您可能没有听说过Microsoft Display Dock，但您肯定听说过Windows 10 Mobile和 2015 年底推出的 Microsoft Lumia 950 或 950 XL 智能手机。它们是第一款配备Windows 10 Mobile和第一款尝试取代您的 PC 的智能手机。大多数人不知道的是，为了让这些智能手机为您提供类似 PC 的体验，它们需要连接到Microsoft Display Dock。我们设法拿到了这个设备，并使用了几天。如果你想知道你的智能手机是否能真正取代你的电脑，你应该阅读这篇评论：
硬件规格和包装
微软(Microsoft)为其Display Dock使用的包装是 100% 可回收的，它看起来类似于用于Lumia智能手机的包装。在盒子的正面，您可以看到连接到智能手机、键盘和显示器的设备图片。
在盒子的背面，您可以找到有关其规格和功能的详细信息。
当您打开盒子时，您首先会看到Display Dock本身。
进一步打开，您还会发现一根长度为 100 厘米（39.37 英寸）的USB-C 数据线、(USB-C cable)电源(power supply)和用户指南(user guide)。
Display Dock通过 USB-C 端口充电，并通过以下端口提供与其他设备的连接：1 个HDMI 端口(HDMI port)、1 个DisplayPort和 3 个USB 2.0端口。
就尺寸而言，Microsoft Display Dock并不是很大：它的宽度和长度为 64.1 毫米（2.52 英寸），厚度为 25.6 毫米（1 英寸）。Display Dock没有那么轻，重 230 克或 8.11 盎司。
可在此处找到完整的规范集：Microsoft Display Dock 规范(Microsoft Display Dock Specifications)。
使用 Microsoft Display Dock
Microsoft Display Dock的设计非常简单。它是一个带有许多端口和Microsoft 徽标(Microsoft logo)的黑匣子。它看起来不错，手感坚实，携带方便。但是，它有很多电缆，因此您确实需要一个背包。如果您考虑到您还需要键盘和鼠标才能使用它，那么除了您的智能手机和Microsoft Display Dock 之外(Microsoft Display Dock)，还有很多东西可以随身携带。
由于这是Display Dock的第一个版本，它并不完美。它主要是为希望在家庭和商业办公室(home and business offices)之间携带它的商业用户设计的。为了在Windows 10 Mobile上使用(Mobile)Continuum，您可以使用蓝牙(Bluetooth)或USB 键盘和鼠标(USB keyboard and mouse)，但您必须通过 Display Dock使用HDMI 或 DisplayPort 连接(HDMI or DisplayPort connection)以获得最佳体验。
Miracast(Miracast support)对无线显示器的支持已经存在，但目前在Windows 10 Mobile中还很粗略。例如，它不适用于Microsoft自己的无线显示适配器(Wireless Display Adapter)。因此，如果您想像使用PC 一样使用Microsoft Lumia 950和Lumia 950 XL，Microsoft Display Dock是必须购买的。
在测试期间，我将它连接到Razer BlackWidow 键盘(Razer BlackWidow keyboard)、Razer DeathAdder 2013鼠标和Acer K272HUL 27 " 显示器。
要使用Microsoft Display Dock，您首先需要连接显示器、键盘和鼠标，然后在您的 Windows 10 Mobile 智能手机上启动(Mobile smartphone)Continuum 应用程序(Continuum app)。
配置此应用程序既快速又简单，您应该立即开始使用。只需几秒钟，您就可以从您的 PC 访问您所知道的Windows D桌面。(Windows D)尽管“开始”菜单(Start Menu)是智能手机上“开始”屏幕(Start Screen)的克隆，但用户界面的工作方式就像在 PC 上一样。
所有Windows 10 移动(Mobile)应用程序的外观和工作(look and work)方式都与您的Windows 10 PC 相同。您应该可以轻松适应屏幕上显示的用户界面(user interface)。
多任务处理是存在的，但它不像台式电脑那样是完全多任务处理。这是因为 Windows 10移动版(Mobile)使用的是为ARM 架构设计(ARM architecture)的现代应用程序，而不是桌面应用程序。虽然您可以轻松地在应用程序之间切换，但不能让它们并排拆分屏幕，并且一次只能在屏幕上显示一个应用程序。此外，您不能让应用程序在后台运行，除非它们被设计为后台应用程序和服务(background apps and services)。例如，您不能在编写Word 文档时在(Word document)YouTube、Microsoft Edge中听音乐。这是因为Microsoft Edge需要成为活动窗口才能播放YouTube视频。
至少在将Microsoft Display Dock与Microsoft Lumia 950一起使用时，用户体验(user experience)还不错。打开和关闭应用程序(Opening and closing apps)的工作方式就像在您的 PC 上一样，并且操作系统(operating system)通常非常灵活：您可以在 Microsoft Edge中浏览多个网站，还可以在Windows 10 Mobile中使用手机功能，同时将其用作 PC。但是，当您同时打开多个应用程序时，事情开始变得有点慢，我们不建议您一次使用超过 4 或 5 个应用程序。我们创建了小型Word文档、Microsoft PowerPoint 演示文稿(Microsoft PowerPoint presentation) 、回复电子邮件和短信 ( SMS )、在YouTube 上播放视频、使用(YouTube)Movies & TV应用观看短片，还使用Microsoft Display Dock撰写了这篇评论的大部分内容。体验很好，但不如带有SSD 驱动器(SSD drive)的真实 PC 上的快。当您需要处理大量的多任务时，Microsoft Display Dock会出现故障，您会觉得需要使用真正的 PC。
