This month we reveal that we are working on a powerful and affordable RISC-V single board computer, discuss PineNote’s huge software improvements and provide updates on PinePhone, PinePhone Pro and Pinebook Pro’s availability. I am also taking the opportunity to let you know that, after 6 years of holding PINE64’s community manager post, I’ll be resigning from my position shortly, once PINE64 EU launches next week; Marek Kraus will gradually be taking over my responsibilities.
There is much to cover this month, so let’s get cracking.
You can watch the synopsis of this month’s community update on YouTube (embedded below) as well as on Odysee and PeerTube. To stay up-to-date with PINE64 news make sure to subscribe to this blog (subscription widget at the bottom of the webpage), follow the PINE64 Telegram News channel, the announcements channel in Discord as well as our Twitter and Mastodon.
I’d like to thank dsimic, Alex (clover) and PizzaLovingNerd for their contributions to this community update.
N.B. Comments on the blog post need to be in English and follow our Community Rules and Code of Conduct.
TL;DR
Video synopsis of the June Update
Earlier this month JF wrote a guest post in which he showcased the Quartz64 model-A’s functionality as a NAS. The post details retrofitting a standard ATX computer case to fit a Quartz64 model-A and outfitting the setup with 6 SSDs. JF also provides general guidance to reproduce the setup and offers a handful of benchmarks of the NAS’ performance. While JF used Manjaro as the basis for his NAS, I feel this is a good time to let everyone know that Debian Armbian builds for the Quartz64 are now available for download. I know that many people are in favour of Debian’s stability when it comes to building something such as a NAS, and therefore I am thrilled to see that now it is available as an option on the Quartz64. I should also mention that I expect to see many more OS builds available for Quartz64 and SOQuartz shortly.
JF’s NAS – via guest blog post
Staying on the subject of single board computers, the QuartzPro64 developer edition coupons will start going out shortly. If you’ve signed up to purchase a unit, please keep an eye on your inbox. If you receive an email with a coupon code, you will have limited time to complete the purchase. The email will also include the link to the page where you can complete your QuartzPro64 purchase.
Last month I had the pleasure of bringing the much anticipated news that Pinebook Pro is re-entering production. This month I am glad to confirm that the Pinebook Pro is already in production, and we expect units to be delivered from the factory sometime in July. We will make sure to notify you once stock is available on social media and in the news channels. Dsimic will soon be publishing a guest post about PCB changes made to this production run, so keep an eye out for his impressions in the coming days.
A peek at the Pinebook Pro’s 2022 PCB – via dsimic
In case you missed it, a new PineTalk episode was released at the beginning of this month. In this month’s episode, Brian and Justin covered topics covered in the May community update and discussed their experience with open and security-focused Android ROMs. Justin also talks about an idea he pitched to me concerning a smart-speaker. The duo also promised to read and respond to the audience’s questions, so make sure to bombard them with emails, toots and tweets. I too think that the show deserves a higher degree of community engagement. If you haven’t yet added PineTalk to your RSS feed, then here is a handy link: https://www.pine64.org/feed/mp3/.
PINE64 EU is finally ready to open its doors for business. I don’t have a specified launch day yet, but it will be next week – it largely depends on how quickly I manage transport, unpack and inventory everything. I once again wish to apologise for the delay in the store’s opening – I ran into issues with EU regulation that needed to be addressed. Suffice to say, relevant institutions take their sweet time with every piece of submitted paperwork; in my case, it took some 4 weeks for a complete review. Anyways, here is what will be available for purchase on day one: PinePhone Pro, PinePhone, the Pinecil, PinePhone (Pro) keyboard case, protective cases for the phones as well as the PineTime. As I mentioned in the past, this is just the beginning, and the aim is to have the EU store grow its selection to include other hardware in the future. I should also mention that customers will be able to select from Mobian, Manjaro and postmarketOS to be installed on their PinePhone (Pro). I also have a small surprise which will be announced on the day of the store’s launch, so make sure to follow PINE64 EU on Twitter, Mastodon and Telegram (news channel, not a chat).
