Tiny bit puzzled by the random USB2 port? Seems out of place given rest of specs. Is there a specific reason why that would be desirable over another USB3?
StarBook 14-inch
51–60 of 381 posts
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#52It looks great, but maaan, that keyboard is terrible
- f1-f12 aren't split in 4-keys blocks
- backspace, enter, etc. aren't the right-most keys. No additional spacing too on the right
- cursor block with crippled up/down
Touch-typing would be a nightmare. But backlight, yeah...
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#53I love this, but I just can't quit the Thinkpad trackpoint with physical mouse buttons between the keyboard and top of the touchpad.
HP zBooks support linux (not coreboot though) and have trackpoint plus mouse buttons between keyboard and top of the touchpad. They are heavy though.
Not all trackpoints are the same.
ThinkPads are unfortunately uncontested.
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#54I was interested, but sadly the German keyboards are only available in combination with an intel 11th gen mobile CPU. I really wanted the Ryzen variant. I wonder if the keyboard can be bought separately - the layout at least looked compatible with that.
Another point against it is the screen resolution - I really wanted to have a 1440p screen this time around.
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#55This is like the Framework laptop but it's a UK-based company that has been around for years, and with an explicit focus on Linux compatibility to boot. I'm surprised I haven't come across them before as I've been looking for Linux-compatible laptops for years. They do some things better than Framework such as supporting Ryzen processors, and seem a bit cheaper overall. The battery life seems like it would be better.…
> The biggest disadvantage seems to be that the screen is bog-standard 16:9. Bigger than that IMO is 14" @ 1080p. It's just too little for daily use for me. Framework are so far the only ones in this market segment who have ever marketed >1080p laptop displays AFAIK. I have a hard time understanding why there is such a lack of higher-res panel options across the market, even when seemingly all other relevant specs ar…
8px font size works fine with good hinting. In general, 1080p would be a near-optimal resolution given pixel-perfect rendering. Higher resolutions are useful when the rendering is too fuzzy, they're simply about hiding that imperfection.
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#56This is like the Framework laptop but it's a UK-based company that has been around for years, and with an explicit focus on Linux compatibility to boot. I'm surprised I haven't come across them before as I've been looking for Linux-compatible laptops for years. They do some things better than Framework such as supporting Ryzen processors, and seem a bit cheaper overall. The battery life seems like it would be better.…
> The biggest disadvantage seems to be that the screen is bog-standard 16:9. Bigger than that IMO is 14" @ 1080p. It's just too little for daily use for me. Framework are so far the only ones in this market segment who have ever marketed >1080p laptop displays AFAIK. I have a hard time understanding why there is such a lack of higher-res panel options across the market, even when seemingly all other relevant specs ar…
You can get a 14" 4K ThinkPad (e.g. P14s).
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nothing compares to the Apple track pad. My XPS 17 from 2020 has a worse trackpad than my 2012 MB Air.
Absolutely. Nothing (that is $600+ cheaper) compares to the Apple touchpad (at least to my knowledge).
On the other hand, almost any keyboard is better than what Apple sells :) their latest mbp is a bit better than the butterfly one but nowhere near the 2015 and earlier models.
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#58Do I understand correctly that this is capable of charging over USB-C, and includes a USB-C power supply, but the default charging cable is USB-C -> DC barrel jack? So you can charge over USB-C, but only if you buy a C-to-C cable and tie up the single USB-C port.
Maybe they figure people would rather use the C port for something else?
I feel like a barrel jack may be more resilient, if you're plugging it in twice a day.
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#59I hope it does well and the range ends up expanding a bit, it would be nice to see some options with discreet GPUs (and higher res displays). The pricing seems reasonable and more support for Linux is always welcome
Re: StarBook 14-inch
#60Not to be confused with Starr Labs, makers of the Ztar — a high-end MIDI guitar-like instrument.