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Comment by jareds | Hacker News Reader

I got excided looking at this hoping there was a laptop with out a screen. I'm totally blind so the power draw of a screen is pointless. I currently use my ROG Alli with a Bluetooth keyboard to connect to my more powerful laptop which has a keyboard that's going bad. While this setup works well and the battery life is pretty good it would be much nicer if I didn't have to put a keyboard on my lap, and the Alli on a table. At least the Alli doesn't need to be somewhere where I can look at it.

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I'm not sure if this would work for you, but there are inexpensive devices that plug into an HDMI port. They appear to the computer as a monitor. I use them for screen sharing to a remote display, but they should enable to think there is a monitor attached. It negotiates the display information as if it was an actual monitor.

Here's the pack of three I purchased on Amazon.

Woieyeks 3 Pack HDMI Dummy Plug https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKKLTWMN

Would one of those computer in a keyboard set ups work, like the rapsberry pi one?

Google "headless macbook", there is a community of people making macbooks without displays.

The idea started from recovering macs with a broken display and using them like a mac mini. It's possible to find "broken macs" for cheap in second hand market and if the problem is only the display you can go for the headless approach and have macOS with Apple Silicon for very cheap.

Apple Silicon has outstanding battery life, without a screen I would think even more.

You could take a normal laptop and remove the screen.

I've seen several laptops used like this. The only issue is that the WiFi antennas are (usuall?) in the screen.

I wonder how the Framework laptops work with out a screen? I'm interested in the new Framework 12 for it's small size.

You can get some other antennas, place them in the chassis and connect them to the network card. On (at least the first run of) MNT Reform laptops that's how it's done.

On my Macbook Air, if I bring the screen brightness all the way down the screen appears to be completely off.

He says he uses the Khadas Mind / Khadas Mind 2 which is a mini pc that has a battery so its pretty much a screenless laptop. Not clear the battery is very large but he uses an external one too as its usb c powered.

It says that the battery is for when you want to move the PC between desks, so I'd imagine it only lasts for five minutes or so.

It goes into standby mode when unplugged. And lasts for 25 hours in standby. It is great for unplugging from one workplace and plugging into another.

Its a 90Wh battery powering a mobile SoC. It should last significantly more than 5 mins.

Where did you see 90? The site says 5.5.

https://www.ugreen.com/products/ugreen-nexode-power-bank-250...

We're talking about the battery inside the PC, not the external one.

Since you mentioned the ROG Ally, if you are looking for a handheld without a screen (basically a controller with a built in computer) you may like the Tecno Pocket Go.

Also, great pun with being blind and "excited looking at this".

> Also, great pun with being blind and "excited looking at this".

I'm also blind and this is not a pun. No one blind I know would change their usage of language to avoid using vision verbs for the sake of underlining how blind they are.

Obligatory SMBC comic: https://smbc-wiki.com/index.php/Dragons

The Tecno Pocket Go kickstarter seems to already be 4 months late and lots of complaints in the comments

There is a handheld keyboard you can get called the mini keyboard. It has a trackpad for a mouse. Connects by Bluetooth.

Honestly surprised no one's really leaned into that as a product category yet. Seems like there could be a small but very appreciative market for it

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