PinePhone Now Offers a Convergence Package
The makers of the Linux PinePhone are now offering a model that makes desktop/mobile convergence a reality.
Although the Linux PinePhone is still not ready for primetime, the company behind the product have upped the ante with a hardware add-on that makes it possible to turn that Linux-powered mobile platform into a full-blown desktop.
The new Convergence Package is a limited edition option that makes use of the PostmarketOS, which is based on the Alpine Linux distribution that includes both mobile and desktop modes. In order to make this work, the PinePhone uses a docking station with two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a 10/100Mbps ethernet port.
Because PostmarketOS is still in alpha development, it cannot be considered ready for consumer usage, however the core functionality (phone, SMS, LTE, GPS, GPU acceleration) are all operational.
The Convergence Package phone specs aren’t going to wow anyone (especially if you’re looking for a flagship device). You’ll find an Allwin A64 chipset, a 64-bit Quad-core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A-53 CPU, a MALI-400MP2 GPU, 32GB of internal storage, 3GB of LPDDR3 SDRAM, a micro SD Card slot (which supports up to 2TB of storage), a single 5MP main camera and a 2MP selfie camera.
The Convergence Package sells for $199.00 and is up for pre-order now. According to Pine64, they are not yet certain if this package will become a regular offering, or if it will remain a limited edition.
Issue 256/2022
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