Open Source Smartphone
Contents
Overview
Goal here is to determine and implement the best route for installing an open source operating system for a phone on a small computer like the Raspberry Pi or Beagle Bone. This is both an open hardware And libre software question.
The reason for the phone is that telephony is a widely popular use case for microcomputer devices. It is useful to run a phone via internet phone protocols, or through cellular protocols. WiFi telephony can occur at no cost wherever an internet connection can be found. Cellular telephony is an on-the-go and emergency use case wherever there is no internet.
The main reason for the open source hardware/software phone is to produce the lifetime design phone, which thus has good lifecycle material stewardship embodied in its design. An open source phone can be maintained by the user for as long as the user requires, as opposed to being a throwaway good once some part breaks. This is good for the environment, as society builds in material stewardship into the economy.
Basics
- Part of the Open Source Computer Construction Set
- An open source smartphone
Used For
- Calls
- Texts
- Video Calls
- Photography
- Media Consumption
- Internet Browsing
- Gaming
- Financial Transactions
Industry Standards
Apple
- Iphone X
Android
Existing Open Source Designs
-Small overview of existing ecosystems
Minimum Viable Product
- 16 by 9 Screen Ratio
- Low Glare, High Brightness Display
- Minimum 1080p 60hz Multitouch Capable Touch Screen
- Cellular, Wifi, and Bluetooth (Maybe Lifi too)
- 1 USB-C or USB-C Thunderbolt 3 Port
- 1x 3.5mm Stereo Audio out Jack (Audiophile/Studio Grade Sound)
- 1x 3.5mm Stereo Audio in Jack (Audiophile/Studio Grade Sound)
- Dual Sim Cards
- User Expandable Memory (Via Micro SD Cards)
- Modularity + User Repairability
- IP 68 Rating + MIL-STD-810 Rating
Basic Design
Battery/ IO Module
- On the bottom
- Hot swappable battery slots plus USB-C port unit for wired charging / wired data transfer + audio jack
Data Modules
- ?x
- SD and/or Micro SD card readers, Hot swappable hopefully via raid
Processing Module
- 1x
- Raspberry Pi or some equivalent
Wifi Module
- ?x
- Antenna + connectors to the processor
Cellular Module
- Either 4G 4.5G, or 5G
Bluetooth Module
- ?x
- Mainly 4.0, 4.?, or 5.0
LIFI Module
- ?x
- Internet via pulsed light, not widespread, but may be worth a look
Satellite Module
- ?x
( Either phone only or internet as well )
Camera + Microphone module
- ?x
- Can be in different forms such as: a rear and front camera module, a stereoscopic 3d module, a 360 video module, a thermal camera module, a 3d scanning module, a spectrometer, or maybe even a medical/biometric scanner
Misc modules:
- Wireless Charging Module ( a QI Charging Pad and connectors to the battery module )
- Solar Panel Module ( a rear solar panel for emergency power)
- Crank Charger Module ( A rear crank handle power module for emergency power )
- Barcode Scanner ( A Barcode Scanner, good for factory/inventory use cases )
- Touchscreen Module ( Most likely a " Manga Screen " or equivalent multitouch HD screen)
- Advanced IO Module ( Maybe more ports such as additional USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, Display Port, or even Gigabit Ethernet)
- Advanced Screen Module ( 1440p or 4k Screen instead of 720p or 1080p )
- Advanced Storage Module ( Uses 2.5/3.5 inch drives (either ssd or maybe even magnetic disk drives) for massive amounts of storage. Would add some bulkiness though. )
BOM
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See Also
