Pyra as smartphone replacement

[trix]

So I know this has been discussed before, but all previous discussions of this type that I could find were fairly old and speculative. Now that Pyra is close enough to release that most details are unlikely to change, this seems like a good time to bring this discussion back.

Considering I've decided the Pyra is going to be my smartphone, and since I don't need TWO pocket computers, I'm wondering what the chances are of having calls and texts working (calls via bluetooth earpiece) by the time my Pyra is delivered?

I mean, being standard Debian, I'm sure I could make it work with VOIP over the 4G modem, which I suppose could hold me over awhile, but I'd much prefer to be able to send and receive calls directly with my normal phone number like a real phone. I'm quite sure this will happen eventually, as I've been around long enough to have seen how thoroughly this community pushed the Pandora to do pretty much everything theoretically possible for it to do (and then some! Diablo 2! StarCraft! etc!), but my decade-old smartphone is barely alive and barely functional and bound to break down entirely any day now. I'm hoping to receive a Pyra that I can immediately and completely replace my phone with.

I'm also wondering if we'll eventually get some sort of voice AI, like Siri or Alexa, where I can verbally tell it to set an alarm or ask it when Kwik Trip closes today or ask it for directions to the nearest Denny's. I know Siri and Alexa specifically wont work (and that's GOOD), but something like Mycroft maybe? I vaguely recall a discussion on this subject before as well, but I was unable to find it.

 

[levi]

I'm afraid to ask, but what's your order number? If you're in the first batch I'd assume the answer will be absolutely not, but it may not take long - I'm really not sure what the state of the art is on that front.

As for it ever having voice AI, I really don't see the point when it has a full keyboard. Maybe it'd be easier for people not used to using a keyboard, especially one that small, but most of us here have used the Pandora so should be happy with an even better keyboard. I mean I'm surprised I haven't yet come across an open source project trying to put that kind of thing on linux (at least in its GNU flavours), but there you go.

 

[trix]

Well I just finally got around to placing my Pyra pre-order a few days ago (was waiting for xmas bonus) so I'm definitely not first batch this time around.

As for the point of voice assistant, besides the obvious convenience factor (saying "set an alarm for 10am" is much quicker than opening the program and setting it manually), there's a lot of times I use my phone's virtual assistant while driving. Especially stuff that would take awhile to look up, like asking for directions to "the nearest gas station" without knowing which gas station is actually closest. I often ask it things like "what are some restaurants that are open at 11pm" and pick one from a list, or (again while driving) saying things like "how long would it take to drive to UW Credit Union from here?"

Basically, there's a TON of things I use it for that are far more convenient to verbally ask than manually look it up. That said, I can always just hang on to my current smartphone and have it permanently plugged into my car specifically for that. The battery on it dies within 5 minutes of being unplugged (the phone is over 10 years old after all), but if I leave it in my car 24/7 that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Mycroft should work. It runs on Raspberry Pi and that's armhf like the Pyra. It likely won't be able to use the GPS without a lot of tweaking though.

 

[levi]

Ah, that's the Apache licensed project I was overlooking. I'm slightly surprised it can run it's RNN on something like the RPi, although it's fair to say that the RPi 4 is rather more overpowered than the old RPi 2, and stuff like the Pyra. We'll see though.

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Why a Pyra instead of a Librem5 or PinePhone?

 

[trix]

Why a Pyra instead of a Librem5 or PinePhone?

Strange question to ask someone on these forums... but the answer is because I want to do more than a phone can do.

Currently I carry my Pandora and my smartphone everywhere and use both a ton every day for years and years. With a Pyra, I am hoping to only carry the one device, do as much smartphone stuff as I can on it, and have a more powerful, upgrade-able, do-everything Pandora-like computer.

To actually list the things I do on my Pandora and/or the things I am likely to do on my Pyra would require a much larger post.

 

[comradekingu]

Why a Pyra instead of a Librem5 or PinePhone?

Input devices. Ports. Community. Hackability. Made in Europe vis-a-vis the Pine.
Already have many ThinkPads and a Jolla 1 phone. Hoping to only use the Pyra on the move.

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Strange question to ask someone on these forums... but the answer is because I want to do more than a phone can do.

Currently I carry my Pandora and my smartphone everywhere and use both a ton every day for years and years. With a Pyra, I am hoping to only carry the one device, do as much smartphone stuff as I can on it, and have a more powerful, upgrade-able, do-everything Pandora-like computer.

