In the market for a new laptop or perhaps a Microsoft Surface-like tablet style system? Well, Star Labs have turned their StarLite laptop into a tablet. I have to admit, I love the form factor on this giving you the best of both worlds. You get a sweet fully Linux supported tablet, and you can hook it up to a magnetic keyboard to get a full laptop experience too.
This is a proper Linux system too with open-source firmware powered by coreboot and edk II with updates via LVFS.
Some tech specs for you:
| Display | 12.5-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit 10-point touch display with IPS technology 2880x1920 resolution at 276 pixels per inch |
| Processor | 1.00GHz quad-core Intel Alder Lake N200 Turbo Boost up to 3.70GHz, with 6MB Smart Cache |
| Storage | 512GB Gen3 PCIe SSD Configurable to: 1TB Gen3 PCIe SSD 2TB Gen3 PCIe SSD |
| Memory | 16GB of 4800MHz LPDDR5 onboard memory |
| Connectivity | Micro HDMI USB Type C 3.2 with Power Delivery 3.0 USB Type C 3.2 with Power Delivery 3.0 Micro SD Memory Card Reader 3.5mm Headphone Jack HDMI version: 2.0 USB-C Interface: Display Port (DP Alt Mode) USB version: 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps) |
| Wireless | Intel Wi-Fi 5 9560 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Up to 1.73 Gbps 802.11ac/a/b/g/n compatible Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Power | Up to 12 hours battery life 38-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery 65w USB-C Power Adapter |
You can configure it with Ubuntu, elementary OS, Linux Mint, Manjaro, Zorin OS, MX Linux, Xubuntu, Kubuntu and more. They support and test many different configurations, and you get a decent warranty with it too allowing you to to take your computer apart, replace parts, install an upgrade, and use any operating system and even your firmware, all without voiding the warranty.
It's not available yet as it seems the store page only went live recently and it will be priced around £597, with it currently noting a discount to £416 (presumably for early orders when it is actually live to order). The keyboard is an added extra at £84 available in various layouts.
See more on the Star Labs website.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Quoting: nitrofuranogreat seeing gnu/linux oem hardware like this around, but that about using intel cpu seems very terrible choice (intel chips are more efficient as home heaters than cpu) - would be really great if they came with amd cpu, or even better, arm cpu (just like apple is doing now)
This might be the case for the desktop CPU's. But the mobile chips are quite efficient afaik.
Would be interesting to see if a slightly smaller 8" device like this could come with a Sim card + decent camera and then maybe we could have an X86 Hybrid Linux desktop computer smart phone.
1 Likes, Who?
this seems like a bad idea for many reasons...
i mean, what is the use case?
3:2 would be bad for media consumption, not that i care that much about black bars, but it isnt ideal for 16:9 nor 4:3 content, and the ones who produce 16:10 content deserve to be arrest! (just kidding)
other than that, the main issue with this aspect ration is that some old games might not adapt well but i guess we can solve that using... i forgot the tech name...
as for production, well i wouldnt like to produce on a different aspect ratio than i would conume media... unless i want use the extra space for the user interface of the program.
no info about the camera, mic and speakers (not that i expect then to be usefull, users will probably use something else better anyway.
the base processor speed (1ghz) is too low even for linux, the boost of 3.2ghz might be good, but it will waste battery at an unknow speed (they only said what to expect at minimum clock)
12 hours of battery? not even the deck can have it, and it has 2watt/hours more than this.
x86 instead of arm is a double edge sword, its good for compatibility (especially steam) but this dont seem to be a good option for gaming but bad for battery... not that it will make a difference if you use 1ghz most of the time...
yes it has first class linux support, but i never heard of this brand dont know their build quality or end user support, if they are realiable, and an incomplete support on other devices like the surface might have an better performance than this anyway...
anyway, wish then luck , i cant bet money on purchases right now, i hope i bite my toungue.
looks beautyfull on picture and its good to see an vendor who bet on linux.
forgot one important thing:
the touchscreen might be good for designers, but then i need info about the sensibility for different pressure levels... or people use the pen and the presure is on the pen?
fanless sound good on theory, but i hope that dont fry the processor and i dont have to replace the termal paste too often, if i use the turbo speed i know i would need.
