# Pine64 Published articles for Pine64. This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles. ## A new design DevFeed: [A new design]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2023-04-13T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Website](), [Hugo](), [WordPress](), [Markdown](), [JavaScript](), [HTML]() Tags: [beta](), [community](), [hugo](), [javascript](), [markdown](), [pine64](), [redesign](), [website-redesign](), [wordpress]() ### AI overview PINE64 announces a beta preview of a community website redesign. The redesign is intended to encourage community contributions and feedback, and it uses Hugo to generate static HTML pages from Markdown and other content formats. It also aims to reduce JavaScript and external connections, including by using locally stored YouTube previews. ### Source excerpt As it was teased with the March update and the December blog post of last year, there is a community website redesign being worked on. Launched at beta.pine64.org we're proud to give a very early insight of what the redesign currently looks like. To give a warning in advance, in this preview of the redesign, you will find a lot of unfinished parts, run into issues and maybe there are things you liked at the old (current) page more. That's what the beta launch is for. While the old website was run on Wordpress and maintained by a handful of people, the idea of the new community website redesign after being started as a project of a single person is, that everyone can contribute to the community website. That's why the redesign is launched early: to gather feedback, to gather ideas and to involve everyone interested in contributing so that there will be a nicely working website available later. Some technical details To give an insight into some technical details: The former website was running on Wordpress. While easy to use, this also means there was a lot of heavy Javascript, connections to third-party websites (like Google fonts) constantly had to be prevented by adjusting site settings and if people found typos in the blog post then admins had to be asked to fix them. The redesign tries to go a different way. It uses Hugo ("The world's fastest framework for building websites") and it creates static html pages from content formats such as Markdown, Pandoc and AsciiDoc (see Hugo - Content Formats for the supported formats). In fact this blog post you are reading is written in Markdown - show and edit this blog post under a_new_design.md. The redesign tries to avoid using Javascript as much as possible. Javascript is currently only used on the front page to click between the slider images, as well as the YouTube preview (more about this below). The slider will work just fine with disabled Javascript. There are no CDNs used in the redesign. No Google Fonts, no extern ## March Update: Tablet Bonanza! DevFeed: [March Update: Tablet Bonanza!]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2023-04-01T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pine64](), [Pinetab2](), [Pinenote](), [Software](), [Pinephone](), [Pinephone-Pro](), [Hacking](), [DDoS](), [Ubuntu]() Tags: [attacks](), [blog-post](), [community-update](), [hacking](), [news](), [pine64](), [pinenote](), [pinetab-v](), [pinetab2](), [quartz64](), [software](), [unicorn](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's March community update announces April availability dates for Star64, PineTab2, and PineTab-V, and covers PineNote development, software progress, and PineTab2 performance expectations. It also reports recent attacks on the PineStore and other community updates. ### Source excerpt We end the first quarter of the year with news that Star64 will be available for purchase on April 4th and that the PineTab2 and PineTab-V(ery good!) will launch the following week on April 11th. In this month's update we also cover PineNote development (I know many of you have been waiting for this) and discuss how software on the device has really taken off in recent months. Finally, CounterPillow - a key RK3566 community developer - sets the expectations for the PineTab2 with some real-life performance examples. Strap on your unicorn horns because there's much ground to cover this month - let's get to it. 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 Alex (clover), CounterPillow and Maximilian Weigand 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of this month's update TL;DR Housekeeping We held our 5th community Q&A session mid-March; thank you to all those who showed up; you can watch the recorded live-stream on Youtube, PeerTube and Odysee The PineStore has been targeted by DDOS and hacking attacks recently, which caused page time-outs and general inconvenience; rest assured nothing was compromised The reworked community site is taking shape and its looking great - help us test it starting April 15 PINE64 EU Pinecil restock on April 1st instead of March 31st Newsflash Star64 will be available on April 4th in two configurations: 4GB and 8GB LPDDR4 memory for $69.99 and $89.99 r ## February update: things are taking shape DevFeed: [February update: things are taking shape]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pine64](), [Pinephone](), [Pinetab2](), [FOSDEM](), [Pinebook-Pro]() Tags: [community-update](), [fosdem](), [pine64](), [pinebook-pro](), [pinephone](), [pinephone-keyboard](), [pinephone-pro](), [pinetab2](), [quartz64](), [soquartz](), [star64](), [update]() ### AI overview This PINE64 community update covers PineTab2 pricing and SKU variants, the expected availability of Star64, recent PinePhone development, and other community, store, hardware, software, and firmware updates. ### Source excerpt Let me start by apologizing to everyone for skipping yet another monthly community update. This has largely been my fault as I was rather busy in January and following FOSDEM at the start of February I found myself occupied with things related to the EU store. I hope for things to go back to normal now; you can expect future community updates at the end of each month as per usual. Again, I apologise, mea culpa. I hope that this month's update and the news it brings will more than make up for the wait: the Nestflash section is absolutely packed this month, we're revealing PineTab2's pricing and SKU variants (both of which I'm sure you'll be pleased with), announcing that Star64 will be available in the next 6 weeks (or so) and report on all the work that has gone into PinePhone (Pros) development in the recent two months ... and much more Let's get to it. 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 Alex (clover), JF, Danct12, William Starkey, Alex Horner, River-Mochi, Biktorgj 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of this month's update TL;DR Housekeeping FOSDEM was great - thank you to all who came and chatted with us at the stall Pine Store is getting back to normal following CNY Next quarterly community Q&A on 17 March at 20:00 CET - be there or be square PINE64 EU full restock on March 1st Newsflash New release for R-Cade for Rock64, RockPro64 and Pinebook Pro is excellen ## December Update: Merry Christmas and Happy New PineTab DevFeed: [December Update: Merry Christmas and Happy New PineTab]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Hardware](), [RISC-V]() Tags: [announcement](), [community](), [community-update](), [fosdem](), [hardware](), [incident](), [pine64](), [pinecil](), [pinephone](), [pinephone-pro](), [pinetab](), [quartz64](), [quartzpro64](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's December community update announces the PineTab2, reviews the company's 2022 hardware launches, and previews 2023 plans. It also covers a delayed Star64 launch, progress on Quartz-series devices, Pinecil V2 updates, community moderation, and upcoming events and store activity. ### Source excerpt Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a Happy New Year to you all. This month's update has a different formula from the usual - aside from the announcement of the PineTab2, most of this month's content is dedicated to looking back at this year and taking a sneak peak at what's to come in 2023. I think that if you read between the lines, even poorly, you'll get a good idea of what we'll be up to next year. We have a lot of ground to cover in this update so let's get to it. 