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I love my Bluetooth keyboard

liquidbrain.net

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Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#131

Post by Fnoord »

janmarsal wrote: post #56

Still waiting for the day when I can get rid of my work laptop and replace it with a phone entirely. Technically it's already possible, but it's just not practical until I can easily run docker containers on my phone. Also the samsung desktop mode is a bit underwhelming right now. If this is not the default in the next decade I'm gonna riot. Hotels could replace the TV with a big computer screen and the corner chair…

Well, if you have BYOD policy consider yourself blessed. Many are simply not allowed to do whatever on their managed devices.

My recommendation is use OpenSSH (alternative: Wireguard, Tailscale for whole TCP/IP stack), tmux (or equivalent, there are alternatives such as zellij and rmux), and a keyboard (wired is more secure, YMMV). Then you have a thin client. Run Docker remotely, on a far more capable device than whatever your smartphone is. With Waydroid or another variant of remote Wayland you could even have the GUI part working.

I was able to do the above 5 years ago on Ubuntu and Arch. I am sure you can still do it nowadays.

One caveat. Don't do this in environments where you cannot auth in privacy. You must be able to trust your hardware, too. Don't bring this setup to e.g. China. You can put a strong password on your SSH private key, rotate it, and combine OTP/MFA.

Which leads me to say: I am puzzled how people can work in environments like coffeeshops, cafes, and I even see laptops used for work in swimming pool where I go weekly. Your screen can be viewed, recorded at all time, and I doubt the users are aware of that. Even passwords can be recorded.

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#132

Post by Pikamander2 »

bookofjoe wrote: post #118
TeaVMFan wrote: post #117

I was about to recommend the excellent Plugable folding keyboard: https://plugable.com/products/bt-key3xl I used it as a key part of my software engineer's writing toolkit for the first draft of a novel: https://frequal.com/forwriters/ Unfortunately the Plugable keyboard appears to be discontinued. Perhaps it can still be found used. It is quite impressive. It folds small for travel. The keys travel nicely. The case…

Many for sale here $25-$35: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=plugable+folding+keyboa...

I haven't tried using it with my phone, but this Arteck one has served me well on my desktop PC.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WDJNBT1

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#133

Post by almog »

dima55 wrote: post #14

At least with android devices, you can plug in any usb keyboard, and have it work. Those are free, in the garbage all over the place

Or use scrcpy with the same keyboard you already have and save your neck some of the pain of staring down at your phone (as can be seen in the post).

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#134

Post by cbdevidal »

janmarsal wrote: post #56

Still waiting for the day when I can get rid of my work laptop and replace it with a phone entirely. Technically it's already possible, but it's just not practical until I can easily run docker containers on my phone. Also the samsung desktop mode is a bit underwhelming right now. If this is not the default in the next decade I'm gonna riot. Hotels could replace the TV with a big computer screen and the corner chair…

Maybe rent a cheap VM for Docker?

I often think to myself when using my iPhone, there is no way I could get desktop work done with this. Can’t recall right now why I have said so but I think it had to do with keeping multiple apps open side by side.

For example this year I have been car shopping and I keep multiple windows open; this would be much harder on my iPhone. Maybe not so much an iPad.

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#135

Post by AnthonBerg »

Stalled project: I ordered a replacement keyboard for an Alienware gaming laptop, one that has Cherry MX ULP ultralow profile switches. Very very nice. Then I was going to butcher it into a triptych – cut it in three parts – and bodge a RP2350 controller on each. And figure out some kind of case-something. Tadaa! Actual keyboard – real keyboard – that's actually portable.

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#136

Post by mattlondon »

llm_nerd wrote: post #127
nchmy wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Moreover, it's largely irrelevant - the topic of the article was using a keyboard without having to drag around a laptop/desktop. If someone replied to a text on their MacBook, they'd have broken that constraint

I honestly do not understand why people get weirdly defensive about stuff like this. Guy offhanded commented on some Mac friends and weird other platform users have to get angry and huffy. The "topic of the article" was that a guy realized that a bluetooth keyboard makes it nicer typing things on his phone. Nowhere did he talking about "without having to drag around" anything, and he incidentally mentioned that he di…

> I honestly do not understand why people get weirdly defensive about stuff like this

It is usually because people inside the Mac ecosystem just assume that everything else is trash, and anyone not using a Mac is just banging rocks together.