Lastly, at the beginning of next month, as the EU store’s launches, I will give up my position as community manager at PINE64. But fret not, I am leaving you in very capable hands – Marek Kraus will be taking on the role of steering the community in the future. Marek has been a part of the project for a long time and played a crucial role in PINE64’s success. He is highly personable, cool headed and, unlike me, also very technically skilled (including hardware and software). This means that not only is he able to communicate with contributors, engineers and partner project developers, but he is also able to speak their language. I am handing down this post to Marek with complete confidence and I know that he’ll do an incredible job. As for myself, while the PINE64 EU will be my core focus from now-on, I will remain a part of PINE64 and the community – I’m not going anywhere. I’ll also keep on writing the updates, hosting quarterly Q&As, engaging with the community, etc. The transition of responsibilities between Marek and I will be gradual and fluid; it will take time. Congrats Marek and take good care of my beloved project 🙂
We have hinted at this for some time, and many of you knew it would become a reality eventually: we’re now in the final layout phase for a powerful, yet affordable, RISC-V single board computer. I need to be a bit cagey about what I write, partly because I want you to solve the riddle at the end of this section, and in part because not all information has been set in stone and disclosed publicly by the SoC vendor. Before I get into some of the details I’ve been allowed to disclose, here’s the spiel: the board will premiere in our signature model-A form factor, feature CPU performance which falls somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Quartz64, offer plenty of IO, and sport a price-tag similar to that of the Quartz64. In a nutshell, a Quartz64 model-A type board but with a RISC-V SoC. Sounds good? Then keep on reading.
PCIe is important to industry clients; ROCKPro64 in RoninDojo Tanto – via RoninDojo
The board will be available in two configurations, with 4GB and 8GB of RAM. Similarly to the Quartz64 model-A, the RISC-V board will feature both USB 3.0 and a PCIe slot. Having an open-ended PCIe slot on a board offers it a high degree of versatility, which we know is something that developers, end-users and industry clients want. The SoC features two native Gigabit Ethernet NICs, but I am not certain if there are plans to expose both of them on the PCB – this hasn’t been determined yet. Regardless, I figured it is worth mentioning it as an available option. The SoC has Imagination Technologies’ BXE-2-32 GPU for which the source code ought to be made available soon. Imagination Technologies have recently come through on their promise of open sourcing their other GPUs, so there is no reason to believe that it will be any different in the case of the BXE-2-32. Since the formal introduction of the board to the market is still a few months away, the code may very well be available on launch day.
The model-A SBC form factor should be familiar to everyone (pictured: Quartz64 model-A, PINE A64(+), ROCKPro64)
The last thing I want to communicate is that the RISC-V platform is something we wish to pursue in parallel to our well established ARM-based hardware. While we don’t have set-in-stone plans regarding the platform, be on the lookout for more RISC-V hardware offerings from now through 2023. We have some candidate devices for a RISC-V conversion and ideas for future iterations of hardware based on the architecture, which is something I believe many of you will find exciting. In short: we have made a decision to commit to the RISC-V platform.
I’ve decided to keep the name of the board out of this introductory post so that you can decipher the riddle below. As we’ve done in the past, the first person to correctly decipher the name of the board will receive the first unit that rolls off the factory floor. Your guess needs to be filed in the comments section; guesses posted elsewhere don’t count. Don’t worry if your guess doesn’t immediately show up in the comments – it needs to undergo moderation. All comments are time-stamped, so there is no chance of being leapfrogged by someone else submitting their guess after you. I’ll have more information about our RISC-V board for you next month.
Victoria Line Station
I sing, act and dance
celebrated by them all
I never climb my stage
but I sometimes fall
In the sea I dwell
and in every magic book
By heaven!
adding 64 is all it took
On my stage I shine
and when I feel truly blue
then there’s nothing
This is the final clue
Let me open with a short update on Pinephone and PinePhone Pro’s availability; we currently expect to receive the next production-run in approximately mid July at which point shipping will commence. At the time of publishing this post, both PinePhone and PinePhone Pro should now be listed as being in-stock.
As most of you are aware, the PinePhone (Pro)’s Quectel EG25-G modem is effectively its own single-core Arm computer running a closed Linux-based firmware. Over the past 2 years the community put in an immense effort to improve and adapt the IoT modem’s firmware to better serve the PinePhone (Pro). Work by Biktor and Konrad, as well as that of other contributors, opened the modem up to tinkering and thereby also to alterations and improvements to its software. Before I write another word, I need to underline that it is PINE64’s and Pine Store’s position that the licensed proprietary firmware on the modem should not be tampered with, and it is my duty to notify you that altering the modem’s firmware may violate your local laws, which in turn can have very real consequences. Therefore, please consider the following to be a progress report and a showcase, which I find to be fitting well with the community spirit of this blog, but it is not an enticement to use alternative firmware on your PinePhone (Pro).