To actually list the things I do on my Pandora and/or the things I am likely to do on my Pyra would require a much larger post.

Let me do another question: What can a Pyra do that a phone can't? Aside of the keyboard, of course.

 

[levi]

Edit photos/bitmaps pixel by pixel if you want? Write a novel and lay it out? Debug a C++ crash? Normal computer stuff basically.

 

[Djoga'Ro]

Let me do another question: What can a Pyra do that a phone can't? Aside of the keyboard, of course.

Nothing. It's just a fidgety thing we'd like to have.

 

[Grench]

Let me do another question: What can a Pyra do that a phone can't? Aside of the keyboard, of course.

Actually, my phone has a keyboard. Planet Computers Cosmo. I can even 10 finger touch type on it fairly well. It is a great phone. It is still pretty much just a really fancy Android phone though.

My Pyra is a completely different animal. Real Linux, real computer, up to five terabytes in a pocket, nubs, game controls, shoulder buttons, real games not phone store junk, emulation, music, videos, tinkering. I understand my purpose and the Pyra's just fine. If you don't get it, that's okay.

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Edit photos/bitmaps pixel by pixel if you want? Write a novel and lay it out? Debug a C++ crash? Normal computer stuff basically.

AFAIK you can do that with a phone.

 

[oskda]

Why a Pyra instead of a Librem5 or PinePhone?

For me the most important answer is easy: KEYBOARD and other controls, analog sticks plus shoulder buttons, which can function as mouse and help thumb keyboard (for example modifiers, like CTRL/etc in shoulder buttons).

The problem with LINUX PHONES is that Linux has little soft for touch interfaces. i.e. most of Linux personal soft works with desktop in mind, not with smartphone touch interfaces. So with a pocket computer with keyboard+shoulders_buttons+analog_sticks, you can use lots of Linux soft easily (only limited by size), while on standar touch smartphone interface you can't do the same.

Think for example Linux command line: powerful, but how good can you use it with touch keyboard? Not very good (I have test Termux on my Android phone, and touch keyboard is worst part).

Other reason: Pinephone is cheap (probably I'll get one), but Librem 5 is expensive (part of cost is OS development, while Pinephone comes empty, without OS) like Pyra, so I won't get two pocket expensive devices, and I prefer Pyra.

PD: On other side, it is possible Pinephone will have a keyboard, but not sure, and no problem-free as it isn't designed with keyboard in mind: if you add keyboard it can result no good balanced (for example Pinephone could weight much more than keyboard-base), resulting in usability problems, and Psion 5mx keyboard type is not so good for me (I own a Psion 5mx).

 

[Legodude522]

If only the Pyra screen could rotate like the HTC Universal.

 

[levi]

That sounds like a project for someone with a 3d printer, although the flat flex screen cable might present a problem.

 

[Askarus]

For me the most important thing with the Pandora was that it was the only device needed when I went out.
However I missed missed the built in mobile Internet when I needed it.
When the Pyra has mobile Internet I no longer need to carry 2 devices with me.
I'm not addicted to the internet and need to be online all the time.
But if I'm out in nature and want to do work with my Pyra I hate the need to carry around a smartphone for mobile internet. And maybe it's handy to write a Telegram message at times.

And that's why I'm sad that there is no camera in the Pyra.
Because If I need to take a quick picture of something Pyra can't do it and I need a second device.

 

[Eight Bit]

Yes... I too am still disappointed that the camera was voted out...


I wonder if the headers are there on the main board...

 

[Grench]

Yes... I too am still disappointed that the camera was voted out...


I wonder if the headers are there on the main board...

If I recall, the choice really came down to a 'really crappy camera' (~640x480 no flash crappy) at increased costs of ~$50 with no real good place to put it physically in the unit (lid would have added 5mm, base would have required loosing buttons and having the camera looking back up your nose, back of unit would have eaten a port and not worked for video conference, etc.)-, privacy concerns requiring a physical cut-out switch, or no camera. No camera was the right choice for the Pyra.

I really see the 4G modem in the Pyra as being more about 'on the go data' and not so much about 'telephony'. Some day it might be possible to take/make calls from it, but I don't see that as a 'primary usage case' for it.

 

[daveshah]

Looks like there is a single CSI lane broken out to a connector on the main board so maybe hacking in a camera will be possible if there is some room to squeeze it in, there are some pretty tiny cameras these days (I might have a go at this if a spare case is cheap enough if I ruin things).