They buy totally into the marketing about it being "the first ever", the "fastest ever", "for the first time" or "most ever" etc marketing, and many have not used e.g. and Android phone or e.g. a Chromebook or whatever, in many many years (if at all) and are basing their opinions on half-remembered Windows XP experiences Vs modern iPhone or whatever, assuming the current non-mac experience is still like "the old days" and that macs are somehow bringing something new or innovative that isn't available elsehwere. There is the term "reality distortion field" relating to apple products that I did not invent but I think sums it up.

I am forced to use a Mac for work everyday (alongside gnome Linux, and my personal choice is windows and Chromebook) and really dislike the user experience of Macs in comparison. The recent UX failures and inconsistencies are already well-documented but even before that there are systemic design things that make macs painful to use... especially if you know there are better ways. The hardware is nice though!

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#137

Post by Client1003 »

getpokedagain wrote: post #114
zmmmmm wrote: post #26

If you want a full size foldable keyboard with function keys and a trackpad, I can recommend the ProtoArc XK01[0]. This is a good enough keyboard that I use it as my main keyboard at home, and it's surprisingly cool to be able to just fold up your daily driver keyboard and take it with you. [0] https://www.protoarc.com/products/xk01-tp-foldable-keyboard-...

Thanks I have debated this https://www.bestbuy.com/product/lenovo-thinkpad-trackpoint-k... keyboard-on-the-go For a similar reason.

I'm a big trackpoint fan and proud owner of an X1 Carbon Gen 7 Thinkpad, but I would not recommend this keyboard.

The build quality is pretty bad. Sometimes the keys fail to type and the keys' mushiness makes for an unsatisfying typing experience. I have two but this was after buying a total of 4 and returning the two defective ones.

If Lenovo were to replace the cheap feeling plastic casing for alumninum, it would be a game changer.

I'm hoping the new framework keyboard can become my new daily driver, replacing the trackpoint keyboards I currently use.

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#138

Post by dietr1ch »

user876 wrote: post #81
janmarsal wrote: post #56

Still waiting for the day when I can get rid of my work laptop and replace it with a phone entirely. Technically it's already possible, but it's just not practical until I can easily run docker containers on my phone. Also the samsung desktop mode is a bit underwhelming right now. If this is not the default in the next decade I'm gonna riot. Hotels could replace the TV with a big computer screen and the corner chair…

Postmarketos can run the containers, however a 4k desktop environment is still a bit sluggish

I wish computing evolved to let thin desktops evolve into some screen + phone mount where the dock provides extra power, compute+GPU, screen and peripherals.

The problem is attaching a thunderbolt/network CPU with it's own memory doesn't work as well (although aren't external GPUs similar? external compute+memory).

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#139

Post by c-hendricks »

mattlondon wrote: post #108
valleyer wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can do that with iPhone, too, using the (poorly named) "USB Camera Adapter", which splits out a USB type-A jack. (I assume you need a similar adapter on most Android phones, too, since I've never seen one with a type-A jack built in.)

I can plug in the same USB-C dock I use for my Mac and everything just works on the android phone. You even see the phone screen mirrored on the monitor, complete with mouse cursor etc. The sad thing is it is just literal copy of the phone screen. It does not have a "desktop mode".

Can do the same with iPhone. Sending this from an iPhone 15 connected to the same dock + Logitech keyboard / mouse used for my MacBook.

Re: I love my Bluetooth keyboard

#140

Post by fmajid »

larrybud wrote: post #126
fmajid wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Android now has a desktop mode on phones like the Pixel that support HDMI out on the USB-C port

As do modern iPhones

Really? All I get on my iPhone 16 Plus is mirroring of the screen. Unless it is a feature of iOS 26, that I refuse to install on my iDevices.
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