What is the usability of 'PinePhone' that can install a Linux-based mobile OS that is neither iOS nor Android?



Most smartphones on the market in recent years have iOS or Android installed as the OS, and the number of users of other OS is very small. Meanwhile, technology-related writer

Arnie Smith reports on the actual usability of the low-priced smartphone 'PinePhone,' which allows you to install a Linux-based OS as you like.

The $ 149 Smartphone That Could Bring The Linux Mobile Ecosystem to Life
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PinePhone is an open source smartphone developed by PINE64, which develops the single board computer ' Quartz64 ' and the open source tablet ' PineTab ', and is a device that allows you to install an OS for Linux-based mobile terminals as you like.

Among the devices deployed by PINE64, the high-performance notebook PC ' Pinebook Pro ' is equipped with relatively new hardware such as a high- speed NVMe standard SSD and a high-speed wireless LAN chip compatible with 802.11ac. .. However, PinePhone is equipped with a low-performance CPU, and wireless LAN only supports the old standard of 802.11n. 'Most PinePhone users play around with PinePhone in a Wi-Fi environment without inserting a SIM card, which can be frustrating because it only supports older communication standards,' Smith said. You can buy it for $ 6,500), but there are many Android-powered smartphones that have better performance than PinePhone at a close price. ' I'm pointing out.

According to Smith, many users who purchase PinePhone frequently insert and remove the microSD to try out the OS and check the operation of the latest build. However, the PinePhone's microSD slot is located in a location that cannot be accessed without removing the battery. 'It may make sense because you don't want to plug and unplug the microSD while it's powered on,' Smith said of the design. Still, it's frustrating to repeat the same operation over and over again. I am complaining.



In addition, PinePhone is equipped with a USB Type-C port used for charging and communication, but in the individual obtained by Mr. Smith, the USB port is loose and the cable is very easy to disconnect. 'PINE64 should be repositioned on the PinePhone's USB port or reinforced to prevent the cable from coming off,' Smith points out.

As mentioned above, Mr. Smith has a lot of dissatisfaction with the hardware of PinePhone, but it is possible to turn off the modem, wireless chip, microphone, rear camera, front camera, headphone terminal installed in PinePhone individually. As for the switches that can be done, 'This feature is good news for those who value privacy.' We also praise the PinePhone for its relatively easy disassembly.



Mr. Smith, who gave a strict evaluation on the hardware side, 'The biggest advantage of PinePhone is that you can see the progress of many Linux-based mobile OSs.' 'PinePhone provides a home for open source mobile OSs.' We appreciate that PinePhone is a useful device as a development environment for Linux-based mobile OS.

PinePhone

has a lineup of 'PinePhone: KDE community edition ' equipped with the Linux-based mobile OS ' Plasma Mobile ' developed as part of the KDE project , but there are also ' Ubuntu Touch ', ' Sailfish OS ', and 'Sailfish OS'. You can install a Linux-based mobile OS with a rich UI such as ' postmarketOS'.



In addition, you can also use 'Sxmo ', which has a text-based operation screen and features a unique operation feeling using the volume up / down buttons and power button. 'Sxmo is one of the most experimental mobile operating systems I've seen. It's hard to get a lot of interest from Sxmo, but the fact that there's an OS like Sxmo is very inspiring. It's a target, 'he praised Sxmo. You can see how to actually operate the PinePhone with Sxmo installed in the following movie.

Sxmo: Simple X Mobile on PinePhone --YouTube


According to Smith, the above OS works on smartphones other than PinePhone. However, Mr. Smith said, 'PinePhone covers the basic functions of smartphones required by mobile OS developers such as ARM processor , accelerometer, GPS, and headphone jack.' 'PinePhone serves as a reference for developing mobile OS. You will get it, 'he said, emphasizing the usefulness of PinePhone in developing Linux-based mobile operating systems.

in Mobile,   Software,   Hardware, Posted by log1o_hf