Apparently so, as that’s the sell Samsung is making consumers believe on its new Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone launched early this month.
The phone promises a lot of things, and among them is the ability to replace desktops through a docking station connected to a monitor/keyboard/mouse setup. There has been similar claims by other vendors in the past with HP Elite X3 with its proposition of an all in one device. But Samsung DeX is slightly different – firstly you run all Android apps on the monitor and Windows apps using a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure that can add keyboard and mouse for convenience.
Samsung A Software Company?
Samsung realises the future of the mobile business lies in software; Apple is clearly a galaxy (no pun intended) apart when it comes to building an ecosystem. In creating DeX, engineers are focused on how to integrate hardware and software to provide a seamless user experience, building blocks to Samsung’s own dabbling into non-hardware related ventures.
Could DeX and S8 be the alchemy the Korean tech giant been hoping for to break its dependent on just being seen as a hardware maker? After all Tizen, the alternative OS the company developed has yet to become widely accepted. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has the power to perform like a computer, its 10-nanometer application processor is capable of performing complex tasks and the USB type-C technology enables transmitting video and images to the monitor faster while maintaining high fidelity. No question on capability.
Pulling in outside resources to get DeX work could be the key – partnerships with Microsoft and Hancom is vital in bringing the application to life. Any Android 7.0 applications is compatible on DeX and does not require developers to do anything additional to make it work on the phone.
Beyond Smartphones
Combining DeX and Bixby the voice interaction AI build into the S8, Samsung is at the cusp of a breakthrough. Small screen or large screen would not matter; using the phone as the central device to connect to everything around you is the ultimate intention. With Samsung Connect, users can control and monitor digital appliances and devices across their home, big or small.
Getting the various service like DeX, Connect and Bixby on the phone eliminates the use of independent home personal assistants to control your home appliances. Injong Rhee EVP and Head of R&D Software has this to say – “What we propose here at Samsung, is a smarter life with your mobile phone at its center. With the dream that was Samsung DeX now fully realized, I firmly believe we are approaching the edge of a new mobile frontier much sooner than we think.” So if the question of DeX replacing the desktop, the short answer is yes, but this is just the beginning.
