GPD Win (x86 Computer / Palmtop)

[Faust]

Actually I don't mind for the software control for the fan. For me it's like the auto-brightness, It's always changing, so it drains the battery in a useless way.

 

[WizardStan]

It's NOT a good compromise unless the thermal management software notifies/WARNS you of heat levels and you have a way of manually turning on the internal fan/cooling.

They do notify you. The CPU gets throttled and whatever you're doing will. get. really. slooooooow.
So you flip the switch, wait a minute, and you're back in business.

 

[Grench]

If they can't wire up a fan for software control chances aren't that good that could do so for a new LED :/

They -could-, however, do it from an OS level and push an indicator to the screen (overlay?). It could even show the actual temp and only show up if/when the device was approaching thermal throttling.

Still, that device is rapidly turning into a kludged mess. I do hope that it brings forward a new era of handheld computer & gaming systems and the associated reviews and comparrisons between the GPD Win and it's competitor(s) - including the Pyra. I expect the Pyra to shine through on those for build quality, usability, battery life, stereo speakers, connectivity, expansion, etc...

 

[Klumpen]

I'm no techie like everyone else here, but to me the inclusion of a fan that has to be controlled manually seems to be highly unprofessional since there surely are software solutions for that.
Isn't the whole official argument for using Windows devices for some reason still always, that it's "user friendly" and everything goes "automatically"?
Now you don't only need to hack the system for a whole day to get all the spyware out after every update, you also have to think about when to switch the fan on or off.

 

[_jr_]

I have no interest in a windows handheld, but IMO this kludge is kind of cute. It gives the system some personality

 

[Yoyobuae]

I have no interest in a windows handheld, but IMO this kludge is kind of cute. It gives the system some personality

They should've made the switch a button instead, and make it control CPU speed too: Turbo button is reborn!

 

[Grench]

They should've made the switch a button instead, and make it control CPU speed too: Turbo button is reborn!

I knew a guy once who kept his PC's turbo button off claiming that it reduced wear on the CPU.

 

[WizardStan]

I knew a guy once who kept his PC's turbo button off claiming that it reduced wear on the CPU.

Technically correct, the worst kind of correct.
I fired up my very first desktop a few (6 or 7? 12?) years ago, a 286 complete with DOS 3.x on its 40mb hard drive and IT WORKED. Turbo on or off, extended lifetime be damned, they don't make 'em like they used to. Or, more likely, denser and more numerous transistors plus a significant number of parts that didn't exist at the time have increased the points of failure and I wouldn't have it any other way.
But still... I don't have a compatible monitor anymore, unfortunately.

 

[levi]

Does turbo button on slow actually extend the lifetime of the CPU etc.? It depends what it actually does; if it switched to a slow clock crystal, then it'll perhaps even take more juice by leaving gates open longer, thus heating the CPU up a little more. If it skipped ticks and entered some low power mode in between (if those processors even had modes other than on and off), it probably would use less juice. It used to be believed that for every 10 degrees you raise the temperature of an IC by you'd halve it's working lifetime, but having had some very hot and old chips over the years, I'm starting to doubt that.

The turbo button was introduced because some early games would run too fast on your new 286, so it slowed the system down to 8086/88 speeds for compatibility. Nothing about overdriving the processor or anything.

 

[rygD]

Some of my favorite captains are bald and wear that version of the uniform. ATM I am watching a Star Trek and Quantum Leap mashup show. I am also very interested in the upcoming series that takes place between this one and TOS.

 

[levi]

By 'the upcoming series' I assume you mean Star Trek Discovery, which wiki reckons is set 10 years before TOS. The only series set in a time before that is Enterprise, while DS9 happens after TNG which happens after TOS in the original series timeline.

 

[rygD]

Discovery is the upcoming one I mentioned. Enterprise is the ST/Quantum Leap mashup I mentioned (including time travel stuff). Discovery takes place between ENT and TOS. DS9 goes back at least as far as TOS (remember the tribble episode where they traveled back in time and Worf was asked why the Klingons looked so different and more human, which was explained in ENT...so I guess we will only see smooth headed Klingons in the new one).

Since I forgot where I was going with this, if you remember there were several episodes of TNG that go back before TOS (the trip with Q to Earth before life developed, and the episode where Data lost his head, for example). I can't remember, but I think the future episodes of Enterprise are set centuries after the latest point in any other series, despite it primarily taking place earlier. Then you have the episode of Voyager where Paris does the warp 10 test (remember, they redefined them after TOS, which is why they had warp 15 in TOS and it was still slower than warp 10 in TNG/DS9/VOY), and exists everywhere. I say he would also exists at every point in time in addition to everywhere, even if they don't say that in the episode. That opens up many more issues with the plot, just like "All Good Things...". Then you have the last episode of Enterprise, which is also an episode of TNG. I can't even remember how Voyager ended right now.

 

[levi]

You clearly are a higher rank trekkie/er than I am!

 

[rygD]

I wasn't trying to compete. I think I was just trying to clear up what I was talking about in each instance, and since I was already on time travel and the timeline I just kept going with my thoughts.

