Actually, it’s both…

Recently, I had the privilege (ok let’s face it, FUN) of using a pre-release version of the new Samsung Galaxy S8. This particular Galaxy S8 came complete with the new DeX station. And let me tell you, this cynical tech guy was pleasantly surprised.

When I got my S8, the first thing I did of course was connect it to my home WiFi hotspot. Yes, even before charging. Then I set up the DeX station on my desk — it’s roughly the size and shape of a hockey puck. I plugged in my HDMI monitor, my USB beacon for my wireless keyboard and mouse, and was ready to dock my new phone.

I pushed on the front of the DeX and the top slid back with the grace and ease of the gull wing doors of a Lamborghini. Feature request to the Samsung developers: add in a whoosh sound effect when the DeX is engaged this way.

I placed my S8 in the DeX for a quick charge and waited for the next morning like a giddy child on Christmas eve.

Yes, the next morning came and my S8 was sitting, waiting for me to begin my day. Now, if you’re like me, then you start every morning by grabbing your mobile device and getting caught up on everything you missed while you were sleeping. Immediately, I launched Citrix Receiver and accessed Outlook to check my work mail. Messages poured in rapid fire and I was off to the races with my handheld. As I got the kids ready for school, I reviewed my friend Dan’s blog post using the company-delivered Word for Windows. Minor edits, saved to my ShareFile, and I was blissfully getting my second cup of coffee.

Now, it was time for some more serious work. I walked to my office and slid my S8 into the DeX in one fluid motion. In the blink of an eye the screen magically glided from phone to HDMI monitor. The keyboard and mouse came alive and I was now working from a full-fledged desktop computer. I launched Receiver and picked up on the Windows 7 desktop right where I left off. This isn’t some knock off, limited edition of Windows: this is full-on productivity-enabling Windows.

I wrote papers, created spreadsheets, and launched DICOM image viewer to check out a scan from my doctor (shhh, don’t tell anyone). They tell me that the DeX station has a built-in cooling fan, but you’d never know it; I had the whole setup right next to me and never heard a thing except the GoToMeeting I was attending.

Then it came time to get the kids off the school bus. I grabbed my S8, pulled it from the DeX and went out to wait for that big yellow child mover. Never skipping a beat. I had my Outlook client launched from Receiver before my foot hit the bottom stair.

Let me say this: if I didn’t know that I was using a mobile phone all day, with its power, processor and speed, its seamless user experience with all my company apps and desktops, I would have thought I had been using my full on conventional laptop. Well, without the dust and hot air from the fan.

All in all, I can confidently give the Samsung S8 and the DeX married with Citrix Receiver a double thumbs up. The only struggle I have now is … what to do with my laptop?

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