• out of stock

Ollee 11.6 inch Celeron N3350/4GB/64GB eMMC Laptop $198 + Delivery ($0 in-Store/ C&C) @ Harvey Norman

129

I haven't been able to find these specs for cheaper anywhere else. Harvey Norman, of all places!

The 14.1 inch model also available for $248 https://www.harveynorman.com.au/ollee-14-1-inch-celeron-n335…

Enjoy.

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  • +2

    High price to pay for rebranded generic laptop ewaste but people will still buy it anyways because it's the cheapest….

  • +1

    If you're stupid enough to buy one of these, don't come crying back to us in 6 months time when the EMMC storage dies.

    • WOW! You gave it 6 months! That's pretty generous.

      • Yeah I was generous haha. At work we have a Acer spin 1 laptop on with EMMC storage. All it does is basically sit on the desktop idling pretty much. Had it for approx 3 or so months now and the EMMC has just died. The laptop says "no bootable device" and the bios shows no internal drive at all.

        • Had it for approx 3 or so months now and the EMMC has just died.

          So… warranty?

          • +2

            @wiffy: Man, thats so not the point.

            You don't buy a device that risks losing data. And backing up without automation is unreliable for most. Which is either bloaty or pricy.

            • -1

              @justtoreply:

              You don't buy a device that risks losing data.

              Go down to your local computer store and tell me if any device selling has no risk of losing data.

              And backing up without automation is unreliable for most. Which is either bloaty or pricy.

              So your point is…?

              • +4

                @wiffy:

                1. The point is the risk with emmc is higher. You don't buy emmc.

                2. This machine can't handle bloat and buying an automated backup solution is $$. I thought that was pretty clear tbh

                3. If it had a 64gb ssd that would fix most the issues tbh. The emmc with cpu is too much of a handicap. Frankly the ram is not the problem people make it out to be. Yes there will always be some limitations due to lack of hardware decoding but if someone chooses not to care about that then that's no skin off my nose.

    • If you're stupid enough to buy one of these,

      You must mean smart enough…? This is a perfectly fine device at a good price.

  • +2

    Does it come with Windows XP discs?

  • +8

    If you're in the market for a Celeron laptop, might as well buy one of these. It was hot garbage when I used one in primary school 8-9 years ago. It ain't much different now. And you get it for $89.

    Just a sidenote, it was very useful as a room heater in winter.

    EDIT: Oh yeah, and it comes with 3 month warranty for when your patience runs out, or when you finish setting up Windows, if whichever happens first.

    • If you're in the market for a Celeron laptop, might as well buy one of these

      Fantastic battery life and weight on this model for sure. A desktop unit would be a better choice. This laptop is a virtual desktop.

    • Is that supposed to be a joke?

  • eMMC is hot garbage

    • -7

      So the whole entry-level market (plus more) is off-limits to you? You are missing out on some good machines.

      • Entry-level laptops that cut corners with eMMC is off-limits to me. Maybe five years ago I could tolerate a deal that had it, but now it's just not worth the headache, especially if it's soldered on.

  • +1

    Is that cpu from 10 years ago, had one that had a similar name and yep, definitely not worth the headache, even back then

    • -1

      Thanks for sharing your opinion. Send email to manufacturers who make this spec of machine for many thousands or millions of customers each year.

    • The Celeron N3350 was launched in August 2016 - which is to say, five years ago. Not ten. Definitely, you say?

      https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intel/celeron/n3350

      (interesting looking at the USB specs there and number of ports. A lot of internal stuff is hanging off USB…)

  • +1

    This PC only runs the fan fine. Nothing else.

    • This PC only runs the fan fine. Nothing else.

      If you see any on the nature strip, give me a tinkle! I'll even pay you for your time and postage.

    • There is no fan. It's silent.

  • +4

    C'mon folks, Full-HD IPS for only $198 - it must have some uses.

    The specs would be fine for a Chromebook. Maybe install Ubuntu Mate?