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 Alex (clover), Gamiee, Danct12, Pillow, Thanos, Immy 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of the December community update TL;DR Housekeeping Thank you for 2022 everyone! November community Q&A is now on Youtube and Odysee if you missed it We've got a FOSDEM 2023 stall - we're on the floor both days, come and see us Work on the new website is coming along PINE64 EU store restock before Christmas We've had an incident in #off-topic channel - we're on it and working towards better moderation of all chats Newsflash Star64 launch delayed due to review; striving to make it available before CNY Ox64 among the fastest selling PINE64 hardware Pillow has done much work on the Quartz64, SOQuartz and QuartzPro64 in the past month; much work has gone into mainlining and critical bug fixes - significant progress Much Pinecil V2 news and showcases: new Pinecil V2's ship with f ## InfiniTime 1.11 DevFeed: [InfiniTime 1.11]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-10-18T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Embedded Systems](), [Filesystems](), [Pine64]() Tags: [contributors](), [embedded-systems](), [file](), [infinitime](), [new-features](), [pine64](), [pinetime](), [release]() ### AI overview Pine64 announces the InfiniTime 1.11 release, which includes two new watch faces and improvements developed over three and a half months. The release adds support for using the PineTime's external flash memory to store fonts and pictures for applications and watch faces. ### Source excerpt We released InfiniTime 1.11 a few days ago. The timing of the release did not align with the monthly community update, so we decided to write a small blog post to highlight a few new features and provide new about the PineTime community! InfiniTime 1.11 is the result of three and a half months of work from many contributors. 59 pull request have been merged with changes ranging from new watch faces to small bug fixes passing by improvements in multiples area of the project. I'll highlight a few of these new changes in this post, and feel free to read the whole release note for more information! InfiniTime 1.11 brings 2 new watch faces! External resources As you may know, InfiniTime is currently quite constrained by the memory space available in the PineTime. Both RAM and flash memories are quite well packed, and we have to ensure that the changes we include in the project will actually fit in the remaining memory available. But we are not doomed to save any byte in memory forever, and we have multiple options to give InfiniTime a bit of fresh air! If you read the Pine64 monthly community updates, you may have noticed that I wrote about the usage of the external flash memory of the PineTime for some time now. Remember the blog post from December 2021 where I teased a few watch faces with custom backgrounds ? Nearly a year, that's the time it took to put all things together to make this happen : InfiniTime can now use the external flash memory to store fonts and pictures and make them available to applications and watch faces! Testing custom backgrounds back in December 2021 This feature will bring a lot of possibilities in the future : the external memory is a 4MB flash memory. It's really huge compared the the 512KB available in the main memory of the PineTime. In the future, we'll be able to move more and more data from the internal to the external memory, which will free very precious space to add more and more features to InfiniTime! What did it take to build thi ## PINE64 August Update: Star64, PinePhone Pro, Pinecil V2, and PineTime DevFeed: [PINE64 August Update: Star64, PinePhone Pro, Pinecil V2, and PineTime]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-08-28T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone-Pro](), [Hardware](), [Software](), [Linux](), [Fedora]() Tags: [blog-post](), [community-update](), [hardware](), [pine64](), [pinebuds](), [pinephone](), [pinephone-pro](), [pinepower](), [pinetime](), [releases](), [risc-v](), [software](), [soquartz](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's August community update covers the Star64 prototype and I/O layout, PinePhone Pro hardware and software changes, Pinecil V2 availability and authentication, PineTime companion apps, and other community and software updates. ### Source excerpt This month we take a close look at the Star64, check out PineBuds (Pro) progress and discuss the Pinecil V2. I also come bearing good news concerning the PinePhone Pro, which has seen a small but significant hardware redesign and some important software updates. Let's get into it. 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 Alex (clover), Gamiee, JF 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of the August community update TL;DR Housekeeping We're sponsoring Akadamy; meet us there! Community Q&A was held August 13, you can now watch it on YouTube A call for sticker design - looking forward to seeing what you come up with Blade hostboard for the SOQuartz is now in the PineStore The PinePower in the Pine Store and EU store is grounded - cause for confusion outdated photographs PinePhone (Pro) Spare parts for the PinePhone Pro are now in stock Small hardware redesign - the PinePhone Pro now takes nano SIM Megi's patches bring improvements to sound on the PinePhone Pro New releases from postmarketOS, DanctNIX, OpenSUSE and Manjaro; OpenSUSE shows off Qi Wireless charging Work-around instructions for Mobian installer issues Star64 Pictures of the first Star64 prototype Overview of the final Star64 IO layout, components (WiFi 6 & BT 5.2among them) and features Debian and Fedora already being ported to the SoC; we trust many other OSes will follow Pinecil First batch of Pinecil V2 sold ## A response to Martijn's blog DevFeed: [A response to Martijn's blog]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-08-18T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone-Pro](), [Mobile](), [Linux](), [Development]() Tags: [article](), [community](), [opinions](), [pine64](), [pinephone](), [pinephone-pro]() ### AI overview PINE64 responds to Martijn Braam's criticisms of its treatment of mobile Linux developers and explains why SPI was initially considered for removal from the PinePhone Pro. The company says developer input led it to include SPI despite concerns about past limited use, support problems, and increased cost and sourcing difficulty. ### Source excerpt We rarely, if ever, make responses to blog posts or articles. In fact, there is only one instance that I can think of when we did so. So then, somewhat uncharacteristically, this is a response post to Martijn Braam's blog in which he explains why he left the PINE64 community. Let's get one thing out of the way first: Martijn has done a lot for mobile Linux and PINE64 - he is a valued contributor and a colleague with a