Are there any larger and/or newer liberate-able devices?

[abhas]

@badrihippo

I was looking at the list of liberated computers on offer, but they all seem pretty small (~12inch screens). I was wondering if there were any larger devices—such as larger ThinkPads—that could be liberated in the same way?

I will have 2 units of T440p laptops in stock by next week. Will upload the product inventory over this weekend. These are special units with quad-core i7 CPUs, Full HD IPS screens and a touchpad with 3 distinct physical buttons to use with the trackpoint.

Here is a picture for you: New Launches & Updates - January 2022

It’s unfortunate that laptop CPUs can’t be upgraded easily,

Fortunately, T440p is a rare laptop design which doesn’t have its CPU soldered to the motherboard, but sitting nicely in a CPU slot. I’ve been able to replace the default dual-core CPU with a quad core i7 one.

But if the rest of the hardware is free and open, it might still be worth it; I could do with a laptop for travelling and do the heavy work on my desktop at home.

The Thinkpad hardware isn’t really “free and open” in the usual sense that we understand these terms. While we can service the hardware long after its been manufactured, source new spares for it and the schematics are available as well, motherboard PCB design is not available under a free-software license. The hardware is also hackable - which is why there is a sizable community of enthusiasts who choose to work on it.

I’m guessing it’d be one of the older ThinkPads because things have been getting less modular over the years…

The newer Thinkpads (eg. X240 onwards) have a different design (eg. the hinge has been redesigned and one can’t push the screen back 180° as with the X230. While many even have dual batteries (one internal and one external that is easy to swap out), the focus on “slim models” for most of the X series has fundamentally changed the design that we have loved over the years.

-abhas.