    (note: 14.1" model has a low-res screen)

    • +2

      I had a pipo w3f which was a similar type of thing, it was great for travel, chrome ran OK with ublock origin stopping a lot of the javascript crap from eating CPU.

  • For the China Cheapness in your heart OP

  • +1

    Thanks OP. This is perfect for a 3yo to watch YouTube.

    • If an adult would be tempted to throw it across the room, good luck with a 3yo.

      Ps: why is a 3yo on YouTube?

      • Bay-beee shak

      • +1

        My 3 yo is an influencer. Whats it to you?

        Serious response. Peppa pig.

  • -2

    Is this for kiddies?

    • -2

      Is this for kiddies?

      Yes. Your comment is perfectly suitable for kiddies.

  • Switch it on and come back here this time next year when its booted up and ready to go.

  • +1

    Really don't understand the hate! This is obvisouly not a deal for anyone who wants to compare PC Mark scores and RAM capacities. My kid's been using a Vivobook E12 with a similar CPU but only 2GB RAM for a couple of years now, and finds it satisfactory for basic schoolwork, media consumption and web browsing / email. To top it off, the battery still lasts upwards of 5 hours easy with regular usage. Absolutely brilliant for a $200 laptop.

  • +2

    Should I assume that everyone leaving a negative comment owns or owned this? Or just repeating things written around by others repeating things written around?

    • +5

      I've owned a laptop with a N3450 CPU. It struggles and is laggy even for basic tasks. If someone is fine with lag, then sure go for it.

      But it shits the rest of us off, and my young kid got shitted off with the lag too. So now she has my old laptop.

    • +2

      Not necesarily; you might just need to take them with a grain of salt (including mine), although same goes for the assertions made by the OP.

      I've been given 5 of these type of devices (Asus, HP, Acer and Toshiba, some with the exact same specs), have previously worked somewhere that had many Asus EEE PC's and have helped a number of people with them, most times for the very reasons most people here have posted "negative" posts, the devices simply struggle to "smoothly" do a lot of things, in particular media. I'm talking about non-technical people with very basic needs complaining that they couldn't open Facebook because the device would struggle. I do agree with the OP, there are many tricks you can do to them to make them work a little better, just don't expect them to work like your normal PC, unless you have an equally low specification machine.

      I think for $200 this is still overpriced for today, if it was say $100, then possibly. I would say there are few people that could work on one of these, unfortunately it's a very small percentage and they would have to go in with Eyes Wide Open, they would have to have no expectations. Hard in today's world, when a large number of phones, tablets can easily outperform this device for similar money too.

      If you're a technically minded person who doesn't mind tinkering, isn't afraid of formatting a new device. Then you could possibly run Linux (Mint/Ubuntu or your preffered flavour) or ChromeOS via CloudReady (which is now owned by Google). Not sure if there are any other alternative ChromeOS installs available as it's been a while and I stuck to CloudReady as it's very polished. Bare in mind, that eMMC is terribly slow and flaky. So you either need to use a larger Micro SD card or cloud storage.

      Hope it helps!

      • -1

        I think for $200 this is still overpriced for today, if it was say $100

        Good luck getting a brand new laptop for $100, or finding this spec of laptop for cheaper. We get it, you value your phone more.

        • LOL, from my reply you believe I value my phone more. 🤦🏽‍♂️

          I'm just comparing to the technology available to us at the moment. Unfortunately this netbook has to compete against phones as well, because their target market overlaps. Both offer mobile computing power for similar money, granted in different formats, but both can generally perform the same functions and the phones at this price range will usually beat the tech combo used on the PC. The end user will determine what device fits their needs the most. I'm not comparing it to high end laptops, because clearly that's not the target market and I totally get that it's difficult to tell someone that has this sort of budget in mind to double it for an entry level laptop in the $500-$800 range, but for many people it simply needs to be done, as their needs/expectations are much higher than what this type of device can provide.

