Purism Lapdock kit converts the Librem 5 Linux smartphone into a laptop

Purism Lapdock Kit

Purism has just announced the Lapdock kit to turn their Librem 5 Linux smartphone into a laptop with a 13.3-inch touchscreen display thanks to the NexDock 360 laptop dock. I was a big believer in mobile desktop convergence around 10 years ago, expected to be soon able to use my phone as a computer or laptop with a dock, and it looked like it might have become a reality when Canonical launched the Ubuntu Edge smartphone crowdfunding campaign in 2013. But it turns out demand was not sufficient, and Canonical eventually ended their convergence efforts focusing on profitable IoT and cloud segments instead. But that does not mean there isn’t a niche market and Purism’s Lapdock kit addresses it to some extent. The Lapdock kit is comprised of three parts namely the NexDock 360 laptop dock, a magnetic mount to attach the Librem 5 to the side of the NexDock […]

Balthazar – An open-source hardware modular RISC-V, Arm, or FPGA laptop

Balthazar RISC-V laptop

The Balthazar Personal Computing Device (BPCD) is an open-source hardware 13.3-inch laptop with a RISC-V, Arm, or FPGA module and designed to be upgradable, expandable, and sustainable. The developers say the laptop is based on a few concepts inspired by the EOMA68 project. The EOMA68 is a CPU module based on the PCMCIA form factor, and an Allwinner A20 EOMA68 module was showcased in a prototype of the Rhombus Tech 15.6-inch Libre Laptop but I don’t think the project was ever manufactured. Balthazar laptop features: SoM with RISC-V, FPGA, or Arm Cortex-A7x processor plus memory and flash Storage – SATA SSD, eSATA connector, microSD card socket Display – 13.3-inch non-glare display Video Output – HDMI Audio – Speakers, detachable microphone array Camera – Detachable webcam Connectivity – Ethernet, WiFi USB – 2x USB 3.0 ports, Micro USB OTG port, Micro USB port User input Waterproof keyboard with an illuminated track-point […]

Quiet, ultrathin AirJet solid state active cooling chips could replace fans

AirJet Mini

Frore Systems Airjet Mini and Airjet Pro are active cooling chips that are just 2.8mm thick and quietly suck cool air in from the top of the chip before pushing it out the sides with the aim to replace traditional fan-based solutions in ultrabooks, or be integrated into VR headsets and smartphones for improved cooling. Yesterday we saw that cameras could clean themselves with micro-vibrations, and it happens that processors can be cooled with vibrations too as the Airjet chips are comprised of tiny membranes that vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies to generate a flow of air that enters through inlet vents in the top and transformed into high-velocity pulsating jets exiting from one side of the chip. The AirJet module is actually not placed directly on the processor in ultrabooks but on copper pipes because it allows for thinner designs that way. The company says the AirJet Mini and Pro […]

$480+ Aspire 3 laptop is powered by an Intel Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N processor

Aspire 3 Laptop A315-510P-3905

Intel has just launched the Alder Lake-N processors and a duo of ACER Aspire 3 laptops are some of the first platforms to feature the Core i3-N305 octa-core processor, after the introduction of the MSI Cubi N ADL mini PC last week. Both models are equipped with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, but the Aspire 3 A314-36P-360X comes with a 14-inch display while the Aspire 3 A315-510P-3905 features a 15.6-inch display both at Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution.  ACER Aspire 3 “Alder Lake-N” laptop specifications: SoC – Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core processor @ 1.80 GHz / 3.80 GHz (Turbo) with 32EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.25 GHz; TDP: 15W System Memory – 8 GB LPDDR5 Storage – 256GB NVMe SSD Display A314-36P-360X -14-inch TN LCD display with 1920×1080 resolution, LED backlight A315-510P-3905 – 15.6-inch IPS LCD display with 1920×1080 resolution, LED backlight Audio – HD Audio, stereo speakers, […]

Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite enables two-way messaging using the Iridium network

