How to turn your smartphone into a PC using Andromium OS. Related Posts

The name “smartphone” itself translates as “ smart phone" And indeed, this phone is very smart. But users usually use only a small part of its capabilities, being content with the telephone component itself, SMS, social networks, toys and surfing in every sense. But besides this, a smartphone can do a lot more things. This is especially true for the newest premium models, in which all sorts of super-innovative things are being introduced, like scrolling through text with your eyes. Of course, not everyone can benefit from such extravagant abilities, but there are a lot useful features, available to most smartphone owners on any popular platform.

A smartphone can be not only a “dialer” and decoration, but also a useful tool

Sports assistant

Perhaps one of the most common non-primary uses of a smartphone is as a personal supervisor during physical activity, or simply as a fitness trainer. If the latter consists simply of installing a specialized application with information about exercises, then the former uses the hardware capabilities of the smartphone to the fullest.

A typical application in this case would be to install an application like Runtastic (for all major platforms) that tracks all possible parameters of a person while running or cycling. It starts before the start of the workout, and the person receives full statistics by distance covered. This information includes the number of calories burned, exact time paths, distance, ascents/descents, average speed, etc.

Note that most of the information is based on data received from GPS satellites, and this is convenient at least because it generally does not require an Internet connection. However, if you want to see such information in real time on a map, you will need the Internet. In general, sports applications cover all aspects of training, and there are even exotic ones - for example, the Just 6 Weeks application allows you, with the proper persistence (and steroids), to get an athletic figure in just six weeks.

By the way, in lately applying for the role of fitness assistant " smart watch”, which slowly but surely interest the public. This fall, the most tempting new product is expected to be released - the Kreos Meteor watch - which promises to explode the market with its fantastic capabilities at a dumping price.

GPS and people

Most people use GPS satellites only as an attachment to various maps and navigation systems– to accurately determine your location for them. But GPS has much more capabilities: for example, as described in the previous part, for recording active physical activity. However, this can be called a type of “map application”.

The really interesting satellite capabilities are hidden in GPS applications. For example, GPS Speedometer, which shows you the current speed of both you (if you're walking) and the car, including altitude messages. It is also theoretically possible to determine the speed of the aircraft while sitting in the cabin, but in practice this is not available to every device.

You can also try GPS app Test to see how many active (and how active) satellites your smartphone can currently pick up. The accuracy and speed of determining the coordinates, which are used for all the above-mentioned operations, depend on this.

By the way, scientists from the University of California Berkeley (USA) recently found another application for GPS sensors in smartphones: they were used to collect information about the underwater world, packing them in waterproof capsules and slightly modifying some of them for autonomous movement.

Composing music

One of the trends of recent years is “electronization” musical instruments: from vinyl turntables to piano and guitar. Let’s not argue about whether this is good or bad; we’d rather do our part and tell you about using a smartphone as a musical instrument.

And not just as usual DJ console with sixteen virtual pads, but also in the role of many different “classical” instruments. For example, the virtual piano My Piano or virtual guitars VirtualGuitar.

Image source macdigger.ru

Previously, when going on a two-week vacation to hot countries, an ordinary business trip, or just to visit grandma in the village, you had to take a laptop with you to solve rare work problems. This could be editing a document, showing a presentation, or using programs that simply won’t run on an ordinary smartphone. And while the whole world lay low waiting for the presentation Windows 10 Mobile, which promises to solve this kind of problem, craftsmen have tried to find a way to use a full-fledged “large” operating system on a pocket gadget right now.

There are 2 main ways

The first is the path of least resistance. It is suitable for those who do not like to delve into source code, wanting to get a solution quickly and reliably. Briefly, the essence is this: you need to take a suitable SD card and using applications Qemu or Bochs create an image on it operating system Windows. However, there is a small caveat: normal operation is guaranteed only with versions 9x, so about using modern programs will have to forget. You can also use the utility aDOSBox, but this is more suitable for those nostalgic for DOS games. In general, if this suits you, then the instructions can be found at the link.

This approach has one big disadvantage. The builds of most downloaded operating systems are not optimized for phones, and those that are specially created are cut off and do not have the ability to work with the camera, the Internet and internal settings (for example, installing drivers external devices). Therefore, if you urgently need to edit a file sent by email, you will have to perform many additional operations, moving and rebooting.

