INTEL WORKS ON A DUAL WITH ANDROID AND LINUX SMARTPHONE

The Mobile World Congress of this year has been behind us, but we are still finding little gems that deserve to be mentioned. One of them is the prototype of the smartphone that Intel is developing on the basis of an Atom processor x 3, with the added feature that «deals» the same kernel between an Android stack, and other Linuxconvencional. This allows you to move from "mobile mode" to "desktop mode" without major surprises.

Intel works on a dual smartphone with Android and Linux

Intel works on a dual smartphone with Android and Linux

The idea of turning to a mobile device on a desktop computer is not new. In the market, there are already several solutions with this feature, and the best example is probably Continuum under WinMo 10, although it is only available on high-end devices. Despite all the years of research, this transition from mobile to computer (and vice versa) even has several sharp edges. I am convinced that there are many users willing to replace their computers with a sufficiently powerful smartphone if you assume that this replacement is «full». Which brings us to explore one of the many prototypes that were presented at the last Mobile World Congress. Its developer is none other than Intel, and their two chosen operating systems, are based on Linux.

What should have been Continuum? Now, Intel seeks partners for this technology...

Why two operating systems? Actually, it's two stacks. Intel spokespersons explained that the smartphone uses a single Linux kernel, and divides it between an instance of Android running on a window, and another of a Linux desktop more 'conventional', which judging by the images is very similar to Ubuntu (the build is managed by Intel). Another thing to note is that both instances compare the same file system, or is that there is no need to transfer content. The basis of hardware for this smartphone is a SoC Atom x 3 with 2 GB RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, and a display of 5.1 inches. When connecting an external monitor screen of the smartphone is turned off, but Intel indicated that the next generation of the Atom x 3 will support dual displays simultaneously.

The rest boils down to business. The Atom x 3 is a chip that is already on the market, and its production could be accelerated immediately, but what Intel are looking for are partners, or better said, customers for this dual format. From a technical point of view, the phone is not «high-end», and anyone who is its potential as a desktop platform is directly tied to performance. Perhaps Intel should wait a bit.