GPD Pocket!
===========

I almost forgot that before a long time I have ordered the GPD Pocket [1]
computer (the Ubuntu version). And it arrived today. It's not very special:
just a small metal brick which can be used as a computer. It has Intel Atom CPU
so I haven't expected miracles. And I have been right: it's a boring (and
relatively slow) x86 computer with Linux.

Anyway, it is small and relatively light, it can drive external display, it has
a standard (big) USB port (just one, but the Macbook Air hasn't more), a 3.5mm
audio jack and it runs a NORMAL operating system (it one accepts that using
systemd is normal...).

To be honest, after experience with Ubuntu Touch devices, I'm actually very
happy that it's so boring. Because it means that the thing work in an usual
way. Thus it is indefinitely better portable device than any 7" laptop.

Well, there are issues:

* the fan runs at full speed all time (somewhere at GitHub [2] is a set of
 scripts to fix device's main issues - but it helps only little)
* the screen is initially rotated to portrait mode during (it has to be rotated
 back in the Xorg/Mir/Wayland environment)
* one of the ventilating holes is located at the right front side (when one
* decides to get the device into palms and to thumb-type then this hole is
 covered by it's palm...)
* the screen is glossy (well, it's designed to be used as a touchscreen...)

The keyboard is OK. Some compromises have been made here but the result is
acceptable.

The decision to use the USB-C connector for charging might be right but for me
it means that I cannot use any of my older chargers (and USB-C to normal USB
cables are still prohibitively expensive).

After all, it's a x86 machine, so it's possible to install the 5Dwm (or the
MAXX Interactive Desktop - how it's called today) [3] to have the user
experience similar to the SGI Interactive Desktop. I should try to test it
later.

Well, I don't thing that I'll abandon my older portable devices (nor the
desktops) because of this one. And this post was made with use of my SGI
Indigo, of course ;-)


References:
[1] http://www.gpd.hk/pocket.asp
[2] https://github.com/stockmind/gpd-pocket-ubuntu-respin
[3] http://www.maxxinteractive.com

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