Your daily dose of not-linux-gaming news, with an announcement for fans of Linux gadgets and tech as KDE has teamed up with Pine64 to bring out a PinePhone - KDE Community edition.
Sounds like it's going to be quite a nice device for enthusiasts, especially if you're after a proper Linux phone that isn't Android and will respect your privacy - something I've tried to become more conscious of myself over the last few years. For extra privacy and security, and something I wish more phones had, there's hardware kill-switches for the modem, WiFi/Bluetooth, microphone and cameras.
Just as awesome though is that it's been designed for mobile / desktop convergence. So you can hook up a USB-C dock to connect it up with a mouse, keyboard, monitor and more to provide a more desktop-like experience using this useful little device.
I absolutely adore the little Pine icon on the back!
I have to admit, I've always loved the idea of being able to just hook up a tiny portable device like this into a full desktop like environment. While you can build your own using the likes of a Raspberry Pi and other tiny boards, having a ready-made all in one specially made solution is great too.
Here's the specifications they sent over:
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According to the folks at Pine64, the phone will be running mainline Linux and there's open source drivers for all main SoC components. It will be running Plasma Mobile, which is a developed by free software volunteers and you can follow the progress of Plasma Mobile on this dedicated site.
They said that pre-orders will be open on December 1, with "all proceeds" going to the KDE e.V. which is a non-profit that represents the KDE Community in legal and financial matters.
If interested in this Linux phone, you can follow it on Pine64.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: pbAny word on the price? I would like that but with a bit more ram...
https://pine64.com/product-category/pinephone/?v=0446c16e2e66
Guess same price ? That seems pretty damn cool. I´m itching to get one too. Something that is privacy friendly, cheap AND can plug with keyboad/mouse/screen AND kill switches ? That's seriously great.
Quoting: pbAny word on the price? I would like that but with a bit more ram...
16GB eMMC/2GB of LPDDR3 RAM = 150$
32GB eMMC/3GB of LPDDR3 RAM + HUB = 200$
For now, it's quite cool to plug on my USB-C docking station, switch ttys, ans start sway using my laptop/desktop config. Works pretty well, but hangs the phosh interface until a reboot. Maybe I should try Plasma Mobile again.
Quoting: BotonoskiI wonder how good the main camera is? The budget android phone I'm currently using is reportedly 12MP, but the pictures are so dreadful I'm convinced it actually uses some kinda horrid 3MP sensor and pushes the image data through a crappy upscaler. The images always look smeary, and in low light scenes (anything besides direct sunlight) additionally look blotchy and blurry. If the PinePhone is a honest good quality 5MP sensor, it might outclass my current device quite easily. Though that isn't hard to do, I swear the Sony Mavica I used in the mid-2000s pumped out better looking pictures more often than my current Android device.
See Martjin's (from postmarketos) series on the pinephone camera to get a general idea.
It isn't top-notch, but it's passable. It also reflects the improvements that have come in multiple areas for this device: power consumption, audio quality, etc.
Arehandoro Nov 19, 2020
At this rate, I guess Librem 5, already started shipping, will arrive before I fix the Pinephone hahaha.
Quoting: win8linuxThis is the PinePhone CE that I've been holding out for ever since PinePhones started shipping! I will try to get one as soon as I can. In particular, the Convergence variant since it is the higher-end model and comes with a USB hub which could be useful for other devices too.
Interesting! Does it run upstream Mesa and kernel? Also, are there any plans for Plasma Mobile to use gestures, similar to SailfishOS (and to hide navigation buttons like "Home" and etc.)?
Thanks!
Still too rich for my blood either way :(
slaapliedje Nov 19, 2020
Quoting: SalvatosI was just looking at some PinePhone videos last night after learning that the Librem 5 was shipping soon and it seemed really slow. I hope the Librem 5 will do better in this regard but there aren't as many videos showing it off.Still waiting for my Librem 5... sadly the PinePhone isn't really supported in the USA... :( Much like the SailfishOS phones. I miss using my Nokia N9 and N900... Amazingly didn't feel like I was constantly being spied on / advertised to with them....
Still too rich for my blood either way :(
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