Tag: laptops,
The best laptops of 2023: Expert tested and reviewed
Libreboot Founder’s ‘Minifree’ Sells Free-Software Laptops with Libreboot Preinstalled
A company in the U.K. calling itself Minifree has started to ship old Thinkpad (specifically the X series and T series models) with Libreboot firmware. Which is based on coreboot firmware.
More specifically, Libreboot is the free-as-in-speech replacement for proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware, the site notes, “offering faster boots speeds, better security and many advanced features compared to most proprietary boot firmware.” Those advanced features include the GNU project’s multiple-OS-booting “grand unified bootloader” GNU GRUB directly in the boot flash, along with several other customization options. “The aim is simple: make it easy to have a computer that was made to run entirely on Free Software at every level, meaning no proprietary software of any kind. That includes the boot firmware, operating system, drivers and applications.”
The Libreboot project’s founder is also the founder of Minifree, and the profits from Minifree’s sales directly fund the Libreboot project. (The whole Minifree web site runs on Libreboot-powered servers, on a network behind a Libreboot-powered router…) Their site points out that Minifree Ltd has also privately funded several new board ports to coreboot, including 90,000 USD to Raptor Engineering for ASUS KGPE-D16 and KCMA-D8 libreboot support, and 4000 AUD to Damien Zammit for Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L and Intel D510MO libreboot support.
The installed OS on the laptops is either encrypted Debian (KDE Plasma desktop environment), with full driver support, or “other Linux distro/BSD (e.g. OpenBSD, FreeBSD) at your request… Advanced features like encrypted /boot (GNU+Linux only), signed kernels and more are available.” And the laptops are also shipped — worldwide — with “your choice of 480/960GB SSD or 2x480GB/2x960GB RAID1 SSDs, with good batteries and 16GB RAM. Free technical support via email/IRC plus 5-year warranty.”
But judging by their FAQ, the support is even more extensive. “If you brick your Minifree laptop when updating Libreboot, Minifree will unbrick it for free if you send it back to us. Even if your warranty has expired! However, such bricking is rare.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The best HP laptops in 2023
7 Best Gaming Laptops (2023): From Cheap to Premium
Dell Semi Annual Sale: Save on laptops, gaming PCs & monitors
Lenovo Introduces New Windows 11 Laptops for Creators and Gamers with Yoga and Legion Lineups
Lenovo launches new Slim Pro and Yoga laptops for creative professionals
New Framework laptops support AMD processors and upgradeable graphics
LG’s iridescent 2023 Gram Style laptops start at $1,499
LG announced pricing and availability today for its sleek 2023 Gram Style laptops announced at CES. The Windows-running ultra-portables are available now, ranging from $1,499 to $1,999.
The 14-inch LG Gram Style costs $1,499 for 512GB storage and 16GB memory; you’ll pay $1,799 to make it a 1TB SSD and 32GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the larger 16-inch variant costs $1,799 for 1TB and 16GB RAM, while $1,999 will stick with 1TB but move up to 32GB RAM. In addition, LG is currently offering a deal that will get you a 32GB memory model for the price of a 16GB one (with the same screen size) if you order from LG’s website between now and April 16th.
We were intrigued by LG’s stylish new notebook during our CES demo. Its lid and keyboard deck are made with iridescent Gorilla Glass 3 (with a nano-magnesium alloy base). It has a vanishing trackpad that visually and tactilely blends into the keyboard base when you aren’t using it. They’re light, too: Even the larger model weighs a mere 2.7 lbs (Engadget’s Cherlynn Low had no problem doing a bunch of bicep curls with it). However, we were less sure about its build quality, as the 16-inch model yielded a bit during our lifting tests on the CES floor — and we’ve run into build-quality issues with past LG Gram models.
The LG Gram Style has a 3,200 x 2,000 OLED with a 120HZ refresh rate for the 16-inch model and a 2,880 x 1,800 OLED at 90Hz for the 14-inch variant. It runs on Intel’s latest 13-generation Core processors.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lgs-iridescent-2023-gram-style-laptops-start-at-1499-162230620.html?src=rss