Linux-based 4G phones with Google Assistant sold for $7 in Indonesia

Post by thinkloop » Sat, Apr 06, 2019, 4:21 PM UTC

type-2 wrote: post #71

jeswin wrote: post #14

Having spent a couple of years building apps for KaiOS (which is really Firefox OS), I can say that it's probably the easiest development platform out there - mostly pure web; with some proprietary extensions. I wish Firefox OS hadn't thrown in the towel so early. These devices are selling millions of units every month.

firefox os had so much potential, now with pwa's being the next big thing, it seem like firefox os could be a game changer. Too bad they killed it.

Post by 0815test » Sat, Apr 06, 2019, 4:30 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #96

i4blux wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox OS was doomed to fail. They created an operating system which used the slowest rendering and JS engine there was and put it in the worst hardware they could find.

These phones run on the same rendering and JS engine... "KaiOS apps are based on web technologies–HTML, CSS, and JavaScript–and are run by Gecko runtime." https://developer.kaiostech.com/

Post by ioddly » Sat, Apr 06, 2019, 4:35 PM UTC

andrey_utkin wrote: post #81

squarefoot wrote: post #46

We're likely approaching the day when it'll be more cheap to attempt to build an open Linux phone from scratch rather than keep waiting for a manufacturer to listen to a few thousand techies who don't want their personal data chewed by proprietary OSes. That milestone will almost certainly be marked by the availability of cheap 3/4G modems (I'd be perfectly fine with 3G if it was the only option). We're not there but…

That's right. This already is happening. I got bored of waiting for "Linux smartphone" and accidentally found that it's actually quite easy and affordable to build a wearable computer from scratch. And I built myself one of course. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theverge.com/platform/amp/c... I just used new generation of the same display, and a one handed Twiddler 3 keyboard. Raspberry pi doesn't have cellular, so…

Post by ronsor » Sat, Apr 06, 2019, 4:49 PM UTC

pjmlp wrote: post #67

rb808 wrote: post #30

WebAssembly is going to make Linux phones rock. Can't wait.

The Web makes the underlying OS irrelevant.

Post by ac29 » Sat, Apr 06, 2019, 5:12 PM UTC

blackflame7000 wrote: post #106

squarefoot wrote: post #46

We're likely approaching the day when it'll be more cheap to attempt to build an open Linux phone from scratch rather than keep waiting for a manufacturer to listen to a few thousand techies who don't want their personal data chewed by proprietary OSes. That milestone will almost certainly be marked by the availability of cheap 3/4G modems (I'd be perfectly fine with 3G if it was the only option). We're not there but…

The cheapest 4G modem I can find is still $80. I wonder how they are making the entire phone for just $7