the latest Nexus (for example).
You can also use a Google Chromecast on your screen, the latter will be able to retransmit the interface of your Android. This solution is not ideal for viewing videos, the framerate is too low. On the other hand, it is more than enough for office automation.
GoogleChromecast 1 (2013)
Product sheet9 /10GoogleChromecast 2
Product sheetSee the test Available at 38 €8 /10GoogleChromecast Ultra
Product sheetSee the test < p>You can also transmit your screen through a VNC type service, but this use seems rather superfluous to me: it requires a PC.
How to connect a mouse or a keyboard to Android?
Then you will need a mouse and a keyboard, you have… they have been around for at least 30 years and allow you to control an interface . Two options are available to you. The first is to use an OTG adapter, so you can connect your wired mouse or keyboard directly to your smartphone.
You can also use Bluetooth accessories, the vast majority will work natively with Android. Personally, I use a Logitech keyboard compatible with PC, Mac, iOS and Android. It's very good material.
Finally, there are also keyboards that incorporate a touchpad, ideal if you find yourself in front of the television.
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