Hand386 – 386-based handheld from 2023

Hand386 is a unique handheld. It’s quite modern: the device was released in 2023. But at the same time it’s based on a rare Intel 386 compatible CPU.
From the practical standpoint, the device has a decent keyboard, genuine OPL3 sound chip and a high-quality screen, which makes Hand386 a good choice for playing non-demanding DOS games.

3D printed battery cover for Hewlett-Packard 100LX/200LX

One of the most typical hardware failure of HP 100lx/200lx is a broken battery cover latch. That’s why a spare 3D printed battery cover would be a good option even if your current battery cover is intact. A free 3D model of the battery cover is available on Thingiverse. However, I was not satisfied with the quality of this model, therefore I’m glad to present you a custom (improved) version.

You can download this model for 3D printing here: HP 100LX battery cover.stl.

Handhelds in use #4

The first issue of the series ‘Handheld in use’ sin 2024 shows the following devices:

  • Palm Tungsten T3
  • Casio Cassiopeia A-20
  • Pine64 Pinephone with keyboard case
  • Hewlett-Packard 100lx
  • Fujitsu Lifebook UH900
  • Handspring Visor Edge
  • Sony VAIO VGN-UX1XRN
  • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The previous posts from this series:

Testing the plotting function of HP 100lx

Plotting the function f(x)=1/sin(1/x) is a very difficult task. Few graph plotters are able to draw the function correctly.
Unfortunately, the built-in graph drawing program in the HP 100lx also does not quite cope with this task. Obviously, the specified function never takes values in the range (-1; 1).

Pinephone – a slate phone, convertible into a clamshell

The Pinephone is a smartphone developed by Pine64, intended to allow users to have full control over the device. It runs plenty of GNU/Linux distributions and provides six physical kill switches, which allow disabling hardware components.

The smartphone itself looks like an ordinary slate phone. However, there is the keyboard case accessory, which converts the device into a clamshell Linux handheld.

Despite the fact that Pine64 developers were inspired by the Psion Series 5 keyboard, the Pinephone keyboard is not as comfortable to type on as the Gemini PDA keyboard. Besides that, the device is quite bulky when the keyboard is attached.

Nevertheless, it seems to be the most affordable Linux handheld with a physical keyboard, a 5.5-inch display, and a wide range of connectivity options. Do not expect high performance, though.

Overall, the Pinephone with the keyboard case is a nice toy for a nerd.