good insight into how PINE64 and the Pine Store Ltd operate. I should add that his opinions are welcome just as they have always been. Finally, there is no denying that his leaving is a significant loss to the project and, on a private level, a sad state of affairs for us in the community. If it wasn't clear, we really like Martijn. But this isn't what this blog post is about. Instead, this is a response to the points and concerns Martijn raises. A short summary first: Martijn's blog entry alleges that following PinePhone community editions, and after settling on Manjaro with KDE's plasma mobile as the default OS, PINE64 and the Pine Store Ltd have sidelined developers from other mobile Linux projects. The argument is made that this has hurt development. The example given in the blog post supposes that the community team and Pine Store employees were firmly intent on removing SPI on the PinePhone Pro and coerced not to ship Tow-Boot. He concludes by saying that we no longer listen to the development community. But here is the thing, SPI has been included on the PinePhone Pro due to the input from developers and against our initial intent. The talks concerning SPI were tense, as Martijn mentions in the article, in part because we did approach them with a presumption that we'll inform developers of our plan to drop SPI. I may add that the decision was made among ourselves, without the input of any third parties or partners. The reasoning behind not including SPI on the PCB wasn't motivated by any single project or outside source - it was based on the fac ## My DIY low-power 6 SSD NAS based on the Quartz64 ARM board DevFeed: [My DIY low-power 6 SSD NAS based on the Quartz64 ARM board]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-06-03T00:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Server](), [Arm](), [pcie](), [.NET 11]() Tags: [diy](), [gigabit-ethernet](), [low-power](), [nas](), [pcie](), [pine64](), [quartz64](), [rk3566](), [ssd]() ### AI overview A project report describes building a DIY low-power NAS around a Pine64 Quartz64 Model A, using its PCIe interface with a six-port SATA controller and an enclosure for six 2.5-inch SATA drives. The author reports that the tested SATA controller and Intel 4x GbE PCIe board worked out of the box, while raising power-supply considerations for operating six drives. ### Source excerpt ARM SBCs have been around for a few years now. They were made popular and accessible mostly by the RaspberryPi released in 2012. I've been enjoying building countless projects around these boards : web servers, home-automation, camera recording, IM bots,... A new trend has recently appeared in the SBC world : the PCIe slot! The RaspberryPi 4 Compute Module exposes it via the IO board, and the Pine64 RockPro64 is equipped with a PCIe 4x open-ended slot directly on the board. I haven't had the opportunity to get hold of one of these boards, but I'm lucky enough to have a Quartz64 model A on hands. The Quartz64 is based on the Rockchip RK3566 running @1.8Ghz. My board is equipped with 8GB of RAM. It also has Gigabit ethernet, 1 SATA connector, USB3, and of course, the PCIe port. I experimented a bit with the PCIe interface by testing a couple of PCIe boards I had on hands at that time : the SATA controller board from Pine64 and an Intel 4x GBe board : they worked out of the box! Awesome, isn't it? 4xGbe PCIe card installed on the Quartz64 2 SSDs connected to the Quartz64 via the SATA controller boad I had an idea in the back of my mind : create a DIY low-power NAS based on a cheap SBC that can handle more than 2 drives (up to 6, preferably) without using USB. And it looks like this project is now completely possible! So... Let's do it! The prototype The first prototype was very rough : everything was laying on my desk, with all the wires dangling around. It was a bit messy, but it allowed me to check that the drives were working correctly. When I ensured that everything was working as expected, I bought a few more items : the SATA controller with 6 ports and an enclosure for 6 2.5" SATA drives. How to properly power an SBC and 6 drives? This question haunted me for some time. For now, the SBC is powered by a 12V power brick via a barrel connector. And the disks are powered by the board using those specific power cables by Pine64. If I understand correctly, this cable is co ## PINE64 May Community Update Covers Pinebook Pro, Quartz64 Model-B, and PinePhone Pro DevFeed: [PINE64 May Community Update Covers Pinebook Pro, Quartz64 Model-B, and PinePhone Pro]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-05-31T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pine64](), [Pinebook-Pro](), [Pinephone-Pro](), [Soquartz]() Tags: [community-update](), [pine64](), [pinebook-pro](), [pinephone-keyboard](), [pinephone-pro](), [pinesound](), [pinetime](), [quartz64](), [soquartz](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's May community update covers the resumption of Pinebook Pro production, the introduction of Quartz64 Model-B, SOQuartz Blade hostboard production, PinePhone Pro camera enablement, keyboard issues, and other community projects. ### Source excerpt Hello everyone! This month we're announcing production of the Pinebook Pro resuming and introduction of Quartz64 model-B. I had an opportunity to meet with TL earlier this month, and got some ear-on time with the Pinebuds, so I dedicated a section to my early impressions from the time spent with the prototype. This update also brings news of SOQuartz Blade hostboard production, camera enablement on the PinePhone Pro and a guest write-up by dsimic addressing issues some users have been experiencing with their PinePhone (Pro) keyboards. There is truly a lot to get to this month, so let's get into it. 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 JF, Dylan, dsimic, Alex (clover), Brian (33YN2), 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis TL;DR Housekeeping Update moved to 28th of the month PINE64 in-person meeting Pinebook donation to school with kids in need of laptops We're going though QuartzPro64 dev pre-orders PINE64 EU store; addressing delay Quartz64 & SOQuartz Model-B released - available for $60 SOQuartz Blade hostboard enters production Pinebook Pro Pinebook Pro is making a return after months of absence Expected in Pine Store late June early July Price stays the same as do most specs Highlight of selected new released for the Pinebook Pro PinePhone (Pro) PinePhone Pro restock expected late June early July PinePhone Pro camera enablement underway; look at first pictures Mob ## PINE64 April Update Covers Pinebook Pro, QuartzPro64, PineSound, and PinePhone Projects DevFeed: [PINE64 April Update Covers Pinebook Pro, QuartzPro64, PineSound, and PinePhone Projects]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2022-04-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone](), [Pinephone-Pro](), [Embedded Software Dev]() Tags: [announcements](), [firmware](), [pine64](), [pinephone-keyboard](), [pinepower](), [pinesound](), [quartzpro64](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's April community update reports on negotiations to resume Pinebook Pro production, QuartzPro64 production and developer orders, the new PineSound project, returning PinePower supplies, and ongoing PinePhone and PinePhone Pro developments. ### Source excerpt This month's update is packed to the brink with news: the product team is negotiating restarting Pinebook Pro production, QuartzPro64 will be heavily subsidized and developer sign-ups are now open, we're introducing the PineSound project, and PinePower power supplies will be making a return to the Pine Store soon. I cannot recall the last time I had so many positive things to report on, so let's get to it. 