5 ms·

Paxo: A DIY Phone

138 points by conaclos 2y ago

yaky 2y ago
I tried to find some technical details, but there is nothing on the tutorials page. The press page links to a few articles in French, but all I found was that there is that there is no 4G, and "Circuit artisinal fonctionnel" on a diagram. It would be great to know how it compares with other DIY phone projects like ZeroPhone.
- morjom 2y ago
  https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic has something, no cool diagrams tho.
- conaclos 2y ago
  They are working on a new version that will include 4G.
- Animats 2y ago
  Web site needs more pictures of phone and less pictures of wind turbines.
antongribok 2y ago
The way it looks reminds me of the Handspring Visor[1] for some reason (with less buttons). 1: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc.
- YuccaGloriosa 2y ago
  Reminds me of happy memories of traveling ca.2001 with an ebook on my visor edge
- layer8 2y ago
  HN’s parser stripped away the final dot in the link. Working direct link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc%2e https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc%2e
- hoistbypetard 2y ago
  I clicked "back" after looking at the page to point this out! If there were a visor with a modern GSM/LTE radio, the ability to let me tether a tablet when necessary, and enough horsepower to do email and SMS using graffiti input, I think I'd use it as a daily driver. The Visor was really great.
rzr 2y ago
With all respect to the younger generation, this is project is oversold compared to previous similar projects. BTW, which OSHW project is advanced enough to deserve more contributions ? Back to paxo one, According to https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic It is integration of SIM800L modem with ESP32 Software side, the main app (aka OS): https://github.com/paxo-phone/PaxOS-9 https://github.com/paxo-phone/PaxOS-9
- conaclos 2y ago
  The project is still in early stages. More and more people are getting involved, including people with some expertise.
  - jeffhuys 2y ago
    Doesn’t really help that all issues and docs seem to be in French. Typical tho haha
    - rUsHeYaFuBu 2y ago
      Apprendre le Français?
      - tejtm 2y ago
        [flagged]
        lispforlife 2y ago
        [dead]
    - bluGill 2y ago
      I'm fine with that so long as either they don't care about us operations or someone (only need one or two) translates.
    - snailmailstare 2y ago
GJim 2y ago
A rather unfortunate choice of name! https://www.paxo.co.uk/ https://www.paxo.co.uk/
jonesjohnson 2y ago
Oh man. Again one of those projects where someone glues together an Arduino (ESP, Raspberry,...), a modem module and a battery. I'm not sure where this is "educational" (except for the creators, of course). I've been using hacky phones all my life (N900, N9, Sailfish, Ubuntu Touch, Pinephone, Librem5) and I really really really just want people to finally concentrate their efforts and build a (non-android) open-source phone (HW + ecosystem) that's actually usable. Sorry for this non-constructive post, but this is a topic that bothers me quite a lot.
- rambambram 2y ago
  With all your experience and opinions, you seem like the best guy for the job! Congrats, from now on you're in charge of and responsible for making a non-android open-source phone (plus eco-system!) that's actually usable.
  - catapart 2y ago
    I think your criteria for "best guy for the job" is pretty lax. Personally, I think the main criteria for that position is capital, which OP's comment doesn't even broach.
- slyfox125 2y ago
  While you're not wrong, the evidence you laid out proves that such an endeavor is not so simple or easy.
  - hedora 2y ago
    My experience with open source linux phones is that they can never make basic decisions like which package manager or ui framework to target, so you end up with five completely distinct base operating systems. Some can make calls, some can receive sms and some can suspend resume. None can do all three. If they’d picked one standard approach they could have all those things with 10% the effort I’ve seen go into those ecosystems. I don’t think there’s anything particularly hard about producing an open source linux phone with modern hardware and a supported base operating system that is competitive with a typical dumb phone. However, none of the companies that have tried to make an open source phone are product focused enough to build such a thing.
Baguette5242 2y ago
I read a lot of negative/pesimistic comments, but just to put things in perspective, this phone was developped by a middle/high school guy when he was 13~16 years old… come on guys…
- conaclos 2y ago
  Maybe I was wrong to share the project at its early stage. I hope the Paxo's team doesn't get discouraged by all these negative comments. Personally, I was really impressed with the project and wanted to share it here.
  - PostOnce 2y ago
    People will complain about anything and everything, but those aren't the people that matter to a project like this. The people that matter to a project like this are the people who find it interesting. Linux was a hobby project once. Some of these comments are like saying of the PS5 "Oh great, another `game console` that's just a PC that boots to a launcher." Whatever, close the tab and keep working on it. Building stuff is more fun than listening to internet complainers.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - johnea 2y ago
    I think that's correct. Maybe even just a different title, indicating it's a youth project, would have set more accurate expectations. There are a LOT of half baked linux phone projects. And many people here, I'm sure, have bought and tried to use a few of those. It's generally not a fun experience. Even if a person is trying to contribute to the project, if you work on something hard for half a year, then have the whole thing disappear into the void. I would call that "not fun". So, as a high school kids project, it's an awesome acheivement. Just having a high school student be so aware of the impacts of technology freedom is awesome. But as a "hey, here's your new linux phone", this one is not ready for prime time. Really just a matter of how the project is presented...

