Microsoft Display Dock – Transforming Windows 10 Mobile into a Full-Fledged PC!
Microsoft recent revealed the new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL and also announced a Display Dock which was a surprising move for most. The new display dock is actually a hardware adapter that can convert your smartphone into a Windows PC with any keyboard, mouse, and a display. It was touted and named as the Continuum dock originally with its three USB ports that includes a USB Type-C, and even some other ports.
This looks like similar to a Windows 10 PC, and the taskbar is modified a bit along with the battery and time data. It is surely not a complete PC yet but certainly a lot like working on a PC and is able to run all Windows 10 apps.
The Good, the Bad and the Bottomline!
The Microsoft Display Dock has a robust design with an intuitive set up and extremely portable. Although it is pricey one should spend the extra bucks on Display Dock before Continuum becomes an actual new killer app.
This is a very niche accessory since its adaptor has a single use which is to convert your Lumia phone into a PC that can be powered by the Windows 10 Continuum feature.
Microsoft’s Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL features the Continuum feature that is helping users to blend both desktop and mobile versions of Windows 10. One can get the Windows 10 smartphone to work on PC mode with the help of a large screen and extend its capabilities.
- It has screen mirroring functionality that will look great on a large-screen TV and this is one of the best features of the Dock.
- The Lumia screen can be used as an efficient touchpad in this respect while it can also feature as a keyboard for typing in content. One can convert the overall tiled look of Windows into the tablet mode of Windows 10 right on the big screen thus giving you the desktop feel that you might need.
- Microsoft Display Dock has a USB-C port for connecting with the Lumia. There is a smart array of ports at the back that includes three different USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI out, DisplayPort out and an independent USB-C connection for power.
- One can use an independent USB or wireless mouse and keyboard, instead of using Bluetooth. One can setup an HDMI-connected monitor and use wired peripherals which are way faster to set up and much more responsive than the wireless peripherals.
- The connected keyboard and mouse are great to use with the Dock’s 60 FPS refresh rate, and email communication is completely flicker-free and smooth. It also delivers complete HD output and your phone can be charged while you work on the desktop-like experience. The big screen can surely be very productive for professionals such as writers, filmmakers and graphic designers.
One can do work on the Lumia 950 XL, now just as one would be doing on a Window 10 PC or even a laptop. One can swap apps and even connect and open them based on one’s needs. One would not lose work if one accidentally shuts it by being disconnected. Some Windows Apps are supported in such cases though.
The Smart Dock!
Using Windows apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and even Outlook directly on the big screen is a huge bonus for driving optimized work environment. The difference is the phone powering your experience which is incredible to say the least.
One would have to shell out $99.00 to get a Microsoft Display Dock and become a part of the Continuum feature offered by the new Lumia phones.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joined in December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.