我们赞赏Microsoft Display Dock(Microsoft Display Dock)即使在长时间使用后仍然保持凉爽这一事实。但是，对于Microsoft Lumia 950(Microsoft Lumia 950)则不能这样说。智能手机很快就会变热，尤其是在您执行多项任务时。
我喜欢的方面之一是固件更新快速简便，即使对于技术不高的用户也是如此。
Microsoft Display Dock 和 Windows(Microsoft Display Dock and Windows) 10 Continuum都是大创意。然而，这只是他们的第一个化身，他们远非完美。以下是我们认为为了真正有用而缺少的内容：
少了什么东西？
为了广泛使用Windows 10 Continuum和Microsoft Display Dock，Microsoft需要提供几项改进：
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更小的价格(A smaller price)——首先，使用 Windows 10 Continuum 的成本非常高。您必须购买非常昂贵的智能手机，例如 Microsoft Lumia 950 和 950 XL，还需要单独购买 Microsoft Display Dock，这需要另外花费 100 美元。为了推动采用，所有权价格应该更低。
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支持经济实惠的智能手机(Support for affordable smartphones)- 我意识到 Windows 10 Continuum 需要相当多的处理能力才能顺利运行。但是，为了广泛使用，更便宜的智能手机需要为 Microsoft Display Dock 和 Continuum 提供支持。此功能不应仅保留给装有 Windows 10 移动版的昂贵的高端设备。
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更多通用应用程序(More universal apps)- 您只能将 Continuum 与通用 Windows 应用程序一起使用。目前，它们的数量很少，而且大多数这些应用程序都是由 Microsoft 开发的。是的，您可以获得所有 Office 应用程序、Skype 和其他 Microsoft 应用程序，但您需要更多。到目前为止，在我的智能手机上，只有 Facebook、Fitbit、Uber 和 TeamViewer 拥有与 Continuum 配合使用的通用应用程序。
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配件(Accessories)- 需要提供更多配件：更多蓝牙键盘和鼠标以及无线显示器。拥有一个 10 英寸平板电脑大小、支持 Miracast 的无线屏幕怎么样？这样您就可以将它与智能手机和 Microsoft Display Dock 一起放在背包中？这将帮助您拥有一个真正的移动办公室。现在，Microsoft Display Dock 迫使您坐在办公桌前，并连接着现代显示器。这限制了用户的移动性。
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DVI 支持(DVI support)- 许多用户使用带有 DVI 连接而不是 HDMI 或 DisplayPort 的旧显示器。为 Microsoft Display Dock 提供 DVI 转换器可能是个好主意。
如果您还使用过Microsoft Display Dock，我们很想知道您认为哪些方面需要改进。
判决
Microsoft Display Dock 和 Windows(Microsoft Display Dock and Windows) 10 Continuum是个好主意，但它们也非常昂贵。我们相信微软(Microsoft)正在做某事，它应该进一步投资于他们的发展。很快，我们可能会有一个未来，我们不再需要经典意义上的个人电脑，只需要连接到几个智能配件的智能手机。想象一下(Imagine)用智能手机代替笔记本电脑！至少可以这么说，这听起来很有趣。然而，目前，微软(Microsoft)只提供这个概念的昂贵的第一个版本。它就在这里，它可以工作，但它也存在错误和弱点，无法为您提供真正的 PC 替代品。如果您投资于Microsoft的生态系统和您正在使用他们的许多应用程序，那么Microsoft Display Dock是您新的Microsoft Lumia 950或Lumia 950 XL 智能手机(XL smartphone)的一个很好的补充。但是，如果您使用许多其他还不是通用Windows 应用程序(Windows apps)的应用程序，您可能需要等待一段时间。
Microsoft Display Dock Review - The device that transforms your smartphone into a PC
Yoυ might not have heard about the Microsoft Display Dock but yоu surely heard about Windows 10 Mobile and the Microsoft Lumia 950 or 950 XL smartphones that were launched at the end of 2015. Theу are the first high-end smartphones with Windows 10 Mobile and the first smartphones that try to replace your PC. What most рeople don't know is that, in order for these smartphones to offеr you a PC-like еxperience, they nеed to bе connectеd to the Microsoft Display Dock. We managed to get our hands on this device and we used it for several days. If you want tо find out whether your smartphone can truly replace yoυr PC, yoυ should read this review:
Hardware specifications & packaging
