EliteX3
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Watch HP's Elite X3 Windows Phone simulate a desktop
After spending plenty of time with HP's Elite X3 Windows Phone, it's hard not to be impressed by the company's ambition. It's just too bad the execution isn't so great. The Elite X3 builds on Microsoft's Continuum feature, which gives phones pseudo-desktop interfaces on larger monitors, with Workspace, a virtual environment that lets you run full Windows apps. Together with a Desk Dock and Lap Dock, HP intends for the X3 to serve as both a laptop and desktop replacement. But while Workspace is a decent fix for Continuum's issues, I don't think it's enough to make the X3 a viable option for most workers.
HP's Elite X3 gets closer to the dream of a Windows Phone as a PC
Everything about HP's Elite X3 seems like a gamble. It's the company's first phone in two years, and it's the first major Windows Phone device since Microsoft's Lumia 950 debuted last year. HP is betting big that premium hardware and the ability to use the phone as both a pseudo desktop and laptop will actually be a boon for enterprise customers. Naturally, too, HP is hoping to tempt businesses away from BlackBerry. But while it's nice to see the company swing for the fences (as it did with its gorgeous Spectre 13 ultraportable), it's not enough in this case to make the $699 Elite X3 a useful device.
HP's Elite X3 Windows Phone launches next month for $699
Been waiting for a phone that could pull triple duty as your handheld, laptop and desk machine? Then your day has almost come: HP says that its Elite X3 will hit shelves late next month. The $699 handset is HP's first smartphone in over two years, and it's kind of a gamble -- it's a high-end Windows Phone launching at a time when Microsoft's mobile OS sales are at an all time low.
The next big thing in smartphones is uncertainty
You've probably noticed something about smartphones. They haven't been exciting lately. Chances are, your current smartphone looks and works a lot like your last one. Your next will probably seem pretty familiar, too. But there are signs that smartphones, and the ways we use them, could be about to significantly change -- even if no one can quite agree on exactly how.
