Android是一个操作系统(operating system)，自从它在早期设备上迈出第一步以来已经走过了漫长的道路，但它仍然缺乏合适的桌面环境(desktop environment)。换句话说，如果你将功能强大的智能手机插入大屏幕，你仍然会得到一个电话界面(phone interface)。简单地(Simply)放大到史诗般的比例。
已经有一些尝试为Android手机创建良好的桌面环境。(desktop environment)三星在(Samsung)DeX方面处于领先地位。它是特定三星(Samsung)手机独有的，但当您将设备插入大型显示器、DeX 站(DeX station)或（在某些型号中）使用DeX 桌面(DeX desktop)应用程序的另一台计算机时，它就会将您的设备变成一台成熟的台式机(desktop machine)。
Leena 桌面用户界面(Leena Desktop UI)(Leena Desktop UI)
目前，Leena Desktop UI仍处于测试阶段，但它看起来已经非常有前途了。Leena实际上只是一个Android 应用程序(Android app)，但它被巧妙地编写为您提供了许多您可以从手机的真实桌面 UI 中获得 的核心功能。(core functionality)
Leena的缺点是您无法启动其他应用程序然后在其中运行它们。相反，您必须使用内置的子应用程序。Leena的优点是您无需 root 或以其他方式修改您的手机即可使用它。只需(Simply)将其作为常规应用程序下载并使用即可。
该软件还有一个付费的“专业”版本，它增加了更多功能，但对于大多数人来说，基本的免费测试版已经提供了一种快速进入更舒适工作空间的方法。
Sentio 桌面(Sentio Desktop)(Sentio Desktop)
目前， Sentio Desktop提供的产品功能比(Sentio Desktop)Leena更丰富，但该公司已经超越了简单地为Android提供(Android)桌面环境(desktop environment)。他们还销售与应用程序结合使用的硬件，可以真正将您的手机变成笔记本电脑。
它被称为超级(Superbook)本，基本上是一台去掉了所有计算机内脏的笔记本电脑。您的手机安装在Superbook的侧面，应用程序在主屏幕上运行。它非常酷，尽管对于大多数人来说可能还没有准备好更换笔记本电脑。
好消息是您不必购买Sentio 硬件(Sentio hardware)即可使用此应用程序。您可以简单地将任何鼠标、键盘和外接显示器连接到设置并获得相同的体验。
(Sentio)当谈到哪些桌面功能对日常工作非常重要时，Sentio似乎真的已经考虑过了。它允许调整应用程序的大小、更改分辨率、多窗口应用程序以及(apps and everything)您通常期望从Windows 或 Linux 桌面 UI(Windows or Linux desktop UI)获得的一切，
它还有一个传统的开始菜单(start menu)、一个带有系统托盘(system tray)的任务栏和一个通知中心(notification center)。整体而言，Sentio Desktop似乎是三星 DeX(Samsung DeX)的真正竞争对手，只是没有硬件限制(hardware restriction)。话又说回来，由于Sentio将在任何Android 设备(Android device)上运行，稳定性将不可避免地受到影响。
从用户评论来看，虽然它对许多人来说运行得很好，但一些用户在他们的特定手机上遇到了崩溃或其他问题。如果您没有投资SuperBook 硬件(SuperBook hardware)，这没什么大不了的，因此在考虑之前尝试一下该应用程序是值得的。
Sentio无疑是雄心勃勃的，如果你没有支持 DeX 的手机，（或者即使你有！）它当然值得一试。
安卓尼克斯(AndroNix)(AndroNix)
Leena 和 Sentio为您的(Leena and Sentio)Android 手机(Android phone)提供了桌面前端，而AndroNix更进一步，为您的手机添加了一个完整的额外操作系统(extra operating system)。是的，这个应用程序允许您在Android 手机(Android phone)上运行Linux 安装(Linux installation)。这不需要生根，但确实需要一些肘部油脂才能让这一切顺利进行。
Andronix实际上更像是您复制到终端应用程序中的逐步脚本的集合。说明很清楚，并且有大量文档，但他们不得不在这里解决Android的限制。例如，您使用远程桌面客户端(desktop client)VNC访问您的(VNC)Linux 实例(Linux instance)。这是一个工作得很好的组合，但它仍然是一个组合。
AndroNix 确实有一个了不起的社区、大量的文档和开发人员(documentation and developers)，他们似乎真的很乐意提出支持请求。付费高级版(premium version)还附带专门的支持，如果这成为关键任务应用程序，这可能对您很重要。
它绝对不适合所有人，但仍然令人印象深刻。
丸操作系统(Maru OS)(Maru OS)
关于Maru OS(Maru OS) ，您首先应该了解的是，它目前仅适用于极少数设备。这些甚至都不是特别流行的手机型号，因此您很可能没有其中一款。然而，Maru值得收藏和关注。这是一个华丽、轻量级的智能手机操作系统(operating system)。
是的，MaruOS实际上取代了整个操作系统(operating system)，它不是操作系统内部的操作系统，也不是简单的带有桌面 UI 的应用程序。它基于Android Oreo，从移动操作系统无缝转变为桌面(desktop one)操作系统。
这些是您在撰写本文时可以加载MaruOS的设备：
- Nexus 6P（垂钓者）
- Nexus 5X（大头）
- Nexus 5（锤头）
- 像素（旗鱼）
- 三星 S9+ (star2LTE)
注意(Pay attention)这里的内部命名。例如，“star2LTE”指的是Exynos-equipped S9+手机。因此，并非所有 S9+ 都能正常工作。
MaruOS代表了一种让您的手机作为桌面工作的极端方法，但它也可能是最可靠和最优雅的方式。对于我们大多数人来说，这只是一种好奇心，但希望像MaruOS这样的东西在未来的某个时候会成为所有Android设备的标准。
Your Phone Is Your Computer!
