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Phones are the only pocket computers that see quick advances in performance and battery use. For someone who wants a pocket sized computer, it's just most conve

by goda90 6y ago

Phones are the only pocket computers that see quick advances in performance and battery use. For someone who wants a pocket sized computer, it's just most convenient to combine it with your phone.

Aperocky 6y ago
But they are horrible as production machines, at least until when our brain is no longer using our body as interfaces. For pure pocket sized computing, why not use RPi? It's both much cheaper, more customizable, and it runs Linux. With enough tweaking you can make it run completely headless, plug-and-run mini computer that you can ssh over local network. I think the biggest problem with the combining idea is that computing in general is about productivity, and phone is about phone stuff.
- dividedbyzero 6y ago
  Phones are kinda too small, but iPads (which are, in essence, oversized phones) are just fine for production machines if you don't equate productivity with programming. With a Pencil and Procreate, it's really hard to beat for drawing and illustrating. With an external keyboard and some kind of stand writing is a joy, I like it better than on a proper computer because of a ton of little things that help me keep focused and because the device is so portable and doesn't have the laptop form factor with a permanently attached keyboard, with bluetooth periphery it's more like a wireless battery-powered external screen. Light to medium spreadsheet work is also totally doable, and I've build dozens of slide decks in various apps, with hand-drawn illustrations. I use a Pi as a mini server, but doing creative work on one, I can't imagine that to be as nice and slick as on the iPad. Last time I tried the PiOS desktop, it definitely wasn't.
  - Aperocky 6y ago
    You're absolutely right about drawing and other 2D renders. I may have overlooked this because I have not a bone for arts in my body and prefers the terminal to UI.
- megous 6y ago
  It's not much cheaper if you want battery, LCD with CTP, and perhaps a LTE modem for non-wifi mobile internet. Also it would have a horrible form factor. Pinephone is basically a smarthpone shaped SBC, with much better software situation than rpi, and you can use it as such. I ssh into mine all the time. You can connect anything you like to it via USB hub, incl. the full keyboard and mouse. You can use bluetooth keyboard, and just do normal computing you'd do on your dekstop, etc. Except for small display and lower performance there's no differnece.

by goda90 6y ago

Phones are the only pocket computers that see quick advances in performance and battery use. For someone who wants a pocket sized computer, it's just most convenient to combine it with your phone.

Aperocky 6y ago

But they are horrible as production machines, at least until when our brain is no longer using our body as interfaces. For pure pocket sized computing, why not use RPi? It's both much cheaper, more customizable, and it runs Linux. With enough tweaking you can make it run completely headless, plug-and-run mini computer that you can ssh over local network. I think the biggest problem with the combining idea is that computing in general is about productivity, and phone is about phone stuff.

dividedbyzero 6y ago
Phones are kinda too small, but iPads (which are, in essence, oversized phones) are just fine for production machines if you don't equate productivity with programming. With a Pencil and Procreate, it's really hard to beat for drawing and illustrating. With an external keyboard and some kind of stand writing is a joy, I like it better than on a proper computer because of a ton of little things that help me keep focused and because the device is so portable and doesn't have the laptop form factor with a permanently attached keyboard, with bluetooth periphery it's more like a wireless battery-powered external screen. Light to medium spreadsheet work is also totally doable, and I've build dozens of slide decks in various apps, with hand-drawn illustrations. I use a Pi as a mini server, but doing creative work on one, I can't imagine that to be as nice and slick as on the iPad. Last time I tried the PiOS desktop, it definitely wasn't.
- Aperocky 6y ago
  You're absolutely right about drawing and other 2D renders. I may have overlooked this because I have not a bone for arts in my body and prefers the terminal to UI.
megous 6y ago
It's not much cheaper if you want battery, LCD with CTP, and perhaps a LTE modem for non-wifi mobile internet. Also it would have a horrible form factor. Pinephone is basically a smarthpone shaped SBC, with much better software situation than rpi, and you can use it as such. I ssh into mine all the time. You can connect anything you like to it via USB hub, incl. the full keyboard and mouse. You can use bluetooth keyboard, and just do normal computing you'd do on your dekstop, etc. Except for small display and lower performance there's no differnece.