Until recently it was very difficult to switch from the closed Quectel firmware to the much more open firmware by Biktor. This community firmware contains no binary blobs in the userspace, and significantly reduces the modem’s power consumption and heat output by running the SoC at just 100Mhz instead of the default 400Mhz/ 800Mhz. Until recently, installation of the community firmware required you to have a firm understanding of the command line and ADB. Now, however, the process has been completely streamlined and achievable via fwupd, and from a GUI no less. I decided to try the process on my own hardware running DanctNIX Arch Linux. The process is as simple as opening up the GNOME software centre, searching for “Firmware” and downloading the GUI utility. Upon launching the Firmware utility the Quectel modem is automatically listed as eligible for firmware updates. Tapping the modem provides information about the current vendor firmware, vendor ID as well as many other information. Scrolling down reveals available releases from Biktor. The installation is as simple as tapping the chosen release, reading the precaution popup, and agreeing to proceed with the installation. The installation takes approximately 10 minutes, and at the end of which the phone needs to be rebooted.
Installing modem firmware using GUI – via Martijn Braam
I have now run Biktors firmware for a handful of days and I am very pleased with its performance. I can tell that the phone as a whole runs considerably cooler and the additional quirks it offers are fun to toy with. I also haven’t experienced any issues with LTE, GPS, making and receiving calls nor with sending or receiving SMS. If anything, on the default firmware I would sometimes experience issues with receiving calls (usually after a few days of the PinePhone running) but as of today, my PinePhone running the community modem firmware hasn’t dropped a single call – at least, not to my knowledge. But Biktor’s firmware has another tangible benefit over its closed-source counterpart: namely, it is more secure and not susceptible to the malware first distributed in December of last year. This is a major boon, especially to all those who are getting a PinePhone (Pro) strictly for privacy and security purposes.
But an open firmware opens an avenue for doing a wide variety of things, some of which are not necessarily related to telephony at all. Indeed, some applications may not even be useful, and only serve as an illustration of what can be achieved when running open source software. One such example is running Doom on the modem, because, ya’ know, everything needs to run Doom. Biktor put together a special (pre)release of the firmware which bundles X11, a VNC server and Chocolate Doom for those of you who wish to try this out. Below you’ll find a short video showing Doom running on the PinePhone’s modem.
Doom on PinePhone’s modem – original video via Biktor on Twitter
While I can neither recommend nor suggest flashing this community-built modem firmware, I privately think that it clearly serves a purpose and has an application if you reside in a region where unlicensed modem firmware is permissible. From what I can tell, the firmware offers many benefits to PinePhone (Pro) users and no obvious drawbacks. I should also mention that if you attempt flashing your PinePhone (Pro)’s modem firmware and something goes wrong, then neither we nor Biktor bear any responsibility for it. Lastly, I know that Biktor would appreciate help developing this firmware further, making it even more secure and its feature-set more robust, so if you are interested in this project then please consider donating via ko-fi or liberapay, or contribute code.
Lastly I’d also like to mention that the cameras on both the original and Pro versions of the PinePhone have received some major improvements. As I reported last month, thanks in large part to Megi’s efforts, the camera on the PinePhone Pro’s is now functional – although it will take time for it to be incorporated into an application like Megapixels. For the past month Megi has been working on a calibration application for PinePhone Pro’s cameras. In his recent blog post, Megi writes: “I started writing a GTK4 based app that connects to the Pinephone Pro over WiFi and allows to modify parameters inside the sensor and ISP, while monitoring the effects of various correction in real time, inspect histograms for various color components, and in general to experiment with the cameras and the ISP fairly painlessly. This should help with the calibration process as much as possible“. The application also allows live mjpeg streaming over HTTP to as a convenience feature. Megi also explains that he is putting a lot of time into the design of the UI controls and CPU optimisation, so that the application is both cognitively ergonomic and only utilizing a single core for a lag-free experience. Ultimately, the goal of his efforts are to make it easier for end-user applications, such as Megapixels, to properly calibrate and incorporate his code.
Streaming video via the PinePhone Pro application app – via Megi’s blog
On the subject of Megapixels, Martijn Braam released a video showcasing new post-processing modes that will soon be included into Megapixels. Users will now be able to manually select from three different post-processing modes: the original mode (currently available), single and stacked. The new post-processing modes are not only much faster, but they also result in much nicer, richer and more natural photographs on the original PinePhone. Taking photographs is one of a smartphone’s core features, and the picture quality on the original PinePhone has just received a major ‘bump’. This is something all PinePhone users ought to be looking out for.
