Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I’m part of the growing chorus of increasingly dissatisfied Windows users, so I’m eagerly watching as news continues to drip in about Google’s Aluminium OS — the project to unify ChromeOS and Android for PCs, with a healthy dose of Google’s AI leadership thrown in.
If I’m ever going to ditch Microsoft for Google (instead of jumping to one of the countless and increasingly great Linux distros), Aluminium OS is going to have to tick some pretty big checkboxes. Not just the obvious stuff like app privacy controls, supporting cutting-edge hardware and modern apps, and robust update commitments — I’m talking about real, practical features that would make a mobile-to-desktop ecosystem feel coherent, powerful, and worth rebuilding my software setup around.
What feature would you most want from Aluminium OS? 31 votes Offline AI 13 % Powerhouse multi-tasking 10 % Handoff for Android 6 % Windows app support 42 % Freedom from Google services 26 % Something else (see comments) 3 %
Compelling cross-device support
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The main reason I’d want to jump to Android in a PC form factor is if I can bring all my smartphone essentials with me. I’m not just talking apps — that’s a given. No, I want my contacts, chats, and more to seamlessly sync between my phone and laptop, allowing me to pick up where I left off on either device.
Granted, Windows already has crude versions of some of these tools thanks to Phone Link, and some brands have their own proprietary link setups as well. But I’d love for Google to go deeper; think Apple’s Handoff, but for Android.
I really want Apple Handoff, but for Android.
If I look up directions on my laptop, I should be able to instantly pull them up in Maps on my phone and start navigating. If I need to go out during a video call, it would be a game-changer to be able to transfer it to my phone without dropping the connection. Exactly if or how Google plans to handle cross-device use cases remains a significant unknown, but getting this right could finally make Aluminium OS the bridge between mobile and PC that I’ve been longing for.
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