Kate Mulgrew (Janeway) said that she didn't want to do time travel stuff. Based on the context during that interview I am guessing there was some significant time travel I am forgetting. I have gone with "trekker" when it became obvious I was a fan, and Mulgrew understands the significance, especially with that term, more than, for example, Shatner.

At least we are getting back to real Trek after those last three movies.

 

[WizardStan]

Kate Mulgrew (Janeway) said that she didn't want to do time travel stuff.

Good reason for that. Time travel was frequently used for deus ex by bad writers through TOS and TNG; "What can we do to kick-off this story? Time traveler from the future!" or "oh dear, how's the crew going to get out of this one? LoL, time travel will fix everything!" which was especially problematic because it was very inconsistent in how it behaved. One episode it would be predestiny: they traveled back in time because that's what needed to happen to start the chain of events leading up to them traveling back in time; another episode would be butterfly effect, where traveling back in time caused immediate changes through history; others were self-correcting alteration, where they traveled back in time and made small changes, like saving someone they shouldn't have at the "wrong" time or breaking (or fixing) an important thing, and they need to scramble to set it right before it's "too late". Other episodes they would go back in time, make a change, and instead of returning to a wildly altered present it's just a different timeline and jumping between the two is possible. Just pick a set of physics and stick with it! "Rules of time travel: 1)..." that all writers follow if they want to use a time travel episode. They had such rules for pretty much every other aspect of the show's technology.
And that's my rant on why time travel episodes in Star Trek are literally the worst and why I stopped watching Enterprise when they introduced time travel in, like, the third episode or something.

Based on the context during that interview I am guessing there was some significant time travel I am forgetting.

The final episode was everything everyone* hated about Star Trek: Voyager spent 60 years getting home, they celebrate, Janeway is not happy it took so long so she travels back in time, defeats the Borg, and gets the ship back to the alpha quadrant in time for dinner. Because apparently while jumping through time you can go halfway across the galaxy or something. LoL time travel fixes everything.

(*) for a definition of "everyone" that really means a small subset of fans that get very annoyed at certain things and may actually be defined as "just me and one other guy I met once at school".

 

[matej]

This is amazing! I am using for DJing Pandora now with MIXXX and MIDI controller. This will be cute too maybe for VJ app. Where to buy it in EU?
Will it be Windows 10 compatible?

 

[ible]

@matej ED's selling a preorder for the GPD WIN in his shop:
https://www.dragonbox.de/en/114-gpd-win

it's going to be windows 10...

 

[rygD]

@WizardStan, no, it isn't just you. That is probably the reason that I don't remember the end of Voyager. Back when it was still in the first airing it was my second favorite (after TNG). At some point since then DS9 replaced it. In some ways DS9 should be my favorite since there are very few episodes of it I don't like. TNG has many more episodes I find boring or pointless, and even the last episode(s) includes some major flaws in the continuity within that storyline. I guess what saved it for me was the movies, as I like all of TNG ones. DS9 also cheated a bit by getting some of my favorite characters from TNG (and even Voyager borrowed a few).

To make this on topic: LCARS, PADDs, Tricorders, handheld computers, Pyra, GPD Win.

 

[Ziggurat]

I'm no techie like everyone else here, but to me the inclusion of a fan that has to be controlled manually seems to be highly unprofessional since there surely are software solutions for that.

Yes, sure I cannot argue against that, but I can explain why they did it. GPD realized that the fan was needed, so it was not an option to not have it. To be able to software control the fan would require a major redesign of the PCB, yes I am not kidding. GPD works on timelines because they already had pre orders, and the government (China) has in place fines (I can only assume paid to the government not the customers) as late fees for not releasing pre order products on time. If you have a paying customer that already paid you are obligated to deliver or els pay the government money. A hardware controlled fan was the only economical solution.

Isn't the whole official argument for using Windows devices for some reason still always, that it's "user friendly" and everything goes "automatically"?

That is definitely not one of Microsofts selling points.

Now you don't only need to hack the system for a whole day to get all the spyware out after every update, you also have to think about when to switch the fan on or off.

I don't know where you are going with this one. What does spyware have to do with this? I'd do a clean install anyway on any product (also I will be working on making Linux work well enough as a daily driver). Controlling the fan would be trivial in my opinion, Turn the fan to medium or high while gaming, and off anytime else. If you forget to change the switch, no biggie, just do it when you remember. I'd rather have a manual fan than no fan.

Watch your self there Sisko, the Ferengi are probably going to try to capitalize on these handhelds.

 

[WizardStan]

That is definitely not one of Microsofts selling points

No no, he was right, that is one of the major selling points. I'm always told that people are unwilling to try Linux because of how much work is required to do anything, and that Windows "just works".
They're wrong, it's demonstrably the exact opposite situation, with more things in Linux "just work"ing, but that doesn't stop it from being a sales feature. Trust me, I've worked in several start ups and salesmen can make anything a feature for a client, whether it exists or not.