First image: old camera post processing / Second image: new camera post processing – via Martijn Braam on Twitter
It has been some time since I wrote about the PineNote. This is partly because much of the work at this point centers around the e-paper display. But let me back up a little bit. The PineNote has benefited from all the progress made on the Quartz64 platform. In case you missed it, I described Quartz64 progress back in March and in last month’s update; much work has gone into making the RK3566 platform functional, and with patches being upstreamed a sizable portion of the core functionality is now available in mainline Linux. In other words, the basis upon which the PineNote is built is in good shape. However, the PineNote is not a single board computer and it also doesn’t rely on a traditional video output. The first breakthrough for the PineNote came in January of this year, when developers managed to initiate the e-paper display under non-BSP Linux. Since January much of the work concerning the PineNote centered around making the e-paper display more usable. Whilst the PineNote could display images for some time now, the refresh rate remained very low thereby limiting its scope of usability. The other issue with a very slow refresh rate is that it makes it impossible to write on the PineNote – negating one of the devices main features and selling points.
DOOM on PineNote – via Danct12
But this is about to change. Recent breakthroughs by Smaeul and Maximilian, as well as other developers, bring us much closer to realising the dream of a fully open and well supported e-paper device. The PineNote can now use the A2 waveform which allows for fast transitions between black and white on e-paper; for those who like me are uneducated in this matter, you can think of it as a very fast local refresh rate, for instance just under the tip of the stylus. But that’s not all. Smaeul has also been working on a global refresh mode (entire panel, not local), which only refreshes ‘damaged’, or altered, sections rather than the entirety of the panel. As he explained, this leads to a dramatic reduction in memory bandwidth requirements. Referring to the video I am embedding below, Smaeul writes: “ Global refreshes with diff mode turned off for clarity (…) I’ve configured the window registers so only the damaged portion of the screen (the flashing part) gets read from DRAM. (…) We could add some heuristic to switch to a global refresh if a large enough portion of the screen is damaged. Since global refreshes only use 2 buffers instead of 3, this would minimize the peak memory bandwidth”.
Video showcasing the A2 waveform in Smaeul’s driver – video shared in chat
I also had an opportunity to talk to Maximilian, who showcased his build of Debian bookworm/sid with GNOME running under Wayland. This build runs a slightly modified version of Smaeul’s e-paper ebc driver with tweaks to the system configuration. Maximilian explained that his tweaks reduce artifacts and auto refresh, and force the driver to only output black and white pixels so that the A2 waveform can be used without dealing with colors and text rendering issues. The result? Smooth pen input and, from what I can tell, near flawless writing tested for example in a default and unchanged LibreOffice, which ships with Debian.
As you can see in the video from the user hrdl below, writing in a regular Linux on the PineNote (in Xournal++ with just two minor patches and configuration tweaks) does not only look viable but downright great. It is one thing to describe it and a different thing to see it, so below I am attaching the example video of handwriting using an EMR Pen in a pretty standard Linux installation on the PineNote.
What the PineNote now needs is a default Linux distribution and user interface to ship. The OS doesn’t need to be polished, nor flawless, all it needs to be Linux with all the device’s core capabilities enabled. Marek and I will be talking to PineNote developers and partner projects in the coming weeks in a hope to work out an arrangement so that the PineNote can finally ship with Linux preinstalled. Here is the take-away from this section: we (and by ‘we’, I actually mean the devoted developers) are getting closer to realising the dream of an e-paper device running regular Linux, with a regular desktop, which allows you to do regular computational things on the device.
That is all for this month’s update, catch you all in July!
300 responses to “June Update: Who likes RISC-V?”
Opal64
Viking64
Victoria64
Sapphire64
Beryl64
Gem64
OB64
Aquamarine64
Pearl64
Tauri64, Pleione64
Gala, Curtain, Spell
GCS64
Shell64
buccaneer-64
privateer-64
Moonlight-64
oyster64
Kraken64
The answer is either Starlight-64 or Sailor-64
meteor-64
viking-64
Amber64?
