To play on nostalgia, the Windows phone was a thing just a few years ago. Nokia had launched numerous smartphones that arrived with a mobile version of Windows that has since died out. The dominance of the Android and iOS platform proved to be a tough challenge for Microsoft‘s attempt at cross platform integration and smartphones carrying the OS are no longer sold. However, all is not lost as a company called Emperion might just reignite the Windows phone.
Previously, the last attempt of the streamline cross integration of Windows 10 on smartphones ocurred in 2015. Since then, the platform has been more or less abandoned. But Emperion has teased its latest smartphone, dubbed Nebulus, which runs on Windows 10 on ARM. It is a notable feat since it is not a Windows phone but a full fledged Windows 10 operating system running on ARM based processors.
We're proud to announce:
After a lengthy development, the #Nebulus has joined the #Windows10 #ARM future!
(We did say big things had happened! 😏)#smartphone #Windows #Convergence #ByeAppGap #freedom pic.twitter.com/Y7BYE90mkI— ΞMPERION (@EmperionUK) February 17, 2020
According to official notes, Emperion plans on delivering the same features we have on x86 and x64 based computers but it in a smartphone. Unfortunately, this also brings along with it, certain shortcomings as Windows was never meant to be able to make cellular calls. A smartphone without voice calls isn’t even a mobile phone, so we can expect Emperion to make special workarounds for it.
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It is likely that the smartphone wil have a proprietary UI that runs on top of Windows 10 OS which enables it to run better on smartphones. Notably, this has to be done as the full PC version of Windows was never meant to run on such devices. Thus, Emperion has also stated that the handset will also run Android apps without switching between the two operating systems. As of right now, it is unclear how the company managed to achieve this considering both softwares are very different from each other.
One of the interesting features the Nebulus brings with it is the ability to switch to a desktop mode with USB Type-C or wireless connection. In terms of functionality, it is quite similar to Continuum on Windows 10 mobiles. The desktop mode allows users to have a proper Windows experience since the device already runs the full version. Under the hood, the Nebulus will sport Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 SoC, which is already outdated by two years but is understandable considering development stretched far longer than initially planned.
So far, Windows 10 on ARM chipsets generally involve the Snapdragon 850 chipset or the specialized Snapdragon 8cx for notebooks. Lastly, Emperion’s Nebulus is a very interesting handset, strictly speaking from an oversaturated Android smartphone market point of view. We will have to wait and see if the device compares to today’s standards in the industry and avoids making the same mistake as its predecessors.
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