This little gizmo, the Link, is an incredibly useful component for anyone to have if they're using an Android phone and a Windows laptop.
Here's how it works: You plug your phone into one end of the Link, then plug the Link into your Windows laptop. You will then be able to drop-and-drag items from your phone to your computer (and vice-versa), see your phone screen up in a corner of your computer screen, or cut-and-paste items from a document in one device to a document in the other.
The Link lets you stream video from one device to another. It lets you answer texts without checking your phone -- you can just switch windows on your desktop and keep typing.
"So let's say your computer's on the company network and your IT admin has blocked Facebook. Could you, say, keep an eye on your Facebook feed by plugging your phone into Link and displaying it on your desktop?" I asked.
And the answer is, yes, you can.
You will need to download the Link app from the Google Play store in order for the gadget to work on your phone, but otherwise, it's multiplatform plug-and-play.