Pearl64
What is ghostship-64 or Dutchman-64
The ghostship-64
What is comet-64 or astroid-64
Aquamarine64!
kraken-64
Pirate-64
Pearl64
(Oxford Circus —> Margaret Street —> margārīta —> Margaritiferidae —> pearl-bearing oysters)
Also, if you treat the “by” in “By Heaven!” as a preposition then it’s a reference to the gateway to Heaven: AKA “pearly gates”
Limestone-64
Kraken-64 unleash the Kraken
Starfish64
Lake64
Looking at koreader’s core display pieces ( https://github.com/koreader/koreader-base/tree/master/ffi-cdecl ), what co-optimizations do the active PineNote devs think could make sense? They can use einkfb, but I’m not sure how that maps through Wayland or others. An eink compositor? hm.
I haven’t found the time to hack mine, but I still use it with koreader and it’s built-in android.
Oh, and my guess is almost-late-to-the-party-64. The PCIe slot could be a differentiator. We’ll see who is first.
Queen
star64
Well I wrote ‘Queen’. Of course with 64 it would be Queen64.
mica64
Pleiades64 or Openstar64
I also vote for Openstar64 🙂
Aqua64
StarV64
Stars64
StarFive64
Emerald-64. Or maybe Ruby-64.
Diamond-64
Granite-64, Amethyst-64, Basalt-64, Obsidian-64
Star64
Hogwarts64
Alcyone (Alcyone64)
Celaeno (Celaeno64)
Star64
Coral64
Moon64
Moon64 but I saw I wasn’t first 🙂
ruby64
Nova64
BlackSwan64 or Swan64
Star64
Whoops, already been guessed 😛
Turquoise64
Hope64
Boron64
Wave64?
Sun64
Topaz64
Lazurite64
Azure64
SeaStar64
Silmaril64
Medusa64 or Mana64 ?
Not an easy one 😀
Titan64
Air64 | Oxygen64
Krypton64 | Xenon64
Maia64,
Electra64,
Alcyone64,
Taygete64,
Asterope64,
Celaeno64,
and Merope64
Agate64
7sisters64
Atlas64
bluejelly64
AMPHITRITE64
Muse64
Siren64
Yes, more RISC-V!!! 🙂
“The SoC has Imagination Technologies’ BXE-2-32 GPU for which the source code ought to be made available soon.”
I assume you are talking about the drivers, not the actual GPU, are you?
If I search for this, I find that they have released driver source code and firmware blobs for older PowerVR GPUs.
Anyway, it sure would be nice to have an open source driver that is available from the start and maintained by the vendor 🙂
Neptune64
bluejellyfish64
bluejelly64
boxjelly64
boxjellyfish64
bluestar64
I am so happy that the pinenote is getting closer to release.
Lapislazuli64
Name guess: “Lime64”
Night64, Star64, Pisces64, Aquarius64; definitely something related to the night sky.
Starfox64
Nintendo64
Commodore64
“RiscV II”
StarFi64
My guesses are:
Moon64
or
Water64
luminesce64
RockStar64
Constellation64
Zodiac64
RisqueStar64
Risque64
Rain64
Sky64
Star64
Granite64
Octopus64 or Catfish64?
Maybe something water vapor related such as steam64, cloud64, mist64, or vapor64?
It’s in the ocean, and magic often requires a spooky area draped in fog. When it condenses, it takes on the bluish hue of liquid water, and so the vapor is no longer there. It doesn’t climb a stage of matter (turning into plasma) but it can fall as liquid water. The only problematic part is the first line, but water vapor can make sounds, such as in boiling kettles, clouds can take on various shapes and seem to dance. Lastly, the “By heaven!” line might refer to the idea of heaven being in the clouds, which are also water vapor.
Or I could be misinterpreting every line and drawing dubious connections.
I thought the same and guessed Rain64, but I think it’s Star64. Stars disappear when the sky turns blue, but I would quibble that they do “climb their stage”, particularly at the equator. So maybe neither is correct…
It seems that my comments have multiplied
Rainbow64
StarSpell64
Gabbro64
Risque69 or RisqueStar69
RISC-5 + Star + 64
Cloud64
Starboard64
Astra64
VLS64
deepblue64
Most likely you will be using the StarFive JH7110 chip which is just equipped with a GPU from Imagination Technologies and has four u74 cores which are the equivalent of a cortex-a55. This chip also has a pci-e interface which can be seen in the board photo and also has two gigabit ethernet interfaces. And the board will most likely have the name: PINEONE.
Luna64
Lune64
Oxygen64
Phosphorus64
Snow64
Ice64
Sleet64
Calcium64
Platinum64
Royal64
Moonlight64
Probably a poor guess but Clam64 or Sun64.
