Lets create the PineCom

[ljones]

The pinecom sounds like an intresting idea -- would it have a keyboard at all?

Or why not go down this route? Does anyone here remember an old thing called the Ben nanonote? Literally a tiny computer which really would fit in your pocket although it was short lived as a device. Haven't seen anything like this ever again alas ....

ljones

[KC9UDX]

You mean like a "pocket PC"? Those were quite common. I'd rather see something like the Handspring Treo (the original smartphone).

[KNERD]

You can still use Nextel phones off-network, encrypted, and legally.  I haven't done it in years, (no real need to), but I have a box of them for this in case for some reason I ever need them.

That would be something interesting to do

[KC9UDX]

You can still use Nextel phones off-network, encrypted, and legally.  I haven't done it in years, (no real need to), but I have a box of them for this in case for some reason I ever need them.

That would be something interesting to do

You might be able to find some for sale on the cheap to try it out.  Not all Nextel phones could do this; you need ones with the Direct Talk feature (also called Moto Talk IIRC).  The bad part is having to replace the battery.  I fully expect that all mine need new batteries by now.  They must have been in storage for well over a decade now.

[KNERD]

You can still use Nextel phones off-network, encrypted, and legally.  I haven't done it in years, (no real need to), but I have a box of them for this in case for some reason I ever need them.

That would be something interesting to do

You might be able to find some for sale on the cheap to try it out.  Not all Nextel phones could do this; you need ones with the Direct Talk feature (also called Moto Talk IIRC).  The bad part is having to replace the battery.  I fully expect that all mine need new batteries by now.  They must have been in storage for well over a decade now.

A cursory search on eBay shows they are not so cheap. I do wonder what sort of range one could expect with them without having all the cell tower support. Those two way radios they sell now are quite cheap for up to 30 mile range compared to the Direct Talk cell phones.

[KC9UDX]

What gets 30 mile range? "Up to" is amazingly subjective. I don't know of anything the general public has access to that can seriously do 30 miles. But I do know that retail products make such wild claims. I have not seen "30" miles yet! Where I live, Direct Talk might do two miles (guessing). But nothing you can put in a pants pocket is going to do anything better without a repeater.

The thing about Direct Talk is that it's reasonably "secure". First it's digital, second it's in part of the spectrum that you can't legally use anything else to listen with in most places (meaning nobody anywhere makes receivers for it), third it's FHSS.

I personally don't worry about these kind of things. If I didn't have access to bigger and better stuff, MURS, FRS and CB would be for for me. But this isn't popular opinion. It seems that most people don't want to be listened to on the air. That's where Direct Talk comes in. It's "secure" but legal.

[KNERD]

Here is a Uniden claiming up to 50 miles.

https://uniden.com/products/two-way-radi...x507-2ckhs

I am sure you would have to be on hill tops with a clear view of each other to avoid curvature of the Earth on that range.

I wonder how secure Direct Talk is. There are certain brands/models of satellite phones which are encrypted, but allowed to be imported into India. The reason is the encryption on them has either been broken, or keys given to government. Otherwise any other of those phones are prohibited by law from being imported. So the Direct Talk may be worth purchasing

[KC9UDX]

Yikes! I wonder how they determine that. Standing atop a mountain on a clear day, you'd have a hard time talking to someone fifty miles line of sight with that thing. So that leaves tropospheric ducting or repeater use. And both of those options are a real stretch! Where I am you might get one mile out of it.

Packet voice over FHSS is pretty darned secure. Not hiding-from-the-government secure, but no way in heck is your wife going to find out what you told your buddy you're buying her for Christmas on it. And you could probably discuss illegal things without anybody being the wiser, assuming you didn't give the information away otherwise. My memory could be off on this point, but the way I remember it, even if someone happens to have another Direct Talk "phone", they can't listen in unless you include them in your group.

I wonder what the trademark status, and legal status actually is. I know that you can legally use it on existing radios (in the USA, no idea about elsewhere). But I wonder if it would be legal and otherwise free to make new ones. If so, that would actually be a pretty cool thing to have in something like the PineCom.

[nas]

I changed my mind about small screens - consider something larger like 7-8 inches and select a 4:3 aspect ratio display to avoid window issues. Additional benefit would be room for a larger battery. Position it as a device in between the pinephone and pinetab.

[EspeciallyDirect]

I suppose it's probably a bit late for my ideas to affect much, but I still think there are important things to keep in mind if you want this to see widespread use.
I think people generally seem to have notions of this, but the PineCom doesn't sound like a device you want for day to day use. If you're depending on a PineCom, or any LoRA mesh net, things have either already gotten really, really, REALLY bad...or you work in a State Park or something.
There's this project, CellSol, that's about replacing cell towers with a zillion solar powered LoRA Pylons. Which is again, all about preparing for cell phones ceasing to be an option for you and others. But If pine64's only concern is moving units, I suggest also selling complete CellSol Pylons with solar panels in a waterproof case that can easily be put on a stick. Or anything like that that's got more development/potential. Although realistically, I can't expect some corporation to not simply make a zillion pylons themselves but with embedded tracking software if and when that ever gets popular.
Trouble is, I'm not aware of any Linux software that can to send images, text, or an audio stream to specific persons connected to a LoRA mesh net. (I found Meshenger by guessing that the name might be used in that kinda context, but that's an android app for wifi meshes.)
Availability of infrastructure and protocol is a prerequisite for people starting to strategize around a PineCom, which is a prerequisite for bulk sales.
With that kinda use case in mind...
No you don't need a front camera. You do need a back camera so you can ask someone if this thing you're looking at is edible or if it'll explode. You'll also need it to take photos of documents and scan QR codes on the screens of other people's devices/phones. And having a spare flashlight is helpful. But maybe you should put a front camera on anyway so you look like you're trying to reach students in developing nations instead of [insert people you're supposed to oppose here].
A PineCom doesn't need a proximity or ambient light sensor. An accelerometer/gyroscope can be used for inertial navigation during occasional lapses in GPS connectivity but isn't strictly necessary especially if no software uses it. A magnetometer is important out in the field and yes, it needs GPS.
With regards to wifi I gotta tell you man, the wifi reception on my pinephone is pretty terrible. I can't move farther than 20 feet from my router if I want acceptable connection speeds. Considering that this is supposed to be a post-internet meshnet device, if you can think of a means of extending that, do it! But try for rearranging the antennae first.
When it comes to SPI flash, you'll want you and your buddies to all be on the same operating system in case someone gets confused, and I think the ability of the device to write OS images onto SD cards (or it's own EMMC) by itself is important for this.
The edge of the case should protrude in front of the screen very slightly (like 1/2 of a mm) to improve drop resistance, and there should be enough bezel on the edges for a waterproof case to go over the PineCom without obscuring the screen. I'd like the device to be waterproof by itself, but I don't think you'll be able to do that and meet your $100 price point.
The headphone jack is more important than the speaker.
Making the device somewhat thicker, with a bigger battery, makes sense for this kinda thing. This will let you put the camera module on top of the PCB and cut down on overall length.
Whatever you do to the screen size, ensure that the device is short enough for shorter people to place in their pants pockets and run without causing excessive strain on the device. If the top of the device presses into your hip when you crouch, crawl, or go up a ladder, it's too tall. Keeping the same width but using a 16X9 panel should work.
And if you're still open to suggestions, I'd like a killswitch that shuts down all RF except GPS. On the outside of the device. Just that one though.