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 JF, Peter (LinMob), Alex (clover), Brian (33YN2), 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of the April community update TL;DR Housekeeping Go back and read the April fool's post prior to continuing with the update Quarterly community Q&A April 15th, join in and ask your question PINE64 EU launches on May 10th Product team negotiates resuming Pinebook Pro production QuartzPro64 QuartzPro64 is now in production Dev order system open for those who want to get their hands on the device early We subsidize the QuartzPro64 for devs - selling it for $150 Dev boards do not have CE or FCC PineSound Introducing the PineSound community driven project PineSound dev board soon to be allocated to devs; will be available broadly at a later point in time PineBuds are the first product based on the dev board; prototype exists and works PineBuds include many common high-end wireless earphone features and allow end-users to flash their own firmware ## How "Meet the PinePhone Pro" was made DevFeed: [How "Meet the PinePhone Pro" was made]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-10-27T00:00:00Z Content type: article Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone-Pro](), [blender](), [Pine64](), [Open Source](), [Graphics](), [gnu linux]() Tags: [blender](), [community](), [cuda](), [gnu-linux](), [graphics](), [open-source](), [pine64](), [pinephone-pro](), [raytracing]() ### AI overview This article explains how the "Meet the PinePhone Pro" trailer and product renderings were produced. It describes the volunteer community's workflow, including modelling, scene creation, animation, storytelling, music, voice recording, editing, and rendering with Blender and other free and open source tools. ### Source excerpt As PINE64's flagship mainline GNU/Linux smartphone, the PinePhone Pro, was about to be announced, a trailer and some nice renderings showcasing the phone and its features had to be produced. The groundwork for the trailer was started in February 2021 and took all the way up to a few days before the trailer was released at October 15th 2021. The work for the trailer included making the material and models, creating the scene and the surroundings, animating the scenes, establishing a story in the video, finding fitting music, cutting it and adding sound details, writing and recording the text and cutting the video, which took many hours of work until the following trailer was released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP2-6Z74W44 The trailer is almost entirely made with free and open source software - modelling, the scenes, animations and final cut including the music is all done in Blender, vector graphics and some smaller graphical edits for the screen contents are done in Inkscape and Gimp. The trailer is made by volunteers from the community. The visuals The general idea of the trailer was to tell a story: visually we wanted to lead the viewer from the history of the PinePhone, to the introduction of the PinePhone Pro including its features, to the actual usage. Not only did we want to tell the story of PINE64 making shipping such a device real but also point the viewer to what was achieved so far and what the user can achieve using the phone. We selected a darker setting for the intro part of the video and we tried to go for brighter settings mixed with realistic settings for the PinePhone Pro introduction part of the video. For product renderings typically Blender Cycles is used, which has the downside that the raytracing can take a very long time to achieve a fine rendering quality, unlike Blender's Eevee architecture using rasterization instead of raytracing (especially used effects such as depth of field and other makes raytracing a must here). That means even ## September update: Hurdles and Successes DevFeed: [September update: Hurdles and Successes]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Development](), [Pine64](), [Pinenote](), [Pinephone](), [hosting](), [maintenance](), [Hardware]() Tags: [community-update](), [dev](), [development](), [devzone](), [hosting](), [keyboard](), [maintenance](), [pine64](), [pinecube](), [pinenote](), [pinephone](), [pinetime](), [release](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's September community update covers PinePhone keyboard production hurdles, back cases awaiting approval, initial PineNote impressions and development progress, and the InfiniTime 1.4 release. It also announces upcoming DevZone bounties and reports on hosting maintenance and related community projects. ### Source excerpt In this community update we'll discuss PinePhone keyboard progress (and hurdles), add-on back cases awaiting developers approval, initial PineNote impressions and early development progress, as well as news of InfiniTime 1.4 release and a guest post about PineCubes as a part of a security system. We also have an announcement for our community developers: we will be introducing bounties to the DevZone. We've got some exciting things in the works that I am aching to share with you, so if you haven't done so yet, now is the time to subscribe to this blog. 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 PINE64 Telegram News channel, the announcements channel in Discord as well as our Twitter and Mastodon. I'd like to thank JF, Alex (clover), Caleb, Martijn, Danct12, Chris (newton688), Brian (33YN2) 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of the community update TL;DR Housekeeping DevZone internal testing concluded and roll-out already started DevZone to introduce bounties in near future Hosting cluster maintenance is underway; Gamiee is writing a public log about the process PineTalk podcast is coming back this month! Permissible usage of the PINE64 logo and brand name; PINE64 merch in the works (by third party) PinePhone Two years since PinePhone dev units went on sale Keyboard production hurdles - a detailed account of why we don't have an availability date yet Summary of the keyboard's production firmware features and capabilities Back cases awaiting developers to green-light Waydroid is shaping up nice ## DevZone rollout DevFeed: [DevZone rollout]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-08-23T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Development](), [software-development]() Tags: [community](), [development](), [devzone](), [pine64](), [pinenote](), [software-development]() ### AI overview PINE64 announces the rollout of DevZone, a project management system for its devices. Initially launched for limited testing with the PineNote project, it will gradually open to more community contributors and partner developers. ### Source excerpt First announced in the July community update, the DevZone is a project management system for PINE64 devices. It will allow us to have a better overview of ongoing software development, streamline the product prototyping processes and keep track of suggested hardware changes. It is also a way for us to get an up-to-date survey of our developer-pool, including each developer's core competences and availability. We believe that the introduction of this system will facilitate cooperation and accelerate the process of bringing new devices to the market. Earlier this month we launched DevZone for testing in a very limited capacity. We made the decision that the best way to put the system through its paces is to actually use it in one of our ongoing projects: the pilot project