New notebook from crowdsupply

[Markverhyden]

Called Librem. Specs are pretty nice.

• 15.6" display in either 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 with a 60Hz refresh rate
• 4 Core (8 Threads) 3.4GHz Intel i7-4770HQ
• Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200
• 375 x 244 x 22mm 2.0Kg
• 14 x 9.6 x 0.86" 4.4lbs
• 4GB Mem (up to 32GB)
• 500GB HD (up to 1TB HD or 1TB SSD)
• CD/DVD ROM Drive (or extra drive bay)
• 48 Wh lithium polymer battery
• 65W power adapter
• Up to 8 hours usage
• Three USB 3.0 ports
• One HDMI port
• One Pop-Down RJ45 Network port (r8169)
• 802.11n WiFi (ath9k)
• 720p camera
• HD Audio
• Mini-TOSLINK optical fiber connector
• Full-size keyboard in a variety of languages
• Aluminum enclosure body
• SDXC card slot
• Purism GNU/Linux 64-bit Operating System (Trisquel based)
• 375mm x 244mm x 22mm (14" x 9.6" x 0.86")
• 2.0kg (4.4lbs)

But specs like that are not cheap. The current model, maxed out is over $3k.

https://www.crowdsupply.com/purism/librem-laptop

 

[SpaceSquad]

Looks amazing - and they seem to have good intentions as far as the "freedom" aspect. Hopefully they push for open BIOS in their next product or update.

 

[SilverLeaf]

Love the concept. I sincerely hope they're successful. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Rosco]

interesting. am i mistaken or is a linux based machine. If it is i think it will be hard to find footing in the industry.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

interesting. am i mistaken or is a linux based machine. If it is i think it will be hard to find footing in the industry.

You're not mistaking....comes with a tweaked version of Trisquel *nix...the hardware is specially selected to fully support that OS.

 

[Markverhyden]

interesting. am i mistaken or is a linux based machine. If it is i think it will be hard to find footing in the industry.

People doing things like that are not necessarily expecting to take the market by storm. I'm sure they would be thrilled if it grew to a booming, mass market type business but it's not their main objective. Personally, I might buy a fully tricked out model later this year. The hardware has the horse power to easily run VM's but I need to make sure it it will handle other OS's properly.

 

[SilverLeaf]

I agree. I don't believe this product is designed to convert the unbelievers. It's more for those who already understand and value the principles that are the foundation of this project. I think they may have found a niche. A sleek, robust, and upgradable hardware platform designed for a truly open OS, without the need for proprietary binaries to make the hardware work definitely appeals to me. Throw in an open BIOS and firmware, and what's not to love?

 

[iladelf]

Mark, I trust your judgment; you've made many a brilliant comment on this forum, but here's my thought regarding that laptop. For that money, I'd rather get a Panasonic Toughbook and know for sure I had a beast that, as John Cameron Swayze said about Timex: "Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking."

I can't see the benefit in the Librem vs. a Toughbook. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.