About a year after introducing a concept for a handheld Linux computer priced at $199, Popcorn Computer is getting closer to actually being able to deliver that little PC to customers.
It’s up for pre-order for $199 and according to the latest progress update, production is on track to begin next month and if everything goes well, the first units could ship before the end of November.
Update 12/06/2020: The project has been set by a few setbacks, which means that mass production will now probably take place in early 2021, although a limited number of pre-production samples could be shipped to some testers as soon as this month.
Meanwhile, the folks at Pine64 have released a monthly status update on the state of their open source laptops, tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches. I wrote about two of the most interesting announcements over at Linux Smartphones:
- Soon you’ll be able to buy swappable back covers for the PinePhone that let you add support for wireless charging, NFC, or even a keyboard.
- Next month Pine64 will begin selling upgrade mainboards that allow you to turn a PinePhone with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage into a 3GB/32GB model.
Both of those things are possible because of the modular design of Pinephone. The back cover of the $150 smartphone is removable, the battery is replaceable, and with just a screwdriver you can remove and replace most other internal components.
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
- Pocket P.C. production starting soon [Popcorn Computer]
The Pocket P.C. from Popcorn Computer is a handheld computer with a 5 inch display, a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB eMMC storage, and a QWERTY keyboard. Under development since last year, production is on track to begin in November. - The latest on Google Hangouts and the upgrade to Google Chat [Google]
Google Hangouts isn’t dead yet, but it’s coming. Google says it’ll launch a free version of Google Chat in the first half of 2021, and users will be able migrate from Hangouts while keeping conversations, contacts, and history. - Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast with Google TV [Google Store]
The $50 Chromecast with Google TV supports WIFi 5 and Bluetooth. But if you’d prefer a wired internet connection, now there’s also an optional $20 Ethernet adapter. - New HP Tablet Leaks [TabletMonkeys]
A new HP tablet shows up at the Bluetooth SIG website. And that’s… about all we know. - The Windows Calculator on Linux with Uno Platform [Canonical]
Microsoft open sourced the Windows Calculator app a while back, and now it’s been ported to Linux, where it’s available for installation as a snap.
Upgrade your PinePhone: 3GB/32GB mainboards coming in November https://t.co/fBmg47vvxu
— LinuxSmartphone (@LinuxSmartphone) October 15, 2020
Swappable PinePhone back covers will bring wireless charging, NFC, and a keyboard https://t.co/SyqXigBFBB
— LinuxSmartphone (@LinuxSmartphone) October 15, 2020
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You can also find the latest news about open source phones by following our sister site Linux Smartphones on Facebook and Twitter.
I clicked on this article thinking that photo was a slider desktop UMPC. Ended up being that Popcorn thing. Too bad. If only it had a built-in mouse and maybe 4 GB of RAM, I’d be interested in it as a Linux UMPC. Oh well, I’m just not in their target audience.
I hope the Pocket P.C. is successful enough so that they choose an SoC with built-in LTE for their next version.
At least one other person is hoping for an LTE version in the future like me: https://community.popcorncomputer.com/t/any-plans-for-lte/296/2