          While I may be considered a power user, I'm simply expressing my views on this tech (from my experience helping family, friends - both young and old - and work colleagues) so people with limited budgets, don't jump in with their eyes closed expecting a great experience.

          I feel like you think I'm personally attacking you by posting my replies. I'm NOT! I didn't even neg the deal! As clearly there are people such as yourself that are happy to tolerate working on such a device. I'm simply giving my opinion about these type of devices (from my past experiences) and we clearly disagree about them. They exist for a reason, but it's not because they work great or are acceptable. It's because companies can still make money from old tech! And this is OLD tech, first, it's using eMMC memory, and that's only 64GB. It's slow and flaky, I know this, not only from reviews but from personal experience. Windows really struggles on it, besides about half if not more is already in use by the OS itself. If the device can be upgraded to an SSD (some can) then that starts to change the device entirely. Throw in a 120GB SSD, (keeping it cheap and cheerful 🤞🏽) and it will breathe some life into it, then some more people will be able to tolerate it.

          Next, lets look at the RAM, it's got 4GB of DDR3 RAM. The devices I've seen with these configs only have 3GB available to the OS, as some is shared with the video the rest with the hardware (BIOS/EFI) level. In today's world, with Windows 10 even in S mode; 3GB of RAM will struggle. The OS itself will use the vast majority of it, leaving very little to other software. Can it be upgraded, I highly doubt it. What's worse is that the CPU can in theory support DDR4 and 8GB RAM. Intel Info but manufacturers cheap out.

          Last but not least, the CPU itself. It's an entry level/low budget CPU from 2016. It was basic then, why would it be better 5 years down the track? Do you really believe mainstream software developers have made their software more friendly for old hardware, or programmed it to take advantage of much more powerful hardware to do more complex or visually appealing stuff? I'm confident they want to push the limits and try and use every bit of performance that they can.

          Then with the device in hand, add the expectations we have of things we purchase brand new. Most of us (myself included) struggle at times with expectations (we want things to perform miracles even of we've paid bottom dollar for it) even though the majority of us know it's not possible, now give that to a kid who usually want instant gratification. It's a recipe for frustration!

          As I said before, I'm just giving my opinion so people that decide to purchase this device can manage their expectations and make an informed decision, instead of just going, ohh a cheap laptop, that will do. And then come to the realisation that it's not fit for purpose as it will struggle to do a lot of things and most likely can't even be upgraded to improve its performance.

          • -1

            @Cousin IT:

            While I may be considered a power user, I'm simply expressing my views on this tech (from my experience helping family, friends - both young and old - and work colleagues) so people with limited budgets, don't jump in with their eyes closed expecting a great experience.

            You can get a great experience easily enough with this hardware. I have devices with far less running perfectly fine. If you are married to Windows Update, just learn how to disable it. Software bloat is a real killer. It amazes me how many consider all-you-can-eat updates essential. They are not.

            If you hate 64GB then you would really hate my 32GB emmc laptop running Windows with low storage space, (but all useful data saved on USB devices). 64GB is perfectly acceptable. Especially with disabled updates.

            There is nothing wrong with 2016 CPUs. First released in 2016, and selling years after release in new devices like these. I also run far older hardware just fine. A 2016 CPU I consider new. More to the point, these are selling new and are more than capable for everyday tasks, while keeping power consumption and heat low, which allows for small and light laptops with less elaborate cooling. Heat is a major cause of early laptop death.

      • I'm not using a micro SD card or cloud storage.

        I'm using far faster, larger, M.2 solid state drives in the laptops' M.2 bay.

        https://lloydwood.dreamwidth.org/16609.html

  • +1

    Why would you give money to this company to buy rubbish ?? I dont understand.

    • -1

      Why would you give money to this company to buy rubbish ?? I dont understand.

      Because Gerry Harvey is doing deals.
      Why would you assume this is rubbish?

      • +2

        Anything Gerry does is not a deal… It's a deal breaker

        • +1

          So you've never bought something inexpensive at Hardly Normals?