随着现在旗舰Android手机的处理能力与典型的工作笔记本电脑一样多，将其全部浪费在(work laptop)Instagram 和 Twitter 浏览(Instagram and Twitter browsing)上似乎是一种耻辱。使用这些应用程序，您可以充分利用这种咕噜声，甚至在您从一台显示器移到另一台显示器时，甚至可以将笔记本电脑留在家中。
即使您只是在紧要关头使用桌面选项(desktop option)，拥有选项也绝不是一件坏事！
4 Amazing Desktop Environments For Android
Androіd is an operating system that’s comе a long way since its first limping ѕteps on early devices, but it stіll lacks a proper desktop environment. In other words, іf you plug your powerful smartphone into a large ѕcreen, you still get a phone іnterface. Simplу blown up to epic proportions.
There have been some attempts at creating a good desktop environment for Android phones. Samsung leads the way here with DeX. It’s exclusive to specific Samsung phones, but transforms your device into a full-fledged desktop machine when you plug it into a large monitor, DeX station or (in some models) another computer using the DeX desktop app.
Right now, Leena Desktop UI is still in beta form, but it already looks incredibly promising. Leena is in fact just an Android app, but it’s been cleverly written to provide you with much of the core functionality you’d get from a real desktop UI for your phone.
The downside of Leena is that you can’t launch other apps and then run them within it. Instead you have to use the built in sub-apps. The upside of Leena is that you don’t have to root or otherwise modify your phone to use it. Simply download it as a regular app and use it.
There’s a paid “pro” version of the software as well that adds more functionality, but for most people the basic free beta will already provide a quick way to move into a more comfortable workspace.
Sentio Desktop offers a more feature-rich product than Leena at this point, but the company has gone beyond simply offering a desktop environment for Android. They also sell hardware that combines with the app to really turn your phone into a laptop.
It’s called the Superbook and is basically a laptop with all the computer guts stripped out. Your phone mounts on the side of the Superbook and the app runs on the main screen. It’s very cool, though perhaps not ready to replace a laptop for most people.
The good news is that you don’t have to buy Sentio hardware to make use of this app. You can simply connect any mouse, keyboard and external monitor to the setup and get the same experience.
Sentio really seems to have thought it through when it comes to which desktop features are really important for day-to-day work. It allows for apps to be resized, resolution changes, multi-window apps and everything you’d generally expect from a Windows or Linux desktop UI,
It also sports a traditional start menu, a taskbar with system tray and a notification center. As a whole, Sentio Desktop seems to be a real competitor to Samsung DeX, just without the hardware restriction. Then again, since Sentio will run on any Android device, stability will inevitably suffer.
Looking through user reviews it seems that, while it runs perfectly for many, some users get crashes or other niggles on their particular handsets. Not that big a deal if you haven’t invested in the SuperBook hardware, so it is worth trying the app out before considering that.
Sentio is certainly plenty ambitious and if you don’t have a DeX-capable phone, (or even if you do!) it’s certainly worth a try.
While Leena and Sentio offer a desktop front-end for your Android phone, AndroNix goes further by adding an entire extra operating system to your phone. Yes, this app allows you to run a Linux installation on your Android phone. That’s without the need for rooting, but it does take some elbow grease to get it all going.
Andronix is really more a collection of step-wise scripts that you copy into a terminal app. The instructions are clear and there’s plenty of documentation, but they’ve had to work around the limitations of Android here. For example, you access your Linux instance by using VNC, a remote desktop client. It’s a kludge that works just fine, but it’s a kludge nonetheless.
AndroNix does have an amazing community, lots of documentation and developers who really seem to be on the ball with support requests. The paid-for premium version comes with dedicated support as well, which might matter to you if this becomes a mission-critical application.
It is definitely not for everyone, but incredibly impressive nonetheless.
The first thing you should know about Maru OS is that it only works on a very small number of devices right now. These aren’t even particularly popular phone models, so chances are you don’t have one of these. However, Maru is worth bookmarking and keeping an eye on. It’s a gorgeous, lightweight operating system for smartphones.
Yes, MaruOS actually replaces the entire operating system, it isn’t an OS within and OS or simply an app with a desktop UI. It’s based on Android Oreo and seamlessly shifts from being a mobile OS to being a desktop one.
These are the devices you can load MaruOS on at the time of writing:
- Nexus 6P (angler)
- Nexus 5X (bullhead)
- Nexus 5 (hammerhead)
- Pixel (Sailfish)
- Samsung S9+ (star2LTE)
Pay attention to the internal condenames here. For example, “star2LTE” refers to the Exynos-equipped S9+ phones. So not every S9+ will work.
MaruOS represents an extreme approach to getting your phone to work as a desktop, but it might also be the most reliable and elegant way to do it. For most of us, this is just a curiosity right now, but hopefully something like MaruOS will become the norm for all Android devices at some point in the future.
Your Phone Is Your Computer!
With flagship Android phones now packing as much processing power as a typical work laptop, it seems a shame to waste it all on Instagram and Twitter browsing. With these apps you can put that grunt to good use and perhaps even leave that laptop at home as you move from one monitor to the next.
Even if you only ever use the desktop option in a pinch, it’s never a bad thing to have options!
