I hope this message finds you all well. I am an avid user and a big fan of Framework’s commitment to sustainability and innovation in the tech industry. Your approach to creating customizable, repairable, and upgradable laptops is genuinely revolutionary, and it’s thrilling to see how Framework continuously pushes the boundaries.
I wish to propose an idea for a new product that could potentially complement the existing line of Framework laptops – a “Lapdock.” As we continue to integrate more mobility and flexibility into our tech, a Lapdock designed by Framework could serve as a perfect bridge between the portable nature of smartphones and the powerful features of Framework laptops.
Why a Framework Lapdock?
Portability and Flexibility: It would be an ultra-portable device that can easily integrate with Framework products and smartphones, offering more screen real estate and typing comfort than a phone.
Sustainability: By utilizing the processing power of smartphones, the Lapdock can remain lightweight and less resource-intensive, aligning perfectly with Framework’s mission of environmental consciousness.
Innovation: This product could tap into the growing market of users who desire a minimalist, efficient setup for on-the-go use, potentially attracting a new customer base.
Customizability and Upgradability: Following the Framework ethos, this Lapdock could be designed to be as customizable and upgradable as your laptops, offering options for different screen sizes, keyboard layouts, and additional features like extra battery packs or solar charging panels.
I believe a Lapdock could be a fantastic addition to the Framework family, offering a unique product that stands out in the market while adhering to the values that Framework champions. I would love to see this concept come to life and am keen to hear what the community and the Framework team think about this potential venture.
Thank you for considering this proposal. I am looking forward to your thoughts and hopefully, to seeing a Framework Lapdock become a reality!
Do you have any basic schematics or drawings for such a design? I am having a bit of difficulty visualizing such a design and a drawing would be very helpful to see what kind of dock you are referring to. Thanks!
i have a very basic question, what do you intend when you say “Lapdock”? i know what’s intended when we talk about dock and docking stations, but given your “why a framework lapdock” description, i find myself in the dark on what kind of product you are thinking, i cant even imagine a shape actually
For some reason I think the OP wants basically a laptop/dock for a smartphone. So all the compute is provided by the phone, even so far as serving as a touchpad while the dock is providing battery power, bigger screen, additional connectivity options and peripheral expansion.
A lapdock, like the one shown in the link (LapDock Samsung Dex Screen Android Monitor Laptop), indeed combines a monitor, a keyboard, and I hope also a webcam, all in one portable device. It would be fantastic if “Framework”, known for its sustainable and modular design philosophy, decided to produce their own lapdock. The ability to easily upgrade or replace components, just like in their laptops, would make the device extremely versatile and sustainable in the long term.
A lapdock is nothing more than a docking station with a monitor, a keyboard, and possibly even a webcam.
Personally, I would use a lapdock with a miniPC or with my mobile phone to create a more powerful and flexible mobile workstation. Especially when traveling, having such a compact and easy-to-set-up option would be incredibly useful. Just think of the possibility to expand the capabilities of your phone or miniPC with a full-size keyboard and a larger screen, while keeping everything easily portable.
What do you think? Do you believe a “Framework” lapdock could make a difference for users looking for modularity and sustainability in a mobile solution?
It sounds a little like Razer’s Project Linda. I wasn’t aware they were making products like this. I know Samsung Dex is still around (I played with it a little but never actually use it), but I didn’t realize they were actively making devices for this. I just assumed you’d hook up to a USB-C dock and use it like a desktop.
I have to say that I love the idea, however the practically doesn’t seem to be there (especially for me as a gamer who needs more powerful hardware. YAY FW16!). It’s nice to be able to just use your phone and everything is done from one device, but when used as a laptop you’d still have to carry around the lapdock portion like you would a regular laptop. So why not just have a laptop? If you’re going to have two devices anyway you might as well get a laptop that could have a bit more power. On the flip side it could be cheaper. For an example: an $800 phone and a $1000 laptop vs the same $800 phone and say a $300 lapdock. I could see that being worth it if your requirements are very minimal like web browsing, video streaming, and documents/emails.
I think if Framework gets into more than just laptops and creates a phone, I think designing a lapdock like Project Linda (integrating the phone into it) would be a great idea! I think people who would use a lapdock would benefit from having a singular unit vs two devices linked by a cable or one sitting on top of the other in case of the wireless.