  • +2

    I'm all for people overstating what is required in a laptop, eg: 4gb ram is ok when people usually say 8gb, but this is truly pushing the friendship to combine that cpu with emmc.

    • -1

      Nothing unusual. Similar models with all majors. If it doesn't meet your needs, feel free to spend more.

      • +1

        Yeah but thats because some people aren't lucky enough to afford much at all.

        Companies don't care about how serviceable it is.

        I mean I'm rocking an 8yo laptop too which frankly is more than fast enough. I don't upgrade to feel elite. Difference is, it's decent ($950 at the time via dell outlet)

        • Pay more, get more.

  • +2

    I dont understand people throwing away money for this kind of crap. At least get something decent.

    • +4

      Sadly there are people out there that dont know any better. Its why places like these should at least try to edumacate these people on better value products.

    • I don't understand all the people calling budget laptops crap.

      • +2

        I don't understand someone posting 40 replies (almost half their replies ever) defending a 'deal' like this.

        It's like you have taken some personal offence to people not thinking this is a good deal.

        • I have taken no offence. Love the discourse.

          Perfectly good hardware and a public married to Windows Updates and the illusion of security, with nearly everyone not knowing that the hardware is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, yet somehow so dismissive of the spec. Some even saying it's not good for web browsing! Oh the hilarity. I value low-end laptops and think anything we buy now runs great, or can easily be made to run great with very little effort.

          The responses are great.

  • +4

    These are an awful product for the target market.

    One windows update and the disk space is used up. On similar low spec machines, it's taken a significant period of time to install feature updates.

    It might be a decent purchase if you know what you're doing which the target market clearly would not.

    • +3

      I dare say, if you know enough to get the most out of this device, you almost certainly have better options sitting unused in the cupboard.

      • I dare say, if you know enough to get the most out of this device, you almost certainly have better options sitting unused in the cupboard.

        I do not. Great deal for the hardware offered. Would benefit lots of people. Inexpensive. Small. Light. Low TDP processor. Capable enough for everyday tasks.

    • Windows Update through two major feature updates and a host of minor updates left 20GB of the eMMC to be cleaned up by Disk cleanup. The 64GB eMMC was a little over half full. (that's why it's 64GB these days, not 32…)

      • You need to consider other programs, user data etc. I have 10GB of Windows Update files which is insignificant on a 2TB drive but of a lot more importance on a 64gb drive.

        I don't imagine the average user runs Disk Cleanup all too often. If a user was to buy this, I would strongly advise they switch to a m2 sata based storage.

        • I would strongly advise they switch to a m2 sata based storage.

          People who would buy these are usually not the type to know how to do this.

          And those that do won't consider these type of products as they know better.

  • +2

    OP is a legend for posting this XD

  • Sell-her-on .. or preferably don't buy this brick in the first place .. 😱 .. !!

  • +6

    Yet another OP defending a shit product from a shitty retailer to the death. Trying to convince themselves that they didn't just waste $200?

    Either that, or this is godlike levels of trolling and then well done OP.

    At least this isn't a 32GB machine so Windows can actually update, but 64GB doesn't go far.

    • -2

      Not trolling. This is a deal for this spec. I own a 32GB laptop too. Great for Linux. Nobody says you have to update Windows constantly (or even run it). All the hate shows me is nobody really knows how to manage their bloatware.

      • +3

        If you are happy with your purchase and this is truly all you need that's great. Unless you secretly work for HN, there's no need to employ their tactic of defending and pushing products.

        • I would be the last to defend Hardly Normal. Just entering their stores gives me a dirty feeling.

  • Wish it was 7 or 8 inch

    • I imagine many men have said that in their day.

      The problem with a screen under 8 inches is either the surrounding bezels are huge, so a bigger screen could have been fitted, or the keyboard is too small to comfortably touch type on.

