1) physical kill switch for camera (as in, it breaks the power or data connection to it, physically) or at least a physical cover. 2) physical kill switch for the microphone These are very much not "nerd" concerns, either. I see a lot of non-techies with stickers over their laptop cameras. [EDIT] teachers in particular spread the "put a sticker over the camera" practice, in my experience, both before and during the p…
Isn’t it funny people use and hand out camera covers but a mic that can hear the sounds of an entire apartment is forgotten about? :)
I expected this to be about ergonomics, which laptops are anything but. I have seen too many people working on laptops ans getting hurt (hands, back, shoulders, etc). I'd start with a foldable keyboard which expands into something big and comfortable (I have RSI!), and a detachable screen which can be set higher on the desk.
My ideas exactly! I was just sitting in the bed today with a laptop (normally using a desktop) and thinking how nothing in this device really makes any sense wrt ergonomics, it's not really possible to use it for more like an hour or two without getting really uncomfortable. I've accidentally bumped into r/cyberdeck today (not ergonomic at all but provided some inspiration), and now this thread. How would you go abou…
Its official! Ergonomics are not considered because the most basic demands (keyboard an monitor position) are nowhere near where they should be. Whatever one tries to design besides those is nonsense. The article is nonsense.
I don't really understand the point of this article as "redesigning the laptop." Nearly all of the things they mention is either software (e.g. better processing of mic input) or called a desktop (screens, noise, etc.). If people are working from home that negates a big reason for the laptop: portability. Sure it is nice to move to the couch or kitchen or whatever, but maybe that could be having a keyboard and using…
For me, the macbook's keyboard & trackpad combo is the sweet spot. I also have magic mouse, for the occasional direct manipulation stuff (eg drag & drop). Ages ago, with Teleport, I used by MBP to drive my iMac. If Apple sold just the lower half of a macbook, bring your own monitor, I'd be in heaven. Just the keys and trackpad would be great too. I've held onto my dead 2015 MBP, with hopes of salvaging just the input…
I have the bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth touchpad. Not quite the same ergonomics as the one in the laptop, but I still prefer it (bluetooth touchpad) to the magic mouse.
The apple keyboard I have is very close to the scissor switches that preexisted the much maligned butteryfly switches. Not sure the current bluetooth keyboards use the same switches or the newer version of the scissor switches,.
There exists a good solution. It is called a desktop.
I turned my company provided laptop into an almost full desktop with external monitor, keyboard and mouse, speakers, a USB microphone, USB camera.
At this point I am wondering why do I even have a wimpy ULV processor to write code 8 hrs a day. The sheer amount of time I could save by switching to even a basic 4 core 45-65w Desktop class CPU.
Laptops, by necessity, have smaller fans, since they're smaller. Same amount of cooling with a smaller fan means the fans spin faster, and faster fans are louder. Laptops simply can't have acceptable performance with adequate cooling unless you're willing to compromise on either noise, or running x86.
If you stuck the processor behind the screen, you could get a lot more airflow. Let the bottom be essentially be a battery, keyboard, mouse, and a docking station. And the lid be processor, memory, a m.2 for storage and an m.2 for wireless. Put a big, but thin fan on top of the processor and lots of venting on the side. Probably won't be very thin though.
> If you stuck the processor behind the screen, you could get a lot more airflow.
This is essentially was the trick I thought of for my project of "genuinely mobile desktop replacement." Ironically, it was COVID which put a pause on it, and prior to it frequent foreign assignments.
Were I to proceed with it before COVID, I might have hit the jackpot by now.
1) physical kill switch for camera (as in, it breaks the power or data connection to it, physically) or at least a physical cover. 2) physical kill switch for the microphone These are very much not "nerd" concerns, either. I see a lot of non-techies with stickers over their laptop cameras. [EDIT] teachers in particular spread the "put a sticker over the camera" practice, in my experience, both before and during the p…
Not just non-techies. I use a band-aid (doesn't leave adhesive on the lens) because toggling the video settings on Win10 is a pain in the ass.
1) physical kill switch for camera (as in, it breaks the power or data connection to it, physically) or at least a physical cover. 2) physical kill switch for the microphone These are very much not "nerd" concerns, either. I see a lot of non-techies with stickers over their laptop cameras. [EDIT] teachers in particular spread the "put a sticker over the camera" practice, in my experience, both before and during the p…
>> or at least a physical cover. I want a mechanical microphone switch too. Being seen can be embarrassing but being caught saying something can end your career instantly. See that school board that all had to resign after they were caught badmouthing parents.
Not sure what incident you're referring to, but school board is an elected position. Politicians, of all people, should not expect job security and need to be transparent and accountable to the voting public. They don't deserve privacy at all, at least not in their professional capacity. I like privacy, sure, but I achieve that by not running for public office.
Desktop. Laptop for working-from-home is called a DESKTOP.
Now convince management that they should purchase a desktop for you. Probably not gonna happen I've tried for years to get a desktop.
Could show them studies and numbers on Musculoskeletal Disorders. Anything over 2 hours per day is surely going to cause fatigue first, then pain, then permanent damage. Loss of productivity starts on day one.
1) physical kill switch for camera (as in, it breaks the power or data connection to it, physically) or at least a physical cover. 2) physical kill switch for the microphone These are very much not "nerd" concerns, either. I see a lot of non-techies with stickers over their laptop cameras. [EDIT] teachers in particular spread the "put a sticker over the camera" practice, in my experience, both before and during the p…
The HP Spectre x360 line has had a physical kill switch for the camera for the last 3 generations. It's a slider on the right side of the laptop. The new gen ones also come with a system wide mute button although I believe that is software only.
If you stuck the processor behind the screen, you could get a lot more airflow. Let the bottom be essentially be a battery, keyboard, mouse, and a docking station. And the lid be processor, memory, a m.2 for storage and an m.2 for wireless. Put a big, but thin fan on top of the processor and lots of venting on the side. Probably won't be very thin though.
This is how the surfacebook has been built. It's a problem because (1) you don't actually have more room on the top than the bottom, since these are the same size (2) the side vents are actually less surface area than simply having the bottom be fans. It doesn't work out well, there's just no way to have the airflow.
What matter is cubic metres of air per minute, everything else mattering very little.
Actual fan inside surfacebook is very tiny. Last surfacebook brings a second fan, but it still throttles.
You still can put more, and bigger fans in the lid to solve the issue at 45-55W TDP levels. I actually did some thermal simulations.