Let's start with a laptop.
It looks like a nice laptop and when you turn it on it boots to Windows with a nice looking screen.
However it comes in a non-descript box with no specs or writing on it whatsoever. Not a good sign.
On paper it has expandable storage with TF Card but who uses TF cards?
It has HDMI output which is good, but through micro HDMI cable which is bad.
Headphone jack and microphone jack with is good. But the onboard speakers and microphone are really awful.
Power input is standard barrel plug which is good and only uses 10W charger so uses very little power which is good.
USB slot so you can hook up keyboard, mouse, thumb drive, etc. Very useful.
Now I paid extra to get it shipped with a pen. I thought it would be a stylus pen because its a touchscreen computer. Silly me, its a regular pen.
I also paid extra for a keyboard. However, the keyboard didn't work. That was unfortunate.
Now the slip says don't upgrade or change anything and they really mean it. I didn't change anything but I hit F2 on bootup to see what I could change and after that the machine bricked itself and would not load up to Windows again.
What was I hoping for from such a poor laptop?
Well. Not everyone can afford the latest technology. Some people can barely afford food let alone a computer. However, a laptop can mean the difference between someone being able to access HIVE and make a little money every month and being left out of WEB3.
My decision. I would try the least expensive laptop I could find at just under $50 HBD and see if it would be Good Enough to get someone on Hive.
What was I hoping for?
Access Ecency or PeakD. Preferably both
Allow adding the Brave Browser (to enable BAT to go to either Ecency or PeakD) and add the Hive Keychain (to allow for easier access to Hive)
Play Splinterlands
Play Youtube or other Video's
Use the ScreenRec app (so people can add pictures from web searches to their posts)
Use the SPK app to upload 3speak video's and make a SPK node. (#spk can be used to make passive income especially since this unit sips virtually no power)
No matter how slow or bad the computer was IF it could do that reliably it would be a useful tool for someone. Not too sure who but someone.
Results?
Well, I can say that it didn't do well enough to be worth the $50 HBD price tag.
YES It was able to download the Brave Browser and YES the Hive keychain worked.
I hooked it up to a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and was able to create a post with relative easy. In that regard it was actually useful if someone is looking for something cheap to get them going to post in communities.
After that things went downhill.
#SPK app wouldn't load. It requires 64bit and the computer is 32 bit.
Youtube video's. Not great. I did manage to watch a video or two IF I turned down the resolution way down. But the sound....Wow was it bad. Having said that after hooking up a bluetooth speaker I was able to watch video's in low resolution.
ScreenRec app? No. It required extensions that weren't avaiable on the machine.
Splinterlands? Never got a chance to try. I was going to but after I checked the BIOS the machine bricked itself.
One thing I will say.
I was thinking that with the machine being as slow as it is perhaps it would be faster if it were loaded with Peanut Linux or other small linux distro. However, the BIOS doesn't allow for booting from USB so if you buy this thinking you'll remove Windows and try something else...Don't bother. It won't work.
But why did I want to try it in the first place?
Well, I am part of the #earn spend give community. Earning GLD is easy. I've got the Liquidity pool going to people can earn and trade in their coins if they want. However, spending their coins isn't something they can do yet.
The laptop was going to be the first item I was going to offer for purchase with GLD coins. The idea is that people who need something basic to get them going can purchase with Hive. I can purchase from AliExpress and dropship without shipping charges pretty much anywhere in the world.
that's important because most of the community members are Nigerian
However, at this moment the laptop is going back and I'll be trying an inexpensive android tablet instead. See how well that works.
What does that have to do with liquidity pools and Hive engine?
Well, if I were to sell the laptop on HIVE it would cost roughly 150,000 GLD (1500 Hive).
However, if you look at the liquidity pool
So, if I actually wanted someone to be able to buy the laptop I'd have to make 150,000 GLD available. If I do that in the liquidity pool it will kill the price of the coin....not useful.
However, if I make 150,000 GLD for a value of 1500 HIVE then someone can buy enough GLD to buy the laptop and I get enough HIVE to cover the cost of purchasing the laptop.
Just like this:
In this way I can sell GLD without affecting its overall price in the liquidity pool.
So Why Liquidity Pool?
(currently the site was down...another reason to have a backup on hive-engine)
The liquidity Pool for GLD / Swap.hive is only valued at about $250 HBD. I suppose someone could try to get enough GLD out of there to buy something for 150,000 GLD but it would raise the value of GLD to crazy levels.
I want the value of GLD/HIVE to be fairly stable at 0.01Hive : 1 GLD. In that way people who earn GLD in the #earnspendgive community can either hold the coin to buy something down the road OR they can trade to HIVE and get value right away.
So...
I learned a few things this week:
Liquidity pools are great for small transactions but large transactions can make big fluctuations in the value of the coin.
Hive Engine is a better way to make coin available when it is for a specific usage at a specific price. In this case for the purchase of a laptop (or other item)
The cheapest laptop might be useful in very limited use case scenario's but in general it was pretty awful. Then again if the choice is between nothing at all and something that gets you online with Hive Keychain, the ability to charge up your phone, and work for many hours (6+) on a single charge then the laptop might not be so terrible.
I'll be curious how the tablet works. It is hopefully better than the laptop, but SPK network and SPK node won't likely be available.
Regardless,
I'm still learning about running a community
I'm still learning about lvl 2 coins, drop shipping, and about what products I want to make available for drop shipping.
Let's see how things work over time :)
Thanks for reading
and feel free to drop me a line or give a bit of advice :)
Side note: Images of the laptop are mine. Images from Hive-engine and Tribaldex are screenshots from my computer.