HP Reveals Keyboard Computer with Ryzen AI Chip
49 points
5 days ago
| 24 comments
| hp.com
| HN
PurpleRamen
3 minutes ago
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So it's a laptop, without display. Can I attach my own keyboard? From the pictures, I get the impression the keyboard sucks.
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jayd16
1 minute ago
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It's got USB so I'm sure you could.
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bilekas
10 hours ago
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> Launch Microsoft Copilot in Windows with a touch of the Copilot key,4 to write content, analyze data, and stay organized.

Oh thank goodness.

This whole product idea is further trying to gatekeep computing hardware. You will pay a cloud subscription to perform anything remotely computationally taxing.

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chroma205
10 hours ago
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> You will pay a cloud subscription to perform anything remotely computationally taxing.

What’s wrong with that?

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ceejayoz
6 minutes ago
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The inevitable price hikes once they've killed the local PC?
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isoprophlex
10 hours ago
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Concentration of compute will be used as a vehicle for further concentration of power and wealth.
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venndeezl
9 hours ago
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Nah by then the collapse of jobs will have freed up 10s of millions with access to guns. Lots of guns.
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TehCorwiz
35 seconds ago
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People are being shot in the face right now by the government and the people who own the most guns are cheering them on. Guns won't solve this.
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SkyeCA
9 hours ago
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I'd like to own things and have control over what I can and can't do on a computer.
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faust201
9 hours ago
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Some want to use their brain.

Do you market Copilot?

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throwaway132448
10 hours ago
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The complete lack of autonomy.
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mindcrime
1 hour ago
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OK, great. I like what I've heard about the Ryzen AI chips so far. But can I install Linux on this thing?
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toyg
9 hours ago
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I actually love the concept. It's effectively like the iMac, except more flexible and serviceable - great for kiosks and shared workstations.

One could also couple it with AR glasses like the XREAL One and have portable computing but more immersive (although it looks a little big for that).

I don't understand the scepticism - surely it's good that we see some experimentation again on the form factor of computing, we cannot just accept that the laptop is all we'll ever get. Yeah, the copy is stupid, but that's just marketing.

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wolrah
1 hour ago
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> great for kiosks and shared workstations.

Absolutely not.

For a kiosk, I want everything the user is touching to be effectively disposable. Keyboards and mice are cheap and trivial to replace, this design integrates the most important part of the system in to one of the easiest parts to damage/steal. It's possibly the worst way to do a kiosk.

For a shared workstation, likewise if I'm the user I want to be able to bring my own keyboard and mouse, both for sanitary reasons (have you seen the way people treat their own keyboards, much less shared ones?) and for personal preference. This design integrates the most important part of the system with the part most likely to get gunked up.

Even for the idea of a shared docking station where each user has their own keyboard PC, it's a crappy keyboard. Perhaps if it were a nice mechanical board with swappable keyswitches that might not be terrible, but as it is it's all of the downsides of a laptop without the ability to actually use it undocked.

Whatever use cases may exist where this is actually an improvement are very specific niches.

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nxobject
43 minutes ago
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As someone who's wrangled IT in college libraries before, that's slightly unfair - they do have a Kensington lock for the keyboard.

It's locking up the rest of the cables that'll be the issue, as well as a preference for ethernet. Mice and ethernet cables were stolen the most... inevitably the mice ending making cheapo Chromebooks less miserable, and the ethernet cables ended up at LAN parties.

The users we trusted got laptops anyway.

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boobsbr
48 minutes ago
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> For a kiosk, I want everything the user is touching to be effectively disposable.

Or built like a tank that is easy to powerwash.

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KerbalNo15
10 hours ago
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Incorrectly advertising battery capacity as 32W instead of (presumably) 32WH is a hilarious mistake for a company the size of HP
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kstrauser
10 hours ago
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You beat me to it. 32W, but for how long? 8 hours? 11 seconds? 32W would be true in both cases.
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atoav
10 hours ago
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5 attoseconds
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ksec
9 hours ago
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I mean at least they didn't use mah. I am surprised it actually have a battery in it I thought you would have to plug it in to use it.
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dragonwriter
13 minutes ago
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The battery is optional, and from the ad copy not intended to power active “use” only moving between different (presumably nearby) work locations without shutting down (probably sleep.)
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claaams
11 hours ago
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I want less microsoft/copilot in things, not more.

I don't know who this is for.

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Nextgrid
10 hours ago
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I don't understand the advantages of this over a laptop (this is essentially laptop-grade hardware and thermal profile but without the screen & battery).
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diffeomorphism
1 hour ago
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Companies often have flex offices with docking stations.