Things are much simpler with emulation of Linux systems. There is nothing surprising here, since the architecture of Android and, say, Ubuntu have common roots. Right in Play Store you can find applications like Complete Linux Installer or Linux Deploy , which will quickly and easily help you install a full-fledged GUI on a handy smartphone. Instructions for work can be found either inside the program, or on the Internet with, and you can also watch the training video. The only thing is, don’t be lazy to check your phone for compatibility and minimum required characteristics. Otherwise, you risk wasting a lot of time.

Second way open the usual desktop - feel like a full-fledged geek, rummage through the code, hack the system boot loader and install a kernel that allows you to launch a computer operating system or at least emulate it. The method, frankly speaking, is long, requiring a lot of time, courage and special care. If that doesn't scare you off, then detailed guide By Windows installation 7 on an Android smartphone can be found. This path has several huge advantages. Installed system is complete, that is, you will be able to use the Internet, camera, built-in services and most application applications. But there is also a fly in the ointment - with graphic programs problems may arise. Still, the difference in architecture does its job.

Despite the fact that the idea of ​​running familiar operating systems on pocket gadgets has existed since the first day color phones appeared, no one has yet been able to completely solve this problem. IN best case scenario these attempts are limited by functionality, and most often resemble an attempt to surprise friends and acquaintances by demonstrating the outer shell. The more long-awaited is the approaching release of the operating system Windows 10 Mobile, which promises to solve this problem once and for all. A little more, and the average user will forget about the problems forever remote computer, will stop racking your brains about whether or not to take another massive one on the road electronic device. Find the nearest internet cafe. Spend time selecting a compatible application.

It seems like a little more...

Or have we been deceived again?

For those who want to develop for mobile devices, we recommend the profession.

Could your smartphone be the only computer you need? This dream is constantly being stormed on Kickstarter, but it is not a new dream.

Motorola tried the idea in 2011 with Webtop software and the Lapdock device, but the attempt failed after just a year and a half. Microsoft began to implement its version of a similar idea with the Continuum function for smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile, but the share of mobile devices with the operating system was reduced Microsoft system prevented the popularization of this method.

You can forget about Apple for now, which won't be doing anything drastic in this direction anytime soon. This leaves only Android to turn your smartphone into a PC. To do this, we need to take a closer look at Andronium OS.

What is Andromium OS?

Andromium OS promises to create a desktop environment for Android, allowing you to use all your smartphone apps on big screen- similar to how Chrome OS is now starting to support Android apps on its desktop platform.

Andromium OS was originally launched in 2015 and rather than being a completely new operating system, which would require Android uninstall from your smartphone, is actually just an application that you can download from Google Play and install on any Android smartphone or tablet.

The developers' goal was to get software to work with as many Android smartphones as possible (though there are limitations), which offers features such as apps in separate windows like Windows, Start menu, dragging and dropping desktop icons, and more.

Turning an Android smartphone into a PC

Before you get started, you will need the following:

• Relatively new smartphone/ tablet
• TV or monitor
• Chromecast/Miracast device
• Keyboard (Bluetooth/USB)
• Mouse (Bluetooth/USB)

Additionally, if you are using a USB mouse or keyboard, you will need a smartphone that supports USB standard On-The-Go (OTG), which allows you to do more than just communicate mobile devices each other, but also easily connect peripheral devices to your smartphone or tablet, which is very important if you don't have a wireless mouse or keyboard at hand.

If you are going to use wired peripherals, you will also need USB adapter OTG. You can buy MicroUSB or USB-C versions, depending on your smartphone model.

Which smartphones work with Andromium?

Before we move on to setting up our Andromium system, a few words about smartphones.

The software is designed to work on almost any smartphone, but the developers give some recommended specifications for smartphones that should be used for a comfortable experience. They suggest that you must have a processor equal to or better than Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, which was released in 2013 on smartphones such as Google Nexus 5 and Sony Xperia Z1. The company also says that the phone you use must have at least 2GB of RAM.

It should be noted that Andromium OS is not limited to chips from Qualcomm (for example, it works great with Huawei's Kirin chipsets).

Installing Andromium OS

First of all, you need to download the Andromium OS app on Google Play. Once installed, you will need to grant it permission to access application data (in order to manage running applications in the taskbar), as well as providing access to notifications, so that you, again, can manage them directly from the desktop.

