
PinePhone Linux smartphone to sell for $149, dev kits coming soon - dTal
https://liliputing.com/2019/01/pinephone-linux-smartphone-to-sell-for-149-dev-kits-coming-soon.html
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wolrah
Ugh, same problem as all the other "open phone" designs, absolute garbage tier
hardware.

At least they're pricing it somewhat reasonably, but come on, give us some
actual performance.

2.4GHz-only WiFi shouldn't even be a thing anymore. The 2.4G spectrum is a
wasteland for anyone living in a densely populated area and if it weren't for
a few old IoT devices I'd have it entirely turned off on my home network.

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gazarullz
Hi, do you mind elaborating why the 2.4ghz is crap and how the 5ghz is better
? (newbie here)

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detaro
The available range of frequencies is smaller in 2.4 GHz, so fewer networks
can run in parallel without interfering with each other. Even in early
standards with 20 MHz channels, you can only fit 3 networks in 2.4, vs in 5
it's more than 10 (exact number depends on region and other special cases).
2.4 Ghz is also somewhat better at getting through walls, which one the hand
is useful, but on the other means in a dense city networks from further away
can interfere.

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karmakaze
I think what I really want is a Linux tablet.

The latest MS Surface Go is just about right for hardware but we have no such
thing for Linux. If I had that, then I could use any Linux phone with hotspot.
I use an iPod Touch dedicated for Spotify, maps and messaging. No other
social.

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dTal
Funny you should mention that - they also announced the "PineTab" in the same
announcement, amongst a bunch of other nifty looking goodies. They say it'll
cost only $79 ($99 with a clip-on keyboard). I can see these being super
useful in a lot of situations.

[https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=7093&pid=43850](https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=7093&pid=43850)

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LinuxBender
I would be interested in this. I currently use a $12 throw away T9 style
phone. I've never owned a smart phone. I would consider something like this,
especially if it has physical switches for disable devices.

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appleflaxen
GPS hardware is cheap, and its absence is a drastic hit on functionality.