138 points by conaclos 2y ago

yaky 2y ago

I tried to find some technical details, but there is nothing on the tutorials page. The press page links to a few articles in French, but all I found was that there is that there is no 4G, and "Circuit artisinal fonctionnel" on a diagram. It would be great to know how it compares with other DIY phone projects like ZeroPhone.

morjom 2y ago
https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic has something, no cool diagrams tho.
conaclos 2y ago
They are working on a new version that will include 4G.
Animats 2y ago
Web site needs more pictures of phone and less pictures of wind turbines.

antongribok 2y ago

The way it looks reminds me of the Handspring Visor[1] for some reason (with less buttons). 1: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc.

YuccaGloriosa 2y ago
Reminds me of happy memories of traveling ca.2001 with an ebook on my visor edge
layer8 2y ago
HN’s parser stripped away the final dot in the link. Working direct link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc%2e https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handspring,_Inc%2e
hoistbypetard 2y ago
I clicked "back" after looking at the page to point this out! If there were a visor with a modern GSM/LTE radio, the ability to let me tether a tablet when necessary, and enough horsepower to do email and SMS using graffiti input, I think I'd use it as a daily driver. The Visor was really great.

rzr 2y ago

With all respect to the younger generation, this is project is oversold compared to previous similar projects. BTW, which OSHW project is advanced enough to deserve more contributions ? Back to paxo one, According to https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic https://github.com/paxo-phone/paxo-electronic It is integration of SIM800L modem with ESP32 Software side, the main app (aka OS): https://github.com/paxo-phone/PaxOS-9 https://github.com/paxo-phone/PaxOS-9

conaclos 2y ago
The project is still in early stages. More and more people are getting involved, including people with some expertise.
- jeffhuys 2y ago
  Doesn’t really help that all issues and docs seem to be in French. Typical tho haha
  - rUsHeYaFuBu 2y ago
    Apprendre le Français?
    - tejtm 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - lispforlife 2y ago
        [dead]
  - bluGill 2y ago
    I'm fine with that so long as either they don't care about us operations or someone (only need one or two) translates.
  - snailmailstare 2y ago

GJim 2y ago

A rather unfortunate choice of name! https://www.paxo.co.uk/ https://www.paxo.co.uk/

jonesjohnson 2y ago

Oh man. Again one of those projects where someone glues together an Arduino (ESP, Raspberry,...), a modem module and a battery. I'm not sure where this is "educational" (except for the creators, of course). I've been using hacky phones all my life (N900, N9, Sailfish, Ubuntu Touch, Pinephone, Librem5) and I really really really just want people to finally concentrate their efforts and build a (non-android) open-source phone (HW + ecosystem) that's actually usable. Sorry for this non-constructive post, but this is a topic that bothers me quite a lot.

rambambram 2y ago
With all your experience and opinions, you seem like the best guy for the job! Congrats, from now on you're in charge of and responsible for making a non-android open-source phone (plus eco-system!) that's actually usable.
- catapart 2y ago
  I think your criteria for "best guy for the job" is pretty lax. Personally, I think the main criteria for that position is capital, which OP's comment doesn't even broach.
slyfox125 2y ago
While you're not wrong, the evidence you laid out proves that such an endeavor is not so simple or easy.
- hedora 2y ago
  My experience with open source linux phones is that they can never make basic decisions like which package manager or ui framework to target, so you end up with five completely distinct base operating systems. Some can make calls, some can receive sms and some can suspend resume. None can do all three. If they’d picked one standard approach they could have all those things with 10% the effort I’ve seen go into those ecosystems. I don’t think there’s anything particularly hard about producing an open source linux phone with modern hardware and a supported base operating system that is competitive with a typical dumb phone. However, none of the companies that have tried to make an open source phone are product focused enough to build such a thing.

Baguette5242 2y ago

I read a lot of negative/pesimistic comments, but just to put things in perspective, this phone was developped by a middle/high school guy when he was 13~16 years old… come on guys…

conaclos 2y ago
Maybe I was wrong to share the project at its early stage. I hope the Paxo's team doesn't get discouraged by all these negative comments. Personally, I was really impressed with the project and wanted to share it here.
- PostOnce 2y ago
  People will complain about anything and everything, but those aren't the people that matter to a project like this. The people that matter to a project like this are the people who find it interesting. Linux was a hobby project once. Some of these comments are like saying of the PS5 "Oh great, another `game console` that's just a PC that boots to a launcher." Whatever, close the tab and keep working on it. Building stuff is more fun than listening to internet complainers.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- johnea 2y ago
  I think that's correct. Maybe even just a different title, indicating it's a youth project, would have set more accurate expectations. There are a LOT of half baked linux phone projects. And many people here, I'm sure, have bought and tried to use a few of those. It's generally not a fun experience. Even if a person is trying to contribute to the project, if you work on something hard for half a year, then have the whole thing disappear into the void. I would call that "not fun". So, as a high school kids project, it's an awesome acheivement. Just having a high school student be so aware of the impacts of technology freedom is awesome. But as a "hey, here's your new linux phone", this one is not ready for prime time. Really just a matter of how the project is presented...