Some things are becoming obsolete before most people have mastered them.
How many times have you heard someone mention how much more powerful the average smart phone is compared to the combined computing power used to put a man on the moon?
Makes sense to make that phone work a bit harder...
I'm writing this review using Samsung's DeX docking station for the Glaxy S8 (and S8 Plus)
That means I'm sitting in an armchair in my lounge, typing on a wireless keyboard with this web page open on my TV.
While that scenario alone would literally blow my mum's mind (she's still struggling with the idea her laptop doesn't have to plugged into anything to work) the point of all this is there's no computer or tablet involved here. I'm creating this whole review on my phone.
The Samsung DeX is certainly an elegant piece of minimalist design. At first it looks a bit like some kind of fancy cupholder. Actually, that's not true, there's nothing particularly fancy about it. It's round. It's black. There aren't any flashing lights. (I LOVE no flashing lights, by the way. Like I always say, "I'll know if it isn't on, because it won't work.")
In fact, when I first plugged the DeX in, it didn't work.
This is mainly due to the fact the only thing that comes in the DeX box is the DeX. There are no USB or HDMI cables included and significantly, no wall charger either.
I foolishly assumed any old charger would suffice, but it turns out the DeX will only run on a 12 volt fast charger like the one included with the Samsung Galaxy S8. This is a slight inconvenience because if you're not using the DeX as your primary phone charger, you'll probably have to go out and buy a seperate one.
Anyway, once that minor hurdle has been overcome, you simply connect to any display (computer monitor or HDMI TV), plug in a keyboard and mouse (also not included, obviously), slide the top of the DeX up so it becomes a stand, slip your S8 or S8 Plus into the dock and the DeX takes over.
In a few short seconds, you're presented with the DeX desktop on screen, which any Windows PC user will find strikingly familiar.
Apart from the USB-C charging port I mentioned earlier and the full-sized HDMI port for display, the Dex sports two standard USB ports. This means you can now plug all kinds of neat stuff into your phone you never really could before.
For instance, while you can use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo to navigate around your DeX, I went with wireless ones which connect via a USB dongle. This still leaves another USB socket for things like flash drives or even larger external hard drives. Of course, the real beauty of connecting a mouse to your phone is the ability to right-click which to me, always seems so much more accurate than holding your finger down on the phone screen.
All that potential for external storage means this docking station can easily convert your phone into a media controller, playing anything you have stored directly onto your connected display without the reliability issues you often encounter streaming via WiFi. Initially I didn't think this was a viable option because while the picure quality from my phone's video apps was excellent, the sound simply played from the phone's speaker at the base of the dock instead of through my TV's sound system via the HDMI connection.
Turns out, you can switch the sound output settings using the Samsung Connect app - a bit of a convoluted process, but at least it's doable.
Unfortunately, the DeX is not yet your one-stop home entertainment soloution, because most apps have not yet been modified to work properly in this new desktop (or "DeX-top") format. Online TV apps like Netflix and Lightbox work perfectly well, but there's no option to expand them out to full-screen size like there is with apps like Microsoft Word, Google Chrome or Samsung's stock Video player. Let's hope, in time, everyone comes to the party because then we certainly would be dealing with a geniune PC replacement.
The DeX has one other significant socket; an ethernet port so you can plug directly into a high speed router or office network. This really does take any wireless interference or lag concerns out of the equation. How ironic though... Samsung has developed a piece of cutting-edge technology that literally wires your formerly mobile phone back in again.
The point is, DeX works. With the easy connection of display, keyboard, mouse and external storage, Samsung's new docking station offers exponentially more functionality than you would achieve by simply mirroring your phone to your telly.
At under $250, the Samsung DeX is certainly an economically sound alternative to carrying around a separate laptop or tablet - obviously heaps lighter and smaller too. The only reservation is the current lack of content, but I assume that's on the way.
In the meantime, I got this review written using it.
Let's get some more apps optimised to make the most of a larger display and we'll really be getting somewhere.
Click here for more information and pricing details for the Samsung DeX docking station
No comments:
Post a Comment