      And in some cases, both. (I found both applied to using an Asus F102BA with a 10.1" screen)

  • +3

    I've been a technician/consultant for almost 25 years now and I guarantee you this device will NOT run youtube 100% smoothly. I have a a couple of used N3550 units on the shelf from customers who upgraded, completely clean installs (no bloatware and all drivers updated) and they will always drop frames.

    If people are looking for a used notebook I specifically have to ask them whether they'll need youtube etc and if they do I won't sell them these.

    They generally go to people who need very basic things like for example the last one went to a customer that is collecting lap time data from a MyChron 5. Basically leaves it running (sleep/hibernate), open lid, connect to MyChron, download and analyse data, close lid. It really is about all they're good for apart from very basic email and browsing.

    • -4

      Not satisfied with YouTube performance on your new laptop? Reduce resolution of YouTube video.

      Install an ad-blocker like Ublock Origin. Also consider a system-wide ad-blocking hosts file. Also look into a YouTube downloader for your browser. Some gentle pruning of bloatware does wonders too. Lots of options.

      • +4

        OK this is getting a little silly now wiffy.

        "Pruning of bloatware" - you're not even reading - these are clean installs - they have no bloatware. I SPECIFICALLY mentioned that. I'm required to completely factory reset and disk wipe computers left with us. Then you say I have to cripple YouTube and install software just to make things work.

        I'm aware you like having a chat and that's fine, but you're really clinging now. These are NOT good for standard, raw (uncrippled) YouTube.

        I accept they have their uses but you're completely stretching how useful this is for a vast majority of people. The average Joe will be disappointed with this I guarantee it. It's only the people who specifically know what they're buying (like my data collector example) and people not familiar with tech who will buy this (and very likely be disappointed).

        I've had enough of following your responses now I think you're starting to troll a bit, but please stop pushing this as a general use computer. It is at best a "basic" computer not to be used for normal definition video playing or streaming.

        • -2

          I was giving general tips. To me, an ad-blocker is essential to sane computing online, and it goes a long way to improving performance of all machines, low-end to high-end. Similarly, all-you-can-eat updates can choke machines in all price ranges.

          If this machine is not for you, move on. This machine is capable of everyday usage basics. If you think it isn't, we disagree. If you think this is a troll, you are wrong.

          The average Joe will be disappointed with this I guarantee it.

          So feel free to tell all the major brands their budget laptops are useless and they need to stop. Including Lenovo. Including Acer. HP. Toshiba. Dell. Etc. Tell them that you say YouTube doesn't run well.

          • +2

            @wiffy: I understand all these work arounds and have used them myself in the past. They're not something that is recommend a user could do for themselves.

            Even if you configure them, there's a risk that updates will undo certain workarounds.

            Most users want to pick up a device and start using it without battling the registry and random programs to disable startup and background items.

            • @ihfree: I have not had to touch or edit the registry on either of my new Ollee laptops.

              I have not had to disable startup items - though OneDrive will get turned off, since I have little use for it. Personal choice.

        • WOW! Ramrunner, It's as if you read my mind. Totally agree with you!

    • Ahhh but if you run Linux then these are perfect /s

      Why is it always the ones who try to push Linux into everything? They've really given themselves a bad stereotype.

      • I strongly doubt this user has used Linux. To me, it feels like they're just rattling off the old line about Linux on old hardware. It's just a desperate defence of trash hardware.

        • Yes you're probably right. A cut down Linux distro would run alright but as others have pointed out. Good luck getting anything decent like 720p YouTube to run smoothly.

          • @Clear: This Ollee's Intel HD 500 graphics chipset has hardware support for H.264 and HEVC decoding, among others.

            It's playing 1080p video from youtube perfectly as I type this. (The Weeknd, Blinding Lights official video.)

            As noted elsewhere in this thread, I also have Ubuntu installed.

        • -1

          I strongly doubt this user has used Linux.

          First of all, you are wrong.

          Secondly, how is your opinion relevant to this post?

