Why your old Windows Phone won't support Continuum

In Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft is re-imagining its mobile operating system. In this new version, Microsoft is adding many changes and improvements that surely seems will help Windows 10 to get back into the mobile space.

One of the new features the software giant is bringing to Windows 10 Mobile is Continuum for phones. This feature gives the ability to connect a mouse, keyboard, and external display to the handset to turn your phone into a near PC-like experience.

However, it's important to note that you will still be using a phone operating system. This caveat means that you won't be able to install and use traditional desktop applications (unless you can use a remote desktop app to access your primary computer). Instead, you'll be running universal Windows apps from the Store.

Windows Continuum - All you need to know

Users will also notice that Microsoft is trying to differentiate the Continuum for phone and the Windows 10 for PC experiences by making the mobile desktop environment similar to the elements you'll find in Windows 10 Mobile and not quite similar to the elements of Windows 10 for PC.

Microsoft demo on Continuum for phones

Continuum will allow users to multitask like never before on a phone. Users will be able to run up to two apps, such as Excel Mobile on the big screen and PowerPoint on the phone's display. Perhaps one of the best features about Continuum is that you can still use your phone to make calls, watch a video, and more while editing a spreadsheet on the external monitor.

Microsoft is aiming Continuum for a productivity solution and for emerging countries where sometimes the phone is the only computing device in the house. However, there is a big catch: to drive all the pixels for multiple displays requires new capable hardware.

Unfortunately, this hardware is not available on any of the current Windows phones. Instead, according to Microsoft you need a phone that meets the minimum hardware requirement, which is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992 or MSM8994 chipset. As such your older phone won't support Continuum even though chances are it will support Windows 10.

If you have a Windows phone prior to the release of Windows 10 Mobile, and you want to use Continuum, you will need to buy a new phone.

If you're looking to use the new feature on the mobile operating system, Microsoft has just announced the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, and both phones not only include support for Continuum, but they also support Windows Hello to sign-in to Windows 10 hands-free and securely without complicated passwords, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of Storage, and 20-megapixel rear-facing camera.

The main differences between both phones are the screen size and the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The Lumia 950 has a 5.2-inch display running the Snapdragon 808 processor, and the Lumia 950 XL has a 5.7-inch display running the Snapdragon 810 processor.

Microsoft also announced the Lumia 550, which is a more affordable phone, but again this handset doesn't meet the minimum requirements for Continuum.

Finally, if you're planning to upgrade your phone, don't forget to read our previous article on how to sell your old Windows Phone after you get the new phone.

Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

162 Comments
  • Cchj
  • Which household use phones as the only computer device.
    If you can figure out how to connect a phone to a screen, you may already have 4 PC's plus Windows Media Center in the lounge.
  • Have you been to Cuba recently? Most people have smart phones and flat screen tv's. Most don't have computers...
  • Good point about the TV being the screen for Continuum! Still need a pretty expensive phone (and dock), as emerging markets are concerned.
  • Yeah, this makes no sense. If you need a $550+ phone plus an external monitor to use this, it's not for emerging markets. They'd be way better off tethering a $200 2-in-one (that actually runs full Windows) to a cheap phone.
  • You're missing something here.  Emerging markets don't shoot for flagships and eventually, today's hi-end flagships become tomorrow's midrange market.  It's a long play on the eco system.  So yes, the low cost, sub 10.1 Windows tablet is an option for today in those markets but over time, the phone will become the more attractive option over time. 
  • i know alot of people at home in the uk that would use their phone as their main pc as they dont have any other device, so i tihnk its more than just emerging markets.  Most people have phones that are 690-1000 Pongds uk so 550 for a phone that includes the dock price, add another 45 for wireless keyboard and mouse thats 600 ponds compared to the 690-1000 ponds people mostly spend on iphones with more that 16 gig staorage or flagship androids, seems a perfectly resonable price and product for not everyone but definatly a cunch of that mobile market.  Problem is the very people that wpould use it dont know about it and wont unless a friend tells them lol.
  • So continuum is focused on emerging countries. But for it to work, you need a high end phone like Lumia 950 which is too expensive for them...
  • I dont think price is going to be the problem... Even on emerging countries there are people that is going to buy... I am from Brazil... I have a L930 and can't wait for the 950. Brazil in fact is one of the big markets for the WP.
  • So just cuz u can afford one u think all Brazilians can? 950 will arrive not less than 2k r$ and u say that .... Don't make me laugh.. Dilma will kill you 1st
  • The feature is planned to be focused on emerging markets. The 950 and 950XL have been released for fans that want a new high end flagship after waiting so long, they have no intention of trying to push these devices on the whole world and let's face it they're not even trying hard to make them available to fans. This is amazing technology and software engineering at it's finest and it has only recently become possible hence why the only phones to support it will be high end and expensive. Chip prices will come down, MS will optimise the software and eventually (1 - 2 years) release a midrange or even budget phone that can support it, that's the point at which the true focus of the feature will come into play.
  • You buy a phone that costs under $300 to make but they price it at $700, that way you dont have any money left to by the laptop that also costs under $300 to make but sells for $300. Therefore you need continuum. DUH!
  • It's brand new technology. Today it's too expensive, next year, it'll be cheaper, and the year after that, even more cheap. Laptops and tablets will continue to be the same price, but getting a phone with this ability will drop in price.
  • Its a great price considering people buy contracts for other phones every 2 years for alot more money.  Now they can add a windows phone to thair choices and use it on their tv, especially for the people that only have their phone as their computer.  Yep there are still plenty of people that dont have pcs, laptops or even tablets and those people would find continuam a good thing.
  • They would buy a laptop or assembled PC instead of buying any of these phones right? Then why continuum...?
  • Actually, most of my fam has smartphone and no pc. I am the black sheep. Xbox One, 360, pc, Surface, and 2 wp.
  • exactly and your family would benifit from you showing them continum working, then their next phone would be windows, i have alot of families i know that work simpularly.
  • I was expecting an article telling why older processors can't do continuum... Instead it's an article telling us that only new phones can do it. Not sure the point in the article. We already knew that... There have already been numerous articles on windows central saying you will need new hardware. Tell us why the older gen processors can't do it.
  • It did say why. Read it again. This is what it said:
    However, there is a big catch: to drive all the pixels for multiple displays requires new capable hardware. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • If I had to guess it has the requisite hdcp-type drm for apps like nutflex
  • Good point... Continuum was test and demoed on a L 920, wasn't it??
  • I think that was a simulator, if you mean from January
