3 ms·

The Minibook X is obviously targeted at the netbook form factor in the traditional sense, i.e. small and cheap. If you're like me and appreciate the netbook/UMP

by alexrp 4mo ago

The Minibook X is obviously targeted at the netbook form factor in the traditional sense, i.e. small and cheap. If you're like me and appreciate the netbook/UMPC form factors (for travel purposes in my case) but also need better specs to actually get any work done -- and you're willing to fork out a bit more to get that -- I would recommend looking at GPD's Pocket and MicroPC series. I own both a Pocket 4 and MicroPC 2 with Linux on them, and I'm quite satisfied. The only issue I've noticed is the same screen rotation quirk described here, for which the same workarounds apply.

drum55 4mo ago
The GDP devices are amazing except for the keyboard, which is some fever dream layout I've never been able to understand. https://img.website.xin/contents/sitefiles3601/18006016/images/456568.png https://img.website.xin/contents/sitefiles3601/18006016/imag...
- hug 4mo ago
  This is the primary reason the Minibook X won out in my searches: It's the only small device that has a keyboard layout that puts all of the keys in the right spots. They're sometimes an odd size, but when I hit the wrong key due to a sizing constraint, I don't even have to think: Backspace, hit the right key with mildly adjusted positioning. I've tried a few machines with different layouts, and that's never the case - and having to stop and look at the keyboard to find a key interrupts flow in the worst kind of way.
  - vadansky 4mo ago
    I would love something that you can open and it expands/pops out a split keyboard like the Voyager (https://www.zsa.io/voyager https://www.zsa.io/voyager)
- alexrp 4mo ago
  That's fair; the keyboard layouts are definitely an acquired taste. Not that I've quite acquired said taste myself... but for devices that I mainly use when traveling, I just don't particularly care that much. It'd probably be more of an issue if I was using one of them as my daily driver - but I still very much prefer my workstation at home for that.
imran-iq 4mo ago
Hey I also have the pocket 4, the screen rotation issue should be fixed soon (slash already fixed): https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/41036 https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/41036
singpolyma3 4mo ago
The specs on this thing look pretty great. Which part do you find insufficient?
- alexrp 4mo ago
  The CPU is just too underpowered; I'm sure it's fine for basic computery stuff, but building software and running medium/large test suites on it would be far too slow. Also not enough USB ports; I don't want to carry a USB hub with it. Battery life on it is comparable to the MicroPC 2, but for the netbook form factor, it should really be compared to the Pocket 4. Similar story for the RAM, as well as the odd screen refresh rate. Minor points: I do also appreciate the Ethernet ports on the GPD devices, and their approach to touchpads (buttons and placement in particular). I guess my issues basically all boil down to the Minibook X not having enough functionality for the form factor when compared to GPD. That's mostly understandable for the price, but my point is just that if you're willing to fork over some more cash, you can get a whole lot more laptop in the same form factor (Pocket 4) or slightly better specs in a smaller form factor (MicroPC 2), and at least for me, that's the only way I could even have seriously considered these form factors for my work. (Just to be clear, I have no particular brand loyalty to GPD; they're just the only player in town for high-end netbooks/UMPCs at the moment.)
  - farfatched 4mo ago
    > building software and running medium/large test suites on it would be far too slow I'd figured remote development was the only viable workflow for these devices anyway?
    - singpolyma3 4mo ago
      I've done all my dev work on devices much less powerful than this. After all, that's all that existed at the time :)
    - alexrp 4mo ago
      Depends on what you're doing I suppose? I'm able to work on Zig with both of the devices I mentioned. Of course I'm limiting the test cases to the subset that's actually relevant to the area or target I'm working on. But that would be the case on a beefy full-size laptop too; even there, the full Zig test suite would take many hours and murder the battery in the process.
prmoustache 4mo ago
I had the GPD pocket 2 and: - the keyboards was terrible - the battery didn't last more than 2h30 after only 6 months of use - it ran super hot
- alexrp 4mo ago
  I only started using GPD products with the Pocket 4, so unfortunately I can't speak to your experience with the Pocket 2. I certainly hope the battery doesn't degrade that fast on their newer models... The only thing I can say is that they seem to have significantly improved the thermals; IME, the Pocket 4 only gets moderately warm to the touch during full CPU load, and that's even with the quiet fan mode.