          Thirdly: Yes, I couldn't possibly recommend a cheap low TDP entry-level laptop and have used Linux. I'd have to only recommend a heat monster with high chance of early death, like the typical enthusiast who thinks they know what is best for everyone, which is essentially projecting their wants and needs onto others while dismissing other options religiously.

          • @wiffy: I still doubt it. Even if you have dabbled, chances are it's on better hardware than this POS. These laptops are often difficult to get Linux to run well on.

            You're giving bad advice and showing ignorance of the IT landscape which goes against advice from experts.

            Thirdly, you have no idea what you're talking about. Typically, I'd recommend a laptop to get the job done depending on a user's needs. This is also evident with the other laptops that get upvoted. I think M1 MBA is one of the best laptops at the moment with low TDP, fanless, etc. I'd also recommend a Chromebook in the right circumstance.

            The problem with this laptop is that it requires too much effort to get into a usable state. It then requires much more effort to keep it there. Tweaks like disabling auto updates are foolish. Workarounds like removing bloodware, tweaking windows, dropping YouTube quality are not practical for everyday users.

            If you're talking about chips longevity, do you think a cheap chip running close to it's limit constantly will last longer than a higher TDP chip that doesn't approach is thermal limit?

            • -1

              @ihfree:

              I still doubt it. Even if you have dabbled, chances are it's on better hardware than this POS. These laptops are often difficult to get Linux to run well on.

              Aside from peen-waving, how does your opinion add to the discussion? I am not here to convince you. Think what you want.

              You're giving bad advice and showing ignorance of the IT landscape which goes against advice from experts.

              Hilarious. I live for comments like these. In any case, if I am giving bad advice, I am taking my own medicine.

              This is also evident with the other laptops that get upvoted. I think M1 MBA is one of the best laptops at the moment with low TDP, fanless, etc. I'd also recommend a Chromebook in the right circumstance.

              Good for you?

              Thirdly, you have no idea what you're talking about.

              I think you are right. There is no way on god's green earth that a user could go to bed happy after using thse laptops. No way on god's green earth.

              Typically, I'd recommend a laptop to get the job done depending on a user's needs.

              Of course. Who says this laptop is for all users? I never did.

              The problem with this laptop is that it requires too much effort to get into a usable state. It then requires much more effort to keep it there. Tweaks like disabling auto updates are foolish. Workarounds like removing bloodware, tweaking windows, dropping YouTube quality are not practical for everyday users.

              None of this has to be done. It is entirely practical if you want to do it, and you will gain performance in all classes of machines, in all price brackets. In my opinion all-you-can-eat updates from an NSA collaborator are foolish. But you can keep them on if you actually believe in the security narrative and don't mind chasing your tail with fresh new State-endorsed exploits.

            • @ihfree: I have Ubuntu running under the Linux subsystem for Windows on this very laptop. Using XMing for X client display.

              • @mantichoral: That's a bit different from running Linux directly on the hardware.

                What kind of apps are you running? Is it mainly remote? I don't imagine you'd be able to do anything serious with 4GB ram and they overhead of two OSs.

                • +1

                  @ihfree: Not remote, local, other than ssh.

                  Mainly development/testing of some small open source projects I'm involved in. Application space, not kernel.

                  Virtualbox is also usable, once you turn 3D acceleration on, but the linux subsystem is easier and faster. (If you want the latest packages in the latest Ubuntu, virtualbox is the better choice.)

                  Let Windows take care of the hardware — and it's less bloated and more usable as an interface imo than whatever GNOME or KDE are doing these days. Once the linux subsystem shipped in a feature update, I stopped wanting a Macbook; Apple's tweaked BSD there is pretty weird.

                  • @mantichoral: Thanks, interesting to hear about real world use of such a device.

      • Ahhh but if you run Linux then these are perfect /s

        Can you point out where I have said that? But it is great to have the option, unlike chromebooks. Anyone can agree that more choice is better.

        • /s is the tag for sarcasm

    • I'm playing 1080p youtube fullscreen on the Ollee without dropping frames.

