The GNU/Linux-based smartphone, PinePhone, has begun shipping. It uses the same Quad-Core ARM Cortex A53 64-Bit System on a Chip (SOC) as the the Pine64 Single Board Computer (SBC) and thus it also runs mainstream GNU/Linux. The goal is to provide a hardware platform for a wider variety of Linux-on-Phone projects. Hardware availability is expected to be five years.
Lilliputing: PinePhone Braveheart Linux smartphone begins shipping January 17th
The PinePhone is an inexpensive smartphone designed to run Linux-based operating systems. Developed by the folks at Pine64, the $150 smartphone was first announced about a year ago — and this week the first units will ship.
Herald Writer: The PinePhone begins delivery—a Linux-powered smartphone for $150
The PinePhone is powered through an Allwinner A64 SoC, which options 4 Cortex A53 CPUs at 1.2GHz, constructed on an attractive historical 40nm procedure. This is similar chip the corporate makes use of at the PINE A64 unmarried board pc, a Raspberry Pi competitor. There are 2GB of RAM, a Mali-400 GPU, 16GB of garage, and a 2750mAh battery. The rear digicam is 5MP, the entrance digicam is 2MP, the show is a 1440×720 IPS LCD, and the battery is detachable. There is a headphone jack, a USB-C port, and strengthen for a MicroSD slot, which you'll if truth be told boot running techniques off of. The mobile modem is a big separate chip this is soldered onto the motherboard: a Quectel EG25-G.
Earlier on SN:
PinePhone Linux Smartphone Priced at $149 to Arrive This Year (2019)
Librem 5 Backers Have Begun Receiving Their Linux Phones (2019)
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 17 2020, @03:57PM (2 children)
Yeah, I was thinking: FINALLY! I can access cheap phone hardware without having to learn (and continue learning every 3 months on the perpetual Android security treadmill) Kotlin.
If I can slip a GoogleFi data SIM into one of these, be able to ssh into it and stream photos / video out of it, I will be very happy, indeed. Leave it on the boat plugged into the solar charger and now I've got a remote presence onboard, for $150 purchase + $0.01/MB streaming data fees.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 17 2020, @04:18PM (1 child)
However, at the moment this appears to be the current state of Linux support on the Pine Phone in general:
I'm guessing they slapped the hardware together in the hopes that a community would form and solve their driver issues for them... I'll be waiting until a few more things are documented as working in a downloadable OS package.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 18 2020, @08:46AM
If you want to debug it by the end of next decade, I suggest to get rid of systemd.