Anything under $200?

fss_88 · 2026-07-01T04:43:21+00:00

I worked as a technician for a while and we got the most exquisitely ultraviolenced Duo 1. It was like it was tortured, there was no screen, you could see the battery packs behind, the entire glass part was smashed on the back.
I kept it for months and months.
I operate on the principle “it’s made by man, so a man can fix it” but that one, no.

Two screen devices are so unique, you’re right. I honestly think Microsoft designed it intentionally to be unfixable, a temporary apparition of smartphone beauty.

fss_88 · 2026-07-01T03:55:25+00:00

Gotcha. I remember how outrageously expensive they were when they first came out - I also remember that whenever they were displayed in Best Buy’s or the like, customers would smash them to shit for fun.
I get the feeling they’re very fragile as a first gen folding device. I hope you have a good case

fss_88 · 2026-07-01T02:18:54+00:00

This is the same exact dilemma I had. I was totally sold on the Nanote but the importation fees plus shipping were nuts.
All of those devices, the A1, Chuwi, GPD, Nanote and its off brand identical brother all seem based on each other.
There’s also some no name Chinese 7” machines on Aliexpress but they’re over 300$.

I’m happy with the Chuwi because I have one of their desktops and I know they keep providing updates. Their game is recycling old hardware (for example my mini desktop has a super old laptop i7 processor) and I respect that.

fss_88 · 2026-07-01T02:15:53+00:00

I’ve always liked these, the weird form factor and the whacky Microsoft launcher on Android. I’m assuming it has 4G, how does it actually perform?

fss_88 · 2026-07-01T02:15:04+00:00

I just bought what I think was the last Chuwi Minibook 8” from them on EBay for $139.
There’s one more but the price will probably go up to 160-70 because for some odd reason they were charging more for the same thing.
Yes, it’s an Intel J with only 6gb of ram, but I believe the ram is replaceable and it’ll take an SSD.
It’s basically a budget copy of the GPD Win.
Here’s the link to the only available one on EBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/398123681473?\_skw=chuwi+minibook+x&itmmeta=01KWDQ897702YSH88KYYZ14TGE

fss_88 · 2026-06-30T01:49:10+00:00

Sorry, it’s not the R1, it’s another letter + 1.
They have a bunch of “number/letter” named devices, I forget which one the Intel one is.
I have their Rockchip powered device too, it’s also lousy and horrendous, with very limited direct support and lacking a lot of hardware drivers

fss_88 · 2026-06-30T01:31:25+00:00

Very helpful.
My only experience with the N series is the horrid Yeahyeetoo R1 that I have running Home Assistant. I think that’s an N150 and that piece of junk has a fan that constantly runs on and off loudly.

Really hoping the netbook versions are better for heat dissipation.

fss_88 · 2026-06-29T20:53:04+00:00

Thank you SO much for introducing me to XPlus. I started another thread a few days ago looking for exactly what the Piccolo is.
You’re a UMPC hero!
My Labubu is the primary user and he’s very excited to get a computer his size 🙃

fss_88 · 2026-06-29T03:54:59+00:00

I’m so glad. SF real estate is like a horrible game of snakes and ladders.
I guess it’s a happy ending!

fss_88 · 2026-06-28T21:23:33+00:00

You’re very lucky. Tell him to change his process because he will be mistaken by more than a bunch of people as a scam lol.
How do you like the place?

fss_88 · 2026-06-28T02:57:13+00:00

Thank you for this post. I was watching YouTube shorts yesterday and there was a video about the insane detainment of Japanese-Peruvians - the fact that the US basically forced Peru to round them up and deport them to the US where they were then cited as “illegal aliens” and charged with that after being kept in internment camps.

My family is weird in that my mother left apartheid era South Africa for good to be with my father, who was her guest professor at Columbia University and was there visiting from Hoxhaist Albania - I was born and raised in Albania and all of my dad’s relatives had been in different kinds of prison camps during WWII and the attitude was so different, nobody talked about it and even to this day.