So previously you would have a screen, mouse and keyboard at every desk and people would move a laptop (ignoring its low res screen and bad keyboard).

Here you would have just a screen at every desk and people move their mouse and keyboard.

Also, this does have a battery.

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dragonwriter
10 minutes ago
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> Also, this does have a battery.

It has an “Optional...internal battery” that “lets you go between workspaces without rebooting”.

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toyg
10 hours ago
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It's for businesses that don't need high computation, achieving effectively the same "monitor and keyboard" effect as the iMac; and for people using AR glasses like XReal One, Viture, etc.
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hulitu
9 hours ago
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> It's for businesses that don't need high computation

100 svchost.exe processes, Croudstrike, Ivanti and one more antispyware for "compliance". Yes, no more power left for actual computation.

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toyg
6 hours ago
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Countdown to the first blog post about Linux "running so fast" on this thing.
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ghshephard
10 hours ago
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It has an optional battery. This could be pretty epic for a glasses interface.
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prmoustache
4 hours ago
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You'd want a TKL, not a 105 keys at the very least if you were interested by portability.
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bitwize
10 hours ago
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So a real cyberdeck then? (Case's Ono-Sendai was a plain slab with a keyboard and interface for the "trodes" that communicated directly with your brain.)
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AdrianB1
10 hours ago
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You don't have to pay for the small laptop screen. That makes it cheaper, smaller, lighter, in theory.
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Kwpolska
9 hours ago
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It also ties you to a desk. If you're working in one location, a desktop PC would be more cost-effective and more performant. If you need mobility between desks, a small form factor PC would be easier to carry. And if you are an employer and expect employees to work from home on this keyboard, you need to buy monitors for their homes.
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toyg
6 hours ago
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> a desktop PC would be more cost-effective and more performant.

But ugly and taking up space, which is why the iMac exists and has been pretty successful for decades at this point.

> If you need mobility between desks, a small form factor PC would be easier

Maybe, but performant AR glasses are changing that equation. The cyberdeck, as an ideal, still exists for a reason.

> if you are an employer and expect employees to work from home on this keyboard, you need to buy monitors for their homes.

Do you? Is that law where you live? Because it's definitely not here in UK. I'd rather work on my trusty 4k than some shitty cheapo Dell only provided to tick a box.

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happymellon
10 hours ago
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Office PC thats easier to steal?
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Animats
9 hours ago
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The fine print:

HP recommends Windows 11 Pro for Business. Not all features are available in all editions or versions of Windows. Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware, drivers, software or BIOS update to take full advantage of Windows functionality. Windows 11 is automatically updated, which is always enabled. High speed internet and Microsoft account required. ISP fees may apply and additional requirements may apply over time for updates.

Features and software that require a NPU may require software purchase, subscription or enablement by a software or platform provider, and third-party software may have specific configuration or compatibility requirements. Potential NPU inferencing performance varies by use, configuration, and other factors.

Microsoft Copilot requires Windows 11. Some features require an NPU. Timing of feature delivery and availability varies by market and device. Requires Microsoft account to log in. Where Copilot is not available, the Copilot key will lead to the Bing search engine.

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toyg
7 hours ago
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That's... standard Windows? It's 100% the same for Apple machines, if stated in more mellifluous tones (or not stated at all, because "screw you, we're Apple"), and even more so for Chromebooks.
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bilekas
3 hours ago
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> It's 100% the same for Apple machines,

> Requires Microsoft account to log in. Where Copilot is not available, the Copilot key will lead to the Bing search engine.

An Apple account is most certainly not needed to log in. In-fact being online is not even a requirement for Apple devices. Wild idea, I know.

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supermatt
10 hours ago
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> the worlds most serviceable keyboard PC.

Any idea why raspberry didn’t use compute modules in the pi500? IMHO that should have been trivially upgradable but will likely be the shortest lived keyboard I’ve ever had when the pi6 comes out.

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halperter
5 days ago
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How does cooling get implemented? I can only really think of a Pi500 as a similar concept, except that the Pi is (likely) much less power intense. If they're using a Ryzen 300, wouldn't heat dissapation become an issue? The keyboard looks too thin for extensive heat transfer. I guess they could use a undervolted Ryzen 300 but it just seems like there is too much power delivery needs inside such a small frame.
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LoveMortuus
11 hours ago
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One of the YouTubers had open it up, it uses laptop fans, it itself, is basically a squished laptop.

I’m excited though. I always liked that form factor. Add some good HUD glasses and a mouse and were sailing free!

