The move towards functional linux phones are moving forward and with noticeable steps, and when my libre 5 phone arrive it will be interesting to see how close they have gotten. That said, my expectations are low when it comes to the base set in daily use:
1) managing 3G/2G network. There seems to be quite a few hacks in the telecom infrastructure and I have long suspected that mobile phone operating systems are simply expected to handle each unique occurrence. I expect calls will occasionally fail, especially for answering and calling, but also in transitioning between networks.
2) Bluetooth audio support for calling is already known to be broken. I can only hope it will be fixed some time in the future, but I suspect different devices for handing handsfree calls will have their own hacks which won't be supported.
3) As the article alluded to, the GPS software has a bunch of hacks to address short comings. I am expecting there to be both long delays at finding signals and strange jumps in accuracy. Since my personal interaction with a GPS tend to be in moments where delays will be very noticeable, like when you entered the car and waiting for the map to show where to go before starting the car, delays and inaccuracy will be noticeable in such use.
4) For music it will need to interact with other devices, especially over Bluetooth, and I strongly suspect each manufacturer has it own hacks in how to do track progression, rewind/forward, play lists and so on.
5) Android app support. Here I have some hope that Anbox will work. I am however worried that a lot of apps will break in strange ways when run in a emulator from missing dependencies or strange hacks.
Honestly, I wouldn't expect much from GPS on the Pinephone (at least the 2GB version): the only maps apps available are extremely bare-bones, little more than tech demos compared to Android software like OSMAnd or Maps.me.
Also, while Anbox has been used in some cases so hackers can say "See, I did it", I don't think Pinephone users are actually going to be using Anbox on an everyday basis. It is too RAM-heavy and too taxing on the Pinephone’s weak processor. People expect to be able to near-instantly switch between apps (e.g. between Signal and Firefox), and that is probably never going to be possible on this iteration of the Pinephone.
With regard to music and Bluetooth, however, already Mobian on the Pinephone gives me the same functionality with my Bluetooth amp as my Android phone. No complaints there.
1) managing 3G/2G network. There seems to be quite a few hacks in the telecom infrastructure and I have long suspected that mobile phone operating systems are simply expected to handle each unique occurrence. I expect calls will occasionally fail, especially for answering and calling, but also in transitioning between networks.
2) Bluetooth audio support for calling is already known to be broken. I can only hope it will be fixed some time in the future, but I suspect different devices for handing handsfree calls will have their own hacks which won't be supported.
3) As the article alluded to, the GPS software has a bunch of hacks to address short comings. I am expecting there to be both long delays at finding signals and strange jumps in accuracy. Since my personal interaction with a GPS tend to be in moments where delays will be very noticeable, like when you entered the car and waiting for the map to show where to go before starting the car, delays and inaccuracy will be noticeable in such use.
4) For music it will need to interact with other devices, especially over Bluetooth, and I strongly suspect each manufacturer has it own hacks in how to do track progression, rewind/forward, play lists and so on.
5) Android app support. Here I have some hope that Anbox will work. I am however worried that a lot of apps will break in strange ways when run in a emulator from missing dependencies or strange hacks.