Next, you'll need to set up your screen and peripherals. Andromium suggests using a display with a minimum resolution of 1080p, and you can use either a dedicated computer monitor or connect it to your TV.

While you can connect all your devices using wires, if possible, it is better to go with a wireless option. For wireless connection phone to your TV or display, you can use Chromecast, Miracast or any other set-top box that can connect to HDMI port on the screen.

When using Chromecast and Miracast, you must enable screen sharing on the connected display. For example, in Chromecast you need to launch the corresponding application on your smartphone.

You can also use various adapters to connect your smartphone to a display or TV.

Then you will need to connect your mouse and keyboard. Again, the Bluetooth connection with support for wireless devices makes everything much easier. Just make sure that normal pairing between these devices is established and you will achieve your goal.

If you don't have wireless peripherals, you can connect a USB mouse or keyboard to your smartphone or tablet using USB cable OTG (although there are also mice and keyboards with MicroUSB). If you don't have an OTG hub, you will only be able to connect one of these at a time peripheral devices. In addition, you will not be able to charge your smartphone during this time.

Tablet mode

Of course, if you don't need a really big screen and have an Android tablet, things get a lot easier. Just download the app to your tablet, connect a Bluetooth keyboard (preferably with a built-in trackpad). In this way, you can turn your tablet into, although not a powerful, but working laptop.

Using Andromium OS

Once you have everything installed, you are ready to enable the Andromium OS application. When you launch it, you will be asked to select an interface scaling setting. It's usually set to Normal, but Large may be better for you if your monitor or TV is larger than 32 inches.

You are also given the option to dim your smartphone screen when you launch an app, which helps save battery life on your smartphone.

If your smartphone is not connected to charger, then Andromium OS will not start. In this case, you will have to manually launch it by pulling down the notification bar and tapping on the Andromium notification.

After you do this, your smartphone's screen will darken and you will see a typical desktop environment on the display with application icons, the Start menu and the taskbar. Of course, Andromium OS is not a full-fledged operating system like Windows 10, MacOS or even Chrome OS, but it does have a working desktop environment.

Andromium has its own set of native applications that open in windows and can be minimized, closed, and resized. They include file manager, browser, music, video player, calculator and even a Minesweeper clone to give it an authentic desktop feel.

These are all really rudimentary apps and none of them replace the much more powerful apps available in the store.

Clicking on the Andromium logo in the bottom left corner opens the Start menu where you can access a list of supported apps - these include Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube and Netflix - as well as all other applications installed on your smartphone that are listed as "unverified".

Supported or unverified applications open on full screen without the ability to change their size. They will simply launch in the usual form, but in landscape orientation.

You can easily drag the icons for these applications from the Start menu to your desktop to make them easy to access.

Conclusion

On the positive side this method using Andromium OS offers a simple, relatively cheap way to turn an old smartphone or tablet into something useful. This is not a replacement for a full PC, but if you need a device for editing text, browsing the web and answering emails, then Andromium is definitely a cheaper option than buying a new PC.

Navigating the interface with a mouse and keyboard feels easy, and the software runs smoothly on almost most smartphones.

On the negative side, the interface is still very crude and limited in what it allows you to do. The app is still in beta and we would like to hope that the developers will polish it and add new features soon.

About two years ago, a completely new type of device began to appear on the shelves of Chinese stores and in online catalogs: the so-called mini-PCs based on ARM processors and operating room Android systems equipped with HDMI output. The devices turned out to be so successful and popular that soon clones began to be produced in almost every second Chinese basement, and even the most famous online stores began selling them.

Mini PC?

Mini PC is a semi-official name similar devices. It would be more accurate to call them TV set-top boxes, but for some reason this did not catch on. The name MK802 or MK808 is often used, in honor of the first models of such devices. In any case, whatever the name, we are always talking about a device a little larger than a flash drive, with an HDMI output on one side and several USB ports on the other.

The whole point is that, having stuck such a thing in HDMI port any TV, you can immediately, without any hassles, turn it into a Smart TV, on which you can watch YouTube videos via a Wi-Fi network, surf the Internet and generally run any Android software, including heavy games. And all this for just 2,000 rubles, including an HDMI cable and remote control.