      Youtube doesn't use Flash anymore, and the hardware decode of the Intel HD 500 graphics chip is working as it should.

  • Done a fresh reinstall of one of these about a month ago.

    The WiFi driver setup on this system is absolutely a pain in the ass, had some weird Soc BT/WiFi

    Which ment it needed realtek drivers and Intel drivers to function.. even those dodgy driver finding software couldn't figure it out

    Ollee has no online presence or driver support..

    Anything celeron is instant ewaste..

    If I did recall, it did actually have a replaceable team elite m.2 SSD in there.

    I would avoid this product unless you are putting Linux on there

    • -2

      Anything celeron is instant ewaste..

      Could not disagree more.

      • Atleast in the windows OS world

  • +2

    I liked this small laptop so much, I bought two. Its key feature is the bay for an M.2 SSD, so for another $90 you can have a 512GB C: drive, with the internal eMMC as an unused recovery fallback, as it should be.

    I made some notes on setup.

    https://lloydwood.dreamwidth.org/16609.html

    The Ollee is not the fastest, but for travel, it's light, portable, can run the linux subsystem and ubuntu… ideal for editing or using as a remote terminal, and it's a fully functional computer, not a chromebook. The size, screen resolution, and price mean I'm happy.

    Interesting that these can only be bought in Australia - they're not listed in other countries or even on HN's New Zealand website. Still at $198 as I write, but that $100 discount may vanish soon.

    • -1

      Thank you for this post. This is pretty useful, though outside of what an average user would do

      Its key feature is the bay for an M.2 SSD

      This makes the machine much more palatable.

      AFAIK, Chromebooks can also run Linux apps, though I'm not sure of the limitations.

    • -3

      I liked this small laptop so much, I bought two.

      Your post has no place here. You were upvoted by a 'hater' too. How dare you fairly assess this laptop for the value it might have to users and self-professed 'experts' who seem to have so much to say about nothing. This laptop is instant e-waste after all.

      Haha.
      Thanks.

      • +1

        That was my first post to this website.

        Sorry you don't like it.

        I won't be posting here again.

        • -1

          Haha. Of course you know I am joking. I appreciate your post greatly.

      • +1

        My comments and votes are all in line. From my original comment:

        It might be a decent purchase if you know what you're doing.

        If I was travelling, or didn't have an MBA, this laptop would be tempting. I think fanless machines are great. This would even be great for use on the couch, scripting on a home server or remote desktop to my desktop. These are pretty niche use cases.

        As mentioned in the parent comment, having a M.2 slot is a big selling point for this laptop.

        self-professed 'experts

        We have multiple people commenting how similar specced laptops are problematic for users. We have users with experience with similar device(myself included). You've listed workarounds which are not practical for many users.

        I think the down votes are completely valid. If you took a slightly different tack, your deal would have likely been better received.

        In my opinion all-you-can-eat updates from an NSA collaborator are foolish

        Security updates are important - that's a fact. You need to be concerned about other bad actors beyond security agencies. Most users are more likely to have issues with other bad actors rather than "NSA collaborators" or security agencies.

        You can assume that security agencies have access to much of what you put online,Security updates and AV go hand in hand to protect against threats. Average users, teenagers, etc are more than likely to run into these. Patched vulnerabilities likely have a higher degree of scrutiny from security researchers. Most companies offer bug bounties and have rules around publishing exploits.

        If the NSA or other security agencies want to, they would have a way of getting to you. They likely have access to unknown security vulnerabilities or access to the backends of services used online.

        Let's step back a bit from the software level, what about hardware level vulnerabilities? An unknown brand could easily insert code into bios, firmware, or even have hardware specific chips that allow them to monitor you. Hell, even Intel could have security holes in their chips that the NSA know about. That would mean there's no security even installing a different OS.

        A device is filled with proprietary blobs of code. Taking cellphones, which you also rant against, they have a baseband chip with high level access to the system

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