12" is great for coding (im using an 14" so it wont be too much different) and probably 3D modeling or drawing, but it makes it less portable as an tablet, never used one that size.
i dont know the price of surface, ipad or other tablets but at least it sound cheap.
it would be nice if i can use it as an second screen
Last edited by elmapul on 18 August 2023 at 10:35 pm UTC
i mean, what is the use case?
3:2 would be bad for media consumption, not that i care that much about black bars, but it isnt ideal for 16:9 nor 4:3 content, and the ones who produce 16:10 content deserve to be arrest! (just kidding)
other than that, the main issue with this aspect ration is that some old games might not adapt well but i guess we can solve that using... i forgot the tech name...
as for production, well i wouldnt like to produce on a different aspect ratio than i would conume media... unless i want use the extra space for the user interface of the program.
no info about the camera, mic and speakers (not that i expect then to be usefull, users will probably use something else better anyway.
the base processor speed (1ghz) is too low even for linux, the boost of 3.2ghz might be good, but it will waste battery at an unknow speed (they only said what to expect at minimum clock)
12 hours of battery? not even the deck can have it, and it has 2watt/hours more than this.
x86 instead of arm is a double edge sword, its good for compatibility (especially steam) but this dont seem to be a good option for gaming but bad for battery... not that it will make a difference if you use 1ghz most of the time...
yes it has first class linux support, but i never heard of this brand dont know their build quality or end user support, if they are realiable, and an incomplete support on other devices like the surface might have an better performance than this anyway...
anyway, wish then luck , i cant bet money on purchases right now, i hope i bite my toungue.
looks beautyfull on picture and its good to see an vendor who bet on linux.
forgot one important thing:
the touchscreen might be good for designers, but then i need info about the sensibility for different pressure levels... or people use the pen and the presure is on the pen?
fanless sound good on theory, but i hope that dont fry the processor and i dont have to replace the termal paste too often, if i use the turbo speed i know i would need.
12" is great for coding (im using an 14" so it wont be too much different) and probably 3D modeling or drawing, but it makes it less portable as an tablet, never used one that size.
i dont know the price of surface, ipad or other tablets but at least it sound cheap.
it would be nice if i can use it as an second screen
Last edited by elmapul on 18 August 2023 at 10:35 pm UTC
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Swingswindle Aug 19, 2023
I love that more linux tablets are coming out, but I still feel the ui is not ready yet when compared to ipad or samsung oneui. Maui shell and the gnome mobile shell seem promising (even if still a little lacking in some areas).
I like the aspect ratio, but with no pen and still developing apps, I can't think of much i'd use this for besides laptop stuff, which this isn't.
It still has a lot going for it though, so I see things getting really good in the future
I like the aspect ratio, but with no pen and still developing apps, I can't think of much i'd use this for besides laptop stuff, which this isn't.
It still has a lot going for it though, so I see things getting really good in the future
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QuoteI still feel the ui is not ready yet when compared to ipad or samsung oneui
Keep in mind that on one side, the UI might not be so well adapted to touchscreens, but on the other hand you'll get by far the closest thing to actual convergence there is out there!
By actual convergence I mean you get a small formfactor app on your device screen but if you plug it to a big monitor screen and drag the app to the monitor, it instantly changes into its full-sized desktop layout without loosing what it's doing.
That and a truckload of productivity-oriented features of a full desktop OS that one would only dream of in Android and iOS
Purism's Librem 5 demonstration videos are pretty nice to get a sense of what makes linux awesome and uniquely interesting in a mobile device:
https://puri.sm/posts/true-convergence-is-here-pureos-10-is-released-for-all-librem-products/
https://puri.sm/posts/investing-in-real-convergence/
You mentioned Maui and Gnome but there is also KDE for mobile... while not perfect, it is the oldest convergence effort and while it moved slower than Gnome it is also reasonably far along that it can be used
Not to mention Ubuntu Touch, PostmarketOS and other mobile-centric linux OSs
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ElectricPrism Aug 21, 2023
Quoting: nitrofuranogreat seeing gnu/linux oem hardware like this around, but that about using intel cpu seems very terrible choice (intel chips are more efficient as home heaters than cpu) - would be really great if they came with amd cpu, or even better, arm cpu (just like apple is doing now)
True, I would prefer AMD, although considering it's running coreboot and System76 offerings on AMD and a open firmware have been lacking in the past it's hard to not be open to it.