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tonymet
5 days ago
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specs are unclear, but given the size, TDP and optional battery, it almost certainly has a laptop-scale fan and heat sink. Modern fans are pretty quiet, nearly silent at idle, so it's not an issue.
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tonymet
3 days ago
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there was a teardown showing the fan. very typical laptop fan
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gnabgib
11 hours ago
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Editorialized title (The powerful AI PC that hides in plain sight)

Actual coverage from Ars: HP's EliteBoard G1a is a Ryzen-powered Windows 11 PC in a membrane keyboard (3 points) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46551335

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hunterloftis
10 hours ago
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Given the weird take on x86 being inherently "more powerful" and the copy-pasted error from the marketing site (32W vs 32WH) this "article" looks like gently massaged advertising copy:

> Alternatively, HP’s EliteBoard will bring Windows and a more powerful x86 architecture to the keyboard-PC form factor. HP says the EliteBoard will support Windows 11 Pro for Business and an AMD Ryzen AI 300-series processor with an up to 50 TOPs NPU. The device will be sold with a 32 W internal battery and is part of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC program.

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nl
10 hours ago
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AMD Ryzen AI 300

These are great. The Ryzen AI series are the ones that allow memory to be shared between the GPU and CPU, so you can use almost all your system RAM to run local models.

The AI 395+ MAX is available with up to 128Gb RAM (and I think 256Gb is coming).

The important thing is how much RAM it comes with because it is soldered - and for some reason this doesn't seem to show the RAM!

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ItsBob
9 hours ago
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If you scroll further down, there's an image of a woman holding an opened keyboard with a SODIMM in her other hand so I'd guess that means it's user-swappable.
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toyg
6 hours ago
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If really aimed at the business segment, as it appears to be, it's likely to have serviceable RAM.
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brudgers
3 days ago
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In a few years, there will be more (relative} gold in thriftshop keyboard sludge-piles.
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kstrauser
10 hours ago
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Yep. Found my cyberdeck, a couple years out!
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amlib
9 hours ago
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making a beowulf cluster out of keyboards, maybe that's the future given the increasing scarcity around computer parts...
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bsoles
1 hour ago
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Raspberry Pi 400 did it (TM) , minus the AI PC crap.
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ghusto
5 hours ago
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Wedge computers came out in the 80s, I'm not sure which part of this is "revolutionary".
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Findecanor
2 hours ago
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I have seen a new wedge computer in the news every now and then since the '90s, and not just new retro computers with new innards.
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olyjohn
10 hours ago
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What's old is new again. Hasn't anybody seen a Commodore 64?
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sfortis
9 hours ago
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My first PC was a Schneider Euro PC. Now, this is even slimmer!
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hulitu
9 hours ago
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Compared with Commodore 64, this HP is a parody. They spared the space to a minimum (is cheap plastic so expensive ?), the keyboard is terrible.

The main advantage seems to be that, if you try to actually use it, it will force you to take a break, because your fingers will be burning from touching the keys heated by the processor.

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prmoustache
4 hours ago
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I'd welcome a heated keyboard right now, temp is 17°C in my office as I am writing this and I do feel my fingers tend to be less reactive.

Funny because I don't mind 17°C outside.

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merelysounds
9 hours ago
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I dislike how ai is a major selling point of this computer; then again, I understand it’s a buzzword at this point.

Funnily enough, with the name being “HP EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC”, I know I’m supposed to read it as “(next gen) ai”, but I can’t help seeing “next (gen ai)”.

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GeorgeTirebiter
9 hours ago
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I want one the size and shape of the HP-200LX. Oh, in that case, please add a 4K color OLED screen and 5G radio. Lenovo stick for mouse.
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thisislife2
9 hours ago
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I think I'll just wait for Chinese to create their clones of this and buy it at half the price.
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ArtemZ
19 minutes ago
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I don't think I am ever buying another HP product. I've had enough with their office PCs and printers
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sfortis
9 hours ago
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no thanks, i prefer a https://frame.work/gr/en/desktop
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bitwize
10 hours ago
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Ah, the HP-99/4A. I'd heard of this and kinda almost wanted one, but I think skyrocketing RAM and SSD prices will make it even more not worth the money/hassle.
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plagiarist
10 hours ago
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Are the little NUC sized boxes too obtrusive? I don't understand who will buy this keyboard.
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mannycalavera42
10 hours ago
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and to reset it you just have to type SYS 64738
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outrun86
10 hours ago
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“Ok hear me out, a laptop but without the screen”
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isoprophlex
10 hours ago
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Not any laptop, an AI copilot laptop!
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