Samsung's Flow bridges the gap between Android and Windows devices

Like Apple, Samsung is trying to link its devices so they work better together. A new effort bridges the gap between the company's Android handsets and Windows devices.

A new feature called Flow in Samsung's new Galaxy TabPro S helps the Windows 10 tablet work smoothly with Galaxy smartphones running Android. The super-thin tablet started shipping in the U.S. on Thursday, with a starting price of $899.

Until now, Samsung's Windows PCs and Android devices didn't work hand-in-hand. Flow provides some interesting hints on Samsung's plan to link Windows and Android devices.

Flow will allow Android smartphone users to use their devices to log in to Windows PCs. Users can swipe a finger on a smartphone's fingerprint reader, logging a user into the TabPro S, which doesn't have a fingerprint reader. Similarly, users can log in to the TabPro S by pattern authentication -- by drawing specific shapes -- on smartphones. Those actions require a Flow application on a smartphone, which passes on authentication information to the TabPro S through NFC protocols.

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