Check out this open hardware MNT Reform cyberdeck laptop.
You can take a Banana Pi BPI RV2 and plug it into your cyberdeck via ethernet port and plug that up to your default ISP router, run nftables on it to block connections to 8.8.8.8/1.1.1.1/9.9.9.9 for running your email server over VPS (like ipserver.su and gandi.net) on your cyberdeck, and run a custom SOCKS5 proxy written in Python w/ X25519, Poly1305, ChaCha20 and Kyber for cryptographic post-quantum protection, w/ libsodium, OpenSSL and PQClean integration. That way you can filter all the dirty traffic, and only run open source connections and encrypt all of it from your ISP.
Optimally, you can add an ath9k PCIe to the Banana Pi router board.
Those devices always seemed kinda larpy to me. I mean that they're not used because of their utility, but to show off what a 1337 h4xx0r you are. Similarly to Flipper 0.
You know, I've been seeing real women getting into these for the aesthetic shit and building their own cyberdecks while showing their process. It's kind of perfect for them if you think about it. Regardless of "larping" it helps normies develop the right-side of their brains so hopefully they can use their knowledge for more efficient ventures and gradually catching them up to modern computer and tech builds. It always starts off small.
The Reform is super neat. IIRC they have a fully open boot chain and only really run proprietary firmware for HDMI and (optionally) newer WiFi cards. Definitely one of the more interesting open hardware ventures in recent times, especially compared to the shitshow that is modern x86.
It looks like a Chromebook but with RGB lighting and twice as thick.
Does this do anything better than a generic Linux netbook? Is the draw just being able to add any hardware you want, while reflashed netbooks/chromebooks are stuck with limited boards?
if you want a tiny laptop you're stuck with whatever configurations are available. i suppose this thing lets you use whatever you want. the biggest part about the laptop is the monitor and getting a tiny screen to work with an existing laptop motherboard is a pain in the ass.
I guess you kinda need to be a little bit autistic artistic to truly see the appeal in cyberdecks. They fit a really nice niche of people who have enough tech know-how to build a laptop while also having enough of an interest in aesthetic design to make a bit of an art project out of it.
Those devices always seemed kinda larpy to me. I mean that they're not used because of their utility, but to show off what a 1337 h4xx0r you are. Similarly to Flipper 0. View attachment 8958784
I have one. They are a penetration testing tool / way of learning about opsec stuff in a fun manner.
It's quite interesting to see how insecure much of the stuff you use every day is. I easily managed to clone my credit card, my father's car's key fob, clone the TV remote etc.
I think in some countries they are now illegal because people were doing stupid YouTube shorts showing them unlocking a car. This ignores the fact that the thieves couldn't use one of these to clone the car key in your house. To clone anything requires you have the flippr on top of the thing you are cloning. It has an effective range of a few inches.
Always a fan of these and how creative some people get. I'd love to make one that makes for a good ham radio compliment. Built in sdrs with antenna jacks on it, a trackball, a sound card for line in and out.
