+- PINE64 (https://forum.pine64.org)
+-- Forum: PinePhone (https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=120)
+--- Forum: General Discussion on PinePhone (https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=127)
+--- Thread: Is PinePhone good for me? (/showthread.php?tid=12654)
Pages:
1
2
RE: Is PinePhone good for me? - thatrandomguy - 01-07-2021
(12-28-2020, 04:50 PM)Gon Wrote: I write to you from Spain, and I have a few questions about PinePhone. I am a fervent user of linux system, using it daily on my computer. But I'm not an advanced user, and don't have high knowledge about it.
So the question is: I would love to buy PinePhone for me, is it possible with my linux level?
The other question is: are they going to sell another Manjaro's version again? If not, is the KDE version easy to use? which is the easier OS to use?
And the ultimate: could I use Whatsapp on it?
Thanks a lot for your attention,
Waiting for your answer.
1. IMO, you don't have to be an advanced user to be able to use the PinePhone. Some OSs are more clear-cut in terms of UI/UX than others and others are presented as being more stable/compatible/mature with the hardware. Being able to tinker with Linux would undoubtedly help as progress is made for the software as you may potentially run into problems.... in which case, you'd have to be able to Google stuff or be willing to read for solutions or warnings.
2. AFAIK, you don't need the Manjaro edition to actually use whatever Manjaro decedent distro you decide to use on your PinePhone. All you would need is the actual hardware (i.e. a PinePhone) and you could flash the image on your device.
3. Unless Whatsapp has a web version, my answer to that is that it likely won't have a native client/app available for you under Linux or other OSs like SailfishOS. I believe the way people are trying to get around that is by using an Android emulator of sorts that lets you run Android apps.... but keep in mind that the PinePhone is already resource limited as a device on its own. In other words, it wouldn't really be available to you out of the box from what I understand and even then, I'm not 100% on which distros it's currently working well enough on to bother the investment.
In other words, if you're expecting this to be 1:1 with Android/iOS for whatever experience you're used to having with them aside from the basic functions of calling/texting, I wouldn't hold your breath. If you aren't willing to put in the effort/time to obtain whatever status you'd like with the software, then you're better off looking somewhere else. I'd recommend LineageOS or even /e/ but those all take some effort as well albeit mainly being minimal reading (and a compatible device).