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I just recently purchased a "GPD Pocket", which is in my opinion the best Linux machine I've ever owned. Its a unibody-like case (just like MacBook) with a tou

by mmjaa 9y ago

I just recently purchased a "GPD Pocket", which is in my opinion the best Linux machine I've ever owned. Its a unibody-like case (just like MacBook) with a touchscreen, in a very small package: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-laptop-ubuntu-or-win-10-os-laptop--2 https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gpd-pocket-7-0-umpc-lapto... I've been a Linux user since day one of its release, and an "Apple laptop user" since the day of the tiBook release - and these two aspects of my professional life have always been a little incongruous to me personally.. the MacBook is in my toolbox because it is, simply, a great laptop in terms of physical comfort level, even if I'm not a huge fan of MacOS - the physicality of the thing matters. And Linux, of course, is just plain powerful. So the moment I realised someone produce a laptop that wasn't from Apple, yet had very similar physical attributes (albeit smaller), which would also give me a way to escape MacOS and run Linux as a first-class OS, I jumped on board. The point is, I hope manufacturers continue this trend - to build a better laptop than Apple, but make it really worthwhile for the user to install Linux on it. I've had a lot of systems, but my GPD Pocket is really one of my favourite devices - the best of the hardware world combined with the best software you can find, and when I open it up and start using it, I really don't have any desire to buy another Apple machine. Could this be the start of the exodus? Time will tell - the GPD Pocket has many aspects that are not so great - but if they follow it up with an improvement over its existing design, I will definitely become an ex-Apple customer. The physicality is important, and it seems its no longer an Apple-exclusive desire to build such wonderful machines. (Note: this means I don't find any of these Dells' particularly attractive for the same reason .. but maybe someone has compared them in reality and knows where I'm coming from here?)

