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Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

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Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#201

Post by bittercynic »

salmo wrote: post #180

I keep looking at similar devices. What I really want is a small lap top machine (but not necessarily a clamshell laptop) that I can keep by my couch. My goal is to be able to write software when an idea pops in my head or ssh into my home gear. I just want an xterm w/ vim and a browser to look up docs. I have a old 2012 HP Elite (?) laptop with a permanent powercord (battery died long ago) for this now, but it’s mas…

An older xps-13 would be good. Available for under $200. Debian and Arch both install easily and work very well on it, with the exception that you might need to replace the wifi card.

With a little tuning you can easily get over 12 hours battery life.

The battery is easy to replace.

Ex: https://www.ebay.com/itm/295220146891

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#202

Post by fsflover »

kratom_sandwich wrote: post #132

Let me add this to my list - Has any of these made it ever into the hands of customers? I believe the only device that actually came out is the Cosmo Communicator ( https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/cosmo-communicator ) There's also Lisperati1000 - https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberDeck/comments/lbu4di/my_shiny_... Devterm - https://www.clockworkpi.com/devterm Popcorn Pocket - https://pocket.popcorncomputer.com/ Teenyserv…

You forgot two devices which are shipping: https://forums.puri.sm/t/comparing-specs-of-upcoming-linux-p....

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#203

Post by GekkePrutser »

meltedcapacitor wrote: post #97
GekkePrutser wrote: post #48

I hate those square-grid-style keyboards. Not sure what they're called but I've had one before in a foldable keyboard. It always felt wrong. I know the current layout was built for mechanical reasons so that typewriter rods wouldn't overlap. But 40 years of muscle memory is not something I want to give up :)

Normal staggered layout also matches that the operator's hands are at an angle to the keyboard in a normal position. It's an ergonomic version of the ortholinear layout lol. (Maybe that's less relevant on a tiny device?)

Oh ok I thought it was staggered because the typewriter rods had to go side by side.

I don't think Ortholinear is bad as such.. It's just that I don't want to learn a new layout.

But on a tiny device it is less relevant, true. Because muscle memory and touch typing doesn't really play a role there.

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#204

Post by ryukafalz »

fsflover wrote: post #198
ElCheapo wrote: post #46

Can we stop with this absolute fantasy about PCs that "fit in your pocket"? The medium is the message, the form is the functionality. Smartphones have been "pocketable PCs" for more than a decade already, but are dumbed down because their inputs and outputs are limited. You can't type effectively, your screen is small, your battery is limited. Would you want a command line interface on your Smart TV using only a remo…

No. It's not a fantasy. Librem 5 and Pinephone are real and working great. You can even connect them to a keyboard and screen and you get a desktop.

For some definition of “great”. My Librem 5 won’t last through the day even if I’m not particularly running anything.

I agree with the general sentiment and want a device like this, but I’ve never had one that worked as well as my old N900.

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#205

Post by kragen »

vidarh wrote: post #45
kragen wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you put a bigger battery into it?

Even if you can't, it has 8000mAh total battery capacity there are plenty of 30,000mAh+ battery packs on Amazon. If you can really get 5 hours out of 8000mAh, relying on a battery pack for the instances where you expect there's a chance of spending 5 hours using it somewhere without a charger seems reasonable...

Most of those "30,000 mAh" battery packs on Amazon are actually 8000 mAh, as you can compute by dividing their volume by a trustworthy source of information about lithium-ion battery energy density like https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Sanyo%20NCR20700B.... That aside, in a lot of the situations where I'd like to use a portable computer, it would be very inconvenient, and sometimes dangerous, to have it cabled to an external battery pack.

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#206

Post by ryukafalz »

tbran wrote: post #200
noduerme wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well.. I mean, I've been using $100 PCs-on-a-stick for about a decade now, plugging them into hotel room TVs or my projector at home or wherever I go... just need a cheap wireless keyboard/trackpad. I use that for about half my home entertainment viewing as well. Definitely no need to strap hardware to my head to game/code/surf on a big screen with a tiny device.

If you're running Linux, you could use your phone as a touchpad/keyboard with KDE Connect from the KDE project. I use it with XFCE. https://kdeconnect.kde.org/

This requires that you be connected to the same wifi network, right? That can be an issue if you’re at a hotel and don’t have another keyboard to connect to wifi with (plus hotel networks can interfere with this).

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#208

Post by rchaud »

ElCheapo wrote: post #46

Can we stop with this absolute fantasy about PCs that "fit in your pocket"? The medium is the message, the form is the functionality. Smartphones have been "pocketable PCs" for more than a decade already, but are dumbed down because their inputs and outputs are limited. You can't type effectively, your screen is small, your battery is limited. Would you want a command line interface on your Smart TV using only a remo…

> Smartphones have been "pocketable PCs" for more than a decade already, but are dumbed down because their inputs and outputs are limited.

Wrong. Smartphones are dumbed down because the manufacturers would greatly prefer that you not run any kind of software that they or their partners did not directly provide.

The iOS App Store would have been barer than a Soviet grocery store if iOS supported Flash.

The fact that a full computing device in your pocket cannot be used to build and deploy applications makes it not much more useful than a color PDA from 2005.

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#209

Post by rchaud »

2III7 wrote: post #53
guessbest wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would you consider to be a MVPC (Minimum Viable Pocket Computer)?

A 6.5+" android smartphone with an external keyboard. My Note 10 Plus does everything I need on the go.

That's a PDA, not a computer. A computer should have no restrictions on developing and deploying code locally, just as you can do on your laptop.

Re: Open Source PC That Fits in Your Pocket

#210

Post by rowanG077 »

ElCheapo wrote: post #131
rowanG077 wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can transmit FM radio on Android with a keyboard attachment? How?

How is the presence of an antenna in any way demonstrative of the general purpose computing capabilities of the N900 as opposed to "not pocketable PC" Androids? I believe that if I were to attach a USB radio module to my phone I could write an Android app to make use of it as a trasmitter.

If the point is you can transform an android device into a general purpose machine if you use unenumerable amounts of hardware addons and hacks. Then yes, of course you are right. It will be unuseable in practice which is generally what people want to do.
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