The packaging used by Microsoft for its Display Dock is 100% recyclable and it looks similar to the packaging used for Lumia smartphones. On the front of the box you can see a picture of the device, connected to a smartphone, a keyboard and a monitor.
On the back of the box you can find details about its specifications and features.
When you open the box, you first see the Display Dock itself.
When you open it further, you'll also find a USB-C cable with a length of 100 cm (39.37 inches), the power supply and the user guide.
The Display Dock gets charged through a USB-C port and it offers connectivity to other devices, through the following ports: 1 HDMI port, 1 DisplayPort and 3 USB 2.0 ports.
In terms of size, the Microsoft Display Dock is not very big: it has a width and a length of 64.1 mm (2.52 inches), and a thickness of 25.6 mm (1 inch). The Display Dock is not that light, weighing 230 grams or 8.11 ounces.
The full set of specifications can be found here: Microsoft Display Dock Specifications.
Using the Microsoft Display Dock
The design of the Microsoft Display Dock is quite simple. It's a black box with lots of ports and the Microsoft logo on it. It looks good, it feels solid and it is easy to carry around. However, it has quite a few cables so you do need a backpack for it. If you take into consideration that you also need a keyboard and a mouse in order to use it, there's quite a bit of stuff to carry around with you, alongside your smartphone and the Microsoft Display Dock.
Since this is the first version of the Display Dock, it's not perfect. It was designed mostly for business users who want to carry it between their home and business offices. In order to use Continuum on Windows 10 Mobile, you can use a Bluetooth or a USB keyboard and mouse but you must use a n HDMI or DisplayPort connection through the Display Dock in order to get the best experience.
The Miracast support for wireless displays is there but it's sketchy for now in Windows 10 Mobile. For example, it doesn't work with Microsoft's own Wireless Display Adapter. Therefore, if you want to use your Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL like a PC, the Microsoft Display Dock is a must buy.
During my testing, I hooked it up to a Razer BlackWidow keyboard, a Razer DeathAdder 2013 mouse and an Acer K272HUL 27" display.
In order to use the Microsoft Display Dock, you first need to connect the display, the keyboard and the mouse and then start the Continuum app on your Windows 10 Mobile smartphone.
Configuring this app is quick and easy and you should get started in no time. In just a couple of seconds you will have access to the Windows D esktop that you know from your PC. The user interface works just like on the PC even though the Start Menu is a clone of the Start Screen on your smartphone.
All the Windows 10 Mobile apps look and work the same as on your Windows 10 PC. You should have no troubles adapting to the user interface shown on the screen.