nl 9y ago
GDP is a really interesting company. Their Win10/Android handhelds/game consoles seem to be under the radar in the West, but judging from Chinese sites seem to be killing it there. I think I'd find 7" too small - I had a 10" Netbook for a while, and it wasn't awesome. I did like my 7" Nexus tablet though, so maybe? Personally, I'd love to see official Linux support for the Xiaomi Mi Laptops, which seem perfect to me.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  I've followed GPD since the days of the GP2X and GP32 game consoles (also an awesome example of hardware disruption done in a way that the mainstream players can't compete) .. and I do look forward to the next product from GPD. Hopefully they'll build on the Pocket concept and make improvements - if they do, I'll be replacing my MacBook subscription with a GPD signup ... ;)
- aembleton 9y ago
  I've got the Xiaomi Mi 12 laptop that is fanless. I've been using it everyday for a few months now, with Linux Mint 18.2 installed on it. I've not found anything that doesn't work. The biggest suprise is how well sleep works by closing the lid and how quickly it starts up after opening the lid. I find it quicker for waking up than my (work supplied) 2015 MacBook Pro. The touchpad isn't as good as the Macbook, but it is better than any other machine that I've tried Is there anything you would like me to try out on it for you?
  - aembleton 9y ago
    Just remembered something that might be an issue with it. I couldn't get right click to register properly. As I don't normally click on trackpads, but instead I tap - I set tap to be a left click and a `click` to be a right click.
    - nl 9y ago
      Does yours have the switchable video cards? Does that work? There were reports of issues with the WiFi. Is that good now?
      - aembleton 9y ago
        I don't think it has switchable video cards and I'm not sure how I would find out. I've never taken it apart. I've never had an issue with WiFi.
ekianjo 9y ago
How do you like the keyboard of the GPD pocket?
- mmjaa 9y ago
  It did take some getting used to - its not exactly a perfect layout - but actually after a week I don't even think about it any more and type on it comfortably. Its a sort of similar experience to the jarring discord that would happen back in the day when one moved from, say, a Hazeltine terminal to a Burroughs, lol .. I'm mostly using this machine to develop Lua apps - but I think if I was using a curly-brace language, I'd probably be cursing like a demon for a few days until the muscle memory circuits reconfigure themselves.
  - ekianjo 9y ago
    How does it compare with a Psion keyboard of the old days? How comfortable is it for typing for extended periods of time?
    - mmjaa 9y ago
      I'm at the point where I don't even notice any more, and can use the keyboard all day. But for the first 3 weeks I was seriously cursing and bringing down the house of hades on the designers for making such curious decisions as to the placement of ; and {} and so on .. however, with practice, I've become very used to the keyboard and no longer even really care. I do have to state, however, that I've been at the computer game longer than a lot of people (4 decades, almost 5), and I've had this keyboard-adjustment-period factor many times in my life, so its not a deal-breaker when things get churlish.
steve19 9y ago
Interesting computer but the Intel Atom CPU makes it less interesting. An i5 would make it far more exciting.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  I've found it more than sufficient for my needs - yes, an i5 would be more interesting, but the fact is that in this form factor probably would be a little more difficult to use, heat-wise. I'm holding out that GPD will produce a followup after the clear success of the Pocket so far .. maybe in a few months we'll see a "GPD Book" that pushes things a bit more .. In the meantime though, I'm finding the Atom perfectly cromulant. It handles everything I throw at it, compiling big projects is just a little less performant than I'm used to, but for a majority of the time I hardly even notice. Most important is the amount of RAM - 8 gigs - I think this makes a big difference at this scale.
- ekianjo 9y ago
  An i5 would overheat in no time in such a small format.
pizza234 9y ago
> Could this be the start of the exodus? Time will tell Not really. Assuming the definition: > the GPD Pocket has many aspects that are not so great almost all the laptops around fit that bill when it comes to Linux, each in its own way, so the GPD is nothing special in the broad view.
- larrik 9y ago
  Every laptop has aspects that aren't so great, including Macs.
  - pizza234 9y ago
    Yes, and that's the point why a new machine, revolution-wise, is just a drip in the lake, unless it has some exceptional aspect.
    - mmjaa 9y ago
      Well, the touchscreen factor should not be underestimated. I've gotten rid of an iPad, a netbook, and a desktop workstation by having the GPD Pocket serve the same basic functions as each .. where I would comfortably use the iPad for reading, I now use the GPD. Where I would normally have a workstation PC for development, same GPD. Where I would absolutely have had a netbook to pack in a bag alongside the snacks for trips up the mountain, same GPD. If the next GPD is a little larger, with a moderately improved keyboard and expansion options - its going to replace my MacBook subscription, no doubt about it.
gioele 9y ago
> So the moment I realised someone produce a laptop that wasn't from Apple, yet had very similar physical attributes (albeit smaller), which would also give me a way to escape MacOS and run Linux as a first-class OS, I jumped on board. Samsung Series 9 (and later incarnations) are great non-Apple notebooks for us ex-Apple converts. They are basically MacBooks with Linux supported out of the box. Too bad they are not sold in Europe anymore.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  Yes, I think this is really about wide-spread availability - there have been other Macbook-killers, but none as readily available as the GPD Pocket so far, imho ..
fpoling 9y ago
Thanks for the link! It seems GDP is a nice machine especially given 8GB of RAM so one can use it for non-trivial development on the go. And compared with MacBook or Dell XPS, the display opens almost flat, which should help with using it in various situations.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  8Gb of RAM really makes the difference between production and frustration. I've had 'all the machines', but this is the first time I've been totally satisfied to the point where I can easily recommend it to my other developer peers as a reference ..
mtw 9y ago
I used once a 10" Asus Chromebook Flip. For $300, you get a reasonably fast laptop with Linux and good keyboard. Great for vim, typing documents, and even occasional netflix. The real issue in these laptops for developers is the Atom CPU. I found most packages or libraries I used do not support Atom or ARM CPUs. There are hacks and other user-compiled packages but there are compromises. In the end, you just want to get work done and not be bugged with limitations. I'd pay good money for a similar laptop with an i5 or equivalent processor though.
- mmjaa 9y ago
  I haven't run into any such problem with the Atom CPU in the GPD Pocket .. of course I did go through a lot of hell with Arm netbooks and so on in the past (and am still an avid porter of producers to the OpenPandora universe) .. but I'm actually quite relieved to be working on an x86 with similar characteristics to Arm. Hopefully the next GPD is going to e a bit beefier, though ..
- btschaegg 9y ago
  I've got a C100P and can't say I had a big problem with libraries. The only annoying thing was that there are few really good text editors that work on ARM, so the C100P was actually the reason I picked up Vim and Emacs. My biggest problem was the Chromebook part. Getting your own linux distro on the device is a hassle, the devmode boot screen is abysmal (I once accidentally killed my system by touching the space bar), and in Croagh, Xorg would stop working every few weeks, forcing me to set the whole thing up from scratch again. It's a really cool little device, and I still use it to play videos while I'm washing the dishes, but the (vanilla) Linux options didn't convince me. Edit: Actually, I've been thinking about buying the GDP Pocket for a while now. Can anyone attest to how good the keyboard is? The layout seemed like the biggest drawback to me...
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    The layout is awful at first but after a week or two of use, I got into it and now I hardly even notice. Keep in mind though, the whole thing is quite pocketable ..
cup-of-tea 9y ago
When I looked at this last I could only buy one with Windoze installed. Is it better now?
dm319 9y ago
I also find the GPD pocket hugely desirable (as someone who grew up on the greatness of Psion organisers, Nokia communicators, N900 etc..), but I'm surprised you'd use it as a laptop replacement - surely too small? My preference for a work machine would be a Thinkpad X270. Running linux of course. You might also be interested in the Gemini project[1] [1]https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-keyboard-mobile-device-phone#/comments https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-...

