Preparing for a Prototype

[Pocak]

How would you make the pegs for the shoulder buttons?

ED said there will be a heat shield between the SoC board and the base plastic (if deemed necessary.) I imagine the alu heat spreader would go between that and the SoC board. If you use the base as a heat sink, that would be bad for the battery. And your skin.

 

[spud42]

the OMAP isnt an intel or AMD chip .its a low wattage chip with the amount of Aluminium that has been proposed as a bottom case i doubt it would get to skin temp. thw whole point of lots of Al is to dissipate the heat.

 

[Grench]

So, the wait continues.

Right now my family is using four an AT&T Galaxy Note 3 phones that are getting toward the end of their service life. Nothing wrong with the hardware, but it doesn't get OS updates anymore and they all have iron locked boot loaders. (Not carrier lock but bootloader locked). Sadly one of the four phones has damage to the charging/data port, so it's definitely time to change at least one out. We're keeping that phone alive by using an external battery charger and doing a daily (or more) battery swap.

Looking around at phone/carrier options I find that the Google Fi service is probably what fits best. They even offer data-only sims that would be about ideal for the Pyra in principle - if it weren't for the underlying question of whether or not it will work. I already have an AT&T data only SIM that currently lives in an AT&T note pro 12.2 (Android) tablet - which is in the same OS death spiral as the phones.

Transitioning my family from one service to another is likely to be a headache and a half. It took AT&T 3 months and, quite literally, 20+ hours of me being on the line with their customer service department to activate the phones we have and get the billing right.

Getting to the point, I may be in a position to try the Pyra on data-only SIM cards for AT&T and Google Fi, IF I can get the Pyra prototype in the next month or two and if there is software and/or test commands to establish function of the US 4G LTE module on the Pyra. Timing is going to be a bit critical to do that though. I wish I knew better when the Pyra prototypes will ship. That is the real wild card in this.

 

[levi]

America really is a foreign country when it comes to phones. Even now you've got SIM cards, it's still not plug and switch on like it is here.

I don't think a pyra will replace four phones by itself, and while you could buy four pyras (a) I don't think they're exactly for everyone and (b) it'll be a while before you can buy three or four more first edition units. If I were you I'd be looking for three more phones that actually still receive updates and can charge properly.

 

[Eight Bit]

Some providers in the Netherlands offer subscriptions with multiple SIM cards on a single bundle.
Or family bundles where the whole family gets to use one heap of data.
Aren't similar deals available in the states?
Switching provider is real easy here. I just get sent a new SIM, and the phone number is transferred from one provider to another too so that doesn't change.

Also, I've been thinking about the Pyra replacing my phone completely but I think it can't as I wouldn't take my Pyra with me when going out to a festival or something and those are occasions I'd really like to have a phone with me. Dual Sim on a single subscription would be the way to go!

 

[Grench]

So, looking into Google Fi more I'm running into an issue. None of the phones Google offers for the service have user replaceable batteries (short of heroic efforts). So I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

The things that I want in a phone to replace my family's Galaxy Note 3 phones:
1. User unlockable bootloader. This is the primary issue I'm encountering with the AT&T Galaxy Note 3 phones. No OS upgrades and I'm locked out of being able to do them myself.
2. User replaceable battery. I want to have these phones last longer than a battery can be expected to survive.
3. Usable on a service where I can get an inexpensive data-only SIM card that will work for my Pyra.
4. microSD card support.

So far I'm coming up empty. The Google and OnePlus phones are the only modern ones I'm finding with user unlockable bootloader. None of them have user replaceable batteries. What good is being able to unlock the bootloader for continued support if I can't replace the battery 2-3 years down the road? Neither option has microSD card support.

It's sad - Google Fi would have worked great for us - but their phones fail 3 of the 4 criteria.

The Pyra may some day be a solution for my personal phone. It's far too thick and delicate to be a phone replacement for the rest of the family though.

So, has anyone solved this? Does anyone make a modern Android phone with a user unlockable bootloader, replaceable battery, and a microSD slot?

/****************/
Back to the Pyra side of things. It is exciting that ED is assembling prototypes! I wish he had the OS image that he needs in order to power them on. It sounds like it may be getting close though. Maybe measured in weeks instead of months?
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So, has anyone solved this? Does anyone make a modern Android phone with a user unlockable bootloader, replaceable battery, and a microSD slot?

I may have found a solution. From what I can tell, the LG V20 version US996 might just fit this need. User replaceable battery. microSDXC slot. IR blaster. LG has even released the instructions on how to disable the bootloader lock. I'll miss not having a stylus, but Samsung has gone so far in the wrong/Apple direction that I'll have to switch away eventually anyway. Hmm...

 

[Grench]

Closing out the side topic - for now - of my last message. I did a bit more research on the Galaxy Note 3 phones.

I bought a nice new IFixit tool kit and a $10 replacement charging port for my son's phone. Repair took 30 minutes - and has been working for the last month+.

**********************

Back on topic...

From what I can tell, 6+ Pyra prototypes have gone out to devs. I'm not aware of any of the Prototype Pre-Pre-orders getting theirs.

I did get some time with the keymat test mule clear case. My findings are in the thread relevant to that.

But - the thing that came to mind and prompted me to post back to this thread - Pyras exist. It is the plural that has me excited.

 

[levi]

Yes, I think ED said he'd get early and a little bit broken units out to devs, but wait until he has better functioning units to send out to paid prototypers. I'm not sure where those 6+ have gone; I'm only aware of 2/3 people outside of the project team who've said they have one.

