smartroad wrote:thebs wrote:7x9x11" cube where I can plug into a hotel's HDMI
Problem I have found with that is many hotels block the use of the HDMI ports
Not the ones I stay in.
But even then, there is the Oculus Rift.
smartroad wrote:Really annoyed though, got the confirmation that the lappy is being shipped (YAY!) but it is, according to the tracking info, coming from China! ETA is almost two weeks! So frustrating
Nearly 100% of custom order notebooks come from China or Taiwan since the mid '00s. I remember purchasing my first, custom notebook in 2005 from HP, the Pavliion dv9000z, and it came directly from China within 10 days. None of them even use local assembly, it's all assembled in China or Taiwan.
Tier-1 OEMs like Dell and HP outsource to ODMs like ECS, FIC, Foxconn, et al. and they assemble there too. Lenovo is their own ODM, but increasingly they are using other ODMs such as the above, including assembly. Server hardware can be a bit difference, although even HP has gone with a 'whitebox line' trying to bring costs down, while still charging a lot, not much savings.
Tier-2 OEMs are almost always using Taiwan-based ODM Clevo, and will come from their Chinese or Taiwanese factories. Ironically Tier-2 OEMs, even their largest distributors -- e.g., Sager here in North America, Eurocom in--well--Europe, etc... -- offer assembly and customization in the US. Yes, the Tier-2 OEMs shipping Clevo ODM models provide more local region jobs and customization than the household name Tier-1 OEMs.
Disclaimer: In addition to being in the semiconductor industry as well as part of ASIC design teams in the past, most of my embedded career has involved me working directly with Chinese and Taiwanese ODMs as well as select OEMs, bypassing US distributors.
Off Topic
E.g., when I needed my personally designed embedded Linux units for mesh wireless networking customized and assembled overnight for deployment in Louisiana and Mississippi within 48 hours, I pitched the sale to no less than three (3) ODMs directly. One came through, and we were able to provide extended communications for the US Coast Guard during Katrina by shipping directly, while I also shipped directly my pre-built, 100% automated Kickstart DVDs (0 interaction, just put in and turn it on) that was installed in the field by people who didn't know anything about computers (yes, either an USB driver or even a slim DVD drives in the tiny units). And yes, those were my local 407 area code numbers (Orlando) the US networks were putting on TV so people could call and find out about their loved ones. No infrastructure, all mesh networking, to satellite uplink ... only 1.5GHz spread over dozens of square kilometers to the same uplink in many cases. No way could I get it done if I wasn't dealing directly with the ODMs, and even one of them admitted they couldn't do the turnaround in time.