Samsung Galaxy S8 Leak Teases Continuum Feature For Next Flagship: Android/Chrome OS Hybrid On The Way?
The battle between Samsung and arch-rival Apple is set to reach new heights this year, with the two smartphone giants releasing what appears to be their most important devices yet in the form of the Galaxy S8 and the iPhone 8. While rumors about the two devices have been generally encouraging, a new leak coming from the unlikeliest of sources might very well include the straw that would tip the scales towards Samsung’s favor. If the new leak proves true, the Samsung Galaxy S8 might not only be the flagship to beat in 2017, it might be the definitive device of choice for mobile power users as well.
As reported by All About Windows Phone, the latest leak suggests that Samsung might be cooking up a very compelling feature for its next flagship. The fact that the leak originated from a Windows Phone-themed website is very notable, since the feature leaked in the report was essentially Samsung’s variation of Microsoft’s Continuum, which is one of the most iconic functions of Windows Mobile.
The contents of the leaked slide were very brief, but the functionality that it teased was very telling. For one, it featured a Samsung smartphone, most likely representing the Galaxy S8 attached to an external monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. The feed on the monitor was labeled as an “Extended Workspace” for the mobile device, which likely means that the Galaxy S8 would be powerful enough to provide a true multitasking experience for its users. What is rather interesting, however, was the nature of the images that were featured on the leaked slide’s simulated Extended Workspace.
Readers from All About Windows Phone immediately noted that the Extended Workspace on the leaked Samsung Galaxy S8 slide did not feature Windows OS. Instead, the image appeared to be a hybrid of Chrome OS and Android’s interface, featuring tabbed windows from the former and desktop folders from the latter. Also, the app drawer in the Extended Workspace looked very similar to those utilized by Google on its Chrome OS machines. With this in mind, Samsung fans are speculating that the Galaxy S8 might be the first device that would offer users the first refined Android/Chrome OS experience.
A BGR report has noted that Continuum in an Android device might be a very compelling feature for power users, especially among those who engage in productivity tasks on an everyday basis. In a lot of ways, this makes perfect sense, since Continuum’s relative failure (so far) has partly been due to the fact that Windows Phone is not being utilized by the majority of the mobile market. With Android, however, this becomes a completely different story. After all, the majority of smartphones in the world are run by Google’s mobile operating system. Thus, compatibility would not be an issue.
Of course, such a feature would not be perfect, especially since both Android and Chrome OS are not really designed to be as robust as Windows. Despite this, however, Google’s platforms play host to numerous invaluable applications, such as Google Docs and Sheets, which are currently being utilized by numerous corporations worldwide. If Samsung manages to tap into this market, it might very well end up creating 2017’s most attractive and most feature-ridden enterprise-grade device, until such time that the Galaxy Note 8 gets released, at least.
Considering that these speculations are rooted in a very brief leak comprised of a single slide, however, it would be wise to take the contents of these rumors with a grain of salt. Then again, if the leak proves accurate and Samsung does indeed release the Galaxy S8 as a hybrid Android/Chrome OS device, it would prove that the South Korean tech giant is boldly stepping forward into new vistas with its lineup of 2017 flagships. With the intense competition that is set to happen this year, such boldness might ultimately prove to be one of Samsung’s most notable strengths.
[Featured Image by Leszek Kobusinski/Shutterstock]
