On The Road Again

"Build"-ing on Continuum

Janusz Gal — Mon, 23 May 2016 15:15:44 GMT

Build, Microsoft annual developer conference, was held at the end of March this year. While focus was on AI bots, Windows 10 Anniversary Update, the Universal Windows Platform, & Bash, there were also some great Continuum updates! The key features to recognize:

Ability to wireless cast to a Windows 10 PC
Xbox One controller support
Azure Remote app and Remote Desktop running Win32 apps

Let's step back a moment and think about our vision for Continuum - improving mobility. We want to give individuals the ability to carry less devices when they're on the go and continue to be productive. These features meet that goal. The Continuum presenter at Build 2016 mentioned a predicament that fits the mobility scenario perfectly - being at your parents house and getting a surprise email that requires you to work. If you're far away, only have your phone, and can't use another computer due to security concerns, then you're about to have a tedious experience needing to use phone apps for laptop-esque work. But now you can cast your Windows phone to a family PC. The PC is merely streaming the device screen and not processing any of the information. You can use Windows Universal apps or Win32 apps that your company has hosted in Azure in a laptop form factor. All you brought was your phone, yet you can do the work using a laptop securely accessing the company data and apps you require. The experience is tremendously improved and the work can be completed much quicker. The only requirement is having the phone you always carry with you. The full session can be viewed on Channel 9, https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2016/T601.

Let's talk phones.

Janusz Gal — Sat, 14 May 2016 17:05:55 GMT

Which phones actually work allow Continuum? Going back to the MSDN page (referenced in the previous page, talking about what Continuum actually is), we are given the hardware requirements for phone manufacturers looking to support Continuum. Most of the requirements are met by any high-end smartphone these days (2GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi). The big giveaway, and my general rule of thumb, is processor support. Continuum requires a Snapdragon 808, 810, and more recently the 617. This requirement is why we don't see old phones getting support (other high-end Windows phones generally had Snapdragon 800s or 801s). Onto the phones themselves! The ones that started it all: Lumia 950 and 950 XL They're the original show-stoppers. Great flagship devices that showcase the best of Windows 10 Mobile. The 950 and 950 XL have the Snapdragon 808 and 810 respectively, and while the Continuum experience is great on both, the XL is marginally better. Some unique features that have won me over: great cameras (with dedicated camera button), iris scanner, 3 gigs of RAM, and beautiful QHD screens. I'm also a huge fan of the fun power button placement (in order: Volume Up, Power, Volume Down), but that may deter some people. Oh, and grab one of the slick Mozo backplate replacements if you'd like to change the look. The unavailable! Acer Liquid Jade Primo, NuAns Neo, HP Elite x3, Sony VAIO Phone Biz, and the Moly PcPhone What a line-up. The metallic and sleek, the modernly designed, the ultra powerful, and the beautiful yet affordable. All coming in the next few months but no official release date. Acer Liquid Jade Primo Want a Lumia 950 alternative that's slightly larger and has a metallic build? Look no further. Expect a slightly better battery life considering the screen has a more traditional 1080p resolution as well. NuAns Neo Welcome to design heaven. Be prepared to have to decide between an endless amount of backplates (the top and bottom are independent), but don't expect the highest end specs here. This was the first Continuum phone introduced with the Snapdragon 617, which is still a solid performer. For those looking for a cheaper, ultra modern, entry into the Continuum world, who also happen to live in Japan, the NuAns Neo is a great choice. Here's hoping it comes to the states. HP Elite x3 A complete surprise at MVC, the HP Elite x3 came in swinging. Snapdragon 820 (the latest), 4 gigs of RAM, a huge battery, 6" QHD screen. Everything a spec-geek could ever ask for. Some features even came as a huge surprise such as the inclusion of both a fingerprint and iris scanner and a HP cloud VM app for running full Windows apps in Continuum. I am eagerly awaiting the chance to test out the HP Elite x3 and see how great the experience is after all the tech blog raving. HP even went a third step further and created the Mobile Extender (which I had also mentioned in a previous post), adding a whole new use case for Continuum. Sony VAIO PhoneBiz Although not much info has been released about the PhoneBiz, it does come in with the basic specs (Snapdragon 617, 5.5 HD screen, 3 gigs of ram) and will have a lower price tag. In my eyes a good alternative to the NuAns Neo for those who prefer a larger screen and a metal finish. Moly PcPhone Expected to launch in July (although not in the states), the PcPhone is an interesting product from a small company. The 6" screen and fairly standard specs (Snapdragon 617 and 3 gigs of ram, again) make it another solid addition in the Windows phone space. The price is also apparently up in the air as a questionnaire can be found on the Moly website asking consumers what price they are willing to pay.