Quoting: LoftyWould be interesting to see if a slightly smaller 8" device like this could come with a Sim card + decent camera and then maybe we could have an X86 Hybrid Linux desktop computer smart phone.
Absolutely. In fact -- it's literally possible to modify the SteamDeck to do just this, and with a CPU that can run laps around PinePhone / Librem5 -- although I'm not sure that the touch or screen resolution is as optimal as it could be. My eyes and ears are open for other contenders in this space. To speed up development and save developer time I think it's a good idea for devs to test drive higher power devices at a similar form factor when possible.
--
I saw someone complaining about 3:2 and then ask to make it a second monitor -- makes me laugh because 3:2 is a great aspect ratio for additional monitors in multi-monitor setups -- 16:9 on the other hand _ is _ not _ .
I would be curious to find a way to use SteamDeck and other SBC style devices like the one in this post as additional monitors -- it would be really cool to have 4 of these things all mounted to 3D printed arms with touch controls like the Matrix 1, or even 6 small steam decks next to a big monitor all working as one computer.
--
Back to the StarLabs device though -- there's typically a threshold where I vet new brands and check them out -- I have no knowledge of their Ethos -- where System76 and even Purism (albeit criticized) have declared their missions and values.
It has key features I value, I imagine the battery time and cpu power are matched, and put off less heat. Nice aluminum chassis. sd card slot -- nice. volume buttons, good. magnetic keyboard attachment -- respectable. small enough form factor it could be carried around for work like a clipboard -- nice.
Not really sure about the webcam quality -- if they are fairly good I would consider using this as a sort of "VOIP / Video Phone" or whatever. I would have liked a hardware kill switch for the cameras and mic.
Additionally I would be interested in a SIM slot and card or the ability to connect to cellular phone or satellite phone networks -- as I do intend to completely go 100% Linux on the phone at some future date and am looking for devices to replace proprietary garbage.
You couldn't give me a stack of 50 surface pros -- I would give them away or dump them in the trash -- this really does offer a lot of promise and breaks ground in the Linux space.
Along with System76 and Frame.work there are some really awesome choices for portables depending on your use-case for us right now.
Edit:
I forgot to mention I am not particularly fond of HDMI since it's proprietary. I'm trying to phase it out as much as possible in favor of display port. I realize I am not the average consumer who just wants things to work -- but in my perspective as long as hardware is proprietary we will always suffer at the hands of a behemoth who chooses winners and looser and can give their favor to whoever lines their pockets. Just my 2 cents. (Like ok monitor brands, can you please stop shoving G-Force logos on the startup screens and boxes -- I have ZERO interest, and infact the inclusion of that technology makes me leery to buy -- looking @ you ASUS)
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 21 August 2023 at 9:14 am UTC
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Quoting: ElectricPrismQuoting: LoftyWould be interesting to see if a slightly smaller 8" device like this could come with a Sim card + decent camera and then maybe we could have an X86 Hybrid Linux desktop computer smart phone.
Absolutely. In fact -- it's literally possible to modify the SteamDeck to do just this, and with a CPU that can run laps around PinePhone / Librem5 -- although I'm not sure that the touch or screen resolution is as optimal as it could be. My eyes and ears are open for other contenders in this space. To speed up development and save developer time I think it's a good idea for devs to test drive higher power devices at a similar form factor when possible.
Its only a matter of time before some company offers a SIM expansion for one of these x86 tablets and with the right network & call software (that probably already exists) we can make a Linux phone without having to wait years for some other company try to match a current andriod / ios device, which is not what we need we just need the ABILITY, to make calls and we can sort the rest of the experience from then on in.
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