Pinebook Pro 'xtreme'

[Kochise]

Consideration :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryTykjUbJIs

[xmixahlx]

I will echo the interests 8gb+ ram, stronger processor, full keyboard access, more usbc ports, gigabit Ethernet, 256GB nvme ssd, etc.

I would be curious to see the performance of $300 PBP2. Cost efficiency probably flirts with a more mainstream capable device.

A completely different (or more normal!) route would be something like the above with an N5000 Intel processor.

Fully open hardware is also a consideration.

It will be interesting to see what direction the community interest evolves after the pbp is in more hands.

I am impatient ...

[bcnaz]

 
  But if you add $300 more in parts to a $200 laptop, then want to buy it for $300.  ?

       You do make some good suggestions though  ...
  

[xmixahlx]

$300 total

[xmixahlx]

so star labs has up for pre-order a small linux laptop with n5000 like i commented about back in january.
https://starlabs.systems/pages/lite-mk-iii

[moonwalkers]

Aesthetically, the only want i have for is perhaps a laser-cut glowing Pinecone logo on the lid a'la that fruit company. Would pre-order.

I'm not gonna say "noooooooooo don't doooooo  iiiiiiit!!!!!!!" but please don't do it as the only option. I rather like my "anonymous" PBP, so if you do go the logo route at the very least allow the option of getting non-glowing, better yet no logo like in current PBP.

---

The power button is part of the keyboard, and as such only accessible with an open lid. This is less than ideal for both development, where you need the laptop with open case and generally flipped on the back, and normal use when only using an external screen. I would love a power button on the side of the case.

There are no dedicated buttons for the editing commands Del, Home, End, PgUp and PgDn. This is not just frustrating for someone who edits a lot of text like me and uses these keys to the hill, but also if you overload these with the multimedia keys (as combinations with the Logo key) which have no keys whatsoever on the PBP, either dedicated or as Fn-combinations. Please find a place for these on the keyboard(s) for the next Pinebook generation. (Maybe also Ins, to finish up that block of six keys)

This is not as annoying as battery discharging while on AC, but I have to agree - after using (modern) ThinkPads I keep hitting power key when I mean to hit Del.

I was one of the people who were criticizing Lenovo for changing keyboard between W520 and W530, but eventually I found the new layout to be more efficient. So since we're talking about keyboard - I would love to see TP layout replicated, unless it is something protected by patents.

[WZ9V]

My wish list would be
- Faster SOC
- More RAM 8GB/16GB
- Bootable NVME drive slot
- Larger LCD (15.6 or 17)
- !0 Key less keyboard layout (full size dedicated navigation keys)
- Easier to work on case (even if not as slim)

[bcnaz]

Sounds ok,

But how about better graphics card ?

Then I guess you would have to add some "Cooling"

By then it would no longer be a Pinebook Pro ?

Perhaps " Pine Gaming Pro " ?

[Arwen]

@WZ9V, The NVMe slot can be made bootable. Their are lots of U-Boot options.

The safest is to use the eMMC as the U-Boot target and have "/boot" on the eMMC. But, some people have both "/boot" and "/" on their NVMe, (with U-Boot still on the eMMC.)

You can install U-Boot on the SPI flash device. It's the first bootable target, (SPI, eMMC, SD card, & specialized USB). If that U-Boot has support for the NVMe, you can remove the eMMC completely and boot everything off the NVMe device.

I recently installed some new U-Boot software that includes keyboard, display, several menus and makes things MUCH nicer. But, their are caveats, it does not work with Manjaro's 5.7 kernel. So that Pinebook Pro is booting the original Debian. (Linux kernel 5.8 or later is expected to solve that boot problem.)

[Arwen]

There has been a request for information on the new U-Boot I mentioned. Here is the thread;

[split] U-Boot with NVMe support, keyboard & display working

This reply has a photo of the screen during U-Boot's OS selection menu;

https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?...4#pid73394

Note that their is another menu, (using Control-C at a certain point), that allows you to jump to another device, like;

• Boot from eMMC
  
• Boot from SD
  
• Boot from USB
  
• Boot PXE, (one type of network boot)
  
• Boot DHCP, (another type of network boot)
  
• Reboot
  
• U-Boot console
  

And presumably the NVMe. I just don't have one installed so it does not show up on my list.