by alexrp 4mo ago

drum55 4mo ago

The GDP devices are amazing except for the keyboard, which is some fever dream layout I've never been able to understand. https://img.website.xin/contents/sitefiles3601/18006016/images/456568.png https://img.website.xin/contents/sitefiles3601/18006016/imag...

hug 4mo ago
This is the primary reason the Minibook X won out in my searches: It's the only small device that has a keyboard layout that puts all of the keys in the right spots. They're sometimes an odd size, but when I hit the wrong key due to a sizing constraint, I don't even have to think: Backspace, hit the right key with mildly adjusted positioning. I've tried a few machines with different layouts, and that's never the case - and having to stop and look at the keyboard to find a key interrupts flow in the worst kind of way.
- vadansky 4mo ago
  I would love something that you can open and it expands/pops out a split keyboard like the Voyager (https://www.zsa.io/voyager https://www.zsa.io/voyager)
alexrp 4mo ago
That's fair; the keyboard layouts are definitely an acquired taste. Not that I've quite acquired said taste myself... but for devices that I mainly use when traveling, I just don't particularly care that much. It'd probably be more of an issue if I was using one of them as my daily driver - but I still very much prefer my workstation at home for that.

imran-iq 4mo ago

Hey I also have the pocket 4, the screen rotation issue should be fixed soon (slash already fixed): https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/41036 https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/41036

singpolyma3 4mo ago

The specs on this thing look pretty great. Which part do you find insufficient?

alexrp 4mo ago
The CPU is just too underpowered; I'm sure it's fine for basic computery stuff, but building software and running medium/large test suites on it would be far too slow. Also not enough USB ports; I don't want to carry a USB hub with it. Battery life on it is comparable to the MicroPC 2, but for the netbook form factor, it should really be compared to the Pocket 4. Similar story for the RAM, as well as the odd screen refresh rate. Minor points: I do also appreciate the Ethernet ports on the GPD devices, and their approach to touchpads (buttons and placement in particular). I guess my issues basically all boil down to the Minibook X not having enough functionality for the form factor when compared to GPD. That's mostly understandable for the price, but my point is just that if you're willing to fork over some more cash, you can get a whole lot more laptop in the same form factor (Pocket 4) or slightly better specs in a smaller form factor (MicroPC 2), and at least for me, that's the only way I could even have seriously considered these form factors for my work. (Just to be clear, I have no particular brand loyalty to GPD; they're just the only player in town for high-end netbooks/UMPCs at the moment.)
- farfatched 4mo ago
  > building software and running medium/large test suites on it would be far too slow I'd figured remote development was the only viable workflow for these devices anyway?
  - singpolyma3 4mo ago
    I've done all my dev work on devices much less powerful than this. After all, that's all that existed at the time :)
  - alexrp 4mo ago
    Depends on what you're doing I suppose? I'm able to work on Zig with both of the devices I mentioned. Of course I'm limiting the test cases to the subset that's actually relevant to the area or target I'm working on. But that would be the case on a beefy full-size laptop too; even there, the full Zig test suite would take many hours and murder the battery in the process.

prmoustache 4mo ago

I had the GPD pocket 2 and: - the keyboards was terrible - the battery didn't last more than 2h30 after only 6 months of use - it ran super hot

alexrp 4mo ago
I only started using GPD products with the Pocket 4, so unfortunately I can't speak to your experience with the Pocket 2. I certainly hope the battery doesn't degrade that fast on their newer models... The only thing I can say is that they seem to have significantly improved the thermals; IME, the Pocket 4 only gets moderately warm to the touch during full CPU load, and that's even with the quiet fan mode.