edit: I want this phone, I have reserved a slot in the coming batch.
Just posing as an average Joe here, someone who does not host their own storage, calendar, contacts, phone tracking, remote wipe, the "free" features Google and Apple are known for on their phones.
This isn't for people with a consumer mindset. It’s for people who want a Linux computer in their pocket, more privacy, and still want to run some Android apps.
There are no longer any cellular chipset vendors based in Europe, afaik, so there's really no alternative. It's also hard to see how they will ever again be one.
What else use main line kernel without blob ?
Let us clarify here as it is very different indeed.
The Jolla C2 Community Phone is done in collaboration with Reeder, who is the HW vendor. This means Reeder sources the components, plans the production and does the manufacturing in Turkey. Jolla provides the complete software stack (Sailfish OS) which is installed by Reeder in the manufacturing.
In the new Jolla Phone everything is different. Jolla is the vendor, has designed the product itself, done the component sourcing and pays directly to the component vendors. We control the pipeline. Further, we have secured our position for the initial memory batch with advance purchase.
Also, to be clear: Reeder has no involvement in the new Jolla Phone.
Thank you for asking, very good points to clarify!
Pointing out that they still rely on Android drivers for booting the thing is a little tone-deaf from my perspective when they're basically choosing a different path towards a similar goal to Purism and other alternative mobile vendors: higher availability of non Google, non Apple mobile devices. Perfect is the enemy of good and all that. And like I explained the reason for their choice is not nefarious but a pragmatic one.
What I do care about is that my phone isn’t going to run into obsolescence a few years down the road (due to hard kernel forks and YOLO’ed device drivers that are not going to be updated for newer kernels).
I can't find recent demos of the phone, everything is a few years old on YouTube now, and I know the device is still in development.
How usable the browser and camera are ?
Can you get a full day of battery ?
Camera: https://social.librem.one/@dos/tagged/shotonlibrem5
Battery: I unplugged it from the charger 10 hours ago, it's currently at 55%. Typically it's up to 22 hours when suspended, up to 12 hours when idling without suspend and about 3-5 hours of active use depending on what you're doing. Could be better, but can be worked with.