On the back of the stick there are two microUSB 2.0 ports, one full-size USB 2.0 port, a memory card slot and an LED

Background

One of the first such set-top boxes was the Rikomagic MK802 model, built on the basis of the already outdated SoC Allwinner A10 (with a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, GPU Mali-400 MP) and equipped with Android 4.0. The model went on sale in May last year and is now no longer produced, giving way to the MK802 III and MK802 IV models based on the much more powerful dual-core Rockchip RK3066 and quad-core Rockchip RK3188 with 1 GB and 2 GB of memory, respectively. In addition to HDMI output, all models are equipped with two microUSB 2.0 ports, USB port 2.0 and a microSD slot, which together allows you to use them as full-fledged computers with a keyboard, mouse, large memory card or external hard disk.

Over time, this line of devices gave rise to a huge number of clones produced in a wide variety of Chinese factories. The most famous of them were iMito MX1 and MX2 with an aluminum case that dissipates heat very well, as well as the Minix Neo line, the models of which (G4, X5, X5, X3) differed little from the original. All of them are fully compatible with the MK802 III and, in fact, are its copy in a different case. With the release of the MK802 IV model, the corresponding iMito QX1 and Minix X7 models based on the quad-core Rockchip RK3188 with two gigabytes of memory immediately appeared.

Later in the article I will talk about iMito MX1, which, although somewhat outdated, has managed to grow a large number various manuals, improvements and firmware, among which is Ubuntu, and its price is $30 lower. If you are just about to order a device, then I recommend choosing the iMito QX1 - apart from the additional two cores and a gig of memory, it is not so different from the previous model, and many things will be relevant for it. You just have to prepare for the fact that there will be no alternative firmware, not to mention Ubuntu, there isn't one for it yet.

Purchase and launch

You can buy any of the devices listed above on one of three sites: dealextreame.com, tinydeal.com or pandawill.com. They hardly differ in the quality of service, prices, or delivery speed, so choose any one, enter the name of the device and click “Buy now”. Of course, you will have to make a credit card first. In about a month the package will arrive to your local post office.

I won’t go into detail about what this miracle looks like. Everything is clear without any descriptions, I’ll just say that the rear microUSB port is used only for power, so it makes no sense to connect anything other than a charger to it. To turn it on, just plug one side of the stick into the HDMI input of any TV or monitor (or use an HDMI extender), and insert a miniUSB cable into the other and power it with any in a convenient way- even with a charger, or through a computer.

The contraption turns on automatically immediately after power is applied, and within 20 seconds a worker appears on the screen Android desk. For ease of control, some manufacturers attach special remote controls to their HDMI sticks (which can be purchased for $10 apiece on the same die-extremes). But it is much more convenient to use, at least at first, a simple wireless mouse, it is detected without problems and works immediately after connection. In the future, you can instead use the DroidMote software or the official RKRemoteControl, which allow you to control the device from your smartphone (and yes, this is still more convenient than the remote control).

After you get a mouse, everything else becomes simple and obvious: setting the language, connecting to Wi-Fi, connecting a Google account, installing software. Inside it's the most regular Android, so there shouldn't be any problems using it. If you really want to get the most out of this device and learn how to use it effectively, then you can’t do without some tricks and hacks.

Remote control

The mouse is good and convenient, and the keyboard is not bad, but we must take care of more universal methods management. Best for this role a smartphone will do on the same Android, especially since any device in the MK802 series, with the exception of the first two, has own system remote control using a smartphone called RKRemoteControl.

This system is good because, having the functionality of remote controls that require root rights, it already has a built-in server and does not need rooting itself. The only thing you have to do is download the control application from a third-party site (goo.gl/WOrQf) and install it yourself on the control device (smartphone or tablet).

The remote includes four main functions: touchpad (remote mouse), remote keyboard, media player control and navigation (buttons up, down, left, right, home, back, search, and so on). In general, the application is very good, although it is inferior to DroidMote, which works better and includes a joystick. On the other hand, you will have to pay for DroidMote, and even get root rights before doing so.

Another interesting option- is to use various Bluetooth mice, keyboards and joysticks. Starting with MK802 III, the device supports blue tooth, so this will all work without any problems. By the way, so that when using various USB or any remote keyboards, the standard Android keyboard does not appear on the screen, you can install NULL Keyboard from the market. This is a plug that takes the place of a normal keyboard. Before use, it must be activated via “Settings -> Language and input -> Default”.