Multi-tasking is there but it's not full-multitasking like on a desktop PC. That's because Windows 10 Mobile uses modern apps that are made for the ARM architecture, not desktop apps. While you can easily switch between apps, you can't have them split the screen side by side and you can have only one app displayed on the screen, at a time. Also, you can't have apps running in background doing their thing, unless they were designed to work as background apps and services. For example, you can't listen to music on YouTube, in Microsoft Edge, while you write a Word document. That's because Microsoft Edge needs to be an active window in order to play YouTube videos.
The user experience is decent, at least when using the Microsoft Display Dock with a Microsoft Lumia 950. Opening and closing apps works just like on your PC and the operating system is generally snappy: you can browse multiple websites i n Microsoft Edge and also get to use the phone features in Windows 10 Mobile, while using it also as a PC. However, when you open several apps simultaneously, things start to get a bit slow and we don't recommend that you use more than 4 or 5 apps at a time. We created small Word documents, a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, answered e-mails and text messages (SMS), played videos on YouTube, watched short movies with the Movies & TV app and also wrote a large portion of this review using the Microsoft Display Dock. The experience was good but not as fast as on a real PC with an SSD drive. When you need to do serious multi-tasking, the Microsoft Display Dock fails short and you will feel the need for using a real PC.
We appreciated the fact that the Microsoft Display Dock remains cool, even after extended periods of use. However, the same can't be said about the Microsoft Lumia 950. The smartphone gets hot quite fast, especially when you multi-task.
One of the aspects that I have enjoyed is the fact that firmware updates and quick and easy, even for users that are not very technical.
The Microsoft Display Dock and Windows 10 Continuum are big ideas. However, this is only their first incarnation and they are far from perfect. Here's what we believe it's missing in order to be truly useful:
What's missing?
In order for Windows 10 Continuum and the Microsoft Display Dock to be used on a wide scale, Microsoft needs to provide several improvements:
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A smaller price - first of all, the cost of using Windows 10 Continuum is very high. You have to invest in very expensive smartphones like Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL and also purchase the Microsoft Display Dock separately, which costs another 100 USD. The price of ownership should be lower in order to drive adoption.
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Support for affordable smartphones - I realize that Windows 10 Continuum needs quite a bit of processing power in order to work smoothly. But, in order to be used on a wide scale, cheaper smartphones need to provide support for the Microsoft Display Dock and Continuum. This feature shouldn't be reserved only for expensive, high-end devices with Windows 10 Mobile.
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More universal apps - You can use Continuum only with universal Windows apps. Right now, their number is small and most of these apps are made by Microsoft. Yes, you get all the Office apps, Skype and other Microsoft apps but you will need more. So far, on my smartphone, only Facebook, Fitbit, Uber and TeamViewer had universal apps which worked with Continuum.
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Accessories - more accessories need to be made available: more Bluetooth keyboards and mice as well as wireless displays. What about having a wireless screen, the size of a 10 inch tablet, with Miracast support, so that you can carry it in your backpack, alongside your smartphone and the Microsoft Display Dock? That would help you have a truly mobile office. Right now, the Microsoft Display Dock forces you to sit in front of a desk, with a modern display connected to it. This limits the user's mobility.
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DVI support - many users have older displays with DVI connections instead of HDMI or DisplayPort. It might be a good idea to provide a DVI converter for the Microsoft Display Dock.
If you have also used the Microsoft Display Dock we are curious to learn which are the things that need to be improved, in your view.
Verdict
The Microsoft Display Dock and Windows 10 Continuum are great ideas but they are also very expensive. We believe that Microsoft is on to something and that it should further invest into their development. Soon, we might have a future in which we no longer need PCs in the classic sense of the word, only smartphones that get connected to a couple of smart accessories. Imagine replacing your laptop with your smartphone! It sound s intriguing, to say the least. However, for now, Microsoft is offering only a pricey first version of this concept. It's here, it works but it also has bugs and weaknesses which don't allow it to provide you with a true replacement for your PC. If you are invested in Microsoft's ecosystem and you are using many of their apps, then the Microsoft Display Dock is a good complement to your new Microsoft Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL smartphone. However, if you use many other apps which are not yet universal Windows apps, you might want to wait a while.