  • Because they don't have a display port over USB. That's the real reason. Has nothing to do with processors. I had an old ZTE Nubia which could display hdmi through its usb port however was laggy.
    I think that's the two reasons here why they want you to get a newer phone to have continuum: No display over usb on older phones and experience will be crap with those processors.
  • Well that's strange because my Lumia 1020 explicitly supports display over USB, but not Miracast. When I go to the "project my screen" settings I'm told I have to set it up over USB: "This phone can't project your screen with a wireless connection, but you can use a USB cable to connect to a Windows device". Also, the phone has a pixel density higher than many cheap laptops.
  • Because fuck you, that's why!
  • Yeah, you've got a point there and I tend to agree with you because although I'm using a not so powerfull desktop computer and a tablet, I'd rather go for a regular full hd tv and one of those $100 hdmi dongles which run full windows instead of using continuum which restrains me to "modern", "universal" or however you want to call them, apps. But Continuum is still a cool feature and I'd like to be able to buy a second-hand Lumia 640 (which is quite nice) and take advandage on it than spending a fortune on a 950. That being said, I will spend a fortune on a Microsoft flagship when it will support win32 apps (like the rumored Surface phone). Untill then, I'll keep my computing sistems running Windows and my phone running Android.
  • It's ok. I'll just buy a new L950XL.
  • My poor Lumia 1520. Greetings from Portugal
  • Don't forget the jada from Acer supports it too
  • That's the one I'll hold out for, as the new Lumia phones already seem to come with a lot of hassle.
  • The Acer version has the same hassle, requires a dock.
  • I'm not referring to the dock, but the availability (assuming it won't go through the same red tape as the Lumias.)
  • The red tape of going to a microsoft store and buying one? I don't understand.
  • Actually you dont necessarily need the dock. Thats only of you want to use a keyboard and mouse. You can connect to a screen wirelessly if the monitor supports it. I am not sure about wireless keyboard and mouse but yeah the display has been mentioned you dont need the dock.
  • You can also connect keyboard and mouse wirelessly... AFAIK.
  • Bluetooth peripherals with Miracast will work too
  • Bluetooth
  • i bet youve never used a windows phone.  I say that because you think windows would be alot of hastle but android isnt and by my experience and almost every android user i have ever known(who are mostly all on iphones now)  think android it alot of hastle.  guess what they are right, windows is very hassle free in comparison so pluging your phone into a small box via 1 cale, a bit like chargeing isnt exactly a hasstl;e to me.  but you could just stream it too lol.
  • It's called the Jade Primo
  • What's beyond my comprehension is why isn't Microsoft keen on releasing devices with snapdragon 6xx , which supports "hey Cortana"
  • I believe the SD 410 passive voice now supports that as well. That's why alot of people weren't happy the 640 went with the 400.
  • Yup yup
  • Windows 10 mobile doesn't support Hey Cortana yet. At least not on my UK L930
  • 1st half of the article describes what continuum is. 1 paragraph as to why it won't run on current devices, and the rest describes which of the 3 announced phones supports it.. Should be titled "All you need to know about Continuum" since 3 sentences explain why my old Windows phone won't support it. I was hoping for a more technical breakdown as to why...
  • Good luck, they will never get into technical details. I'm sure they could get it working on SD800 devices if they really wanted. They need to sell new devices though... The Blackberry Playbook can drive an external display with separate screen and multitasking enabled and it has a MUCH older SoC. Like you can actually play a video on an external display, through the tablet, and while you view the browser on the tablet itself. How can the SD800 not do this? They don't want it to. Well, maybe the connector isn't capable, cause the Playbook uses HDMI. That's really all I can think of... Posted via Note 4/Nexus 7 (2013)/Lumia 1020/ Lumia 2520
  • Well, the older phones use the older usb standard and these phones also support displayport over usb. But yeah the 1520 and 930 are more then capable however they probably could only drive one screen at a time. Not really different than projecting a screen or using Miracast I guess. Time will tell.
  •     anything i'd say from the last 1-2 years i would try and experiment with! first obvs i would focus on the 950 and 950xl  but i would still try offering it to devices with atleast 1gb ram. Phones are now little pcs that are acually more powerful than an average pc that's very good power for a phone!