Ariel64
Rune64
Astral64
Scroll64
Horse64
Sparkle64
Nebula64
supernova
star64
spiral64
> an e-paper device running regular Linux, with a regular desktop, which allows you to do regular computational things on the device.
As a side note: Kobo’s reader have also been running regular Linux with a Qt-based interface instead of Android, but that’s about it (running arbitrary stuff did require making a dummy update packages).
The things that PineNote brings are amazing – full blown regular desktop, and easy access for the user to run arbitrary stuff – and are the reason I am buying on as soon as its status shifts from Devs-only to Early adopters (“brave” edition, etc.)
My guess for the new board would be cloud64, but somebody already said that so maybe drop64? Perhaps rain64 or sky64? Either way I can’t wait!
my guess for the name is Sun128
Sub64
My guess for the name is Star 64.
PineStar64
Or maybe just Crystal64.
Ice64
Snow64
Dragon64
seeing as my other guesses of Sapphire64, Lime64 and Crystal64 have already been guessed, I’ll go for
Caesar64
(Sapphire is blue, but also The Sapphires were singers on stage.
Lime is also used in stage lighting, and once it’s reduced it goes dim, maybe the ash is blue too.
Crystal sort of covers both the previous, and they’re not only used in ‘conventional’ magic but was also a previous work of Oousterhout before he wrote Magic the software program which was used to layout SOAR, a Berkeley RISC derivative.
But seeing as those guesses are already gone, I’ll try his other previous program, ‘Caesar’, at least he also existed onstage thanks to Willy S)
also, seeing as Crystal Palace is on the line to Victoria Station, if it’s not Crystal64 or Sapphire64 (or CrystalSapphire64 or SapphireCrystal64), then I’ll eat my A64
PineStar
My favorite are Stella64, Estrela64, Stea64, Yll64…
Bentang64, Bintang64, Bituin64, Bituon64, Csillag64, Estrela64, Estrella64, Etwal64, Fetu64, Gwiazda64, Hviezda64, Hvězda64, Inkanyezi64, Inkwenkwezi64, Irawọ64, Izarra64, Kintana64, Kpakpando64, Lintang64, Naleli64, NgôiSao64, Nyenyezi64, Nyeredzi64, Nyota64, Rionnag64, Réalta64, Seren64, Star64, Stea64, Stella64, Stelo64, Ster64, Stilla64, Stjarna64, Stjer64, Stjerne64, Stjärna64, Stär64, Stêrk64, Tauraro64, Hōkū64, Täht64, Tähti64, Ulduz64, Whetu64, Xiddig64, Yll64, Yulduz64, Zvaigzne64, Zvezda64, Zvijezda64, Étoile64, Žvaigždė64, Αστέρι64, Ѕвезда64, Жылдыз64, Жұлдыз64, Звезда64, Зорка64, Зірка64, Од64, Ситора64, Աստղ64, כוכב64, שטערן64, تارو64, ستاره64, ستارہ64, ستوری64, نجمة64, तारा64, सितारा64, LubHnubQub64, তারা64, ਤਾਰਾ64, તારો64, நட்சத்திரம்64, నక్షత్రం64, ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ64, നക്ഷത്രം64, තරුව64, ดาว64, ດາວ64, ကြယ်ပွင့်64, ኮከብ64, ផ្កាយ64, Ვარსკვლავი64, 星64, 별64.
Even other languages, damn
Rocket64
Really looking forward to more functionality and a proper base os on the PineNote. It’s an elegant device for sure.
And 100% for more open hardware architecture like RISC V.
PentaStar-64
or PentStar-64
PineRisque64 or Risque64Pine
Cross64
Stardust64
Mermaid64
Magic64
Magicdust64
euphoria64
Idiom64
Luna64
Moonshadow64
Lots of good guesses here
Star64 or Angel64
Madonna64.
I think it has to be a Viking (Victoria – King’s cross) star (for the processor’s name), or at least what they thought was a star. And it has to have a V somewhere ^^
Venus64
Second guess would be Vega64 😛
Linear64
Tube64
V64
Wizard64
Spell64
Page64
grimoire64
celebrity64
RISC-V64
eVocore64
Encore64
Oncore64
I64
Myth64
Ego64
You admit that PinePhone is an insecure device, because of the proprietary modem firmware with security vulnerabilities that you ship with it. You then discourage users from installing the free firmware, which is allegedly better and you offer no support for it. Why should anybody buy a PinePhone then? You know how insecure your device is and you aren’t doing anything to solve the problem in the Pro version. A lot of people who buy this phone won’t even know there is something wrong with it.