Wired Internet

If for some reason you don’t have Wi-Fi (which is very strange in 2013), you can easily connect the device to the Internet using a USB to RJ45 adapter. You can buy this again in any Chinese online store for 3-4 dollars (for example, here: goo.gl/tt9cP), or in a computer store, paying three times more.

In any case, just plug the adapter into a USB port, enable the Ethernet option in the settings, and if there is a DHCP server at the other end, within a few seconds the system will be on the Internet. If a static setting is used, then in the same Ethernet option there is a “Static IP Settings” item for this, where you can independently register the IP, gateway address and DNS server.

And again root

Although the MK802 can be used without root or installing third-party firmware, the latter opens up much more interesting possibilities. So, if you have root, you can disable the display of the bottom control line, which is practically meaningless on a TV, and activate the debugging mode (ADB) via Wi-Fi, which allows you to extra effort transfer files to the device, do backups applications, synchronize application data (which is very convenient to use for sharing saves in games), and much more.

As with any other Android device, there are three ways to get root on the MK802: use an exploit, flash an update with root, or install an already rooted one custom firmware. In the next section I will talk about installing the Finless ROM firmware, and now I will explain how to get root on the MK802 III.

The simplest and most straightforward way to do this is to install a specially prepared update that will add the /system/bin/su command and the SuperUser application to the system, providing access to superuser privileges. To do this, just follow three simple steps:

1. Download the update.zip file (goo.gl/gbbDE) and put it in the root of any existing memory card.
2. Insert the memory card into the device, after which an update message should appear on the screen, followed by a reboot and installation of the firmware.
3. After the installation process is completed, the card should be removed and the file deleted from it, otherwise, after plugging it in again, the device will try to update again. After the reboot, the firmware will be rooted, and you can use the full!screen application to hide the status bar, WiFi ADB to access ADB via wireless network, PPP Widget for easy connection to the Internet via a 3G modem, and you will also be able to use the device as a server (more on that later).

Firmware

The RK3066 system-on-chip and its later modifications, on which the MK802 is based, starting with version III, are distinguished by the fact that the manufacturer does not open an SDK for its hardware. Because of this, the process of porting other OSes is significantly more difficult, and assemblies, for example, of the same CyanogenMod for devices based on RK3066 cannot be found. Just be content with the modifications standard firmware from the manufacturer. I would call the most interesting of them the Finless ROM firmware, suitable for the MK802 III and analogues. It differs from stock in the following features:

• Auto-hide the status bar when launching any application. Very convenient function, available through the menu: “Settings -> Display -> Auto Hide System Bar”.
• Ability to enable lock screen. The function is useful because it allows you to set a PIN code so that no one but you can use Smart TV.
• Automatic sleep with screen blanking. Triggers after a certain period of time after the cessation of any network activity. Enabled in “Settings -> Display -> Sleep mode”.
• Supports location by IP address. Allows, for example, to obtain more accurate search results or to work correctly for applications that display weather and other geo-dependent data.
• Fixed compatibility problems with games from Gameloft, which affects almost all RK3066 devices.
• Support for hardware video decoding in XBMC.
• Compatible with Xbox joystick.

However, the most important thing is full support output video in 1080p resolution. The fact is that, although the MK802 supports output in this resolution, Android somehow operates on a 720p image, and when sent to the screen, scales it to 1080p. As a result, when viewed closely on Full HD screens, the image appears blurry, and text on a white background becomes difficult to read.

The manufacturer did this on purpose, because the device has great difficulty coping with operation in 1080p mode, which is why Android starts to slow down, games lag, and 1080p video loads the device so much that it can simply burn out. If this doesn’t bother you, the Finless ROM kit includes a Full HD core, which you can select at boot.

