Early thoughts on the Duet 3 as my EDC laptop

This is part of a series I’ve been writing about switching to a Chromebook as part of my everyday carry setup. See my other EDC posts.

I’ve been daily driving my new Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 for about 10 days now and I’ve had a chance to dig into this device. Aside from some quirks I’ll mention below, it is what I always wanted in an EDC laptop. It is essentially an Android tablet with a desktop browser and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Android apps make the device

I don’t work in tech. I’m not a developer or a project manager. I’m a landscape contractor and I don’t have the same software requirements as most other office workers. Because I own my business I also get to pick and choose what services, apps, and software we use (which will never include Teams). This means I’m never required to run a certain OS for software compatibility. A chromebook covers 90% of what I need.

Because it is chromeOS, that means there are generally no apps for it. There are some decent finds in the Chrome Web Store for web apps and I’ve found some great PWA’s. But, if you need anything better the only way you’ll get it is with the Android app compatibility. This was never going to be a problem for me.

As an avid Android enthusiast I always wanted a laptop based on Android with a desktop DE. Samsung Dex-mode is close and I used it for years as my primary EDC laptop. Using Android apps in floating windows in a desktop mode works fine. I generally have no complaints, except one.

So, since a chromebook doesn’t have any apps and rely on Android and Linux apps, this makes the Duet 3 essentially an Android tablet with a major difference. It has a regular desktop browser. My main complaint about Dex-mode as a desktop OS was being forced to use a mobile browser. Designed for touch and no ability for addon support, I tried to find ways around using them. This is what lead me to use proot Linux desktops on Android.

A chromebook fixes this because you can install any Android app, even sideloading from outside the Play Store. Then you also have the full desktop version of Chrome. For me, it is near perfection.

When viewed that way, the Duet line of Chromebooks are a steal compared to other Android tablets. The Duet 3 has two full service USB-C 3.2 ports which both do video out. I couldn’t find an Android tablet with one display out port for under $700. The Duet 3 has a touchscreen and a detachable keyboard, which converts it into a standard tablet. The OS and apps all work fine with touch. The Duet Chromebook is a better tablet than most actual Android tablets.

Sometimes a PITA

Before I get into some of the areas that aren’t… great, I wanna say I love this device. I gravitate to it all day and it has even reduced my phone usage. I literally carry it with me everywhere.

Network storage

I have a few Samba shares from my NAS I want available and I used the built-in system for mounting them. But, the settings never survived a reboot. The chromeOS native tool automatically finds the network shares, but if you manually add them instead of using the discovery tool, the shares will stay mounted and remount after a reboot.

I was excited, then, to share them to the Linux environment. It still doesn’t work right. The files are visible. I can navigate to the folders. But, I can’t edit files or add new from the crostini.

Local storage

Same issues here. I want to have my external drive mounted in both the Linux and Android environments. It works partly. I can access, edit, and delete files from Linux. I cannot change user permissions. Some Android apps see the external drive, some don’t.

The worst part is sometimes the OS doesn’t recognize the device at all. When it does this, it takes 5-10 minutes of unplugging and plugging, reboots, and settings changes until one time it will just magically connect. The drive gets power. It is just the OS refusing to mount the drive.

I miss a hinge

I truly need a hinge on this keyboard for when I’m using it on the couch. Working with the kickstand on my lap sucks saltwater. I don’t like it.

What’s next

I’m working on creating a fully offline internet-in-a-box that is part of my EDC bag using the Duet 3 and ditching the Raspberry Pi that I currently use. I will have a write-up on setting that up, what I used, and what data I’m carrying. The goal is to be able to work and live fully offline for an entire week. It is more than just entertainment. I want to have my entire business, plus several websites and all my bookmarks available offline and with me at all times.

Look for that soon.

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