I’ve owned several iterations of the lapdock (starting with the OG Motorola Atrix thing with the flip out phone holder), and I think this would be an interesting reusability pivot for Framework. It could use the same screen, keyboard, touchpad, battery, laptop frame, and even the expansion slots, but with a very lightweight connective tissue between it all that accepts USB DP Alt input, HDMI input, and a USB connection. It’s a glorified hub that interfaces with all the Framework parts and would allow people who are swapping out older components to have a use for them if they don’t have another mainboard to use.
I typed this out on a Moto G100 using their version of “Dex” on a 32" monitor. There are dozens of us out there who would use this sort of thing.
A bit of a side note, it would be cool if the laptop itself could accept a USB DP Alt signal. The new Minisforum v3 tablet and the GPD Pocket are able to do so and be used as a secondary display for your other devices. The closest I’ve been able to do that is using a USB capture card and feed it into the computer as a video feed.
While I’m not into gaming, I plan to utilize it with a miniPC. This way, when the time comes, I’ll only need to upgrade the miniPC, as the lapdock will stay essentially the same.
This is for people who don’t really need a full blown laptop. People who do everything they need to do on their phones anyways. Also every time you upgrade your phone you upgrade your “laptop” at the same time. Just like Framework’s Mainboards. I am a big Samsung Dex user and with most lapdocks the touchpad is always an issue, and your phone is tethered by a cable. Project Linda by Razer solved both of those problems. Samsung Dex even turns your phone into a touchpad. If Razer would have released their Project Linda I would have been a Razer Phone buyer for life. I like everything Framework is doing and I feel if Framework released a lapdock like Razer’s Project Linda, you will cater to an untap market space for a lot of people just like me.
Thank you Roberto for this post. I’ve been a big fan of Framework and Samsung Dex and I never thought about putting those two together. There shouldn’t be as much work for Framework to implement this since they already have a lot of basework completed. Just instead of a Mainboard they would just use a glorified “dock” that would connect the display, expansion slots, battery, webcam in the display, all to a usb-c connector and have different shells for different phone sizes instead of a touchpad. The phone would be the touchpad. Just like Project Linda. Instead of a motorized type c insert like Project Linda, maybe use something with less moving parts like a manual slider.
All the engineering needed here is a “mainboard” that acts as a usb-c + eDP hub. maybe an active DP to HDMI adapter to allow compatibility with devices that have no DP alt mode for their usb-c ports. Especially if you skip the phone “dock” mounting idea (so just one usb-c cable going out of the shell to the phone instead of integrating it into the chasis) this is probably an easy enough project for a couple engineers. Even if framework is not up to it, the community can make this happen. Not me though, I am never touching kiCad again.
True. But most trackpads on the lapdocks that exist are terrible. They lack palm rejection is the main thing. If Framework can implement a better working trackpad that would be a major step in the right direction. And maybe not have to do a phone docking bay.
That’s how I’m picturing it too. Sounds feasible enough. Basically just replacing the motherboard with a hub that allows for USB and video input.
I have a NexDock already, but for people who don’t have one and one day don’t need their Framework to be a laptop, this can extend the life even further. Hopefully the trackpad will present itself as a trackpad rather than a mouse. NexDock’s trackpad presents itself as a mouse so there’s no palm rejection and it makes for a terrible experience. For my use case, it’s not that bad (just a portable crash cart to fix computers with - so it’s not a something I would sit down and use all day).
It’d be great to use with a mini PC, smartphones with desktop modes (ex: Samsung Dex), and even just to plug in your gaming consoles (use as display-only).
I also work on computer repairs so it’s nice to just carry a lapdock instead of separate monitor, keyboard, mouse, and their associated cables.
Like I said, NexDock is great for this already, but repurposing a Framework laptop for something like this is just chef’s kiss.
I use my NextDock heavily with my Steam Deck and it basically turns it into a gaming laptop. But the quality of the screen and trackpad, as well as lack of webcam and not supporting being charged by the device, limits it in my opinion.
A Framework 13-compatible mainboard that is just a juiced up thunderbolt dock with controls for power delivery directionality would be the golden standard.
I would buy this as a complete product.
I would even buy one of each size.
I’m using the top SKU GPD Pocket 4 and would love to have a lapdock that I could connect it to for a larger form factor every now and then without having to have a whole separate computer and OS to manage.
I’m willing to bet that a lot of those that have similarly tiny computers would lover this.
An eGPU version in the 16 inch shell would be absolutely amazing, though that would likely take a bit of engieneering work to do.
It’s it pretty much means that, in detail it means putting in a simplified motherboards the forwards keyboard and trackpad data from the framework chassis to the host device and decodeing DP alt mode from the USB-connection which is sent to the display.