When Samsung debuted DeX on the Galaxy S8, it showed us that our smartphones are more powerful than we believe and are capable of becoming high-cost productivity tools when connected to a larger screen. Motorola has now unveiled its own mobile desktop experience called Ready For, and it looks promising.
If this sounds familiar to you, then you probably remember the 2011 Atrix 4G, which unsuccessfully tried to bridge the gap between the phone and the PC. The idea was solid, but unfortunately the technology available at the time was not quite ready. Now Moto wants to try again and, after suggesting this project last year, it is becoming available for Edge +.
To use Ready For, you will need a TV or monitor that supports USB-C or HDMI input, so unless your TV is Stone Age, it must be compatible. Once connected, you can use your phone as a trackpad and keyboard or connect Bluetooth accessories instead.
From April 19, you can order Amazon’s Ready For dock, which can hold your phone at any desired angle and has a built-in fan to keep the Edge + running cool. The main benefit of the dock will be video calling – with the phone connected to the TV, you can sit and watch your loved ones on the big screen while using the phone’s rear cameras to ensure that the person you are calling gets a good picture. If you are working, but want to call someone at the same time, this is also possible – you can make the call on the phone screen normally while working on the external screen. The price of the pier has not yet been announced.
Motorola says a TV launcher is built into the app, turning any screen into a smart TV. I see that this is particularly useful for people who travel frequently for work and regularly need to stay in hotels. Instead of packing a Chromecast and having to go through your Wi-Fi setup at each new location, you can connect your phone directly to the TV. Games can also be played, but you will want to check again if your favorites have controller support; trying to reproduce something that only accepts touch input on a TV can be tricky.
An OTA that enables these features was released this week for Verizon Edge + and also includes Android 11, which has many new features of its own.