Continuum windows: What happened when I used Windows 10 phone as my computer

 
A week later, a Windows Phone, and various peripheral devices. Why sign up for this time?

I sit at a desk on Monday afternoon, ready to break something. I spent the last four hours trying to complete a task that usually takes less than half the time. But this is no ordinary day. This is the first day of the week, when I swore to work exclusively on the desktop Continuum Windows 10 Mobile, with my Lumia 950 help instead of right on my PC. games goodbye AAA, traditional desktop and easy multi-tasking applications. Hello, mobility software and application ecosystem fights. Why sign up for this time?
Once the Continuum offers an interesting premise: Instead of lugging around a laptop, simply connect your phone to an external mouse, keyboard and monitor to switch to the desktop-like experience.
Imagine being able to leave the laptop at home and simply pick up the phone and some strings. So when you are and how to get peripherals, and boom! instant desktop replacement.
I'm not the only one who thinks this way. HP hopes its next x3 Elite smartphones will convince IT departments to distribute the phone with portable docks monitoring for corporate drones to use while away from the mother ship. Heck, in theory, domestic users can even ruin completely separate computer and use the Continuum with support for Windows 10 phone as the ultimate mobile computer.
however, he spent seven days in Continuum, to me, it's clear that Microsoft's desktop system on the phone just is not ready to meet my needs.

Really? I’m a truck driver?

How much processing power do I need to do my job anyway, I thought. Of course, writers and journalists are not part of the specialized class of computer users driving the truck, on the analogy made famous by the late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. All I do is put the words in a text editor, upload them to the web interface, cut the picture or two and then transfer it to my editor. Of course, I have online research on this, but the fact that several dozen guides browser?
While PC-even-a Chromebook can handle their daily needs without stammering, my Lumia 950 just for the task.
The problem may be software. Continuum is still in the early days, and lacks some of the key tools to improve performance. For example, the Continuum does not support the mode that allows you to view two programs at once on a screen, the standard Windows pop. This means that you need to use an application in full screen mode at the moment. Hello, Metro Week dull experience Windows 8 era.
In fact, it is a bit unfair. Although the basic concept of using an application while still Continuum is nothing but a mode Windows Metro 8. Firstly, there is a full desktop interface that is more familiar to immediately screen Start Windows 8 already was.

Second, despite the fact that the app ecosystem is struggling to Windows Phone, is much better than the Windows Store during the early days of Windows 8. In addition, the border browser Continuum Windows 10 so it becomes a surprisingly complete, so he could desk Netflix smoothly.
Mobile Applications mode Continuum Office also transformed into replicas of their desktops. They do not have parity feature, of course, but casual users will be hard-pressed to see the difference between them.
Many other Microsoft applications work fantastically well in the Continuum, such as email and Photos app. Third-party applications are where the problems begin. Developers must regain its application as a Universal application for both Windows and explicitly add support-Continuum and many did not until now.
Spotify for Windows Mobile, for example, are unable to work as a continuum desktop application. Web application Spotify requires Flash, that advantage over the phone has not. My only solution was to launch a mobile application on the phone during continuous use on the big screen. Let me get my music fix at work, but it was not perfect.
Things got even more problematic, when I wanted to use the collaboration tool clearance to communicate with my editors. The tension does not support Continuum wants, which means that I had to make a choice between a web application or application on my small screen, not the phone an excellent choice, because the region does not support desktop notifications from websites. In the end, I'm stuck between getting notifications on my phone and in response to my editor in the Web application. It is not a great solution, but it worked.

On top of that, I also had trouble getting in PCWorld content management system (CMS) using the Edge, which forced me to turn to my computer. Not wanting to give up so easily, however, I use the program to try to free the client desktop Thinfinity Cybele Software, to gain access to your PC from my phone enabled for Continuum. It was a little funny, using the Continuum to log on the computer, less than a foot away from me, but the Continuum votes must be maintained.
I also had problems when I wanted to do some basic image editing. My needs are huge: cut some pictures, perhaps to insert a smaller image on a larger white background, happy to keep the CMS, or cut any personal information of my screenshots.
With few needs, I decided not to pay for a room for photo editing, which led me to Fhotoroom-free application that supports the continuum. But in my Lumia 950, the application decelerated for absolute tracking in Continuum mode. Even a simple cut and paste operation took several minutes rather than seconds. Perhaps with a better GPU, Fhotoroom would have done a better job.

Speaking of graphics, the game leaves much to be desired in the continuum. Two games found that supports Continuum included crossy Roads and Age of Empires: Castle Siege. And it was fun, but I would have expected to play Lara Croft GO.

I assumed that because Croft is a universal platform for Windows application (UWP), or at least appears to be a multi-platform purchase and cloud save support between Windows 10 PCs and phones, it will play well with the Continuum, but It's not the case. In fact, you really have no way of knowing whether the Continuum Windows Store application if it does not talk about it in the developer description provided in the Windows Store supports, or by simple trial and error.

The good stuff

 I spent a lot of time complaining about the Continuum, but over time I began to appreciate this feature. There's something futuristic works all day on the phone, and then take it out of the base of reading a book on the couch or to click some pictures of your children. All you need in one device. Magic.

Continuum also supports some of the subtleties, you are used to on the desktop. Keyboard shortcuts such as Windows + PrtScrn key to the images of works such as Alt + F4 to close the program. In fact, this is often the easiest way to close the program, because the traditional button closure in the program window corner disappears (in favor of more space on the screen), it is not caused by hovering mouse.

  

A series of peripherals also worked with Continuum. My keyboard, mouse, headphones and had no problems running. In fact, the mouse response were very Zippy-I expect the experience to be a lag. My Xbox 360 controller and Microsoft webcam, however, the two were incompatible.
In general, the Continuum was a pleasant experience, but it's really all it was. At the moment I'm a truck driver Jobsian despite my scarce computing needs, and my small pocket compartment simply can not meet my needs. In fact, I do not recommend Continuum for those who have to use two applications at the same time.
To facilitate paper input into digital data in a spreadsheet, shooting an email, or by entering your thoughts in the document, the Continuum will work well. It may even be the perfect solution.
Minutes you need to use two or more application performance at once, however, the cracks begin to show continuous. Maybe one day the Continuum is ready for me, but not yet. At the same time, I'll have to continue to drag the trusty laptop around wherever my travels take me.