  • I am going to go with this theory. It isnt like SD800 isnt capable but the config that they use for older devices are not capable. If you need another example, it is how OTG isnt officially supported in Nexus 4 while the same chipset in other phones actually can use OTG. Sure, SD800 might be capable enough to drive all continuum correctly but given Lumia's configuration right now that doesn't even have OTG enabled, continuum can't be run on these old devices. That's they need you to buy a phone with correct config for it.
  • My guess would be that none of the old chipsets used in phones have a wired output. This is running through the USB-C connector. Without an HDMI or Displayport out in the 800 and 801 chipsets it would be a no go.
  • Because there is no real reason. The 930 is twice as potent as my windows laptop. Its the same story over and over again, like wp7.8 won't get win10. They want us to buy the 950 and that's it.
  • My old atrix could run Linux on my tv with a mini-hdmi port. That's pretty much the reason why no phones are capable, there's no capable output port on any current phones.
  • I would let them focus first on 950 and 950xl let them be good then put it on devices from the past 1-2 years preferably higher end with 1-2GB ram and then keep releasing the feature with newer devices to come. People will eventually buy a new phone if they don't new fans will because they upgrade to the latest all the time, the only way if MS are telling you that you won't get the feature all you have to do is either stick with 8.1 that means no WP10 market share gain for them or switch to a competitor again they will lose you and a little share!
  • How exactly is it twice as potent as your Windows laptop? Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • "The 930 is twice as potent as mywindows laptop." Absolutely, it would be dead easy for them to support a Remote Desktop Protocol server on the phone (which the user would have to start explicitly via an app) and let you log in to your phone from any old laptop with an RDP client. Allow the session to be frozen/suspended if a phone call comes in on older devices -- small sacrifice to propel Windows Phone into the stratosphere. Imagine if I could log in to my phone from any Workstation on the same network and use my apps and on-phone data that way. This would be a great option on older phones, and a good complement the full Continuum experience on newer phones where a spare monitor/keyboard/mouse aren't available but a Workstation is. The wow factor alone would be a huge advertisement for a Windows Phone whenever I'm travelling or at a conference with a group of iPhone / Android users.
  • This is an article for non-techs, like I was expecting. The technical details might have to do with memory speed (not just capacity), processor threading, etc.
  • Ever tried to connect a laptop to more than one external monitor without an external graphics card? Every GPU has a limit to how many monitors it can drive. It would take too much power and the GPU would overheat. So far, phone GPUs have never needed to connect to external monitors. So why would you put in an overpowered GPU? It would have made the devices more expensive than they needed to be. That's why current phones won't support continuum.  
  • I get that. I'm ready to buy a new phone.
  • They always could make the phone itself inoperable when it is using continuum, so it is just driving the external display and other peripherals to run continuum. Phones like the 930/1520/M8 should be able to run it that way. I doubt anything else would be able to though.
  • They could, but I guess they want to set a certain high minimum standard for the feature. You know how the biased media just loves to over criticize everything MS.
  • Then you might as well just Miracast (which they can do).
  • yep there are always alternatives even if it is hard!
  • (930/1520/M8). Are any of those phones even getting an official W10 mobile update?
  • That's exactly what I was thinking. Apparently they only need the new processors to have 2 displays, the phone display and the attached screen. If I'm attaching the phone to a screen, keyborad and mouse why would I want the phone display to be on? Texts etc can be displayed on the main screen. Incoming calls could be displayed on the main screen. Why bother with the phone screen. As for miracast that doesn't allow the keyborad and mouse does it?
  • Just.... Just shut up and take my money!
  • Yea right, 1520 can do Miracast, it could do continuum, just not run both its screen and the external one separately, just a mirror, and of course they need something to sell now, also previous lumias have DLNA so they could somehow do it with some input lag
  • Lol to bad it wasn't a full standard like WiDi which is the only way it seems hdcp encoded video will play
  • I want apps that can be on both screens. Not mirrored, and not different apps.
    I picture salesforce. Calling side on phone, and history, notes, all customer info on big screen.
    Good for lots of presentation and conference call software too. I hope MS' CRM team is getting to it.