I think with the month having ticked over, ED should know soon whether the case factory has been able to produce his cases, and the deadline for hardware patches should be coming soon too. Things are certainly moving forward.

 

[benoitb]

About locked bootloaders, don't you have Samsung, Motorola, Sony that let you install what you want after some warning and activation on their website ?
Is it impossible in the US to buy a phone outside of your carrier and just order the SIM card from your carrier ?

Basically a Note 3 bought here in Europe not from a carrier is flashable via Odin to whatever you want.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

It depends on the carrier. Cricket for example allows anything that is physically capable of using GSM.

 

[Grench]

About locked bootloaders, don't you have Samsung, Motorola, Sony that let you install what you want after some warning and activation on their website ?
Is it impossible in the US to buy a phone outside of your carrier and just order the SIM card from your carrier ?

Basically a Note 3 bought here in Europe not from a carrier is flashable via Odin to whatever you want.

It depends on the carrier. Cricket for example allows anything that is physically capable of using GSM.

I suspect you're both confusing carrier unlock with bootloader unlock.

Yes, I can get the phones carrier unlocked and use them on any GSM service by simply installing the other carrier's SIM card. Samsung locks the bootloader at the factory for all phones sold in the US. This prevents being able to load custom or updated Android versions onto the phone.

I want to be able to take this old hardware that Samsung and AT&T have decided to stop supporting and load and update my own operating system - that is blocked by the bootloader lock.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Ah my bad, I was addressing his comment about the carriers without thinking about the fact he said bootloader.

 

[WizardStan]

My Nexus 5 was the first phone that didn't make me jump through hoops to unlock the bootloader. Every other one has been "download this tool, do these things, pray to one of several gods by light of the full moon", and that's apparently only because I got lucky.

 

[Swordfish II]

I suspect you're both confusing carrier unlock with bootloader unlock.

Yes, I can get the phones carrier unlocked and use them on any GSM service by simply installing the other carrier's SIM card. Samsung locks the bootloader at the factory for all phones sold in the US. This prevents being able to load custom or updated Android versions onto the phone.

I want to be able to take this old hardware that Samsung and AT&T have decided to stop supporting and load and update my own operating system - that is blocked by the bootloader lock.

I don't think that is the case... I rooted and romed my Samsung galaxy s 1 and 2, pretty sure you can do it to the 3s as well...

Just confirmed, the XDA forums have tons of ways to flash a Note 3

 

[Grench]

I don't think that is the case... I rooted and romed my Samsung galaxy s 1 and 2, pretty sure you can do it to the 3s as well...

Note 3 would most resemble an S5. You won't find anyone swapping out the OS on a US spec'd S5 either.

Just confirmed, the XDA forums have tons of ways to flash a Note 3

Nope - not if it has the bootloader locked. There may be European versions without bootloader locks. To my knowledge nobody has yet to have figured out a way to unlock the Samsung for US carriers bootloader lock on these.

 

[benoitb]

Nope - not if it has the bootloader locked. There may be European versions without bootloader locks. To my knowledge nobody has yet to have figured out a way to unlock the Samsung for US carriers bootloader lock on these.

Ok, well I'm genuinely sorry for you US citizens. If a respectable carrier enters the business someday I hope you support it by switching over to it. It seems that your issue is that: too powerfull carrier corporations that are locking your freedom.

By the way, I'm not confused between carrier (SIM) lock and bootloader lock.

Will you even be able to buy a SIM card without a device from an operator in the US to use on the Pyra ? Or do they refuse to sell just the SIM card as well ?

 

[Akko]

Will you even be able to buy a SIM card without a device from an operator in the US to use on the Pyra ? Or do they refuse to sell just the SIM card as well ?

You can definitely buy a SIM card standalone in the US. When I was there for an exchange semester I bought one so I could use my phone there. So that shouldn't be an issue for a Pyra user in the US.

 

[Grench]

Will you even be able to buy a SIM card without a device from an operator in the US to use on the Pyra ? Or do they refuse to sell just the SIM card as well ?

Yes and no. Carriers here want the device's IMEI number before they will sell you a SIM card. If the IMEI doesn't show up in their list of compatible/supported devices, then they get a bit unpredictable.

I currently have a data-only SIM card in a tablet that I hope to be able to migrate back & forth with the Pyra. It is one of the things I was wanting to test some day when I get my prototype. That is the lowest bar. If that works, I'll proceed to experiment with my regular phone's SIM card to see if that gets through. My hope is that they aren't actively linking/locking the SIM to the IMEI.

 

[rygD]

As was mentioned in another thread, Ting sends you extra SIMs to hand out to others. I don't remember how difficult it is to get them from T-Mobile, but they told me in store when I asked about using the Pyra with them that I could get one even though the hardware was not from a typical mobile hardware manufacturer.

 

[Swordfish II]

Note 3 would most resemble an S5. You won't find anyone swapping out the OS on a US spec'd S5 either.


Nope - not if it has the bootloader locked. There may be European versions without bootloader locks. To my knowledge nobody has yet to have figured out a way to unlock the Samsung for US carriers bootloader lock on these.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...l/official-note-3-verizon-bootloader-t3359370

https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-sprint/help/galaxy-note-3-att-sm-n900a-rooting-t3389892

US versions with custom roms
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Yes and no. Carriers here want the device's IMEI number before they will sell you a SIM card. If the IMEI doesn't show up in their list of compatible/supported devices, then they get a bit unpredictable.

Also not true. I have never bought a phone through tmobile, always an international phone, and never told them my IMEI... but I use their sim