PocketCHIP Shipping In Mass Next Month - Makes Fun $69 Debian Linux Handheld

[phoronix]

Phoronix: PocketCHIP Shipping In Mass Next Month - Makes Fun $69 Debian Linux Handheld

It's been a few months since Next Thing Co's C.H.I.P. computer was successfully funded on Kickstarter as "the world's first $9 computer" along with the PocketCHIP, a C.H.I.P. powered, battery-backed handheld with physical keyboard. Next Thing Co shipped to their backers over the summer whole in November they expects to begin shipping mass production orders on the CHIP and PocketCHIP. Over the past few weeks I've been playing with these low-cost ARM devices.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=23617

[arbition]

Not sure why I didn't see this project before. I am mostly curious though, about the thermals of this. A number of years ago I bought the GuruPlug which had terrible thermal issues. It cooked its own flash, making the bootloader unstable. We've had many SBCs since then, and the problem never goes away. I think all SBCs and derivatives should have some comment and testing with respect to their thermal performance. Once you've had some more time to review it, I would be particularly interested in this aspect.

[danieru]

Use 9 usd more and you get this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Onda-V820w-Windows-10-Android-4-4-Tablet-PC-Intel-Z3735F-Quad-Core-2GB-32GB-/121960061132?hash=item1c6562d8cc:g:2gsAAOSwYmZXFFwp

You know, if we get technical that's a computer by default with dual boot of Linux and Windows. What a time to be alive!

[chithanh]

The CHIP relies upon Mali 400 for graphics, unfortunately, pressed to use a binary blob with the Lima project not yet having a viable driver.

I think there is really no excuse for this. There is the freedreno and etnaviv which provide working drivers for ARM chips. If only PocketCHIP had made any contributions to lima, but that doesn't appear to be the casse either.

Cheap Intel tablets is a topic that Phoronix could test with Linux.

The Clover Trail (Atom x5) tablets work very poorly. Wi-Fi, audio and SD card reader don't function properly with mainline kernels.

The older Bay Trail devices work better, however there are still a number of bugs in the Intel graphics driver, and progress on fixing these appears to be stalled.

[droidhacker]

Considering that everybody carries a cellphone these days, and you can buy a cellphone for less $$, and a cellphone can obviously do more and will be considerably faster (even a crappy one), what exactly are they trying to accomplish with overpriced and substandard (allwinner) hardware.

[starshipeleven]

what exactly are they trying to accomplish with overpriced and substandard (allwinner) hardware.

I'm really starting to think that these "open" projects shipping total shit hardware with Mali are in fact sponsoered by Allwinner themselves.

Way too much of them to be a coincidence.

[stiiixy]

I'm really starting to think that these "open" projects shipping total shit hardware with Mali are in fact sponsoered by Allwinner themselves.

Way too much of them to be a coincidence.

Can you blame them? They've got shit to sell.

Still, I like how the device's look is a little retro, 70's/80's....

[stiiixy]

And they'd likely be taking more of the profit for themselves as well if they did.

oh, and Michael, it's 'en masse' mate.

[starshipeleven]

Can you blame them? They've got shit to sell.

I don't condone the use of lies in marketing, so yes I blame them.

Still, I like how the device's look is a little retro, 70's/80's....

Yep. I was seriously considering getting the shell alone if possible so I can hack in it a less-shitty motherboard, even a raspi 3 is better.

[MoonMoon]

Considering that everybody carries a cellphone these days, and you can buy a cellphone for less $$, and a cellphone can obviously do more and will be considerably faster (even a crappy one), what exactly are they trying to accomplish with overpriced and substandard (allwinner) hardware.

Last I checked smartphones do not come with a bunch of GPIO pins, accessible UART ports, ... .