by mmjaa 9y ago

nl 9y ago

GDP is a really interesting company. Their Win10/Android handhelds/game consoles seem to be under the radar in the West, but judging from Chinese sites seem to be killing it there. I think I'd find 7" too small - I had a 10" Netbook for a while, and it wasn't awesome. I did like my 7" Nexus tablet though, so maybe? Personally, I'd love to see official Linux support for the Xiaomi Mi Laptops, which seem perfect to me.

mmjaa 9y ago
I've followed GPD since the days of the GP2X and GP32 game consoles (also an awesome example of hardware disruption done in a way that the mainstream players can't compete) .. and I do look forward to the next product from GPD. Hopefully they'll build on the Pocket concept and make improvements - if they do, I'll be replacing my MacBook subscription with a GPD signup ... ;)
aembleton 9y ago
I've got the Xiaomi Mi 12 laptop that is fanless. I've been using it everyday for a few months now, with Linux Mint 18.2 installed on it. I've not found anything that doesn't work. The biggest suprise is how well sleep works by closing the lid and how quickly it starts up after opening the lid. I find it quicker for waking up than my (work supplied) 2015 MacBook Pro. The touchpad isn't as good as the Macbook, but it is better than any other machine that I've tried Is there anything you would like me to try out on it for you?
- aembleton 9y ago
  Just remembered something that might be an issue with it. I couldn't get right click to register properly. As I don't normally click on trackpads, but instead I tap - I set tap to be a left click and a `click` to be a right click.
  - nl 9y ago
    Does yours have the switchable video cards? Does that work? There were reports of issues with the WiFi. Is that good now?
    - aembleton 9y ago
      I don't think it has switchable video cards and I'm not sure how I would find out. I've never taken it apart. I've never had an issue with WiFi.

ekianjo 9y ago

How do you like the keyboard of the GPD pocket?

mmjaa 9y ago
It did take some getting used to - its not exactly a perfect layout - but actually after a week I don't even think about it any more and type on it comfortably. Its a sort of similar experience to the jarring discord that would happen back in the day when one moved from, say, a Hazeltine terminal to a Burroughs, lol .. I'm mostly using this machine to develop Lua apps - but I think if I was using a curly-brace language, I'd probably be cursing like a demon for a few days until the muscle memory circuits reconfigure themselves.
- ekianjo 9y ago
  How does it compare with a Psion keyboard of the old days? How comfortable is it for typing for extended periods of time?
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    I'm at the point where I don't even notice any more, and can use the keyboard all day. But for the first 3 weeks I was seriously cursing and bringing down the house of hades on the designers for making such curious decisions as to the placement of ; and {} and so on .. however, with practice, I've become very used to the keyboard and no longer even really care. I do have to state, however, that I've been at the computer game longer than a lot of people (4 decades, almost 5), and I've had this keyboard-adjustment-period factor many times in my life, so its not a deal-breaker when things get churlish.

steve19 9y ago

Interesting computer but the Intel Atom CPU makes it less interesting. An i5 would make it far more exciting.

mmjaa 9y ago
I've found it more than sufficient for my needs - yes, an i5 would be more interesting, but the fact is that in this form factor probably would be a little more difficult to use, heat-wise. I'm holding out that GPD will produce a followup after the clear success of the Pocket so far .. maybe in a few months we'll see a "GPD Book" that pushes things a bit more .. In the meantime though, I'm finding the Atom perfectly cromulant. It handles everything I throw at it, compiling big projects is just a little less performant than I'm used to, but for a majority of the time I hardly even notice. Most important is the amount of RAM - 8 gigs - I think this makes a big difference at this scale.
ekianjo 9y ago
An i5 would overheat in no time in such a small format.