chosen for this purpose is the recently introduced PineNote. But this is just the beginning. In the coming weeks and months we will be gradually opening up the DevZone to a wider number of community contributors and partner project developers. We have an extensive backlog of applications and we keep on receiving new ones, so it will take time before successful applicants get assigned to ongoing projects. We believe that the DevZone will grow to be more than just a useful tool - as we see it, the DevZone will become a staple of our development community. If you're interested in participating in the DevZone then we urge you to read the July community update's housekeeping section for more details and submit your application. If you are granted a recognized developer status, a password (re)set link will be emailed to you, at which point you will be able to access the system. After filling in your profile details, an admin will assign you to one or more projects. I am looking forward to seeing many of our active contributors on the DevZone. The DevZone can be accessed from the widget at the bottom of this page ## July update: community developers portal DevFeed: [July update: community developers portal]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-07-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Development](), [Pinephone](), [Embedded Software Dev](), [RIOT](), [Arch Linux](), [Linux]() Tags: [announcements](), [code](), [community](), [developers](), [discord](), [driver](), [embedded](), [firmware](), [i2c](), [pine64](), [pinedio](), [pinephone](), [quartz64](), [update](), [wireless]() ### AI overview PINE64's July community update announces the upcoming PINE64 DevZone developer portal and reports hardware and software progress across PineTime, PinePhone, and Quartz64. It covers InfiniTime 1.2, WaspOS, the Malila firmware project, PinePhone accessories and software, Arch Linux with Plasma Mobile, and Quartz64 upstreaming work. ### Source excerpt This month's big news isn't a piece of hardware or software but rather an upcoming platform aimed at community developers called the PINE64 DevZone. But fret not, I also have a number of hardware news to report - including a new LoRa device called PineDio Stack - as well as an overview of the software progress on our flagship devices. Let's get to it. 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 PINE64 Telegram News channel, the announcements channel in Discord as well as our Twitter and Mastodon. I'd like to thank JF, Alex (clover), Danct12, Peter (pgwipeout), Martijn Braam, Brian (33YN2) 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. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Community update video summary by PizzaLovingNerd TL;DR Housekeeping: we're creating a community developers portal called the PINE64 DevZone; sign-ups are open PineTime: sealed PineTime units with InfiniTime 1.2 & newest bootloader are now available in the PineStore for $26.99 PineTime: InfniTime 1.2 brings new apps, improvements to RAM and ROM memory and various bug fixes; upcoming release will feature a new watchface PineTime: WaspOS gets a sports app, a watch face chooser and a visual overhaul PineTime: New firmware announced - Malila is based on RIOT and in early stages of development PinePhone Hardware: final keyboard pre-production units now being made, production to start immediately after final review if no issues are found PinePhone Hardware: wireless charging and fingerprint reader back cases being tested and reviewed in coming days; LoRa back case awaiting I2C driver PinePhone S ## We are KDE patrons DevFeed: [We are KDE patrons]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-06-02T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone](), [Mobile](), [User Interfaces](), [Operating system]() Tags: [announcement](), [community](), [community-edition](), [desktop](), [developers](), [devices](), [hardware](), [kde](), [manjaro](), [mobile](), [pine64](), [pinebook-pro](), [pinephone](), [plasma](), [platforms](), [technology](), [user-interface](), [user-interfaces]() ### AI overview PINE64 announces that KDE e.V. has made it a patron, building on the companies' longstanding relationship through KDE Plasma on the Pinebook, PinePhone, and Pinebook Pro. PINE64 says the partnership is expected to bring closer cooperation and tighter integration of KDE technology on its hardware platforms. ### Source excerpt KDE is a project near and dear to our hearts. The original Pinebook, which forged the path for our current hardware lineup, was the first PINE64 device to ship with KDE Plasma Desktop. This was in early 2017. Fast forward to today, both the PinePhone and Pinebook Pro - our current flagship devices - ship with their respective Plasma user interfaces atop of the Manjaro operating system. As many of you surely also remember, earlier this year a dedicated KDE community edition of the PinePhone was sold with the intention to boost development of the Plasma Mobile user interface on the PinePhone. Suffice it to say, we have a long-standing and close relationship with KDE. Therefore it gives me great pleasure to announce that PINE64 has been made a patron by KDE e.V. I would like to take this opportunity to thank KDE e.V. and all the developers I've had the pleasure to work with over the years as well as KDE community members, who have been very supportive of what we do. This most recent development in our mutual journey will surely result in closer cooperation and a tighter integration of KDE's technology on our hardware platforms. Many good things will come from this - stay tuned. Read the full announcement on KDE's website. ## PINE64 explores LoRa for peer-to-peer and group text communication DevFeed: [PINE64 explores LoRa for peer-to-peer and group text communication]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-05-06T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [lora](), [Internet of things](), [P2P](), [Messaging](), [gateway](), [Pinephone](), [Hardware]() Tags: [communication](), [gateway](), [iot](), [lora](), [open-hardware](), [peer](), [pine64](), [pinephone](), [rakwireless]() ### AI overview PINE64 describes plans to explore LoRa for peer-to-peer and group text communication, including potential end-nodes for its SBCs, Pinebook Pro, PineTab and PinePhone. The project involves RAKwireless gateways and is still partly conceptual. ### Source excerpt Many of you are already aware that we are very interested in LoRa®. We hope to use the technology for both traditional IoT applications as well as in less orthodox ways, such as peer-to-peer text communication and even group text-messaging. This novel application potential is of particular interest to us, and in the coming months we will encourage developers to explore LoRa's® viability as a text communication alternative to GSM/CDMA and LTE. We're doubling down on LoRa® even at this early stage, so you can expect to see end-nodes for our SBCs, the Pinebook Pro, PineTab and PinePhone available in the Pine Store shortly. Indeed, we hope for LoRa® to become a staple of PINE64. Group messaging over LoRa® is only conceptually plausible at the moment, but thankfully we're not walking into this blindly or alone. We've been talking to the good folks over at RAKwireless about our ideas, and they've been both interested in what we had to say and very helpful in getting us started. For those of you who do not know, RAKwireless is an industry leading IoT solutions provider, producing high-end LoRa® gateways, sensors, kits and, of course, also gateway modules. Both our indoor and outdoor gateways, which