It Looks Like Purism Might Be Soon Launching Their Libre Linux Phone

[GI_Jack]

I just want an android without any closed bits and unlocked eveyrthing. Oh, and it comes with linage or cyanogen or something useful like that

[starshipeleven]

I kick around the idea of replacing my smartphone with a dumb phone, a camera, a small laptop, and a stand-alone GPS.

For the phone I get better battery life, lower replacement costs, and much cheaper wireless service contracts. For the camera, laptop, and GPS I get longer service lives, better ergonomics, the ability to upgrade independently, and the ability to lend them out and resell them.

Neat. You only need a bandoleer to carry them all, with the laptop on the back.

I would totally prefer this approach. I regret that in current day's retrograde mindset a person doing that would be looked at with suspect or pity, and 'wimmins would keep a safe distance.

[Michael_S]

Neat. You only need a bandoleer to carry them all, with the laptop on the back.

I would totally prefer this approach. I regret that in current day's retrograde mindset a person doing that would be looked at with suspect or pity, and 'wimmins would keep a safe distance.

The GPS could stay in the car. The laptop would stay home, most of the time. So most of the time, I'd just have a camera and a tiny phone.

[omer666]

The better option could be Sailfish OS.

[Shiba]

I emailed them a month ago because I was in need of a phone and surely they have top priority for what concerns me. Sadly they said they expect to have a working prototype at best Q1 or Q2 of 2018.

[Adarion]

A Libre Phone? I believe it when I see it and have read some decent reviews.
Especially when it is from Purism. I still remember their "freedom laptop" that was intended to come with some nvidia GPU. That shows these people had no clue about SW freedom. And then they spoke of Libreboot in conjunction with an intel processor.
They did not even deliver!
Some of the real Coreboot people then had the fun to port Coreboot to their machine.

So I am not setting my hopes too high. First: Because of Purism. Maybe they have learned, I'd welcome that. But second: I followed the development of the Neo Freerunner / Openmoko and also read laforge's blog. At least at that time it seemed to be a pain to find the right components, convince HW manufacturers (or anybody else) that freedom makes sense. Moreover there were some additional problems.
He recently wrote some news again on the larger matter and I was also lucky and glad that I could speak to him, and the situation regarding the phones has not really improved.

There were some kind of successors to the Freerunner but I saw at least one on a Linux day booth and lo and behold, it was based on TI chips - and those all carried an ImgTec PowerVR GPU - so that was about it with the free drivers. Also especially the communication parts are said to be very tricky, too, when it comes to a free SW stack.

Keep that in mind when cheering at the thought of a libre phone from Purism. As much as we all want a freedom phone, it will be a hard path to follow.

[darkblu]

Neat. You only need a bandoleer to carry them all, with the laptop on the back.

I would totally prefer this approach. I regret that in current day's retrograde mindset a person doing that would be looked at with suspect or pity, and 'wimmins would keep a safe distance.

What Michael_S suggested is exactly what I do -- takes me a small backpack. No problem with women whatsoever ; )

[Cape]

Instabuy if real.

Though I hardly believe it...

[sverris]

The purism-guy is talking a bit about the phone (at 12:39) in this 1-year-old video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz1ZAk02OVo (There he says, it will not be an Android-phone...)

[starshipeleven]

What Michael_S suggested is exactly what I do -- takes me a small backpack. No problem with women whatsoever ; )

Bandoleer wasn't chosen at random. I don't want to hide them, I want to wear my tech with pride.