Luke,
Hang in there. What you are doing is awesome. I've bricked phones by flashing them. I've bricked phones using a freezer app to try to shut of innocuous sounding apps like "LG Backup" which cannot be disabled through normal Android apps. I know what a JTAG port is and how to use them. The bricked phones I have do not have JTAG ports. You have to scrape the epoxy off of traces and somehow trusting a 3rd party as to which trace to attach, jack your programmer in. Again, in some cases, I cannot get the factory rom from the manufacturer. Again, trust a 3rd party download. Arghh. A collection of our phones are designed to go into the landfill. Recycling, right. Have you seen the entire recyc chain? It's still putting toxic crap somewhere.
So what you / Pine64 is doing is AWESOME. Oh yeah, I want it now...but I can wait. Barely
.
(I cant remember but I'm going to go review. I think the modem is replaceable in this phone. If it is, the lifespan of the phone goes way up. Who cares if it isnt. When the modem is obsolete (6G beamed straight into my head)...I have complete control over the phone. Lets slap it in the dash of my RV and turn it into a trip computer, stick it on my bedside for a fancy alarm clock, run my CNC machine with it, make it my homebrew computer, ... Cause with this phone, you can.)
Now dont take this as a complaint or as bad news. Just take it as a data point. I'd be really glad to hear from people in America that ordered as to what date, what general location, and if you got a email/SMS or have your phone yet.
For me:
I ordered my community edition on 4/25 to be shipped DHL and got a paypal notice that Syabas Technology in HK had received it also on the 25th. I am in the Seattle area and so far have not received an email or SMS.
I continue to wait patiently (not bragging, just reminding how cool this device is and how cool we'll make it be...cause we can.)
THANKS!
Bill