  • This isn't what they're going for. They want all phones apps to just work when you use them with continuum. The display will use the same code as the app on the phone and run it the same way a desktop would run the app. If they made it so you could implement dual screen experiences, almost no developers would, because this is Windows we are talking about. They don't want to make something that will only be useful if the developers start actually supporting Windows on phones.
  • Continuum has the potential to change office jobs, and sales. Apps like this would pave the way. If an app is on screen, it seemed like a few steps to get it back on phone. And if my clients' phone number is on screen, I can't just click, I have to dial. When you call 100 people a day an extra 10 second makes a difference. #productive
  • I'm getting the unlocked 950 XL for myself and the unlocked 950 for my wife. The US needs to be like the rest of the world and not be tied to a single carrier.
  • they aren't tied to a single carrier, unlocked is available... and how have most other carriers supported Windows Phone?? Pretty sure if other carriers wanted in, MS would have been fine with it.
  • Yeah,the wife gets the 'inferior' tech....just kidding. I am going to get the XL. But I wish somebody else is paying.
  • If you have a Windows phone prior to the release of Windows 10 Mobile, and you want to use Continuum, you will need to buy a new phone. This is why, not because of "to drive all the pixels for multiple displays". Microsoft want your money. This is the same situation when latests Win7.5 devices were skipped with WP8 update. Just not enough power, but late Nokia released wp8 device with even less power than Lumia 800 or 900.    
  • While possible (I think someone shoehorned windows phone 8 onto an HTC HD2).....i got nothing really except possibly the whole single vs multicore thing...  
  • You are completely and utterly wrong Ray Adams. Only new processors can run two separate things on separate displays at once.
  • That is NOT true! Proof below. That is a 1GH dual core TI OMAP 4430 and 1GB RAM. Any Lumia 9XX or newer is probably more powerful than that device. https://youtu.be/f6E2m5EVugI Posted via Note 4/Nexus 7 (2013)/Lumia 1020/ Lumia 2520
  • I am really sorry, but with my expeiense as software developer since 1990 year, all what MS trying to say sound like BS. Pure software feature does not required hardware!
  • Of course it doesn't, but MS does have to make a profit on its phone line eventually, so you can see why they would lock this feature into a minimum new hardware requirement. If you were running the company, what would you recommend? It's probably enough that they're aiming to get W10 on every existing Lumia 8.1 device, as proved by the fact that you can right now put WM10 insider on a Lumia 920 or 1020, for example.
  • If I were microsoft, I would be close "Windows Phone" line , long time before. If you see no matter what you are doing, you are doing it wrong. You have to quit this business, or change everything! Microsoft learnt nothing from fails!   And just IMHO, Microsoft is not Appple. You cannot force people to accept anything from you
  • Exactly....just like the PC...theyre tryng to force everyone to use windows 10
  • they already get you to use windows 10 even on a lower end device all you do is obvs update it and they get a kick out of that!
  • Continuum is a feature that should be used mainly for entertainment, media center I.e. Plex, vlc,Netflix or simply to view your personal pics, videos, music on your tv using hdmi. Someone needs to make a media remote for this amd on the software side universal apps need to be keyboard/remote friendly.
  • Imagine if they brought Xbox streaming to continuum. How cool would that be?
  • You can always remote desktop onto a computer running the Xbox app
  • Got a 0.5s lag when doing so, which results in many games being unplayable :-) But still, it was fun to have the One screen on my phone that way ^_^
  • I don't think RDP will accept the XBox controller.
  • I'm def getting the Lumia 950 white to replace my Lumia 1020... Hope it arrives soon in India...thou we indian will get dual sim version which is great...
  • Yea, I would buy a 950XL....If verizon carried it...  
  • What's to stop them from adding continuum to old phones? Fair enough, I get the no two screens thing but why not add it so older phones only use one screen? When you get a phone call on your phone, you see the face and whatnot on your big screen too. Surely the coding is there to size up the app regardless so why not just limit older phones to one screen instead? Whatever is on your phone is also on the big screen, no second screen. Am I missing something important here?
  • But that's not continuum
  • But that's the main and widely advertised point of it.
  • It is Continuum with reasonable limited capacity. If you want the full experience, get a new phone.
  • Also though, the more scenarios you want to support, the more work there is to do - The more generic something becomes it generally tends to become more complicated.
    Continuum has great potential in the future - At the moment if I got a 950 or 950XL i'd mainly use it to show off Windows 10 Mobile to people, I don't think longer term I'd use it regularly - Mainly due to me having my Surface Pro 3 with me most of the time
