This week, Samsung debuted the Infinity Flex which is a foldable smart phone that allows user’s to run multiple apps at once on a single platform. It’s the same size and feature-full as a smart phone, but opens up like a book to become a tablet. This means we will be able to have both a phone and a tablet that fits inside our pocket.
As a mobile app agency, this is very exciting and opens up some interesting concepts that we are going to discuss in this blog post.
App Compatibility Going Forward
Whenever I meet with a potential or existing client to discuss app requirements, the device compatibility is always detailed at the start of the project. This is because various factors need to be taken into account such as screen size and hardware features. When the Infinity Flex is released, our client’s may wish for their app to be compatible with this mobile platform. This is an option we will offer to our clients, mostly for the app to enter “tablet mode” when the screen is unfolded. Out with this, there are other ways apps could make use of this new technology…
Multiple Apps at Once
When the screen is unfolded, users can either view the app in a tablet view or in a “Multi Active Window”. The Multi Active Window allows users to run up to three apps at once as shown in the photo below.
Multiple apps on one screen increases productivity to the user depending on which apps they choose to use. This could be a combination of apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, if you are marketing on social media. These are completely separate apps but interestingly, instead of having one app, a developer could create three apps that are separate and standalone but also work well together in the Multi Active Window. Having multiple apps running on one screen is bringing the likes of Samsung and Apple closer to having a desktop computer in your pocket.
Release Date
The production of the Infinity Flex begins in 2019. We can expect other mobile companies like Apple to follow suit by releasing similar products over the next few years to compete against Samsung and staying in current technological trends.