When did he say the phone was insecure? And they have to say that for liability reasons, they can’t advocate commiting what are considered crimes in certain countries. Also, it’s not exactly a problem they can fix, you try finding a vendor selling a capable modem with open source firmware during a parts shortage.
Pine64 sell hardware, they inform about all what they know.
The community propose software that in some case doesn’t respect law.
The client choose. In that case he have the freedom to choose because he have the knowlege.
In other case like industry of android standard smartphone, No one know nothing about all. Clients are taken as sheeps.
Regards 🙂
first things first: probably most of the “regular” smartphones do also have vulnerabilities… there is a small chance that it doesn’t, but only if you have a pretty recent one, directly from the manufacturer (not service provider) and installed all updates.
the difference: pine64 clearly communicates this and takes measures against it (claiming the opposite shows that you haven’t read the linked post in which they informed about it). other companies rather try to cover up and seldomly provide a solution (especially if your device is older than ~2 years)!
to your statements in particular:
– “You then discourage users from installing the free firmware […]” – i haven’t seen one bit of DISCOURAGEMENT in the post! they simply CAN not RECOMMEND it (due to legal issues). this shows that you haven’t read the linked statement about modem firmware: https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/PineModems#PINE64_position_on_alternative_firmware
– “[…] you offer no support for it.” – what more “support” do you want than a step-by-step video guide?!? if you are talking about warranty: installing a 3rd party firmware is always on you bill.
– “Why should anybody buy a PinePhone then?” -> because i’m pretty sure it is still by far more secure than “regular” smartphones.
– “[…] you aren’t doing anything to solve the problem […]” -> as already stated, i would advise to read the initial post about it: https://www.pine64.org/2021/12/15/december-update-a-year-in-review/
– “A lot of people who buy this phone won’t even know there is something wrong with it.” -> well… as it is with nearly all computing devices nowadays. BUT in this case a normal user CAN inform his self about it and actually even do something against it.
so stop talking down the PinePhone(Pro) without informing you about the issue and not even reading the absolute basic statements… and if you want to blame someone, blame it on the lawmakers!
I own a PinePhone. I found out that the modem’s firmware has security vulnerabilities (they are mentioned in this post). Pine64 tells me to not install the free firmware[1], which fixes them. So I’m stuck with an insecure device. What now? I would like to buy a PinePhone Pro, but it doesn’t make sense to buy something that isn’t secure.
I already knew their excuses, but I’m tired of hearing them. As a user I don’t care why the modem or the keyboard is broken. I want to know what they are going to do about it in the future. Perhaps they could start by shipping free firmware in countries where it is legal, but it’s not my job to solve those problems.
Those vulnerabilities aren’t mentioned anywhere on the store page just like they don’t mention keyboard defects. So how can anyone make an informed decision?
[1] – “it is PINE64’s and Pine Store’s position that the licensed proprietary firmware on the modem should not be tampered with, and it is my duty to notify you that altering the modem’s firmware may violate your local laws, which in turn can have very real consequences”
Apollo64
Pulsar64
Puls-R64
Pulse-R64
Pulsarv64
Vela64
How many guesses are allowed?
I’m probably not right, but I’d guess Jellyfish64 or Beluga64.
Orion64
Orion v64
Vauxhall64
Viaduct64
Mercury64
Vibrant64
Oyster64
Quartz64 model-A64
Model-A64
VLS64
Victoria Palace Theatre64
Victoria Palace64
Palace64
A64
Narnia64
Taurus64
Meamei64
Stage64
Triple-threat64
FallingStar64
Falling*64
Overture64
Prelude64
Musical64
Fog64
Asteroid64
cherubim64
Demon64
Portal64
Nexus64
Limelight64
terpsichorean64
Terpsicore64
Mnemosyne64
U64
Meteriorite64
GPU64
genius64
Cast64
KingCross64Lite
Geminga64
VStar64
Vstar64
Other manufacturers are starting to make RISC_V laptops. Would like to see a RISC-V pinebook pro – that would be cool.
quarto64
StarTerminus64
Or maybe StarTerminal64
Lots of clues for star, and the 64 is the easy part, but Victoria Line Station is a transportation hub, a terminal and also the terminus of a some train lines. That combined with “This is the final clue” convinced me that terminal or terminus must be part of the name
A hub or a conmutator.
