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StarBook 14-inch

starlabs.systems

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Re: StarBook 14-inch

#261

Post by serenitylater »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #225
Casteil wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, as a curiosity, why is every thread related to a X86 news, need to bring in the Apple M1 fan army and bang their drums? Honestly? Efficiency & battery life without sacrificing speed/performance. If you need great battery life (or simply don't want to have to worry about charging your laptop frequently), it's hard to swallow ~4-10h battery life of a typical X86 laptop when MBA/MBP are consistently achieving 10…

What use is all those perks for those of us, if the apps we use for work and play are not compiled for M1 nor web based? Meanwhile my "inferior" x86 machine can run everything I need to use. Why do people insist you need to buy a Ferrari when your work or lifestyle requires an F-150? Therefore, back to my original question, why do M1 fans need go off topic on every X86 article and spray the same things over and over…

The comment section isn't a zero-sum game. The fact that alternatives to the x86 are brought up in the comments section could be useful for many people, it might not be for you, but it is for many people. To use your own analogy, how many people are currently sputtering around the USA in pickup trucks that don't require a F-150?

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#262

Post by hushpuppy »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #233

What's the equivalent of this for someone who wants to bring their own keyboard? Is there a Linux tablet that can both act like a tablet and also be the screen (and heart) of a developers "laptop" if paired with a external keyboard? Some kind of detachable "hub" that gives more IO options is optional.

They have a mini PC "Star Labs Byte".

Basically a laptop sans keyboard, display, and internal battery.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#263

Post by octoberfranklin »

CameronNemo wrote: post #30
fmajid wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And of course the CPU (whether you pick Intel or AMD) is full of blobs, management engine, etc. ARM is no better. You’d have to get RISC-V for that.

There are ARM boards which have fully open TF-A. Various NXP and Rockchip boards have no boot blobs. Also POWER stuff is free from most, if not all, boot blobs. Maybe something for ram init... I forget.

POWER9 is 100% blob-free. Not even the ram init.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#264

Post by farmin »

Lio wrote: post #223
farmin wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Xps 17 is 1200x1920, 16:10. It's a great ratio and at 17 inch I don't use any scaling in windows and everything looks right size for my eyes. Can upgrade ssd and I've changed out memory to 64gb. It's a great rig but fans are a bit noisy.

Sadly the XPS17 isn’t sold with Linux support. It might work but you can’t be sure of firmware updates or component compatibility. With Dell at 17” and paid Linux support you have to move to the Precision line. I wish Dell would just have a single line of quality Linux compatible laptops you could buy off the shelf and know would always work.

I went to dual boot with Ubuntu but ran into issues that were going to take more than an evening to resolve. I can't remember exactly what it was now - something about bootloader and needing to change something in Windows registry to work ?(!).

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#265

Post by Narretz »

schipplock wrote: post #253
Narretz wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it disappointing that non US/UK keyboard layout adds 200€ to the price. Surely the extra cost they have is a small fraction of that.

Non US/UK config defaults to core i7. The 200€ diff is i3 vs. i7.

Oh okay, the site should make this obvious.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#266

Post by hushpuppy »

MBCook wrote: post #118

I know the people working on Asahi Linux don’t have things perfect yet, but it runs on an M1 Air. That machine claims 18 hours of battery life (in some tests, MacOS) and gets 14.5-16.5 hours depending on who tests it. The StarBook claims 10 and probably achieves less (everyone does). The base specs are roughly comparable, except i3 vs M1 and the high resolution screen on the Mac. The site is quoting me $883 vs $999.…

Asahi Linux will never work as well as a normal Linux machine within any sort of reasonable time frame. Even with Intel CPUs the Linux experience on Macs is kinda shit.

If your goal is to have a Linux workstation then buying a Mac is pretty dumb.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#267

Post by goosedragons »

jbverschoor wrote: post #159
goosedragons wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

32GB of RAM? Good Linux support today? Don't have to pay $400 for 1TB storage? Kinda a bad move to buy something that may or may not down the line do what you need to do today. I need features like USB 3 and DP USB output today not 6 months or 2 years from now if it even happens.

Not $400, but €300, so $334 > 1000GB SSD. Gen4 PCIe Over-Provisioned storage + €303,71 32gb is the only reason.. but then again, doesn't matter, because developers claim RAM is cheap anyway.. so there's no problem buying a macbook pro instead. The screen is not 4k, trackpad not as good, it's plastic, It has this oldschool barrel powercharger, etc. etc. etc.

Except you can just buy whatever M.2 SSD you want and slot it in and it doesn't even void the warranty. So for the same $400 to get a 1TB MBA you can easily get a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro (~$160) + 32GB RAM (~$130) and still have money left over.

Plastic is a pro IMO anyways, doesn't have to feel cheap and it also doesn't get nicked or dented nearly as easily.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#268

Post by wildrhythms »

stragies wrote: post #256
PeterisP wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having a barrel charging port is a serious flaw. I have many devices, but I expect to carry a single charger for all of them; if my laptop has a non-USB-C charger than I need a separate charger for the headphones/phone/Kindle/etc which is extra weight to carry around, extra mess and e-waste. The world has moved to a single standard for charging for all devices, we're just waiting for the "transition period" to run ou…

I like it, when both USBC charging, and BarrelJackCharging are available. So I can use the BarrelJackAdapter at home for when in "DeskMode", and only need to travel with the USB-C charger, that can also charge all my other devices. Also makes for the possibility of "Redundant Power Supply", in case you use your old Laptop as a "HomeServer".

I don't understand; why not use USB-C at home too? It has enough power. At best, the barrel charger is just more e-waste for a landfill.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#269

Post by elxr »

ilovecaching wrote: post #114

I don't understand why the industry hasn't switched over completely to hidpi screens. Once you use one you can never go back. I feel so bad for people still using 1920x1080 screens. Truly the price of freedom is having to squint and lose your eyesight, hoping that font tricks can save you, when you could just be using a display with a modern amount of pixels on it.

Agreed, my next laptop will have to be 1600p at least.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#270

Post by chiefalchemist »

3np wrote: post #35
CaptainMarvel wrote: post #14

This 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…

I agree. Tho it also depends on how often it's a pure laptop, and how often it's a "desktop" with two larger primary monitors connected.

I'd probably opt for 1440p+, but given the rest and the price maybe not. For others, 1080 might be just fine.

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