New Guide: Gentoo Linux on GPD Pocket 3

We’re pleased to present the sixth article in our "Gentoo installations" series, dedicated to configuring Gentoo Linux on a modern second-generation UMPC – the GPD Pocket 3 with Intel i3-1125G4 processor.

This comprehensive guide covers all aspects of installing and configuring Gentoo on this unique portable computer: from compiling an optimized kernel to setting up automatic screen rotation with touchscreen and stylus support. Special attention is given to the specific features of Tiger Lake architecture and portrait display orientation.

Key topics covered:

Optimized kernel 6.15.4 configuration with full hardware support
X11 setup with hardware acceleration
Full touchscreen, digitizer, and Surface Pen support
Automatic screen orientation management
Power management and suspend/hibernate functionality
ACPI events and multimedia key handling

The new article is available at Gentoo on a GPD Pocket 3.

Previous publications with Gentoo installation instructions for various handheld computers are available in the Gentoo installations section.

U.S. Robotics Pilot 5000: The Birth of a Mass-Market Handheld Computer

The U.S. Robotics Pilot 5000 first appeared on the market in March 1996 and became one of the key devices in the history of personal digital assistants (PDAs). Developed by Palm Computing — a subsidiary of U.S. Robotics — this personal digital assistant combined compactness and convenience with a powerful processor for its time and a unique input system.

Development History

Interestingly, the design of the Pilot 5000 was partly based on a wooden mockup that the creator Jeff Hawkins carried in his pocket to determine the optimal size and shape of the device for comfortable use and portability. This practical approach helped create an ergonomic and compact body that remains an example of successful industrial design.

Technical Specifications

• Processor: Motorola 68328 ("DragonBall") running at 16 MHz
• RAM: 512 KB EDO DRAM
• ROM: 512 KB with Palm OS 1.0
• Display: 3.3 inches, monochrome, 160×160 pixels, resistive touchscreen
• Case: plastic, dimensions 120x80x18 mm, weight 160 g
• Buttons: four application buttons, two scroll buttons, power button
• Power supply: two AAA batteries
• Interfaces: RS-232 serial port, synchronization with PC via cradle
• Built-in applications: address book, calendar, to-do list, memo pad, calculator

Significance for Collectors

The Pilot 5000 became the progenitor of the entire Palm device lineup, which lasted about 15 years. After the Pilot 5000 came improved models such as the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, and other classic PDAs that dominated the market in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The lineup expanded to include multimedia devices with cameras and color screens. In the mid-2000s, Palm transitioned to creating Treo smartphones, which combined PDA and mobile phone functionality.

The significance of the U.S. Robotics Pilot 5000 is that it became a truly mass-market PDA thanks to its successful combination of compact and convenient design, capable hardware platform, and an intuitive operating system with an easy input method. This optimal balance between size, functionality, and user experience made the Pilot 5000 a pioneer that opened the era of accessible and efficient personal digital assistants.

MyOrigo MyDevice – a true innovation

MyOrigo MyDevice is one of the early examples of a smartphone without a stylus employing finger-based interaction, introduced in 2002. The device was developed by the Finnish startup MyOrigo, with key project figures including Johannes Väänänen and Jukka-Pekka Metsävainio, who later became holders of several related patents for the device’s innovations.

Development History

MyOrigo MyDevice was conceptualized at a time when most portable devices were stylus-controlled and smartphones typically featured hardware keyboards with basic touchscreen support. The project was led by former Nokia executives, and the ecosystem was implemented on the Java-based Tao Intent OS, designed to overcome the limitations of contemporary chipsets and allow for more advanced user experiences. The main feature was “mirroring”: content on the screen would move as the user physically tilted the device, and the interface also supported automatic screen rotation (portrait or landscape) depending on device orientation. This functionality was a significant technical achievement at the time.

Technical Specifications

Display: 176×320 TFT LCD (16-bit, 65K colors) made by Philips
Processor: Intel StrongARM SA-1100, 133/190 MHz, 32-bit ARM RISC
Memory: 64 MB (approx. 37 MB user-available), SD/MMC card support
Camera: Built-in VGA (0.3 MP)
Operating System: Tao Intent (Java-based)
Weight: 168g
Dimensions: 124 x 59 x 22.5 mm
Other functions: Vibrotactile feedback, software QWERTY keyboard, SD slot, USB, IrDA, headphone port

The MyDevice interface was developed for finger operation, not stylus use—unusual for that era. The motion-sensing allowed for scrolling, navigation, and automatic screen rotation. Key controls included two side power buttons that needed simultaneous press to prevent accidental activation.

Commercial Outcome and Impact

Although MyDevice garnered attention from major industry players (Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Apple, Samsung, Siemens), none moved forward with acquiring the technology or putting the device into mass production. There is a documented case where MyOrigo’s team demonstrated the device to Apple and Steve Jobs, with the browsing feature particularly noted. Ultimately, the project did not continue to series production. The team later tried to license their technology through the company F-Origin, attracting some interest from Samsung, but no products reached the market.

After MyOrigo’s bankruptcy in 2005, its assets and patents were sold for €300,000. Only a few hundred devices remain in existence, making them among the rarest collectible pieces from the early days of mobile computing.

Significance for Collectors

MyOrigo MyDevice occupies a special place as a prototype of the modern touch-operated smartphone, with gesture-based navigation. Despite not achieving commercial success, many of its ideas laid groundwork for later mainstream products.