Snapdragon Satellite

You may soon be able to get true global coverage even in remote areas thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite which will offer pole-to-pole coverage and two-way messaging for emergency use, SMS texting, and other messaging applications. Qualcomm made this possible through a partnership with Iridium to bring satellite-based connectivity to next-generation premium Android smartphones starting with devices based on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, while emergency messaging support was done in collaboration with Garmin. You’ll just need to point your phone to the sky to send and/or receive messages, and the connection should take place within a few seconds. Note it can only be used for text, and the bandwitdh would not be sufficient for audio, pictures, and videos. The solution relies on Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Systems such as the Snapdragon X70 modem to connect to the Iridium low-earth orbit satellite constellation using the L-band spectrum (1 to 2 […]

Meet Intel Processor and Core-i3 N-series “Alder Lake N-series” processors

Intel Alder Lake N-series Processors

Pentium and Celeron brands are officially dead with Intel introducing the Alder Lake-N family comprised of “Intel Processor” and Core-i3 N-series processors based on the Gracemont “Efficiency” cores found in Alder Lake hybrid processors. Some of the details about the Intel Processor N100 and N200 processors were leaked last fall, followed by the Core i3-N300 and Core i3-N305, but at least it is now official, and we have more details so let’s dig into it. Alder Lake N-series key features and specifications: CPU – Up to 8x Gracemont Efficient cores for Core i3 N-series processor, and up to 4x with Intel Processor processor GPU – Intel UHD graphics with AV1 decode support Memory I/F – LPDDR5-4800, DDR4, DDR5 Storage I/F – eMMC/UFS 2.1 flash, 2x SATA 3.0 Video Output eDP 1.4b / MIPI DSI 1.3 DisplayPort 1.4 HDMI 2.0b Up to 3x independent displays Camera I/F – MIPI CSI Networking […]

LapPi 2.0 – A DIY laptop for Raspberry Pi 4 and other single board computers (Crowdfunding)

LapPi 2.0 DIY Raspberry Pi laptop

The LapPi 2.0 is a DIY laptop kit with an acrylic enclosure, a UPS HAT with a 18650 battery holder, and off-the-shelf parts including speakers, a touchscreen display, a Raspberry Pi camera, and a wireless keyboard that’s suitable for the Raspberry Pi 4 and pretty much any other small single board computer from Radxa, Orange Pi, Banana Pi, FriendlyElec, Hardkernel, and others. We’ve seen several Raspberry Pi laptops over the years with the CrowPi L and Pi-Top, and I have to say the LapPi 2.0 is not the most eye-pleasing or sophisticated design, but at least, it’s versatile and not limited to the Raspberry Pi family. LapPi 2.0 kit content and highlights: Display – 7-inch 5-point capacitive touchscreen IPS display with 1024×600 resolution support for audio output via 3.5mm audio jack and 4-pin header Camera – Official 8MP Raspberry Pi Noir camera with night vision support Audio – 2x 5W/8 […]

Alibaba T-Head TH1520 RISC-V processor to power the ROMA laptop

T-Head TH1520

The ROMA RISC-V laptop was announced this summer with an unnamed RISC-V processor with GPU and NPU. We now know it will be the Alibaba T-Head TH1520 quad-core Xuantie C910 processor clocked at up to 2.5GHz with a 4 TOPS NPU, and support for 64-bit DDR at up 4266 MT. The TH1520 is born out of the Wujian 600 platform unveiled by Alibaba in August 2022, and is capable of running desktop-level applications such as Firefox browser and LibreOffice office suite on OpenAnolis open-source Linux-based operating system launched by Alibaba in 2020. So that means we now have a better idea of the specifications of the ROMA RISC-V developer laptop: SoC – Alibaba T-Head quad-core RISC-V Xuantie C910  processor @ 2.5 GHz, unnamed Imagination GPU for graphics, 4 TOPS NPU for AI System Memory – Up to 16GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4X RAM Storage – Up to 256GB eMMC flash Display – 14.1-inch […]

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