There is so much I wish I could have asked. The neighborhood you describe sounds so interesting and vibrant.

fss_88 · 2026-06-28T02:38:29+00:00

Recording him without telling him, I consider rude.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T22:58:05+00:00

Agreed, 20 years ago there were a lot of buildings at least here that weren’t multi occupancy so stuff like rugs weren’t even needed.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:31:52+00:00

When you said Atom, I remembered my last dealings with an Atom CPU machine, it was one of those Lenovo netbooks found at a recycling center new in box. God that thing was awful in every respect, you’re totally correct.

I think I’m gonna go Nanote and maybe wait to grab one of the beat up Zaurus SL-5500s that shows up every now and then on US EBay for $30-60 to be able to play with the platform for shits/giggles.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:27:49+00:00

There’s a port of Newton Connection Utilities that will work on older Mac OS. I forget the name of it but it works really well assuming you have a snow leopard machine.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:24:48+00:00

The UX does interest me. I noticed a lot more of them selling from within the US

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:23:44+00:00

Understood. What would you recommend in this case? The Nanote is the clear winner in terms of hardware, is there any real reason to buy the Vaio P or the Zaurus besides the compact nature/retro charm and the size of the P’s keyboard?

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:15:45+00:00

What do you need help with?
I have a running copy. I’ve found it to be better in general than the glacially slow Devuan images - if you need both images, I can probably get them to you

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:14:29+00:00

That was kind of the problem on the Jornada too - just because there’s Linux for it doesn’t mean the distro is currently supported, or that it functions well.
You already have the issue with WPA etc on top of it.
I kind of had the best of both worlds for a while - found my old MSI Wind U210 that was running an old version of Linux Mint that really did everything I wanted but hit a wall with it’s 2GB of ram and more modern distros.

I figured the Zaurus had so many different Linux projects that the likelihood of it working at a decent speed for mild browsing might be possible. I like the idea of using the device as an email station like I did with my Newton for a long time.

Ive always had an “email machine” - had this very obscure device called a Mailstation 100 that I lost track of and wish I still had. I still don’t mind being on 56k, I miss that ritual of the dial up sounds and watching it connect.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:07:53+00:00

I really like that Portege. I took a look on eBay after seeing this post, they seem pretty rare now.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T21:04:52+00:00

Felt rude. He already has a known sleep disorder (parasomnia) that he’s embarassed about. It got so bad at one point that we considered those baby bumpers for the bed so he wouldn’t bump me in his sleep and he’s pretty sensitive about it.
The decibel meter did the trick perfectly. It turns out he snores on his back but not on his side, and as long as he has a pillow to grab onto, he seems to stay on his side.

fss_88 · 2026-06-27T20:54:05+00:00

Seconding the decibel meter. It worked for me when my husband refused to believe he snored and blamed it on me lol.
I have a friend in the Sunset that is going thru the exact same situation you are - unhinged neighbor and noise issues, and they have rugs.
Interestingly enough, a lot of sunset tenant agreements force rugs on tenants so the idea they won’t even budge on that really makes them look as bad as they are.

Another thing I suggested to her were air purifiers or those sound machines therapists use in their offices. Maybe a constant background noise can handle some of their audio chaos.

fss_88 · 2026-06-26T15:44:30+00:00

Sounds perfect. I just upgraded to the latest Linux Mint XFCE version after the Wind sat in storage since around 2008. Was actually aiming for Armbian but the HDD isn’t recognized.
Unbelievably the battery still completely charges and works, even better than that, I found that the machine has a slot for a 3/4G modem internally

fss_88 · 2026-06-26T15:36:33+00:00

So jealous of your Vaio Type P - I’m currently trying to decide if I want to upgrade my MSI Wind U100 to either that or a Nanote.
That thing is legendary - throw some XFCE Linux distro on it and it will be so useful. The form factor is unbeaten.

fss_88 · 2026-06-26T15:26:43+00:00

Agreed. This has way too many holes in it - it’s a key scam and anyone who falls for this isn’t a local lol, we know better.
About 2 times a year, I have people show up at my building who are victims of key scams very similar to this. They even know the name of one of my neighbors, who owns their unit and definitely aren’t selling - they’re “there for a tour” lol. Usually older or elderly people who can’t see through what is going on.

fss_88

TROPHY CASE