are at the very heart of the system, will be using RAKwireless technology. We're thrilled that we're going to have an opportunity to work with RAKwireless and their community on this project. "We are driven by innovation, open hardware, and community work, and that's exactly what PINE64 brings to our company. Most members of the RAKStars community recognize LoRa as part of the development of IoT devices, however, PINE64 sees LoRa differently. With the power coming from both companies, we will enable people from all over the world to use LoRa technology in innovative ways, and most importantly, to deliver secure text communication." - Maria Hernandez Thanks to the work of RTP from Privacy & Tech Tips, our gateways are already fully functional, and the setup process is as simple a ## It's Time: InfiniTime 1.0 DevFeed: [It's Time: InfiniTime 1.0]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-04-22T00:00:00Z Content type: release Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone](), [Open Source](), [Embedded Software Dev](), [Hardware](), [Software](), [Development]() Tags: [community](), [development](), [embedded](), [firmware](), [hardware](), [infinitime](), [open-source](), [pine64](), [pinephone](), [pinetime](), [release](), [software]() ### AI overview PINE64 announces the release of InfiniTime 1.0 for the PineTime smartwatch after 18 months of development. Future production runs are planned to ship with the firmware, and the project is being introduced to the Pine Store as an enthusiast-grade end-user product. ### Source excerpt When we announced the PineTime in late 2019 we couldn't have imagined how popular of a project it would end up becoming. From the very start, it was evident that this will be a project like no other in our lineup. Following 18 months of intense development, the InfiniTime has now reached a release version, and the development community has made a decision; the Pinetime will be introduced to the Pine Store as an enthusiast-grade end-user product. Future production-runs (succeeding the one currently available) will ship with InfiniTime 1.0 and will be considered ready for daily use. This is a monumental achievement not only for PINE64 and the PineTime development community, but also for the open source at large. I'd like to thank all of you who made this a reality, my mind is blown. ~Lukasz Erecinski Today I'm thrilled to announce the release of InfiniTime 1.0! Before we go into more details about this release, let me introduce you to the PineTime project and its history. A brief history of the PineTime project The PineTime was first introduced in October 2019 as a completely community driven side-project, and positioned as a complementary device to the PinePhone. PINE64 decided on a simple hardware platform - a square body and a FOSS-friendly SoC, to make the developers life a bit easier. At the time, PINE64 was just tossing a bottle into the sea and waiting to see what will happen. Will the community like the idea? Will developers be interested in working on such a project? Well, we now know how the story unfolded; prospective users and developers turned out to be very interested in the idea of a FOSS smartwatch. I too was really excited about this project the moment I read about it in an article, and I was really happy to be one of the first developers to receive a PineTime development kit. It wasn't long before a significant community of users and developers gathered in the community chat rooms. People from all around the world joined the chat to discuss the PineT ## February Update: Show and Tell DevFeed: [February Update: Show and Tell]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2021-02-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Single Board Computer](), [Pinephone](), [RISC-V](), [Mobile](), [Embedded Software Dev](), [AWS IoT Core]() Tags: [community-update](), [lorawan](), [news](), [pine64](), [pinebook-pro](), [pinephone](), [pinephone-keyboard](), [quartz64](), [risc-v](), [single-board-computer](), [update]() ### AI overview PINE64's February community update reviews the Quartz64 model-A, progress on the PinePhone keyboard, the company's first RISC-V single-board computer, and plans to expand LoRaWAN across the PINE64 ecosystem. It also reports manufacturing and shipping updates, Pinebook Pro production plans, and PinePhone software and modem work. ### Source excerpt Welcome to this month's community update. As many of you know, we have now entered the Chinese New Year (CNY) period, which means that all manufacturing and related business activities have ground to a halt. It is always a mad rush to complete ongoing work prior to CNY, but now that the festive period is upon us we get a chance to catch our breath and evaluate the progress made. In this month's update we're going to take a close look at the Quartz64 model-A, showcase headway made on the PinePhone keyboard, discuss our first RISC-V single board computer and introduce plans for making LoRaWAN a staple of the PINE64 ecosystem. You can watch the synopsis of this month's community update on Youtube (embedded below) as well as on LBRY and Peertube. Stay up-to-date with PINE64 news and make sure to subscribe to this blog (subscription widget at the bottom of the webpage), follow PINE64 Telegram News channel as well as our Twitter and Mastodon. I'd like to acknowledge JF, Marek (Gamiee), Alex (clover), PizzaLovingNerd, Konrad, Biktor and Dylan for their contributions to this community update. Thank you! This may just be the most news-packed update since July last year, so strap in for some PINE64-goodness and let's get to it. Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video Synopsis by PizzaLovingNerd TL;DR for this month's update: Housekeeping: Two PineTalk episodes are out! Housekeeping: Pinecil back in stock late Feb/ early March Housekeeping: Shipping status of PinePhone Mobian CE Housekeeping: Manufacturing difficulties expected after CNY and for much of Q2/Q3 this year Quartz64: Detailed specs listed and pictures of the SBC shown Quartz64: Comparison to ROCKPro64 connectivity & performance Quartz64: Generic benchmarks on par with most popular SBC on market Quartz64: More than a stand-alone SBC - a dev platform for future devices Pinebook Pro: Production resumes in March; pre-orders mid-March Pin ## December Update: The Longest One Yet DevFeed: [December Update: The Longest One Yet]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2020-12-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone](), [Users](), [Mastodon]() Tags: [battery](), [community](), [community-update](), [infinitime](), [kde](), [manjaro](), [notifications](), [pine64](), [pinebook-pro](), [pinecil](), [pinephone](), [pinetab](), [pinetime](), [postmarketos](), [ubports]() ### AI overview PINE64's December 2020 community update thanks contributors, partner projects, and logistics teams while reviewing the year's progress. It previews RK3566 boards for developers, community infrastructure work, retail stores, and updates to PineTime's InfiniTime software. ### Source excerpt Welcome to the last community update of the year. I want to start this month's update by thanking everyone who helped us make this challenging year a fruitful and successful one. A special thanks goes to the core community team - our mods and admins - who keep the cogs spinning on a daily basis. Marek (gamiee) and Matthew (fire219) have done an incredible job this year reworking our community-facing infrastructure; this is something which was long overdue and is now appreciated by tens of thousands of end-users. I also want to thank our partner