Like all other devices based on RK3066, MK802 III is flashed using proprietary utility Rockchip Batch Tool, and the firmware process itself resembles some kind of illogical quest from a bad game. In general, it is done like this:

1. We de-energize the experimental device, and plug the power cable into the side OTG connector instead of the rear one. We plug the other end of the cable into the computer.
2. We load Windows on the computer and download the archive with the firmware and everything necessary tools goo.gl/Df5Ur.
3. We unpack the archive anywhere and run the content contained in it ROM file FLash Tool.exe, which displays a window where the message “No Found RKAndroid rock USB” should appear.
4. In the device settings, activate the storage access mode using “Settings -> Memory -> Menu -> Mass Storage”.
5. After that in ROM Flash Tool The message “Found RKAndroid Mass Storage USB” should appear. If this is the case, click on the “Reboot to Flash Mode” button.
6. The device reboots and then appears in the manager Windows devices How unknown device. To fix this, you should go to the device manager, look for a device with the name type RK30, marked in yellow exclamation point, open it and click the “Update Driver” button. Next, you should specify the folder with the unpacked Finless ROM to search for the driver, it contains x32 or x64, depending on the bit depth of the OS, and already there the desired OS (Xp, Vista...). Windows will install the driver and prompt you to reboot. We agree.
7. After the reboot, run ROM FLash Tool.exe again, wait for the inscription “Found RKAndroid Mass Storage USB” to appear. Again, click “Reboot to Flash Mode”, wait for the same message to appear, then click “Erase NAND (IDB)” to erase everything on the device.
8. (Optional step) If a Full HD core is required, find in top list flashed components kernel720.img and rename them to kernel1080.img.
9. Click “Flash ROM” and wait for the firmware to finish.
10. We are waiting full load systems.

If the system does not boot, repeat the last four steps.

WARNING

• When activating sleep mode in Finless ROM, do not forget to turn on Wi-Fi settings constant connection to the network, otherwise immediately after the device falls asleep you will lose connection with it.
• In the Finless ROM firmware, the device name is replaced with GT-I9100 (Galaxy S II) for compatibility with a large number of applications in the market. So don't be surprised when you see Samsung Galaxy S II instead of the usual MK802 III.

Server

The great thing about the MK802 is that you don't need to connect HDMI to work. This feature, combined with the tiny size of the device itself, makes the MK802 a tempting candidate for the role of a home energy-efficient and very good server. One problem remains to be solved - Android is unsuitable for performing such tasks.

The easiest way to do this is to install the Servers Ultimate app from the market. This is no less than a collection of about 40 different servers and 14 network utilities for monitoring and control. The application allows you to run servers such as DHCP, DNS, CVS, FTP, MySQL, HTTP, PHP, X11, SMB and even Styx. Moreover, this is not just a collection of servers in a beautiful graphical shell, which can only be started and stopped from standard settings. Each server has a graphical configuration interface that allows you to change many options. Of course, you can’t configure optimized nginx with Ruby on Rails in this way, but you can launch your own FTP and SMB server to share files from the connected software USB hard disk is very possible.

Servers Ultimate is fully integrated into Android and allows you to start servers when loading or when events occur, view server status and logs using user-friendly interface and much more. In general, it’s just a dream, but it’s all worth it - even taking into account seasonal decline prices - 10 dollars. Free version allows you to run only two servers at the same time, and only for 14 days (Trial).

However, you can find many other, mostly lower quality, wrappers for running servers on the market. The same droidsshd for SSH, for example. At presence of root You can also use Linux distribution installation tools, such as Linux Deploy, and install required servers already into it. An even more interesting option is the BotBrew tool (botbrew.com), which allows you to install Linux software, including Apache and Samba, directly on Android. By the way, there will be a separate article about him in the next issue of the magazine, don’t miss it. Well, the surest option is to install a real Linux distribution on the device.

Ubuntu

Despite the lack of any normally working firmware based on CyanogenMod, for the MK802 III and clones there is quite a high-quality and fully functional port of Ubuntu 12.10, and even installed as an alternative OS next to the main code.google.com. In fact, this means that the MK802 can be a very good thin client, server, or simple PC for purposes like “checking your email” or “watching cats on the Internet.” For a price of $60, this is very, very good.

The installation itself includes two steps: the first is flashing an alternative kernel into the recovery partition of the device and the second is installing the system itself on a flash drive or SD card (you will need a card of at least 4 GB in size). To flash the kernel, we will use the ROM FLash Tool.exe tool, already familiar from installing Finless ROM firmware. Download the kernel goo.gl/uXQBS, run ROM FLash Tool.exe, but this time at the top of the window uncheck all fields except the sixth (recovery), click on the last field and select the previously downloaded file. Click "Flash ROM". This is all.

