[cylo]

That is indeed what continuum is. Right now it's limited by the fact that you can only run Universal Windows Apps (UWP) that support ARM.

This is exactly why x86-emulation-on-ARM (http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/11/x86-em...) is a very exciting project from Microsoft.

As mobile chips continue to improve, emulating x86 becomes a viable way of tapping into the huge Windows ecosystem of applications when not running on battery power.

I think this is Microsoft's last shot of becoming relevant in the mobile space.

[hyperpallium]

Unfortunately, that ecosystem wasn't designed with small touchscreens in mind, nor battery efficiency...

[seanmcdirmid]

Bring your own screen, keyboard, and power supply. Continuum is a weird beast, I'm not exactly sure who would get something out of it even if app support was good.

[Joeri]

If the phone hardware was more powerful, and the win32 app support was there, it could replace your PC. You'd have a USB-C dock, with keyboard, screen and mouse, into which you plug your phone. Your phone is your PC, and when you leave you take it with you along with all your files and all your software.

You could combine it with something like a nexdock to also turn it into a laptop. Would be cheaper than getting a phone, and a desktop pc and a laptop, and it would avoid all those nasty issues with keeping devices in sync.

The qualcomm 820 already performed at core m levels, and the 835 is 25% faster, so it should be fine if paired with enough ram and storage.

[hyperpallium]

Sorry, I wrote GP with an extra thread in mind without referencing it, about how phones-as-desktops hasn't happened https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13333797

The problem isn't power. Phones have been powerful enough for about 5 years (since around iPhone 4s, as a means of dating it).

[shiftpgdn]

VDI which is what most large organizations are moving to. That computer on the desk is just a dumb terminal.