pizza234 9y ago

> Could this be the start of the exodus? Time will tell Not really. Assuming the definition: > the GPD Pocket has many aspects that are not so great almost all the laptops around fit that bill when it comes to Linux, each in its own way, so the GPD is nothing special in the broad view.

larrik 9y ago
Every laptop has aspects that aren't so great, including Macs.
- pizza234 9y ago
  Yes, and that's the point why a new machine, revolution-wise, is just a drip in the lake, unless it has some exceptional aspect.
  - mmjaa 9y ago
    Well, the touchscreen factor should not be underestimated. I've gotten rid of an iPad, a netbook, and a desktop workstation by having the GPD Pocket serve the same basic functions as each .. where I would comfortably use the iPad for reading, I now use the GPD. Where I would normally have a workstation PC for development, same GPD. Where I would absolutely have had a netbook to pack in a bag alongside the snacks for trips up the mountain, same GPD. If the next GPD is a little larger, with a moderately improved keyboard and expansion options - its going to replace my MacBook subscription, no doubt about it.

gioele 9y ago

> So the moment I realised someone produce a laptop that wasn't from Apple, yet had very similar physical attributes (albeit smaller), which would also give me a way to escape MacOS and run Linux as a first-class OS, I jumped on board. Samsung Series 9 (and later incarnations) are great non-Apple notebooks for us ex-Apple converts. They are basically MacBooks with Linux supported out of the box. Too bad they are not sold in Europe anymore.

mmjaa 9y ago
Yes, I think this is really about wide-spread availability - there have been other Macbook-killers, but none as readily available as the GPD Pocket so far, imho ..

fpoling 9y ago

Thanks for the link! It seems GDP is a nice machine especially given 8GB of RAM so one can use it for non-trivial development on the go. And compared with MacBook or Dell XPS, the display opens almost flat, which should help with using it in various situations.

mmjaa 9y ago
8Gb of RAM really makes the difference between production and frustration. I've had 'all the machines', but this is the first time I've been totally satisfied to the point where I can easily recommend it to my other developer peers as a reference ..

mtw 9y ago

I used once a 10" Asus Chromebook Flip. For $300, you get a reasonably fast laptop with Linux and good keyboard. Great for vim, typing documents, and even occasional netflix. The real issue in these laptops for developers is the Atom CPU. I found most packages or libraries I used do not support Atom or ARM CPUs. There are hacks and other user-compiled packages but there are compromises. In the end, you just want to get work done and not be bugged with limitations. I'd pay good money for a similar laptop with an i5 or equivalent processor though.

mmjaa 9y ago
I haven't run into any such problem with the Atom CPU in the GPD Pocket .. of course I did go through a lot of hell with Arm netbooks and so on in the past (and am still an avid porter of producers to the OpenPandora universe) .. but I'm actually quite relieved to be working on an x86 with similar characteristics to Arm. Hopefully the next GPD is going to e a bit beefier, though ..
btschaegg 9y ago
I've got a C100P and can't say I had a big problem with libraries. The only annoying thing was that there are few really good text editors that work on ARM, so the C100P was actually the reason I picked up Vim and Emacs. My biggest problem was the Chromebook part. Getting your own linux distro on the device is a hassle, the devmode boot screen is abysmal (I once accidentally killed my system by touching the space bar), and in Croagh, Xorg would stop working every few weeks, forcing me to set the whole thing up from scratch again. It's a really cool little device, and I still use it to play videos while I'm washing the dishes, but the (vanilla) Linux options didn't convince me. Edit: Actually, I've been thinking about buying the GDP Pocket for a while now. Can anyone attest to how good the keyboard is? The layout seemed like the biggest drawback to me...
- mmjaa 9y ago
  The layout is awful at first but after a week or two of use, I got into it and now I hardly even notice. Keep in mind though, the whole thing is quite pocketable ..

cup-of-tea 9y ago

When I looked at this last I could only buy one with Windoze installed. Is it better now?

dm319 9y ago

I also find the GPD pocket hugely desirable (as someone who grew up on the greatness of Psion organisers, Nokia communicators, N900 etc..), but I'm surprised you'd use it as a laptop replacement - surely too small? My preference for a work machine would be a Thinkpad X270. Running linux of course. You might also be interested in the Gemini project[1] [1]https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-keyboard-mobile-device-phone#/comments https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gemini-pda-android-linux-...