This item is not just a rarity, but an important milestone in the evolution of mobile user interfaces and the very concept of the “smartphone” as it would become known a few years later. The detailed story of MyOrigo’s development and the team’s journey can be found in Johannes Väänänen’s book "The Smart Device".

Benchmarking GPD Win Mini 2024

CPU, memory and GPU

Elaborating the subject of the most powerful clamshell handheld of 2024 it is interesting to compare the performance of the GPD Win Mini with other UMPCs of the second epoch.

Here is provided a comparison of CPU, GPU and memory performance: Benchmarking UMPCs of the second epoch. The results of GPD Win Mini are very impressive.

In addition to testing the Win Mini at the maximum TDP value of 28W, it is also interesting to measure the performance depending on the TDP. The corresponding test results are provided below.

What conclusions can be drawn from the charts? The performance of memory and one processor core has practically not increased since 10 watts. TDP value of 20W is almost a performance limit for multithreaded CPU mode and the GPU. In the case of portable use, it makes no sense to increase the TDP above 20W.

Default SSD

The comparison of SSD performance with other UMPCs has already been provided at the link above. In this comparison, the GPD Win Mini was used with the Patriot VP4000 Mini 1TB, instead of the standard SSD from the manufacturer (KIOXIA KBG50ZNS512G 512 GB). It is interesting to compare the speeds of these two drives in the Win Mini.

Test results of the default SSD (KIOXIA KBG50ZNS512G):

Test results of Patriot VP4000 Mini 1Tb:

As you can see, in terms of operating speeds, the default SSD shows quite good results. It will be difficult to achieve significantly higher values on the Win Mini.

Handhelds in use #5

The fifth issue of the series ‘Handheld in use’ shows the following devices:

ClockworkPi uConsole
Palm Tungsten T3
Planet Computers Cosmo Communicator
Sharp PC-1600
Sharp Mobilon HC-4100
Hewlett-Packard 100lx
Hewlett-Packard 320lx
Hewlett-Packard 360lx
Hewlett-Packard Jornada 710
Nokia Lumia 1020
Nokia N900
Sony VAIO VGN-UX1XRN
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
Noname P8 (UMPC)

The previous posts from this series:

Handhelds in use (April of 2021).
Handhelds in use #2 (August of 2022).
Handhelds in use #3 (January of 2023).
Handhelds in use #4 (January of 2024).

Public exhibition of handheld computers

The year 2024 has become very significant for my collection of handheld computers.
For over 5 years now, I have been exposing computers in private display cabinets at my home. But on October 12, 2024, a permanent public exhibition opened for the first time, featuring a part of my collection.

The exhibition includes many exhibits, from programmable calculators manufactured in 1976 and pocket versions of the IBM PC to modern smartphones. This allows us to trace how handheld computers, which 40 years ago seemed like a fantasy, have become everyday objects.

The Museum of Computing Engineering in the Gallery Krasnokholmskaya invites you to take a fascinating dive into the history of computer technology development. You can find the Gallery’s address, opening hours, and contact information on the website: https://kholmy.vzmoscow.ru/techmus.

If you are interested in a private tour of the collection, please contact me directly via the following email: Vitaly Minko.

The most powerful 7-inch clamshell UMPC of 2024

The GPD Win Mini 2024 is the most powerful 7-inch clamshell handheld as of 2024.

Let’s take a look at the specifications:

Screen: 7-inch, Native Landscape Orientation, 1080P, supports VRR
CPU: AMD R7-8840U
GPU: AMD Radeon 780M
DDR: 32GB , LPDDR5
Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD
Wireless Network: Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth: 5.2
USB4: × 1, 40Gbps

The second generation of the Win Mini differs from the first generation by having a USB A connector and a native landscape orientation of the screen (which ensures compatibility with many older games).

The device is capable to replace a modern mid-level desktop computer. And the performance of the integrated graphics is close to GTX1650. Surprisingly, the GPS With Mini is good enough for "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle", which does not run on the GTX 1080 due to the lack of hardware support for ray tracing.

In the following posts, we will conduct a series of tests and look at the device’s performance in more detail.

Despite the impressive performance, the Win Mini also has weaknesses. In terms of the quality of the case, the One-Netbook OneGX1 Pro is still my favorite UMPC.

Brilliant SONY VAIO UX series

One of the most outstanding UMPCs of the first era is the SONY VAIO UX. It is insanely technological, powerful, and comfortable. A real masterpiece of technological art.

At the same time, SONY VAIO UX is quite a reliable device. They fail noticeably less frequently than many other UMPCs of the first era. Despite this, it is useful to have a spare copy in the collection.

NoName P8 – a remarkable UMPC

The P8 is a modern 8-inch UMPC from an unknown manufacturer. It has a swivel hinge display and is convertible into a tablet. The device is sold on Aliexpress under a variety of little-known brands. The device is notable for the fact that at its price of $250, it offers an interesting specification. There are no completely failed characteristics. For specifications, see the item description.

In terms of build quality, the device is, of course, inferior to the flagship devices from One-NetbooK. But in general, the quality is quite good and no worse than, for example, the Fujitsu U810. See the photos in the gallery below.

And in terms of performance, the P8 even surpasses some competitors, which are many times more expensive. For details, see Benchmarking NoName P8.