Reminds me of SOL, a solar powered rugged laptop running Ubuntu. I think they are on that for the past 10 years or something.
this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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Asklemmy
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I won't lie that's pretty cool!
Mine.
Quad screen portable setup, baybeh! Razer's Valerie aint got nuttin' on me!
your desktop backgrounds I can't ๐๐๐
TWO floppy readers? ๐ฎ
My father had an Osborne 1. Loved it, played so many hours of Space Invaders on it. :)
This bad boy can take two 5.25"s at same time.
Same
I got a couple I really like, though for vastly different reasons:
- The MNT Reform series takes the crown for their commitment towards open source software AND open source hardware.
- The ASUS Zenbook DUO is an early entry in the direction of what I perceive as peak design. This technology will only improve from here and I hope other vendors will take cues from this one.
Could you elaborate on the reform? I hear the hype yet to me it looks like a severely overpriced tv box with some low-grade peripherials strapped to it in the least space efficient way possible. Did they got rockchip to release sources instead of blobs or something? What is the praise actually for?
Could you elaborate on the reform?
For some reason, I was under the impression that laptops in the MNT Reform series were the only laptops that were manufactured using open (source) hardware only. Or, if there were others, that it must have been doing something so special that they deserved to be put on a pedestal. But, currently, I don't feel confident enough to state why it would be superior over say the Olimex TERES-I or Pinebook Pro.
I hear the hype yet to me it looks like a severely overpriced tv box with some low-grade peripherials strapped to it in the least space efficient way possible.
We definitely pay a premium, but I don't know exactly why. Especially when the aforementioned Olimex TERES-I and Pinebook Pro are almost an order of magnitude cheaper.
Did they got rockchip to release sources instead of blobs or something?
From what I understood, Rockchip offers (at least some of) its SoCs as open source hardware. So, what MNT Reform did for the SoC is order them as open source hardware and include/publicize/provide all the schematics (etc).
What is the praise actually for?
FWIW, the open source hardware aspect is what I was intrigued by*.
I've sketched out ideas for something like the MNT Reform, but with a Framework motherboard, and it's surprisingly hard to whittle down the form factor any more without sacrificing unique and useful features, like the user-replaceable battery cells and modular mechanical keyboard. Those were the main attractions for me, and it is indeed very weak hardware for the price. Tallying up the component prices, it's about as good as it gets without economies of scale while insisting on libre firmware.
ThinkPad W701DS. Depending on configuration it has an intergrated Wacom digitiser w/ pen, a built-in Pantone colorimeter, two RAIDed hard drives and of course the glorious second screen that pops out.
I was laughing my ass off at the "two 250GB hard drives" until I saw that the video was 16 years old ๐ฎ
The w700ds/w701ds ("Dual Screen")
... was not Lenovo's last try at putting two screens on a laptop; see also the X1 Fold and Yoga 9i
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Let summon BOSS: Expanscape Aurora 7
I would like to argue but I can't... you win ๐ That's just... I don't have words. Just wow ๐คฏ ๐คฏ ๐คฏ
โฆwords fail me.
Bravo, fellow meatbag.
Every Macbook Air in the coffeeshop crashes out of sheer terror and awe when you unfold that nerdstation.
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GPD Win Max 2. I love this little thing so much. ~8-10 hours of battery life, up to 64GB RAM, 16-core Ryzen on the newest model, 2K display. It's only 10 inches and it can run Cyberpunk with raytracing. It also has two slots for SSD's and an optional LTE module.
The sticks are hall effect sensors, so there's no drift (looking at you, Nintendo). The keyboard is backlit and feels way too satisfying for something this small. (I actually like typing on it)
On the backside of the device, you can slide out two metal covers and place them on top of the thumbsticks, hiding them and making the device look more professional.
I once took this to a customer doing a training session and dropped the line "This thing is more powerful than all the computers in this room" and it was probably true.
10/10 device - it's a solid laptop though I worry about longevity (they're a bastard to repair because the arts are all hard to find).
Upside is it's the perfect machine for travel gaming!
That's true, but I found parts like the bottom chassis, display assembly and keyboard on Aliexpress. They probably have the joystick modules too.
The only thing I couldn't find were the actual rubber thumbsticks, which might become a problem in the future when they wear out. GPD promised to sell them individually a while ago, but as of yet, they haven't done so.
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the design is insane, the people behind it are insane, the story is double-insane.
Whaaat? I can't believe someone thought this was a good idea ๐
Wait. Is that windows AND android ?
yes. yes it is.
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I am on my third Rugged. Two lemons, third one is fine. Beware, these have hardware issues and get the extended warranty.
I actually used OPs Dell as a paramedic. It wasn't bad but I still prefer toughbooks
Fujitsu Lifebook P-2046. It was semi-rugged with a magnesium alloy chassis but, the real awesome bit was the Transmeta Crusoe processor. It was super power efficient (~15hr between charges with the extended battery) and performed decently. The thing was really ahead of its time.
That seems much too pragmatic for this thread ๐
Possibly but the CPU was pretty crazy. It used "code morphing" to translate x86 instructions to its internal ISA, something that just seems a bit ridiculous to do at the hardware level.
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MSI titan line of monsters "technically a laptop, but is closer to a overkill desktop gaming monster". They all weighs like 6 kilos
I don't think the Mediaworkstations a-X2P ever came out of "limited production", but with an EPYC processor, desktop GPU and 6 screens it still meets the mark IMO.
[Edit]: Sorry, a pair of EPYC processors. And it's a shipping product.
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your Rugged reminded me of GRiD and it looks like they are still in business!
https://www.griduk.com/products/rugged-laptops/gridcase-1590/
Developed with the military and aerospace industry in mind
๐ฎ ๐ฎ ๐ฎ
The way this thread is going I'm almost expecting someone to post a space laptop that's vacuum resistant next, just in case you need to watch youtube on a space walk
GRiD has been making these 'milspec' laptops for decades! I wanted one so much when I was a teenager because they were all cyberdeck looking back then, too!
Those things aren't as rugged as they imply. Go for a brief jaunt and skip a little while swinging it by the handle. It'll turn into a laptop shaped projectile and leave a dent in both the ground and your wallet.
The laptop with a full sized mechanical keyboard on it. Oh and dual 330w power bricks.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/407225/acer-predator-21-x-review.html
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