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Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

pine64.org

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Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#111
It reminds me of the Commodore 64 that it was underpowered but sold cheaper than the other computers.

I got a 99 dollar used Dell 64 but dual core system with Windows 10 on it upgraded from Windows 7. Runs quite well, but it is not a gaming machine.

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#112
The only problems I see with this laptop is the 2 GB of RAM and resolution.

Firefox with all blocking plugins takes regularly about 1.5-2.5 GB RAM on my machine, even with 5-10 tabs only.

I would like to see 13" model with full size keyboard (not the 11.6 one with crippled/squeezed keys) and at least Full HD screen.

Having 1366x768 resolution in 2018 is misunderstanding to say the least.

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#113

Why 2G of ram? Its certainly usable but seems so limiting is there really a huge savings from not including another 2G?

The SoC doesn't support much more than 2G, the Allwinner Wiki says 3G is the maximum but you probably want to just use two memory chips to keep costs down.

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#114
post #99
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Original part or generic clone?

I think a cloned, new battery might even be better in this particular case. An original battery that's been sitting on a shelf for 10 years is e-waste. There are several articles online about how hard it is to store Li-Ion batteries, eg: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batt...

A new part made by the original vendor is infinitely preferable to an off-brand clone. There have been too many stories of “bargain” LiOns catching fire!

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#115

I have this laptop. The beauty of it is that it is unashamedly bad. It is the humblest of laptops. The body is a direct copy of the 13" MacBook Air. As a computer, it is at least as usable as a Raspberry Pi. The teardown photos are hilarious because the motherboard only takes up about 1/6 the internal space. The rest is empty. https://hackaday.com/2017/04/28/hands-on-with-the-pinebook/ It comes with Ubuntu 16.04, but…

> * It does in fact turn on.

Genius. I was seriously doubting how it was possible to be this cheap.

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#116

Honest question. Why don't people buy old laptops instead of cheaper new ones? I'm no expert but the cost to performance ratio isn't to far off. I am typing this on T420 Thinkpad laptop. I get desiring to use open hardware but at the detriment of performance doesn't quite make sense.

I'm a big fan of any i7 MBP generation that still has normal USB ports. After battery replacement cost used Macbook Pros are still a great deal for quality and speed, especially running a linux distro. #NotMyDongle

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#117

Honest question. Why don't people buy old laptops instead of cheaper new ones? I'm no expert but the cost to performance ratio isn't to far off. I am typing this on T420 Thinkpad laptop. I get desiring to use open hardware but at the detriment of performance doesn't quite make sense.

I do, I bought a refurbished T430, core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD and run it dual-boot with Windows / Fedora. Works brilliantly, I do all my work on it.

I brought a second one of the same spec for my 5yo daughter out of curiosity. Thinkpads are perfect for kids as they're built much tougher and can take serious amounts of liquid spills on the keyboard.

I have problems with sound and DVD playback on the second one I bought, but screen, speed and general reliability has been great.

Plus I also had an issue with the microphone jack on the first one I bought.

Battery life isn't great (~3hrs), but I typically don't need the battery for that long.

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#118
post #83

I'm also working on an ARM notebook in the spirit of Novena called Reform: http://mntmn.com/reform/ This version is 32-bit, but it has 4 cores @ 1.2GHz and 4GB of RAM. Also, it is actually open source, meaning that all the electronic design files (made in KiCAD) are available on GitHub and as soon as we have decided on the correct formats the same will be true for the mechanical/case parts, so you will be even able t…

> I don't know how you can sustainably make a laptop and sell it for $100.

I wondered about that and then saw it only has 2GB RAM and a 16GB Flash drive.

Re: Pinebook: An Affordable 64-bit ARM based Open Source Notebook

#119

Why are people still putting their computers inside keyboards !? Put the SoC behind the screen !!!

That makes the screen thicker, and heavier, therefore more likely to tip the whole thing over. Why do you want it behind the screen?

Other poster mentioned the thermal issues. It's probably not great for EMC either.

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