In networks its represented by a star too.
BluePine64
Brixton64
hi-RISC64, low-RISC64, no-RISC64, RISCy64, RISCe64,
circus64, Vringcircus64, circuit64, hi-wire64, hi-V64, RISCwalker64, clown64, clownVish64,
lion64, lionVish64, liontamer64, pinetamer64, RISCtamer64, pVne64, pVine64, Vried64 [hope not],
tiger64, tigerstone64, ringmaster64, RISCmaster64, rockmaster64, trapezium64, strongman64,
Astro64, comet64, meteor64, asteroid64, roid64, pinerock64, rockpine64, Vthrock64, rock&RISC64,
libra64, libraV64, neon64, nemo64,
PineTwo
http://www.nativehistoryassociation.org/pleiades.php
6-4=2
Pinereef
Maine64
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Maine#/media/File%3AFlag_of_Maine_(1901%E2%80%931909).png
Starfire64
AsteroidV64
“Victoria Line Station”
Metro : an asteroid becomes a meteor (shooting star) when it enters the atmosphere.
“I sing, act and dance
celebrated by them all
I never climb my stage
but I sometimes fall”
Shooting star
“In the sea I dwell”
Asteroidea = Sea stars.
“and in every magic book ”
Stars drawn next to magic wands etc.
“By heaven!
adding 64 is all it took”
“On my stage I shine
and when I feel truly blue
then there’s nothing”
Burns up with a blue flame while entering the atmosphere.
“This is the final clue”
Asteroids64 (tribute to the game)
Astraea64
Vesta64 (two of the first discovered asteroids)
12Victoria64 (minor planet designation of the asteroid Victoria)
Crux64
Brixton64
Asteroid69
Star69
Meteor69
Meteorite69
Meteoroid69
Victoria69
Asteroids69
Aster64
Aster-V64
I’ve seen moon, star, and lime light, so how about:
Light64
Sunlight64
Cage64
King64
Kingcross64
No lite !
KingX64
Diamond64
Act64
Sound64
Realm64
domain64,
sphere64,
area64,
field64,
department64,
arena64.
world64,
region64,
province64,
territory64,
zone64,
orbit64
Loyal64,
faithful64
Charm64
Hand64
Encore64
Train64
Nexus64
Circus64
Victoria64
Line64
Station64
pentagram64
Engine64
Author64
Arthur64
something like this to go in a pinebook pro would be fantastic
Enchant64
Enchanted64
Enchanting64
Fireball64
talisman64
amulet64
Metaphor64
analogy64
Meta64
I64
Platform64
Drone64
Siren64
Legend64
Salt64
Platinum64
Jubilee64
Monarch64
Pine63 (Reduced form of pine64)
WestEnd64
WE64
Blue64
sequel64
Jester64
Throne64
Crown64
Lineage64
Fledgling64
Joker64
Queen64
Pinereef64
Supernove64
Terminal64
Ultimate64
Endmost64
carnival64
Fiesta64
All64
Royal64
Royalty64
Genre64
Helena64
Helen64
Leopold64
sovereign64
supreme64,
absolute64,
unlimited64
regal64,
kingly64,
monarchical64
Splendid64
Posh64
Family64
Line64
Unit64
Downcast64
Utopia64
Utopian64
RoyalLine64
Vicky64
Night64
Knight64
Link64
Union64
U64
Neptune64
Poseidon64
terminus64
Grosvenor Terminus64
Grosvenor64
Platform64
nautiloids64
Waterloo64
nautilus64
nautiloid64
fanaticus64
Demon64
Sand64
locomotive64
loco64
Wave64?
Or perhaps Tide64 or Tidal64?
squareRISC64, take-a-RISC64, RISC-IT-all64, don’t-RISC-IT64, RISCaverse64, deepspaceV64
wave64
Hale64 (Tottenham Hale & 1997 comet), Hale-Bopp64, Vth-dimension64, RISCiverse64, V-4-RISCory64
hierarchy64
Arcon64
Tier64
TwinV64
MarkV64
CLUE64
Hi,
I’m a musician, and I’ve been looking at the Pine Note for PDF sheet music. Would it be capable of both displaying and annotating PDFs with the pencil/touch interface alone, or would that still need a keyboard?
Water64
The name is VLSI (or something along those Lines…)
*VLSI64
MoonRock64
Yes! I am looking at good heavy duty embedded application. Thank you.