blog[1] Jeremy Morgan Jeremy Morgan Mostly Coherent Ramblings of a Silicon Forest Tech Geek. * [2]Home * [3]Blog Articles * [4]Tutorials * [5]Courses * [6]Podcast 90 Days With The Pinebook Pro [7]Share This Published: May 2, 2020 4 min read [8]linux[9]review[10]pinebookpro So earlier this year [11]I reviewed the PineBook Pro. I was pretty impressed with it at the time, but am I still enamored with this $200 laptop? I’ve now been using it for at least 90 days. I know that because I haven’t rebooted it in 90 days. Really. 90 Days with the PineBook Pro Here is my review of it after using it for three months. What is the PineBook Pro? The [12]PineBook Pro has some pretty lofty goals. I like lofty goals, so when I read about it, I ordered one. According to the Pine64 organization: A Powerful, Metal and Open Source ARM 64-Bit Laptop for Work, School or Fun The Pinebook Pro is meant to deliver solid day-to-day Linux or BSD experience and to be a compelling alternative to mid-ranged Chromebooks that people convert into Linux laptops. In contrast to most mid-ranged Chromebooks however, the Pinebook Pro comes with an IPS 1080p 14″ LCD panel, a premium magnesium alloy shell, 64/128GB of eMMC storage (more on this later – see asterisk below), a 10,000 mAh capacity battery and the modularity / hackability that only an open source project can deliver – such as the unpopulated PCIe m.2 NVMe slot (an optional feature which requires an optional adapter). The USB-C port on the Pinebook Pro, apart from being able to transmit data and charge the unit, is also capable of digital video output up-to 4K at 60hz. So it’s an open-source alternative to a Chromebook, cheap computing you can hack and tweak. When I first reviewed it, I said: This laptop is better than any $200 laptop should be. Well, that was (at least) 90 days ago. Do I still feel that way? How I’ve Been Using the PineBook Pro 90 Days with the PineBook Pro So, I recently redesigned this entire website that you’re viewing. I converted it from Octopress to Hugo. I started the project on the PineBook laptop one night and decided to use it to finish it out. So I did the entire (200+ article) conversion on that laptop. It did great. I also wrote a Go/Hugo powered news section of the site (which I decided not to keep) on this laptop. I wrote a couple of cool Python scrapers with it as well. I have written several articles on it since then, including the one you’re reading now. I have also used it as a “play” laptop. So when I’m sitting around with the family chilling out, I grab it and browse the internet, read Reddit, HackerNews, etc. It makes a fantastic “fun” laptop for that. I can even hit YouTube and watch videos if I want to. I have a couple of Chromebooks too, and they’ve been collecting dust since I got the Pinebook Pro. Is it a Chromebook replacement? Absolutely. It’s a Chromebook upgrade. This is far more powerful and fun than any Chromebook I’ve ever had The Low Points Surely it hasn’t been all peaches and roses, otherwise, I would have put my Thinkpad on eBay by now, right? Well, there are some small downsides to it. * It doesn’t like Chrome. It’s very easy to open too many things and Chrome slows to a crawl. Is this a PineBook Issue? Well, sort of, but it’s also more of a Chrome issue. * There are still a few applications that haven’t been ported to ARM. Again not the fault of the PineBook. * The keyboard takes some getting used to. I’m good with it now, but at first, it seemed too small. I have big hands. I wouldn’t ask them to change the size of the laptop though. Its size and weight are perfect for portability. * Some of the programming I’ve done is x86 specific - not the fault of the PineBook. My Verdict after 90 Days So after ninety days using this, do I still love the PineBook Pro? Absolutely. I’ve put this thing through its paces. I haven’t rebooted it for 90 days (though I’ve restarted services as needed), and I’ve used it almost every single day. I grab it and use it to grab statistics, or send an email, build software, etc. I use it a lot. One of the greatest things about this laptop is this: It keeps you from distractions to work on stuff that matters I can’t play video games on this thing. It’s not the best Netflix machine I own. But it’s excellent for doing productive things, which is one of the goals of the project! * Can I write code on it? Yes, definitely! * Can I do research with it? All the time! * Can I write articles with it? Yes!! So I can communicate with people, and produce things with this laptop that costs $200. I would say the folks behind this project have met their goal. If you’re interested in a PineBook Pro, it looks like [13]they’ll be available in Mid May. Get yours now! Verdict: I still love this thing, and I think you should get one. Get notified by email when a new article is posted: ____________________ Subscribe __________________________________________________________________ Published: May 2, 2020 by [14]Jeremy Morgan. Contact me before republishing this content. 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