Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal
I got a GPD Micro PC a couple months ago and I&#x27;m in love.<p>It&#x27;s a magical size - exactly small enough to slip into a back pocket like a chunky phone, and exactly large enough that it&#x27;s actually practical to use desktop software on it. It&#x27;s ergonomically first-rate - I&#x27;ve done CAD work on it. And it&#x27;s durable too - I&#x27;ve dropped it several times already and it&#x27;s barely even scratched.<p>It&#x27;s also unlocked a class of activity I didn&#x27;t know was possible - long-form writing while out walking. I can get 50wpm with great tactile feedback on the tiny keyboard. It&#x27;s all in on thumb typing, and having struggled with a Cosmo Communicator for a year I can absolutely say that that is the correct decision for a mobile device. The vast majority of the time there&#x27;s no handy surface nearby.<p>Now that I essentially have a laptop on me at all times, phones hold no appeal for me anymore. None. This is the class of device I&#x27;ve always wanted. All it really needs in order to replace a phone completely is a cell modem which can wake it from suspend, and ideally the standard &quot;mobile&quot; sensors such as GPS, cameras, and gyros. And waterproofing, I guess.