[gspr]

Here's what I don't get: why can't we have a modern one? It doesn't need to blow flagship smartphones out of the water. It doesn't even need to have a GSM baseband – I'd rather just connect through my "normal" smartphone than deal with all the complications of having a whole extra computer in there.

Surely this is getting close to realizable by hobbyists or a niche company?

[imp0cat]

Have you seen the Jolla preorder? It was on hn a few days ago. That is the spiritual successor of the N9XX line.

https://commerce.jolla.com/products/jolla-phone-preorder

[henearkr]

I don't see any keyboard or stylus in that Jolla.

For me that is not even in the same league than the N900.

[mpol]

There is the Gemini PDA from 2018 which has a physical keyboard. I heard it was mostly a disappointment.

There was another phone with keyboard around the same time, but I forgot the name. That was claimed to be very much in the spirit of the N950 and its cancelled follow-up, the Nokia Lauta.

All with Sailfish, the spiritual successor of Meamo/Meego from Nokia.

[Fnoord]

Mostly a disappointment? The keyboard is fantastic. I can tell because I have a Cosmo Communicator (successor with 4G) and Astro Slide (successor with slide mechanic and 5G). The keyboard of these is great, but... they got barely no support, and the company who build these is like AWOL. Either way, like the GPD Pocket series, the keyboard is larger compared to the Nokia N900 (3G) and Nokia N810 (WLAN only)

> There was another phone with keyboard around the same time, but I forgot the name. That was claimed to be very much in the spirit of the N950 and its cancelled follow-up, the Nokia Lauta.

Probably F(x)tec and their successors. Those have a similar small keyboard as Nokia N900 and Nokia N810

There's also the Hackberry. This device uses a real Blackberry keyboard, with custom firmware. It works together with a 3D printed case, and a RPi CM5. This keyboard, while small, is very ergonomic.

[mrmlz]

I loved my N9. But i'm somewhat hesitant on preordering that one. I need wireless charging.. And i still dont really get if Android-apps actually work or not, i.e. swedish Bank-Id/Swish etc.

[gspr]

I'd actually prefer one running a normal Linux. It's a travesty that certain things in daily life require Android or iOS, and that's a fight I'll keep fighting, but the idea of a tiny Linux laptop in my pocket is just so tempting.

[mrmlz]

Sure i can join you on the barricade, but i still want to function in a society :(

[gspr]

Sure. And for that I plan to keep a sterile second phone with the stuff that requires that.

[best_answer]

Here you can see Sailfish OS banking app compatibility: https://forum.sailfishos.org/t/banking-apps-on-sailfish-os/1...

[carlosjobim]

You can have another device for your banking.

[imp0cat]

I think this is the way. The Jolla device does have some Android compatibility layers, but I am sure banking apps will not like that.

[tincholio]

It's excciting, but I saw a review of a pre-release c2 on youtube [0] the other day, and it seemed extremely slow in the interactions. Otherwise, it seems like a cool device.

[0] https://youtu.be/5titW5dclwg

[linmob]

The C2 is a different device than the new one linked above, which was way more affordable (~250 Euro) with a 4G Unisoc SoC.

[gspr]

Promising! Thanks!

[girvo]

I haven't, and I don't need one, but I'm going to buy one anyway (though its likely not allowed on Australia networks sigh)

[Nextgrid]

This is absolutely doable by a niche company. The problem is that you need to run this as a business. What plagues every free/open/libre project is that they're not run as a business; so they get distracted in all different directions trying to cater to ideals about free/libre licensing and so on, and end up missing the big picture.

You need to operate this as a business first, with the freedom part being a nice bonus. Nobody cares how free your thing is if it's dead on arrival and gets beaten by an entry-level smartphone.

Make a competitive product. Nowadays that could very well just mean Android with manufacturer-sanctioned root access and preinstalled terminal & X/wayland server for those who want to run desktop apps.

The Jolla phone someone linked below actually looks like a decent product. The Android app support means it's actually usable in the modern world, and the specs look competitive.

[spankibalt]

> "You need to operate this as a business first, [...] Make a competitive product."

Not only that, but you should not get suckered down into overcomplicating things by chasing complex novelties, e. g. integrated slider- or clamshell-implemented keyboards, silly and outdated form factors (clamshell UMPCs, OQO already showed the way), etc.

You want a good, small keyboard? Design it to be attachable. This is possible in a variety of ways and can be adapted to your manufacturing expertise. It also leaves open third-party hardware support for your device. Not to mention maintainability/repairability. It's utterly puzzling to me how many hardware start-ups already fuck up the basics.

And never forget: In a satured market, even catering to a niche, means you should go for a somewhat unique feature set. How many ultramobile devices are out there that are truly accessible and usable? That goes beyond just safety or repairability.

OLED screen? I'd rather prefer something PWM-free. Precision control? Digitizer/stylus support. You don't even need to house the stylus in the device. But it would be very useful to have at least one. Audio? Yeah, 3.5 mm is a must. Dedicated, easy-access mSD (Express) card slot? Yes, please. Exchangeable batteries? Good idea, as long as it's a standard design in good supply. Kill switches. Maybe a modular camera set up like those Chinese flagships that are otherwise rather useless. Full-feature connectivity (1-2 x USB 4). Etc.

[Fnoord]

> You want a good, small keyboard? Design it to be attachable.

Get one of the BB + USB-C keyboards available.

[gspr]

Maybe you're right. But at the same time I feel (based on nothing) that even the performance of an entry-level Android phone, coupled with libre hardware and software, and a tiny little keyboard like the N900's, running an ordinary Linux distro, actually would find a market. A small market made up of us weirdos who find this HN thread interesting.

But then again, experience shows I'm wrong.

[Nextgrid]

A bit on the larger size, but this already exists: https://www.gpd.hk/gpdpocket

[Fnoord]

I recommend against GPD, since they're from Hong Kong / China and their warranty is terrible.

If you do decide to buy one, the hardware (of the Pocket 2 at least) is OK. Easy to open and such. You can even buy replacement battery. Buy one from Amazon in EU if you can, they have to provide 2 years warranty, at least.

[LtWorf]

A small laptop which needs wifi? And?

[mbirth]

Planet Computers Gemini? Or their Cosmo Communicator? (To be fair they’re more Psion 5-sized.)

Or do you remember the Beepberry/Beeper?

OTOH, your phone is more than capable, so maybe a small bluetooth keyboard is all you really need. There are apps like iSH on iOS or Termux on Android that give you a Linux shell.

[amelius]

Because banking apps will not want to run on it, basically.

[tim333]

I'm not sure that has to be a deal breaker. I'd be happy to have the banking apps on an old iphone I left at home.