![]() ![]() Just, hopefully, not once again too much so. Which means that, once again, Linux user interfaces prove to be pretty much ahead of their time. Will we see ideas inspired from this appearing on iPad Pros or Windows 10 tablets within some years? Very likely so. While the functionality is scheduled to be introduced soon in a new release of CutiePi Shell, the Sidekick user interface is still undergoing a phase of "fine-tuning", so no further renderings or real-life pictures are available at the time of writing. Clearly this option can be toggled at runtime if a traditional dual-screen setting is preferred, but it is a step forward from the idea of "convergence" known so far, which would make the transition between mobile and desktop devices more seamless than ever. This allows for complete independence of the tablet from outer input devices, where an HDMI cable can be enough to turn the tablet into a fully functional desktop computer. A high-level rendering of what Sidekick mode will look like However, some of the most interesting features of CutiePi Shell appeared just recently as "stretch goal", which have been widely satisfied by their highly successful Kickstarter campaign: one of these is "sidekick mode", which takes a step forward from traditional convergence by turning the touch screen into a virtual keyboard and touchpad when connected to the external monitor. Linux UIs designed for desktops started adapting to smaller screens and became more touch-friendly, and came to be used on many real smartphones and tablets quickly on products like the Librem 5, the PinePhone and many postmarketOS phones, while new shells specifically tailored for mobile environments, like Phosh, started being developed.ĬutiePi Shell, covered in an article some months ago, is among the most interesting of those, boasting a modern, lightweight Qt-based mobile interface and Wayland compositor with UI elements like a multitasking view, simple battery indicator and wireless switching and a custom on-screen keyboard. In other words, it’s seemingly only a Sidekick in name and in form factor - but as long as they pull off that form factor (and, more importantly, that sweet, sweet keyboard) well enough, that should be enough.This situation remained until Purism Librem 5 mock-ups, and later this year Apple announcing iOS app support in macOS, brought this idea back to life. Past models were all made by Flextronics, Sharp, or Motorola) ![]() ![]() (Oh, and this would be the first Sidekick made by Samsung. Note the aesthetic changes on the right side of the screen in the shot below. Danger, the team that designed the original Sidekick and built its software, has long crumbled following their acquisition by Microsoft (You remember the Kin? That was Microsoft’s misuse of the Danger team.) Matias Duarte, the man oft credited with designing the Sidekick’s awesome user interface, has moved on (though he moved on to the Android team, so his work is still here in some sense) - and so far, it looks like this thing’s running a mostly standard Android skin rather than a drastic Sidekick-themed UI overhaul. ![]() Of course, to call this a “Sidekick” is sort of cheating. Then a bevy of crappy Sidekicks came along and sort of stomped all over the Sidekick name. Then the Sidekick 3 came along, and it was… not as amazing. Then the Sidekick 2 came along, and it was amazing. It was, for the most part, the first phone that made me really, really like phones. That’s how much I loved the original Sidekick. Do you know how much I loved the original Sidekick? Seriously - Picture me spreading my arms REALLY, REALLY far apart, as if I’m bragging about the size of a fish I caught. ![]()
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