  • either stick with what you got or don't buy their new phones, only way they will understand 
  • If everyone does that, there'll be NO Windows Phones in the future. Nadella looks like he's the type o CEO who will unceremoniously cut off Lumia development if it doesn't turn a profit with this "last ditch" chance. They've already sacked most of the former Nokia staff.
  • I wonder if simply using the Microsoft wireless display adapter would be capable of some level of continuum ... with apps still scaling to fit the external screen.
  • Well if its WiDi certified sure that would appease groups like mpaa
  • I'm fairly positive that it is. Microsoft showed at //BUILD that you can simulate a keyboard and mouse on your phone, which would be good for a TV. You can always use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse as well if you want to go completely wireless and you don't want the display dock.
  • The thing with Miracast is that (on past Lumias, and any other mobile phones) the image won't be displayed at the resolution of the TV and scale up, it will just display exactly what's on the screen. So in terms of UWP apps, just using plain miracast will show them on the big screen, but rendered exactly how it looks on the phone, rather than rendering it directly to a 42" 1080p size
  • Can't they do it like Surface Book ? Continuum dock with dedicated graphic, extra processor and memory to handle the graphic.
    They could even sell two different version, the cheaper connect box for new devices, and more expensive power box for older devices and new devices that need more power in their work.
  • The USB port on existing devices may not / probably won't be suitable for an accessory like that
  • Exactly, USB OTG would not run that well, even on an 801.
  • Not sure why everyone has forgotten about the 1520 which is more than capable of running continuum.. Microsoft even demoed windows 10 on a 1520..
  • It was a modified 1520 with a hard line connection.
  • it's ridiculous because that's security features they are not binging to older devices or even some older devices from 1-2 years ago windows hello and continum not coming it's obvs they just dying to get people upgrading.   W10 already collects user data they already make billions off of that and that they are a multi million company!
  • Windows Hello can't just work off the type of front facing camera in existing phones, they have no ability to perceive depth or shape in an accurate way.
  • Simple, the older phones, even the ones with high end 800/801 chips don't have a wired out. Yes they have wireless options, but frankly that is just for mirroring due to bandwidth. The USB-C connector is 5Gbps, which means there is little trouble pushing the info to run two screens. No wired connector, no continuum.
  • Hey... As I understand.. Display dock I'd not a requirement.. You can still go Miracast.. The requirement is the new processors.. I agree with Andrew about they should make a different kind of adapter for old phones... L930 seems very powerful to retirement...
  • Continuum requires the wired connection. Older phones and these can connect through Miracast but I will be mirroring, not two separate environments like continuum
  • Continuum doesn't sound very exciting for me at this stage. I'm a developer and phone won't run my visual studio. Only good thing it will do is to project ppt, office and browsers to a big screen. Won't give me pc experience as the apps are not pc apps. I would have rather preferred a phone with dual boot for phone and pc windows. Just give the phone large storage. Future might be bright but at this stage it showed not excite me much
  • If you were a lawyer you would change your mind... The only need is a good word and excel experience... Nobody uses a PC in nowadays for read emails... Soon.. Netbook markets will feel the jump
  • Continuum is capable of replacing my tablet, which I don't have or require, but not my work or home pc
  • there is no smart experience if continuum is the POS. Just have it as an added feature.  
  • Good strategy but, I'll never buy a new phone for that feature, I'm stick for my current Lumia Phone, I'm only waiting for W10M update, that's it...
  • When would windows10mobile release?
  • For older models, it will be in December.
  • Technically it will *start* rolling out in December - It could takes months to reach some devices - Just get the Insider Preview app when the first public build is released, then disable insider builds from then on if you aren't comfortable with a preview build but want the OS right away
  • Bravo Microsoft , bravo
  • What happens if the app isn't universal, which most aren't. Will it still run but not scale correctly? Like iPhone apps running on iPad.
  • Continuum sounds cool but obviously will have almost no real world utility.
