A deeper look at the Samsung Galaxy Note9 DeX running on the HP Elite X3 Lap dock

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Here's a more extensive walkthrough of how the Samsung Galaxy Note 9's built-in DeX functionality works with an HP Elite X3 Lap Dock. This Lap Dock was designed for a Windows Phone using Continuum to enable certain apps and services to extend to the lap dock screen, keyboard and trackpad. It works quite well for native Google apps but third party applications like Netflix and Instagram do not scale the whole size of the screen.

The HP Elite Lap Dock also doesn't seem to work with other USB Type-C devices (it didn't work with a MediaTek processor powered Planet Computers Gemini or a Microsoft Surface Go). I no longer have my Note9 review unit so I cannot test functionality on the Lap Dock any further, but it was interesting to see how much of it did work.

We got the Samsung Galaxy Note 9's DeX to work with an HP Elite X3 Lapdock

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

As I've been testing the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, it occurred to me to try the DeX (Desktop Experience) feature which creates a PC-like interface when plugged into an HDMI-enabled monitor. Instead of plugging-it into a desktop monitor, I dusted off my HP Elite X3 Lapdock accessory which was designed for use with Microsoft's Windows 10 Continuum.

The Elite X3 dock is a premium accessory, it is powered by USB Type-C and connects to Windows Phones using USB Type-C as well as wirelessly. I used it briefly with my Elite X3 Windows Phone, mostly for Office 365 access.

To my surprise, plugging in the Galaxy Note 9 doesn't only enable DeX on the Elite X3 Lapdock, it gives automatic access to the keyboard and mouse.

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Review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S4

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Credit goes to Samsung for persevering in the Android tablet space despite most other makers, even Google, seemingly abandoning the form factor. Now that 10-inch tablets are a thing again and geared towards productivity as much as content consumption, Samsung’s Tab S4 offers a true modern Android tablet experience, but is this enough?

Let’s face it, Android on tablets hasn’t flourished in nearly eight years. There are very few tablet-optimized Android apps. While Android tablets can run thousands of smartphone apps, there’s very little incentive for developers to focus on tablet users.

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