To install it yourself Ubuntu distribution to a memory card, boot into Linux on a desktop machine (no way without it), download the script pre-picuntu.sh goo.gl/RsRlS , run:

Bash pre-picuntu.sh

and follow the instructions. Alternatively, you can do the installation yourself. To do this, you need to create an ext4 partition on the memory card named linuxroot, and then unpack the archive with the system goo.gl/y0Kq6 into it. Next, insert the memory card into the device and reboot into recovery mode one of two ways to choose from:

1. Using the Reboot application in Finless ROM.
2. By running the command “su && reboot recovery” in Android terminal(needs root). After this, the system will reboot into Ubuntu. If everything is OK, a login window will appear, the password for root is 12qwaszx. To return back to Android, we simply reboot the device in any way (even by unplugging the power cable).

WWW

• MK802 III thread on 4pda: goo.gl/LDZAL
• Firmware for MK802 III and compatible devices: goo.gl/QSCLQ

Conclusions

The MK802 is an excellent device that more than beats its price. With the right level of knowledge and patience, you can make it do absolutely everything, from playing Internet radio to hosting files. It can be turned into thin client or buy a Bluetooth joystick and play games. Despite its Chinese origin and ridiculous price, it has virtually no design problems and can work for weeks on end.

Microsoft's marketing department certainly had its work cut out for them before the launch of the first Windows 10 phones - we couldn't wait to try out the much-touted Continuum feature. Windows systems 10, which, according to the developers’ promises, will become a “bridge” between a smartphone and a PC.

However, after we finally received latest model Lumia 950 XL and tested it in the CHIP test laboratory, we were disappointed. Continuum turned out to be not a “bridge” at all, but only a shaky “mooring”.

This function is made possible through the use of the Display Dock, which is a compact black device where you can connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Continuum starts automatically the moment you connect your smartphone to the docking station. appears on the monitor screen user interface Windows 10, already familiar to owners of PCs and laptops running this system.

The resulting combination of smartphone and docking station allows you to edit PowerPoint and Excel files in Office Mobile on a large screen using the usual mouse and keyboard. Interacting with applications becomes more convenient and easier than sliding your finger across a small mobile phone display.

If you don't want to connect additional mouse, then the smartphone can be used as a touchpad. In some ways, this is quite convenient, because the control becomes very precise, but the device cannot be placed on a smooth table surface - it slides off easily.

Work on a large computer screen is supported only by so-called universal applications - currently these are office applications. Microsoft programs(Word, Excel, Outlook), Edge browser, photo applications and several other utilities. But Microsoft promises that the list of universal applications will quickly expand.

One smartphone - two systems

Even though the smartphone is connected to the display, you will still be able to answer calls, and you can also receive and send SMS messages. Overall, the idea is really good, but the technology needs a little more refinement.

Thanks to the Continuum feature, the phone is actually two devices that you can interact with in parallel. For example, when the monitor is running Word application, Excel can be launched on the smartphone at the same time.

On at this stage Everything is going fine so far, but sometimes the control logic is lame. So, if you launch an application that is not supported by Continuum on your monitor display, it will automatically open on your phone display.

Sometimes, while running, programs disappear from both the smartphone screen and the PC monitor as if by magic magic wand, but this seems to be a simple software bug. Occasional errors cannot be excluded, such as incorrect display application interface on a large display and operation failure virtual keyboard on your smartphone after deactivating Continuum.

So, after the first tests of the technology in practice, there is not much reason to rejoice. To summarize, it should be noted that Snapdragon processor The 810 in the Lumia 950 XL copes well with the simultaneous operation of two parallel systems and does not become overloaded.

However, even when using only office programs The smartphone heats up unpleasantly, despite what the manufacturer claims liquid cooling. What will happen when Continuum starts supporting more complex applications, such as games?

Docking station as a gift

Whether operating a smartphone will become more comfortable, time will tell. However, Microsoft is not going to test the patience of users interested in Continuum with a long wait: the Display Dock for the Lumia 950 XL is already on sale at a price of 7,000 rubles. At first, however, all Lumia 950 XL buyers registered on the Microsoft website were given a docking station as a gift - and this is understandable, because lately the prices in the store have only spoiled the mood.

With this in mind, it is important to realize that the Continuum feature does not imply anything new that cannot be done with Android phone equipped with an MHL adapter for connecting to a monitor. The purchase of a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse can be just about 7,000 rubles.

The Lumia 950 XL test results can be viewed in a separate publication:

Photo: manufacturing company