  • Let me help with an example. Ok, two examples. I have a Surface Pro but for convenience reason, I still have some documents on my phone (I have a 64Gig SD card and plotting to get 124Gig). I edit them sometimes. I can just plug in my phone to my Surface, edit it easily with the larger screen and keyboard and save it right 'on the spot', without having to copy back and forth or be restricted to the smaller screen of my phone. Or this: I often work from client's office. I always have my Surface with me even though I don't do serious work in such places (I am a software developer/business man) just because I might need to edit something or even cobble up a document (the life of a business owner). I can just borrow a screen and crank out my document right there from my phone while explaining to amazed onlookers that this is the Continuum you have probably heard about in Lumia commercials. Not a deal breaker, right? But be sure that other possibilities will come up when you start to use it. So I would rather have it. And it is the aggregation of 'little' experiences like this that makes up a great user experience, the like of which Apple boast about, not necessarily 41mp cameras.
  • I can't really see how you quickly unplug someone's keyboard, mouse and monitor from his desktop or laptop, and plug everything into your phone dock, just to show off. Instead of simply opening your Surface. That is just stupid. The only realistic scenario for this is keeping the dock with a monitor, keyboard and mouse attached on your desk. If you already have those, and decided to get rid of your old desktop or laptop. A docking station isn't meant to be carried around along with a laptop, is it?
  • Did you notice I would be able to leave even my Surface behind? And please don't ask me why I would leave my Surface behind. I decide what I carry around with me. And I already said they are no deal breakers so if they don't matter to you, fine.
  • So instead of taking a tablet with you, you'll carry around a dockig station, hoping that people you visit have compatible monitors, keyboards and mice and lettle you fiddle with them?
    That is just weird and creepy.
  • There is nothing creepy about it. Right now, two of the biggest banks in my country each have one of their computers reserved for me because I am deploying my solution for them. More than half a dozen have done so in the past and I hope more will do so in the future. I fiddle with their computers all the time. It may be hard for you to imagine but it isn't for me that I can plug my Continuum enabled phone to their monitors. I repeat it may not be a big deal but I guess you would be one of those that said mobile phones weren't needed because your desk phone was always waiting for you even when you go out. But tech often advance in small increments . Look at the potentials, beyond current limitations. Or are you saying Microsoft should hold on until Continuum can power Autocad before releasing it? It is even clear you are just trying to find negative things at this point. Even if you manage to find legitimate ones, I will treat them as growing pains that will be sorted out in the future. Regardless of what you think, (consumers are being deceived, they will misunderstand it), Continuum is a very good selling point for tv commercials.
  • I've also had many enterprises set up a workstation for me to deploy somethin on their servers. And I've never had the urge to unplug their PC and plug my phone into their keyboard, mouse and monitor. Why the frack would I? There's absolutely nothing to gain with such an action in that kinda of scenario. And that is all I am referring to. Meanwhile you are getting aggravated and venting about things I've never said. In case you didn't follow: conitunum is fun and cool, but the use cases you provided are shit.  
  • It's not clear that you will be able to plug your phone into your surface and use it to run the OS on your phone. Your Surface isn't a monitor with HDMI input plug, is it? Since the Surface is all integrated, you can't just unplug the screen part from the CPU graphics and plug them into your phone. A better solution here would be to have a RDP server running on the phone.
  • This maybe off topic, what are the VNC clients that are available for Windows 10? If there are some good options I can leave my laptop at home, carry the display dock and the 950 to work
  • I don't know VNC apps specifically , but there was a TeamViewer app for Windows Phone 8.1 but it's not in the store for Windows 10 Mobile - They told me in a tweet they are working on a Windows 10 app though.. I know it's not VNC but it's an option. Also another alternative is the Remote Desk Preview app for Windows 10 is available (so will scale up well on Continuum - It should be out of preview soon I'd imagine)
  • This is simple they just want you to sell your lumia 1520 or 930 n buy the 950.. No one would have bought the 950 if all these features were to come to your old lumia i wudnt have.
  • Indeed
  • Why it is not possible to just insert an ordinary x86 processor and install "elder" version of Windows 10? Than it will be a real computer, not a "continuum butaforia", will it?
