Pyra as smartphone replacement

[Askarus]

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.

I rarely make calls.
And if I do it's mostly Telegram.

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).

I already have a tiny 5MP USB camera module.
It's mounted on a 2,5x3cm PCB.
As there is so much unused space on the Pyras Display PCB I have plans to cut out a whole where I can fit in the camera.
I also habe a USB-hub PCB at the size of my fingernail.
That one will also fit somewhere.
I want to solder it to one of the USB connections on the main PCB and from there one way to the camera and an other to the USB-port.
That way I don't loose functionality and when I turn off the USB-port it the camera should also need no power.
If so, there is some additional room in the housing where the touchscreen is placed.
I can add a physical switch for the power line of the camera there.

The Pyra lid should be thick enough so that the camera won't stick out.
I need some protection for it but that will be done last as I need to see how everything turns out at the end.

If it works, it won't be suitable for nice photographs, but for a quick shot it will do the job.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

I think it depends on whether you mind holding it up to your head, or if you always use a headset or not.

 

[Askarus]

All in all, the Pyra is not a realistic alternative to a phone.

Can't it do my Smartphone can?
- TAN generation
- 2FA code (there is a cmd line tool I know)
- Photo and video
- Whatsapp without a second device
- Staying in standby forever without getting empty (at least for now)
- NFC Stuff

Basically that's it for me.
I'm ok with loosing those functionality.
Some things like NFC in the lid would be awesome but ok.
I'll have to dig out my phone then.
Maybe Telegram notifications with the LED will work some day ...

But really, that's it.
I'm not doing much phone calls.
If I do, I'm alone in a room and use the hands-free loudspeaker.

Besides that, my phone is in flight mode all the time except for WLAN.
And it's silent as well.
So I'm not reachable 24/7 anyways.
As soon as I get my Pyra with 4G modem my Phone will mostly stay shut down.
Those 2-3 people not having Telegram/signal/matrix and only WhatsApp have to live with it.
They can write SMS if they want.

My phone is Android 6 and can't be rooted.
So I do not get security updates anyways and I don't like that I can only deactivate but not remove Google.
So for me it's fine using the Pyra for most stuff.

YES, I AM A FANBOY
I was one of the very few people who was using DisplayLink on the Pandora to get full-HD via USB2.
That was SLOW. But I used it! And I'm proud of it.
I took my Pandora to university as my device to take notes on.
You can do anything if you like.
And I will!
And my Pyra will share the same fate as my Pandora had.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Maybe Telegram notifications with the LED will work some day ...

If you install `dunst` and use that for notifications, you can make it run any arbitrary program or script in response to notifications with certain labels or contents. So for example "Telegram" or "<insert-contact-here>".

 

[pmprog]

Whatsapp without a second device

You'll only get this if the Pyra gets an Android OS, VM, or application layer. Unless I'm missing something

 

[Askarus]

If you install `dunst` and use that for notifications, you can make it run any arbitrary program or script in response to notifications with certain labels or contents. So for example "Telegram" or "<insert-contact-here>".

That sounds pretty interesting, thanks.
Never heard of it before.
Need to test it as soon as I have time

 

[Silent-Hunter]

That sounds pretty interesting, thanks.
Never heard of it before.
Need to test it as soon as I have time

It comes with i3, but I don't think it's made by the same people. I could be wrong though.

 

[Legodude522]

Pyra as a smartphone would be nice to have now with the increase in privacy concerns from both corporations and governments.