Lets create the PineCom

[mattswest]

First time on these forums, saw this thread and got excited, then started reading this thread and got disappointed.

It seems to me that the whole point of this device is that it would have different use cases than the PinePhone.

We’ll soon be starting work on the PineCom - a privacy-oriented handheld communicator that shares the PinePhone’s pedigree but offers a distinct and different feature set.

I feel like a lot of people's comments miss that point.

All we know from the outset of the thread is that this is supposed to be something like a PinePhone but with a LoRa transceiver instead of a cellular modem.

I don't think it is meant to be like a PinePhone. I think as some others have suggested, I think it's meant to be like a Meshtastic device, but one with a 5" display so it can be used on its own without having to pair it with another device.

It should definitely have GPS, a camera to scan QR codes would be nice but it's more of a convenience, and a smaller display would increase battery life but 5" is already gonna be smaller than a lot of people will want. It should be optimized for battery life as well as LoRa signal strength; don't shy away from adding an external antenna or making it thicker for a larger battery because of aesthetic reasons. Physical buttons over a touch screen would conserve some energy, although that's obviously a large design departure that would affect compatibility. A notification LED would reduce turning on the screen to check for messages.

I'm really excited about this device, can't wait to see what gets made.