$50 open source Raspberry Pi Zero smartphone | Hacker News Reader

$50 open source Raspberry Pi Zero smartphone

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48 pointsonion2k15 comments

> 2G GSM connectivity (3G coming soon)

2G was fully phased out here (Israel) and 3G is going the same way soon, so even as a random cell-connected RPi this wouldn't be usable.

I'm guessing they're using some sort of HAT as the cell modem, what's the cost difference between GSM/UMTS (2G/3G) and HSPA/LTE ("3.5G"/4G) to make this work for longer than <deprecation period>?

With 2g/3g I'm not sure how useful it will be, as that tech doesn't really exist much anymore.

Just got a notice here in the US that Verizon is shutting down it's 3g network at the end of the year.

PiTalk is a modular system for turning a Raspberry Pi into a smartphone. The base of the design is the PiTalk shield, which contains breakouts for components like the LCD display and camera. The shield uses the standard 40-pin Raspberry Pi header, and it works with most models (A+, 2, 3, Zero, and Zero W).

https://www.hackster.io/news/build-a-raspberry-pi-based-modu...

I think the project is novel and cute.. but in terms of usage given most mobiles these days are used to access content rather than make calls I am not sure of the longterm suitability for most use cases. There’s a lot of “Well just plug it in to something to get even more things” but I am sure having to plug your mobile into a monitor or TV to read your e-mails is going to get boring relatively fast.

Also as already stated most network operators (at least UK ones at least) have a planned death date for 3G, some have already been shutting it down.

When I saw this I immediately thought of the Nokia 3210 reboot (fun and useful for those that want a dumb-ish phone just for calls and/or texts). That said I suspect the phone could be fairly good fun for sending SMS via a PC or making apps that interact via SMS.

1. I wish there were more details on the page about the project's time frame.

2. I imagine if it were done more recently they'd use the Pi Zero W 2.

3. It would be nicer if I knew where to actually get Pi Zero W 2's.

Doesn't actually exist.

Coming soon from Normille.com A unicorn that shits gold bars. Pledge money here!

Practical usage zero, but this looks about the size of a Nokia 5110 from 1998.

So hobby is ~24 years behind manufacturing.

How long until it's possible to make an open source attractive practical touchscreen phone from bits? Not another 24 years, that's for sure.

Looks like a thick pocket operator. Hopefully they do get made and have some revisions, would be a cool option with some more modern features

Can i order from indonesia? Please make it avAilable Maybe via aliexpress

There are plenty of Raspberry PI clones or HAT with LTE connectivity on Aliexpress and Amazon:

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=S...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=raspberry+pi+lte+4G&crid=3KU8Y5IM...

I imagine if you want a phone that espouses “freedom,” you’ll want to build it with a board that definitely doesnt have any sort of malware (ROM?) baked in. We are supposed to be pretty certain raspberry pis doesn’t have any of that going on, but what about boards with sketchy origins?

Define origins

>Define origins Well thats the thing. What if the claimed origins are false? Or what if these nameless boards were made during the night shift at a legit factory, but a rogue actor paid extra to have something bad baked in. A lot of people buy stuff off of aliexpress, but I sorta remain skeptical.

> these nameless boards were made during the night shift at a legit factory, but a rogue actor paid extra to have something bad baked in.

This happens everywhere. Look at various devices that are inserted in routers, CPU and microcode of Western equipment. A mobile modem is a black box, what's inside it? What are over-the-air capabilities built in the SIM card of your phone? This exists since decades.

More-so I worked (now retired) in Telecom industry and for two years I was responsible of lawful interception in (French) Britanny. I was horrified to learn that French police was listening to people conversations without asking for any authorization by a judge (kinda unlawful interception).

One also can wonder why IEEE 802.11 security is so bad and why so many good proposals have been repulsed under weird reasons (I attended IEEE 802.11 meetings for two years).

Even standards implicitly make room for (legit) lawful interception:

https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-t/oth/23/04/T23040000010004P...

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