projects - UBports, postmarketOS, Manjaro and KDE Community in particular - for working with us tirelessly to make the PinePhone, PineTab and Pinebook Pro a success. We literally couldn't have done it without you. Special thanks also goes out to the independent contributors whose work continuously assists partner projects in building OSes for our platforms. Finally, I want to say thank you to the Pine64 community at large. We deeply appreciate you all for being the end-users who make this project thrive. I would be remiss not to acknowledge and thank the members of Pine Store's logistics, sales and shipping teams who delivered tens of thousands of PinePhones and Pinebook Pros throughout 2020; this was no small feat I assure you. You can watch a synopsis of this month's community update on Youtube (embedded below) but also on LBRY and Peertube. To stay up-to-date with PINE64 news make sure to subscribe to this blog (footer at the bottom of the webpage), follow PINE64 Telegram News channel as well as our Twitter and Mastodon. I'd like to acknowledge JF, Marek (gamiee), Alex (clover) and PizzaLovingNerd for their contributions to this community update. Thank you. From all of us at PINE64, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! Note: This image preview protects your privacy. Click to load the video from the Google servers. Link to the video & Video synopsis of the Community Update by PizzaLovingNerd TL;DR for thi ## Pine Store Community Pricing & Online Retail Stores DevFeed: [Pine Store Community Pricing & Online Retail Stores]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2020-12-02T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [foss](), [Linux](), [Hardware](), [Support](), [Wiki]() Tags: [community](), [developers](), [foss](), [hardware](), [linux](), [pine-store](), [pine64](), [pinebook](), [product](), [retail](), [software](), [store](), [support]() ### AI overview PINE64 explains that new online retail stores planned for 2021 will operate alongside the existing Pine Store, whose community-oriented pricing and device sales will remain unchanged. The strategy is intended to serve general consumers while preserving the existing community-focused model and reducing pressure on support staff from software troubleshooting requests. ### Source excerpt In 2021 you'll see online retail Pine stores open in Europe, North America and possibly also worldwide at a later stage. Let me start by making one thing clear - the current Pine Store isn't going away and the pricing in the Pine Store will remain unchanged. You'll always be able to buy and pre-order your devices from pine64.com at a community-oriented price point. The retail stores will function alongside the Pine Store, not replace it, and offer a different customer experience. In this blog I'll explain the rationale behind this strategy. PINE64 is not a business First things first - PINE64 is a community, not a business, and the Pine Store's sole purpose is to serve this community by providing FOSS development-friendly hardware. Sales numbers and revenue are not, and never were, a driving force behind this project; making the next fun and often experimental device was and still is. Some devices, such as the original Pinebook, were even sold at a loss at times - simply because we knew people wanted one. Seriously. Victims of our own success Our strategy was always clear - work with developers to design a product, have partner projects and community developers work on the software and sell the device at a community-oriented price point. This approach has proven to be a great way forward for us, and one that, dare I say it, ultimately distinguished us from the other FOSS-vendors and manufacturers. That said, we're slowly falling victim to our own success. News of our devices have reached people outside of our target audience, and enthusiast-grade products now frequently end up in the hands of non-technical customers. I have just been looking at the incoming support tickets these past weeks, and the majority of incoming queries are by people who are not comfortable troubleshooting software problems, have little Linux experience, and do not understand the nature of our devices. In a nutshell, they are general tech-consumers unfamiliar with the intricacies of Linux, FO ## Update: new hacktober gear DevFeed: [Update: new hacktober gear]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Hardware](), [Linux](), [Software](), [Development](), [Pinephone]() Tags: [community-update](), [hardware](), [linux](), [pine64](), [pinecil](), [pinecube](), [pinephone](), [pinetime](), [soedge](), [software](), [software-development](), [update]() ### AI overview A PINE64 community update covering a new store, hardware projects, product availability, PinePhone accessories, PineTime firmware, and related community developments. ### Source excerpt Let me begin this month's community update by teasing the November update, in which I'll talk about the next generation of SoCs and our plans for the future. If you haven't done so yet, then now is the right time to subscribe to our blog and follow the news on the PINE64 Telegram news channel. I'll be mostly focusing on hardware in this month's update, I've been out of the software development loop for much of the month due to personal reasons. This, however, gives me an opportunity to talk to you at more length about the PineCube, Pinecil and SOEdge as well as some community-centric things. As always, massive thanks to JF for contributing the PineTime section of the update! Much has happened in the past month so let's get to it. TL;DR New store and its features; store move to .com domain I've been working towards setting up an EU store Community-created content for PINE64 Youtube and LBRY channels Pinebook Pro and PineTab LCD shortages continue; hopefully panels become available in December Manjaro PinePhone CE OS build is finished & sent to factory yesterday Manjaro's build closest to end-user ready yet; ships with Phosh Work on PinePhone back-covers adding functionality started First two back-covers will add: wireless Qi charging (already works) and NFC PinePhone keyboard design green-lit and started; clam-shell design with large battery SOEdge modules are ready! Chicken-and-the-egg problem, the SOEdge needs Linux devs PineCube is available for purchase; software development is coming along PineCube lens selection coming to the Pine Store Pinecil firmware is coming together very well Pinecil will ship with a B2 tip, but two packages with four tips each will be available ($24.99 each) We created a breakout board for the Pinecil ... it is now an SBC (sort of anyways) PineTime with InifiniTime FOSS firmware is now available and shipping! PineTime music control in Android with gadgetbridge and playing games on the watch PineCom - a small PDA-style device relying on alt ## August update: getting into a rhythm and not slowing down DevFeed: [August update: getting into a rhythm and not slowing down]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Author: PineTime Published: 2020-08-15T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Hardware](), [Pinephone](), [Software](), [USB]() Tags: [community](), [hardware](), [os](), [pine64](), [pinebook-pro](), [pinecil](), [pinecube](), [pinephone](), [pinetab](), [pinetime](), [software](), [update](), [usb]() ### AI overview PINE64's August 2020 update covers community rules, product production and availability, PineBook Pro support for elementary OS 6 Odin, PineTab delays and expansion boards, PinePhone hardware and software developments, and updates on Pinecil and PineCube. ### Source