Jide, the company behind Remix OS, is preparing to launch a new take on its Android fork designed specifically for Android smartphones.
Set to come out later this year, Remix Singularity will allow Android phone users to turn their device into a desktop PC. What looks and works like stock Android during normal operation, turns into something akin to Windows and OS X when users plug their smartphone into a monitor or HDTV. Standard desktop operating system paradigms like multi-window multi-tasking and floating windows become available. There is even a start menu, as well as a file manager and task bar.
If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because Microsoft has been pushing a similar computing vision with its Windows 10’s Continuum functionality. Moreover, Samsung will reportedly do something similar when it launches the Galaxy S8.
The one catch to the entire setup is that users will need to side load the Play Store to gain access to their library of Android apps. While not a huge ask for the tech-savvy, this requirement is sure to limit the project’s mainstream appeal. The company has been working on Remix OS for the past three years. In that time, the ROM has been downloaded 4 million times.
