The MNT Pocket Reform is a modular, open source mini-laptop that went up for pre-order last year through a crowdfunding campaign and began shipping this summer. Thanks to its modular design, the system was always made with customization in mind: the brains of the system are on a removable system-on-a-module (SoM) with a processor, memory, and a wireless radio.
At launch there was only a single SoM available for the Pocket Reform. But now customers can buy a second module if they’d like to swap out the processor for one that’s a bit speedier… although there’s at least one down side to making the switch.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
MNT Reform CM4 Adapter with Amlogic A311D now available for the Pocket Reform mini-laptop [Crowd Supply]
The MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny, modular mini-laptop that originally shipped with an NXP I.MX8M Plus processor featuring 4 ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores, Vivante GC700L graphics, and 8GB of RAM.
Now you can pay $165 for a CM4 Adapter with a Banana Pi CM4 SoM featuring an Amlogic A311D processor with 4 ARM Cortex-A73 CPU cores, two Cortex-A53 cores, Mali-G52 MP4 graphics, and 4GB of RAM. via Crowd Supply
Apple Is Playing the Long Game With Switch From Qualcomm Modems [Bloomberg]
Apple has been making the chips that serve as the brains of its iPhones, iPads, and Macs for years. Now the company is developing its own cellular modems as well in an effort to end its reliance on Qualcomm. The company is also said to be working on an “iPad connected to a robot arm, which will be able to swivel the screen in any direction” as a device that incorporates AI and robotics know-how. If it launches, it could be an expensive, niche device coming in 2026 or later.
Valve confirms it’ll support the ROG Ally with its Steam Deck operating system [The Verge]
Valve confirms it’s still working to make SteamOS available for third-party handheld gaming PCs like the Asus ROG Ally. While there are already some third-party ports of the Linux-based OS, but no official builds yet.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 Datasheet Leak Reveals Efficiency Focus, AI Breakthroughs [SmartPrix]
Qualcomm’s next flagship mobile processor may be the first to use the Oryon CPU cores which first debuted in the company’s Snapdragon X chips for Windows PCs. But that doesn’t mean you can expect PC-level performance from smartphones. Instead of up to 12 high-performance CPU cores, the mobile chips will likely have two Performance cores and six Efficiency cores.
Keep up on the latest headlines by following @liliputing_liliputing.com on Mastodon (or @[email protected]). You can also follow Liliputing on X and Facebook. We’re also on Bluesky now, but just barely.