excerpt elementary OS 6 Odin on Pinebook Pro - image via Alan Pope I am currently traveling and have a limited amount of time to write, so I'd like to apologize in advance for not covering all topics and not answering outstanding answering questions that some of you are waiting to hear about. I also had less time to review chat backlogs, tweets, the forum and other information sources, and in result it is possible that I missed some information which ought to be covered. I'd also like to thank JF for covering the PineTime progress leading up to the early adopters edition of the PineTime, which will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. TL;DR for this month New and clear rules of community engagement are coming PINE64 logo and brand-name infringements Pinebook Pro production is on schedule; factory will deliver PBPs to us on 24 August Pinebook Pro is getting elementary OS 6 Odin support! A look at the Pinebook Pro USB-C docking station; waiting for software support PineTab delayed one week; volume button flex cable mistake A look at RTL-SDR and LoRa expansion expansion boards for the PineTab PineTab pre-orders reopen late this month Last chance to get the postmarketOS CE - sold out any day now. PinePhone: we're on a roll and we're not slowing down (until CNY) PinePhone community hardware mods and awesome projects We're exploring keyboard options for the PinePhone Notable PinePhone software developments Pinecil coming in September; a tipset will be available at launch PineCube positive response; available in September/ early October PineCube accessories - LCD panel and battery Housekeeping A recent series of events led me to rethink our formal rules of community engagement. As the community grows - and at a rapid pace at that - moderators and community members need to have clear guidelines to reference concerning the type of engagements we, as a community, are willing to accept. Before I write anything else, let me start by saying I am not a fan of heavy-handed moder ## Invitation to Play Along DevFeed: [Invitation to Play Along]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2020-07-29T00:00:00Z Content type: opinion Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Pinephone](), [Hardware](), [keyboard](), [interface]() Tags: [game](), [hardware](), [keyboard](), [pine64](), [pinephone](), [requirements](), [usb]() ### AI overview Pine64 invites the community to design add-on hardware for the PinePhone, focusing on a Nokia N900-style slide-out keyboard and a gamepad. The keyboard has defined mechanical and electrical requirements, while the gamepad remains at an earlier exploratory stage. ### Source excerpt Image from: Дмитрий Куртуков - Keyboard for PinePhone We are currently in talks with a number of hardware vendors regarding a Nokia N900-style, slide-out-design keyboard for the PinePhone. They'll have to produce mock-ups or prototypes for us to consider in the next few weeks. The requirements specify that the new device needs to: Interface with the PinePhone's rear pogo pin expansion connector Fit the PinePhone's form factor Seamlessly replace the current back cover and snap onto the phone Be similar, mechanically and functionally, to the Nokia N900 keyboard We are simultaneously also exploring a gamepad for the PinePhone. The criteria we're seeking in a gamepad are much vaguer than those of the keyboard: The gamepad must use the PinePhone's pogo pins (at least for power) It must attach mechanically to the phone. Preferably in an elegant way - velcro or adhesive are not an option. This add-on project is at an earlier exploratory stage than the keyboard, and therefore there is also some leeway regarding the general direction and shape it can take. Now, we'd like to invite you to play along. While we're waiting to see what the commissioned vendors will come up with, we'd also like to give you a chance to go at it. For the keyboard, we have settled on a 5-row key-arrangement design - a STP of the layout can be downloaded here. If you'll have a go at creating a keyboard then do keep in mind the general guiding points outlined above, but at the same time do not take them as commandments carved in stone. I guess what I am trying to say is - don't let the criteria restrict your creative vision. Suggested keyboard layout (filled in by hand) Regarding the game controller; since we're at a very early exploratory stage, you're welcome to explore a variety of approaches to creating such an add-on for the PinePhone. In other words, 'anything goes' as far as the controller's design is concerned. Functionality wise, the controller will have to be powered via the pogo pins but I t ## PineTab production update: LCD driver change, shipping timeline, certifications, and adapter testing DevFeed: [PineTab production update: LCD driver change, shipping timeline, certifications, and adapter testing]() Original publisher: [Read original article]() Published: 2020-07-24T00:00:00Z Content type: news Language: en Sources: [Community blog on PINE64]() Topics: [Hardware](), [systems](), [Software]() Tags: [battery](), [certificates](), [drivers](), [eol](), [hardware](), [lcd](), [lora](), [news](), [pine64](), [pinetab](), [production](), [ssd](), [ubports](), [update]() ### AI overview This PineTab update reports that production is about one week behind schedule because the LCD panel driver was changed after the original driver reached end of life. It also gives an expected shipping window, confirms finalized CE, FCC, and RoHS certifications, describes the 6000mAh lithium-ion battery, and notes testing of LTE/SSD and LoRa adapter samples. ### Source excerpt This is a supplementary post to this month's Community Update - if you haven't read this month's news, then I suggest you go back and have a read since we've had a handful of interesting announcements. Regarding the PineTab, I am happy to let you know that production is well under way and we are mostly on schedule with the manufacturing and shipping processes. To be precise, we are just a week behind the original schedule; the cause of the delay is our decision to change the LCD panel driver (or perhaps more accurately, we were convinced to exchange the panel driver by the vendor) as the driver we originally chose is reaching end of life (EoL). We ultimately decided that a week's delay is worth it. The alternative scenario would likely result in developers supporting multiple LCD drivers in their operating systems, which is not ideal. Here are the details of the current timeline. Finished PCBAs will be released to us from the factory on the 27th and, granted we're happy with them, fully assembled tablets should be dispatched from the production line on August 6th or 7th. The PineTabs will make their way to Hong Kong soon after and I expect that shipping will commence the week of August 17-21. Closer to the shipping date, sometime early next month, I'll open a shipping thread on the forum which you'll be able to follow. I am also pleased to announce that CE, FCC and RoHS certifications for the PineTab have already been finalized and the reports are now being written up. All reports will be completed in time for shipping and relevant certificates will be submitted to Wiki as soon as they are made available to us. As I mentioned in the past, we have significantly improved the battery from earlier hardware iterations. The PineTab ships with a 6000mAh Cobalt in lithium-ion battery, which not only provides a long battery life for the tablet but also superior discharge-cycle battery longevity. Investing into core components such as the battery is part of our commitment to [Next page]()