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Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

pocket.popcorncomputer.com

111–120 of 151 posts

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#111
post #13

Smartphones solved the portable monitor problem. What humanity needs now is a truly portable keyboard. Something that you can carry as easily as a smartphone and that lets you type as conveniently as on a good laptop keyboard. Are there any promising attempts at this?

Unless you are deGoogling.

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#113
post #17

Anyone interested in this might consider the GPD MicroPC. It has become my go-to "fits in a cargo pocket" computer. They had a battery controller issue initially with the Indiegogo batch, but that has been solved on the ones you can get from Amazon now.

The GPD win2 looks quite fun, if you're into that sort of thing. Looks like the same sort of keyboard as the Nokia n900.

I have an issue with the ";" key not being in the correct location. I type dvorak, and that's my "s" key.

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#114

I've acquired a Hyperkeyboardpi[0] kit, not yet built. But essentially its a keyboard add on for a raspberry pi which when paired with a Hyperpixel 4.0 touchscreen from Pimoroni makes a little handheld terminal. It's designed for a Pi 3 but I'm trying a Pi 4. I'll see how I get on. The keyboard kit is only available in Japan but there are shipping companies that will forward it for you. [0] https://www.telnet.jp/~mia…

This looks quite nice. Are you outside of Japan? If so how did you acquire the kit?

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#115
post #3

I loved my PocketCHIP, right up to when the software stopped getting updates, and the company ghosted everyone with hundreds of waiting orders. I still have it, but getting it working again is a couple weekend's of work. (Which makes me somewhat doubt the simultaneous claims of mainline Debian _and_ based on the same underlying hardware as the CHIP.) I love the form factor that these kinds of computers present. Howev…

Upon seeing this project I immediately searched the HN thread for fellow PocketCHIP owners. Mine's still on my shelf next to a few other handheld Linux portables that showed promise, but ended up with poor support and no updates. The real clincher for me is eMMC storage - with no way to back up or modify the storage other than their web-based flasher, the CHIP was a headache and a half to deal with, compared to other…

Mine's lying half dead in my drawer. It needs to be reflashed. It really was exactly what I wanted - apart from the terrible support which turns it into a dreaded chore. I used it enough I had to repair the ctrl+shift keys (well, the caps) from clear overuse.

Though, one of these weekends I'll get around to using these [0][1] to make it work again.

The web-based flasher really was the pits to deal with (forced to flash via Chrome was such a terrible experience). Thank goodness someone got a hold of the actual flasher before it all went up in smoke.

[0] https://archive.org/details/C.h.i.p.FlashCollection

[1] https://github.com/SaltyCybernaut/PocketCHIP-flash-utils

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#116
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have found the [iClever keyboard][1] to be a great portable solution while programming on my iPhone (via [Blink SSH][2] app) [1]: https://www.iclever.com/products/BK05-Tri-Folding-Bluetooth-... [2]: http://www.blink.sh/

That's awesome, think I might get that and stash it in my car. Now all I'd need is to figure out how I wanted access to my env. Eg, being able to ssh into a home machine and then work in emergencies seems valuable. But, that would involve exposing my machine. Hmm

I've used openVPN for this in the past. It's nice because you only have to secure one point of access, and than you have all of your local devices easily accessible. It also allows you to tunnel through your home if you're on an insecure network, which is nice

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#118
I like the idea of these tiny computers, but really anything with a blackberry-style thumb keyboard is just a non-starter for me. It looks cool, but if I sit and think about actually using it for even a second I know I wouldn't like it. It's a shame I don't see more of these kinds of products that utilize a foldout keyboard like the thinkpad 701C and instead roll with the thumb keyboard, but then again maybe the moving parts of having the pop-out bits is failure-prone and not worth doing either.

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#119
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's awesome, think I might get that and stash it in my car. Now all I'd need is to figure out how I wanted access to my env. Eg, being able to ssh into a home machine and then work in emergencies seems valuable. But, that would involve exposing my machine. Hmm

I've used openVPN for this in the past. It's nice because you only have to secure one point of access, and than you have all of your local devices easily accessible. It also allows you to tunnel through your home if you're on an insecure network, which is nice

Yea I was thinking something like that. At first I thought SSH would be plenty secure on its own, but then I thought what if I'm devving and want to see the server page? Or maybe a DB hosted on the machine? Etc etc.

Though I think I'd use Wireguard, but still. Some type of easy to manage VPN, with a Dynamic IP domain thing.

Any recommendations on the dynamic domain? Self hosting something might be neat

Re: Pocket Popcorn Computer: Linux in Your Pocket

#120
post #29

A similar device that exists, has a 'real' keyboard, 4G/Wifi/BLE and a metal clamshell case is the https://store.planetcom.co.uk/products/gemini-pda-1 I've been running Android on it, but it also runs Debian apparently very well. 400dpi screen, enough to have 2 / 3 consoles open at the same time. It's most definitely saved my bacon a few times.

I have the GPD Pocket 1 for these purposes; it's fast, it runs Windows, Linux and Android. I run Linux (Ubuntu/i3) on it. It has phenomenal battery life and it's fast enough to do reasonable .NET Core development on in cramped spaces or when my laptop is empty. I owned the Gemini as well, but, before it got stolen, I was going to sell it because Linux on that device did not really work for me while Android was not pr…

Are there alternative companies to GPD with similar x86 platforms? They look pretty great, but like to shop around a bit
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