Follow-up: Convert Your Dual Core Cell Phone Into a Fully Functional Desktop PC

This is a follow-up to an article I published at Convert Your Dual Core Cell Phone Into a Fully Functional Desktop PC in the May 4, 2012 edition of this newsletter. In that article, I reported on an effort by Linux vendor Canonical to produce software that would convert some Android "smartphones" into desktop computers. The theory is simple: use the cell phone's processor, storage, and communications as usual, but add a plug-in large screen and large keyboard for use as a desktop computer. The cell phone's owner could use the phone alone while away from home in the normal manner. However, upon returning home, the cell phone can be plugged a "docking station" and used in the same manner as most desktop computers.

A new piece of hardware will soon be available to do exactly that: a new docking station will convert a Samsung Galaxy Note II cell phone into a desktop computer.

By dropping the Galaxy Note II into the dock, users can connect various peripherals, such as external storage devices, a keyboard and mouse, via the three full-sized USB ports. A 3.5 mm line out port can be used to attach external speakers, while a full-sized HDMI port lets users output 1080p high-definition video to a TV or monitor when the Note II’s 5.5-inch display isn’t big enough. Data can be stored in the cell phone's internal storage or "in the cloud" where essentially infinite storage space is available.

The cost to transform your Galaxy Note II into a mini desktop is US$99.99. The docking station will be available in about a month.

Of course, the cell phone owner is not limited to one docking station. If funds are available, the owner could buy one docking station for use at home, another for use in the office, still another for the motor home, and so on. Yet the owner will have access to all the files and programs wherever he or she is at the moment. All that certainly will be cheaper than buying multiple computers.

You can read more on the Samsung web site at http://goo.gl/kavf7.