By skyforbes A bit reminiscent of widgets – the Stream Deck comes with an app – that offers a ton of customized actions on each of these tiny display buttons, which can display PC info, toggle states on and off, control lighting, perform complex windows shortcuts.
Windows 8 and the failed Windows phone continued that trend of widgets with buttons which provided information while you clicked on them. At its simplest its things like the Outlook button showing how many unread emails you have, or a button that turns on and off night vision mode, or a button which shows your PCs temperature or when your next meeting is, or a clock.
So while the Windows phone failed, and Windows 8 removed the widget – I suspect the reason was obvious – YOU CANT SEE ACTIVE WIDGETS ON YOUR DESKTOP ONCE YOU OPEN AN APP.
It seems obvious, but surely that is why widgets failed, is that they look great and informative, and useful, right up until you open an application and cant see them. Then you have to keep checking on your desktop to get any value back.
I think thats why Stream Decks have done so well and are so popular. Not only are those icons constant, they can also switch to different icons depending on the context of which app you're in.
So I start by music studio – and they become icons that control my instruments and effects, I launch a game and they become shortcut buttons to control aspects of the game, I have different icons for work than I have for home use, and I have ones that help play music, control the lights in the house, answer the door, use my phones etc.
The downside – is it costs hundreds of $.
But I also have a simple $20 stand like the below that I stick my phone onto charge and which is Bluetooth connected to my PC via phone link.
I work all day with my phone constantly on that cradle and while Phonelink is useful, it would be a million times more useful if Microsoft rebirthed their widgets from Windows 8 inside their PhoneLink app and made this phone screen useful as a press button interface to the operating system.
So while I respect and like the integration of the phone into the Windows start – I would love to see Microsoft go in the other direction, and bring the Windows desktop icons into the phone, when its paired via Phonelink. Its a spare screen, its already touch, it can sit in a cradle charging – and Microsoft already have the tooling and capability to do this.