PinePhone / Pine Tab dock or PineBook

[hockleyj]

I am a big fan, of Pine, and there efforts...   As one of the Braveheart's customers, and a recent (1 year and counting) convert to Linux (Arch/KDE) I have tried various device combinations in the effort to  get to a  place  where the  Phone is the enabler to the Laptop equivalent experience.   so playing with Samsung's Dex efforts,  and Asus's ZenPhone / laptop like dock etc.    though none of those really had the software to make the  hardware work in the right alignment.

The Pine Phone on the other hand has the exact right hardware alignment to be a  plugin to a PineTab like case, which would give a portable slate with keyboard experience,  or maybe even a Pinebook Shell that the phone plugs into to provide a Laptop experience.

These would be considered accessories,  so they are dumb devices without say the phone or other Pine SoC board (with adapter board for common insertion).

The key is that it needs to insert into the shell of the device, unlike the Nexdock2 etc,  if not inserted into, maybe a recess that the phone has a magnetic case that locks into position etc this method would provide better long term support.

The Dock essentially would provide  the Screen, Typing and Battery extension aspects.

[tophneal]

This is a good idea! I've thought about this some, concerning the phone and tab (I'm waiting to get a tab just to try out UBports) and how it would be great to have something to allow us to utilize Unity8's Convergence.

[hockleyj]

The following youtube video  has a good concept that could be adapted to use PinePhone,  obviously this depends on USB-C monitor support for the OS but the actual hardware is available via Amazon now... Screen/keyboard dock combo

[InsideJob]

I bought a DisplayPort MicroUSB to HDMI adapter for my UBPorts phone just to play with Convergence. It starts up fine but then hangs. At least they finally got the camera working...*sigh*

IMHO, it's the Window Manager that should handle the view modes. Instead of just maximize and minimize have a button for phone, tablet and laptop modes. We don't need different app versions for each like Apple. Unfortunately with everyone switching to client-side decorations that's now looking like a pipe dream.

[pljanson]

it would be great it we could use a pinebook pro or pinetab as "dock".

This would require additional hardware I assume. Or the usb-c is on the go and can receive the connected phone.
An additional input board for the pinetab or pinebook pro is maybe possible if that can be connected to the epci bus, like the M2 ssd or the LTE board.

And then an "app" that can render the display and audio, and return the keyboard/touch/mouse (although that could probably also be achieved using BT.

A poor mans version is of course using VNC server on the phone

regards paul

[sbl]

A dock like NextDock or the examples shown in this thread would be really great and boost my interest in the PinePhone.

I commute by train and use to work while commuting. Battery extension, screen and keyboard cleanly docked to the PinePhone would start becoming a real desktop alternative to me, esp. if two screens (when at office) become available.

(unfortunately I could not vote in the poll!)

Keep up with the great work on the pine phone!