What is Continuum?

Janusz Gal — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 19:50:32 GMT

"Continuum is a new, adaptive user experience offered in Windows 10 that optimizes the look and behavior of apps and the Windows shell for the physical form factor and customer's usage preferences." - MSDN

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn917883%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

What does that mean? When the look of Windows changes because the form factor changed, you are experiencing Continuum. The "Do you want to switch to tablet mode?" prompt is Continuum. The Windows shell is adapting itself to provide a better experience in the new form factor you've established, by flipping over or removing the keyboard. So Continuum isn't just a feature of Windows phones? Correct - Continuum is a Windows 10 feature. Continuum is often touted as the landmark feature of Windows phone, which seems to have taken the thunder away from Windows itself. But maybe that's because Continuum for phone is especially useful. When my phone is running the applications and UI for a tablet, I feel as though I have two devices each perfect for their own function. But this tablet doesn't hold any of my information - anyone from my family can use it to interact with their content and have the same experience. Seamless integration with their data but better methods of interaction for certain tasks. As an example – along with the announcement of the HP Elite x3 was a set of peripherals. The most exciting of these peripherals is the HP Mobile Extender:

https://store.hp.com/us/en/ContentView?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&eSpotName=Elite-x3

Two form factors, one computing package, and a great deal of available interactions. From a mobility aspect, we can certainly see some great benefits, in particular:

Scenario	Multiple Devices	Continuum for phone
Working from home	Bring home work provided laptop	Use the significantly lighter Mobile Extender to write emails, edit documents or PowerPoint presentations, while attending Skype for Business calls from your phone OR If you have a laptop or desktop back at home, use Continuum to extend your work phone to that device, gaining full access to work resources (and the usefulness of a laptop form factor)

Continuum and the plethora of peripherals that can be released give us the flexibility to work efficiently from anywhere, as long as we have our phone.

On The Road Again, with Continuum

Janusz Gal — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:17:27 GMT

Tablets showed the industry that, compared to their phones, users also wanted larger form factors and well-designed applications that display more information. Despite running similar operating systems, tablets provided a unique method of interaction that had more value. Users now carry many devices because each device works best in a certain situation - typing documents on a laptop, streaming movies on a tablet, taking photos on a phone, and so on. All of these and more can be done on the same device, but we are limited by our methods of interaction, and so we seek out other devices.

In 2015 Microsoft announced Continuum for phone, allowing Windows 10 Mobile devices to push their UI to other form factors. Now we can extend the spectrum of interaction our phones provide and take advantage of their power in many more ways. Some types of devices cannot be replaced because they are required to perform a certain task, but as we see the consumer industry defining more form-factor focused devices, features like Continuum will be an invaluable technology.

The importance of Continuum lies in understanding the mobility it provides and its coexistence with our current platforms and infrastructure. There's still only a few supported phones, but traditional computer peripherals, the universal app platform, remote desktop capabilities, "extenders", all play into being more mobile.

I'll be using this blog as a place to discuss all things Continuum-related (devices, feature updates, use-cases, and so on). I absolutely welcome any and all feature requests, in the overall effort to make obvious just how much Continuum can do.