  • Didnt Joe Belfiore demoed continuum with a L1520 sometime back? cant remember if it was E3 or way before pretty sure it was this year.
  • That was their January event and it was a simulator I believe
  • Well the article does a fantastic job of explaining why old phones will not have continuum. Thanks to the comments it makes much more sense.
  • Very sad continuum will not be supported for the lumia 1520. How the phones size can be so deceiving;(
  • I will say that CONTINUM has already taken Microsoft wen ahead of other players but this is not enough. It requires more fine tuning. Fortunately I know the solution. Unfortunately no one listens to me!
  • Apply for a job at Microsoft?
  • after this weeks event i think microsoft are finally on the right track but not for mobile, i really think they needed a more premium LOOKING device after all we buy phones that look great.  The 950s look ok but thats all, great specs but look ok.  I dont get why they didnt follow reviewers look at their opinions, cause if they had wed be geting some varient on the 930 and not the plastic restricted black and white color choices of today.  Metal always feels way more premium than plastic.  Not everyone likes a pretruding camera on their phones.
  • Can someone tell whether my Lumia 435 will support Continuum or not?
  • Did you read the article?
  • Can someone please explain how this works with the monitor? 
  • You plug your phone into a dock that plugs into your monitor and hey presto you have your phone as a full windows app on the screen.  With also alot of the functionality of your desktop pc experience.
  • In the video he had the phone physically connected to nothing. 
  • He was using Miracast / wireless display connection. This is apparently also supported, without the dock, but it will have a sligth lag that would be fine for editing documents and email, but not for game play.
  • You are good people! Thank you for the exact information I was looking for. :) 
  • Microsoft. 
  • older phones cannot handle it? so if they are basically plugging in the phone to the docking station through to a monitor then plugging in keyboard and mouse then multitasking that's similar to what Surface does with the docking station and external monitor right? Also, what's the amazingly massive difference between all of that and plugging in a windows 7 netbook with a atom based processor with 1gb ram to a monitor and plugging in a mouse and keyboard? most phones now do everything your pc can do and saying even a high end flagship from 1-2 years ago won't do! sorry, but that doesn't make sense. 
  • Great article i felt it gave me enough info to understand why my 930 wont work with continum.
  • The problem is the lack of supported ports in order to run the new dock. The hardware is configured without USB OTG and if I recall correctly this has to be enabled at a hardware, not software level. Without USB OTG, the USB port cannot send the required data via USB, only receive it.
  • Pretty fair
  • the 435 is the lowest end devices with only like 512mb ram which is the lowest amount to get windows 10 with continum, they could do it but it would take time and money to do.    
  • I still cant connect my Xbox controller to the Phone. While they showed images and said it was coming even before win10. And showed halo 4 streaming on 520. And said direct x 12 would change phone games industry. Meanwhile iPhone metal makes games look better since 2 years at least and android supports Xbox controllers...
  • The best you can hope for is an adapter to plug in the massive PC Dongle they are releasing, or if they release a phone that specifically can connect to the Xbox One controller - I did think they'd changed the controller for the Xbox One so it didn't use a proprietary wireless technology, but the fact they are releasing a specific dongle for PC suggests otherwise
  • Everyone forgets the Acer phone.
  • they didnt forget the acer phne its just that most of use here came here because its a windows website about windows phones so talking about a acer thats androdi doesnt really make much sense.  Maybe you should go to a android site or a acer site you might find some talking there about your phone.
  • Um, he is referring to Acer's recently announced W10 phone that also supports continue through a dock.
  • I'll wait for a intel based phone that i can install visual studio on it lol
  • It will be Atom based, not exactly VS ready.
  • When a mid range phone with new hardware. 640xl and others are pretty old in hardware.
  • All began from Nokia Lumia 930 and because it is Nokia and not Microsoft.... now it cannot support "Continuum". You cannot gain trust by this way Microsoft!
  • So my 1520 that isnt even paid off yet will not be supported? Why should I be loyal to Microsoft when they show me no such loyalty? And that whole processor no ABLE to pull it off, I find that hard to believe. The 800 cant be all that different from the 808, the 1520 performs every bit as good in all comparisons I have seen. At least give us something similar even if it doesnt have ALL the bells and whistles...