BYD Dolphin

Sometimes there is a confluence of innovations, both technological, and economic, which conspire to prompt a purchase. Now it is that time for me, concerning the 2024 BYD Dolphin Standard Range. Earliest view of the Dolphin (AE1) highlighting the tech Map of charging stations in Thailand Features of the BYD Dolphin Cheap Decent range Overall ... Read more

Ruizu x52 mp3 player

Note see also Sandisk Clipham and Portable Music Players and Linux Because the Sandisk Clipjam appears to be no longer manufactured, the most approximate portable MP3 player (with clip, suitable for running/bicycling) is the Ruizu x52 mp3 player. It is about $25 USD on Lazada, sold by Ruizu itself, with good reliability ratings. The unnecessary ... Read more

SDcards

SDcards, especially MicroSD cards, can also be connected via USB, so those speeds are also important. Notes and For any USB interface, Type 3.2 when possible. and

SAK Swiss Army Knives

I spent a half-day or so looking for improvements to my current Swiss Army Knife collection (two), the Compact and the Jetsetter (3). Both are extremely compact and versatile (a bit redundant when discussing Swiss Army Knives / Victorinox). The outcome of this research is twofold: I have the most optimal (for me) Swiss Army ... Read more

Mobian – Debian on Mobile

I have not played with Mobian (yet), but it, and two other projects (Termux and UserLAnd), are quite promising. The biggest issue seems to be hardware at this point, as there are only Pine Phone and Tab, and Purism Librum, as well as one or two other devices are supported. That said, the Mobian project ... Read more

Cost Effective Computing 2024

Current cost-effective computing is focused on small, mobile, and Linux + Windows + Android. The Windows is for general familiarity and games for the children Current Devices Linux c214 - Ampton (ASUS C214MA) chromebook with Debian 12 (Bookworm) and Breath 4gb / 32gb + 256gb microsd n8 - NUC8i3BEH (Intel NUC) Debian 12 (Bookworm) 16gb ... Read more

LineageOS on Xiaomi

Major update to this post as of April 2024, nearly 4 years later The below is woefully out of date. Trying to do the same thing with the same product (but different device) results in tears, mainly around Xiaomi OEM unlocking. The unlock tools simply don't work on the Linux and Windows devices I've tried ... Read more

Debian Chromebook

Because ChromeOS is simply ridiculous in terms of resource requirements (on devices meant for it), the only proper approach is to install or boot from a USB drive running Debian Linux (in this case, Debian Stable). Note: there is GalliumOS but it seems to have stalled development. There are various steps involved in getting this ... Read more

Chromebooks in 2024

There are low-end and high-end Chromebooks. This is about relatively low-end devices, specifically an ASUS C214MA which is a cheap, somewhat small, ruggedized device meant for the schooling market. It has an 11.6" HD+ screen and a 4gb/32gb RAM/ROM configuration. In our household we've run up against the limits of this device in a variety ... Read more

Hardware Spec Minimums 2024

These specs are meant to help with acquisition decisions. More is usually better, and certainly for future-proofing purchases. Note that these are not adequate for modern games such as Starfield. Desktop and Laptop For processors, there is more leeway, but one should get the latest generation of whichever processor line is needed (e.g, for Intel ... Read more