At CES 2018 Razer presents Project Linda, a dock station for the Razer Phone that looks like a smartphone. Small size and QHD screen
Razer, a company specializing in gaming devices and accessories, took advantage of the stage of CES 2018 (the world's most important trade show dedicated to consumer electronics) to present Project Linda, a new device that could make its debut in the coming months on the market.
Each year, the US company presents at CES the new lineup of peripherals and computers that will be launched on the market during the year. In addition to keyboards and mice, it also shows a "special project". Last year it was the turn of Project Valerie, a laptop with as many as three screens with 4K resolution (the notebook for the moment has not yet been launched on the market). This year it is the turn of Project Linda: it is a dock station for the Razer Phone (the first smartphone made by the U.S. company designed for gaming and with unique features) in order to use it as if it were a computer.
Project Linda has the appearance of a real computer (the design is very similar to the Razer Blade Stealth): 13-inch screen, QWERTY keyboard and chassis made of steel. But inside the "PC" is completely missing the hardware: there is no processor, no RAM and even the speakers. The reason is simple: the components of the Razer Phone (Snapdragon 835, 8GB of RAM and the best smartphone speakers on the market) are used. The operation is very similar to that of the Samsung DeX, the dock station that turns the Galaxy S8 into a computer. But compared to the DeX Station, Project Linda offers a lot more functionality.
Project Linda's features
To call it a laptop is a bit much, although the size and design are very reminiscent of it. Project Linda is a dock station for the Razer Phone: instead of the trackpad there is a slot where you can connect your smartphone with the device through a USB Type-C port. When you connect the smartphone the dock station comes to life, the screen turns on and you can use it as if it were a laptop. The operating system is based on Android and the applications that you can use are those found on the Google Play Store. As mentioned, the dock has neither processor nor RAM, but inside it has a 200GB memory to be used for installing applications and video games. In addition, Project Linda mounts a battery that ensures three charging cycles of the Razer Phone, a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-A port. The screen is 13.3 inches with a frame rate of 120Hz. For the moment the resolution is 1920×1080 pixels, but in the official version Razer would like to mount a QuadHD display.
Once the Razer Phone has been inserted into the slot it can be used both as a touchpad, but also to access secondary functionality of the application you are using. This feature could make Project Linda very interesting, especially when it comes to video games.
When will Project Linda be released
Will Project Linda ever see the light of day? Hard to say. Project Valerie, a "special project" unveiled last year, never made it to market. But Project Linda seems to be different and also easier to build. And Razer would like to focus on such solutions for the future.