←back to thread

PinePhone Pro [GNU/Linux smartphone] has been discontinued

(social.treehouse.systems)
172 points fsflover | 3 comments | 28 Aug 25 16:05 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
BariumBlue ◴[28 Aug 25 16:35 UTC] No.45054182[source]▶
I really like the phone/desktop convergence concept. Mostly I think because I want the freedom / open experience of my desktop on my phone though, I think.

But I think most folks interested enough in the concept are also rich enough to afford a phone and a laptop, and if you want a keyboard for your phone you might as well just use a laptop.

I still think conceptually it's the right direction for tech that our devices should be so flexible, but it's hard enough in practice that it's not generally done.

replies(8): >>45054208 #>>45054249 #>>45054451 #>>45054514 #>>45055112 #>>45055176 #>>45064307 #>>45065101 #
BriggyDwiggs42 ◴[28 Aug 25 18:03 UTC] No.45055112[source]▶
I feel the same way, but while there are definitely actual hardware limitations preventing phones from being identical to computers, the problem is mostly a choice. Why aren’t ipads with keyboard cases able to be used exactly like laptops, for example? I think companies seized on the combined accessibility and restrictiveness of smartphones to justify design choices which are more about profit. Restricting the app library makes apple a great amount of money. Ads are hard to block across a mobile device, why else if not for more money? I think the circumstances of smartphone development gave them the opportunity to make these choices and we’ve gotten locked in since.
replies(1): >>45058891 #
1. codedokode ◴[29 Aug 25 01:12 UTC] No.45058891[source]▶
> Why aren’t ipads with keyboard cases able to be used exactly like laptops

Small screen - cannot fit many controls or code. Small keys - cannot type fast. No touchpad - cannot do precise clicks, therefore cannot have many controls on the screen. Try imagining something like editing lots of small notes in a music editor with your fingers...

replies(2): >>45059985 #>>45080108 #
2. xethos ◴[29 Aug 25 03:55 UTC] No.45059985[source]▶
I can hit 40-60 WPM on a BlackBerry keyboard, but a chicklet keyboard is too much for honest-to-god software developers?

The small screen is equally ludicrous. The desktops of a few decades ago had lower resolution on physically smaller displays, and I consider a large, crisp display a must-have for longer sessions - not a hard requirement for smaller, quicker tasks

Not having a trackpad is one reason the iPad supports USB mice too, and giving some users a trackpad would result in the same complaint: "This is terrible, can I use a real mouse please?". More to the point, parent is complaining about keyboard cases with trackpads, which are mediocre in part precisely because Apple has constructed a software ecosystem that is hostile to powerful, desktop-style programs

3. BriggyDwiggs42 ◴[31 Aug 25 03:27 UTC] No.45080108[source]▶
Ipad with keyboard is absolutely just a tiny laptop.