/i/2003110718.jpeg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
Microsoft has put the sdk online for the Surface Duo and Neo. This allows developers to prepare apps ready to work with the two screens of the devices on Android and Windows respectively.
This is a ‘preview sdk’, says Microsoft. The company explains in the documentation how it would like apps to render their interface. For example, Microsoft says it is not the intention to display menus across multiple screens. Also, developers should work with an even number of columns, so there is no column with half on one screen and half on the other.
Developers must also take into account many ways of use. Apps start by default on one of the screens, but users can have the app work on multiple screens. Some apps, such as mail clients, can benefit from a layout with a list on the left and the content of mails on the right. In addition, the screens can both be portrait or landscape.
Also, when displaying images and videos across developers, developers must choose whether to pretend that the screen is moving or not. According to Microsoft, users will simply fill in the screen border image in many cases. “This technique is better for media such as videos and photos, where the continuity of the image is more important than showing all content.”
Microsoft brings the smartphone Surface Duo with Android and the tablet Surface Neo with Windows 10 X by the end of this year. The purpose of releasing the sdk is that there are many apps available that are prepared for the use of two screens.
