Microsoft Shows Off Continuum For Windows 10 Phones
by Brandon Chester on April 29, 2015 2:57 PM EST- Posted in
- Microsoft
- BUILD
- Windows 10
Today Microsoft revealed a number of new features relating to their various platforms at their BUILD developer conference. One of the most interesting features shown was the Continuum feature of Windows 10 phones. Microsoft has previously shown off the ability for tablets to connect to larger screens and input peripherals to act as a computer, and they have now shown those same abilities working on a smartphone. This is possible because applications developed for Windows 10 will be universal applications that can scale from your phone, to your computer, to your television.
During the keynote a Windows 10 smartphone was shown connected to a large display via HDMI, as well as to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. This allowed the phone to essentially act as though it were a Windows 10 computer, with applications like PowerPoint and Excel scaling to use the same layout that you would see when running them on a normal desktop computer. This type of dynamic behavior extends from interface changes to input paradigm changes as well. Devices may change their preferred input mode or interface to suit the peripherals that are or are not attached to a device.
Continuum looks like it will be a very interesting feature. Users will have to wait some time to get their hands on it though, as it won't be available in the preview release of Windows 10 that is scheduled to come out tomorrow. Microsoft has created a short video to explain a bit more about Continuum on Windows 10 phones and the potential use cases that they see for it, and I've embedded that video above.
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Nuno Simões - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Joe Belfiore said "(...) after it's available this Summer."So, this means it will be released until September at the most? As it been confirmed or even repeated at the keynote?
mkozakewich - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Language."available this summer" means it will be available before September. I don't know what that 'after' refers to. It's the stuff you cut out of the quote.
Schnydz - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
"After" refers to the new phone hardware?profoundWHALE - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Windows 10 will be available this summer, so new phone device that are shipping with Windows 10 on them will come out after.Romberry - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
If MS can pull this off and make it work, it changes the whole phone/PC paradigm. Potential game changer? Maybe not for Windows in the mobile market. But for the mobile market in the future as a whole? Yeah, think maybe so.Manch - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Yeah, maybe not on the consumer end. I think like the Surface Pro and the competition from the other vendors that has grown from it, the same will happen for the WP10 and it will be successful in the business arena.vortmax2 - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Agreed. This is a great feature and will be a game changer if it's implemented well.