Official support for Planet Computers Astro Slide 5G phone including Android?

Feature Requests
#1

Planet Computers, the same company that made the Gemini PDA, are currently building a 5G slider called “Astro Slide”. This will be a 5G-phone with full keyboard; it is the closest thing to an N900 replacement I have seen in many years, so I really want one. If this device would have Sailfish, it would be a full pocketable Linux phone with a hardware keyboard for some proper hacking on the go.

So, the question is: Are Sailfish in discussion with Planet Computers about official Sailfish support for the Astro Slide? I, like so many others, must have full Android support to be able to have a phone as my main device, so Android support is a requirement. This makes official, full Sailfish support the only Linux distribution that will work for me. Yes, I am prepared to pay (quite substantially) for a supported Sailfish install on an Astro Slide.

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#2

Idea is great, same as FxTec Pro1

But:
6.53 inches
300g
No thanks!

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#3

well, Planet Computers are promising a lot. If I were Jolla, I would not do any business with them for hundreds of reasons. I have a cosmo communicator, it is soooo aweful in every way, mostly support, security glitches (tough ones, running code over ota) etc.

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#4

Well, I wanted to like Cosmo Communicator, but it’s just way too bulky (and I do have big palms). I ran into Astro Slide yesterday, and after a good night sleep, joined the Indiegogo campaign. Let’s hope the device lives up to its marketing… And official Sailfish OS release, too!

#5

Quite frankly I have Cosmo Communicator but they didnt deliver the linux (camera not working) or sailfish support (not even booting) yet and I highly doubt they will ever. And even without delivering support for both OSes, I would be happy with linux, they have started to work on new device. Not good.

I have device here. On my desk. Collecting dust.

They will probably do it the same with Astro Slide. Deliver the half working device, promise linux and sailfish, then half implement both and skip to whatever the next product will be. Planet PC are just not the company you can trust they will deliver anything except the basic Android which is really sad, the CC would be great.

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#6

There are alpha builds of SFOS 3.2 and 3.4 for the cosmo, though with 0 sensors working, Fn key non-functional etc

#7

Yeah I know. Which is a non working device as far as I am concerned. Anyway I got an email from them saying that the support for linux and sailfish OS is on community, so them claiming support for those operating systems is a blatant lie. They don’t support them. They just hope the community will support them.

Thats why I have bought xperia 10 plus and will buy sailfish licence. I hope I will have better luck this time.

I just hope jolla will officially support some better device in the future.

#8

The main practical thing we can do is maintain pressure on Planet Computers. They did mention Sailfish in their latest Q&A, however it was mainly them saying that they weren’t ready enough with development to get to that question yet. So it is clearly the right time to influence them!

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#9

Forget about it, they are not even close. They have barely put together a non really usable linux dist for CC. And god knows what else doesnt work, the camera is just a tip of ice berg. They dont have resources to pull it off and beside that they have started work on a new phone. To me it looks like there is one person working on linux. And they have like 10 employees. It feels like Ponzi scheme, where you are making new phones to make system running and forgetting on old depts. Once the Astro is released, they will start with new phone in next 2-3 months and leave the old Astra to the “community”. I am prepared to bet on this, they did it to gemini, they did it to CC, i dont see any reason for not doing it to Astro too… hey it is a working business model, why change it.

#10

OK. Well that’s up to you, of course. I don’t usually just lie down and give up, so I will continue pressuring them :slight_smile:

#11

If the day would have 48 hours, I would start digging. Unfortunately with wife and kids, job, etc. it is not that simple.

#12

“they” have done nothing! It is the work of ONE (!!!) programmer, not a part of P.C., and he really did a fantastic job without any help as a hobby project.
But I fully agree. Forget Planet Computers. They are just releasing really crappy hardware. They even do not release the android rom for download, even unlocking the bootloader was work of the community. And initially they build a backdoor into the device until a community member noticed.

#13

Mea culpa, sorry… true. It was one developer.

Actually organizing some comment storm on their indiegogo page wouldnt be a bad idea…

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#14

Hey stiray, my deepest respect for you and everyone who put his time into the Cosmo. Because of you guys I can at least use it as a small device, handeling my basic business needs on the go: Thunderbird with PGP, Hexchat, Telegram, LibreOffice. Thunderbird alone with its ability encrypting and signing emails along with http signatures is good enough for me. To be fair, Planet Computers released the device at the worst possible time, followed by the lockdown in London and China. Also, because of guys like you, there is no other device that small and fast as the Cosmo running something like KDE. Even Pinephone and Librem5 are far from the speed and possibility the Cosmo offers right now. There is no phone with a (even very bad working) Debian desktop that can be used as a phone, correct me if I am wrong, Id buy the device asap.

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#15

Is there any indication that there is a continueing relationship between Jolla and Planet Computers - such that we might expect an official SFOS build for the Astro Slide?

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#16

AFAIR when the Gemini went into sale they also announced support for SFOS, however I haven’t found any hints in the communication of Astro. So I wouldn’t expect much.

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#17

No, there is no formal relationship as far as I can tell. Planet Computers Gemini is listed in the Jolla shop, but it has no Android support. Without Android support it all gets a bit pointless to me. I don’t see what else we can do except maintain pressure in the forums.

#18

You can start on working on Waydroid for this device.

#19

Planet Computers mention Sailfish here: https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/planet-for-techies

However, if the two companies do not collaborate enough to get full support for Sailfish, including full support for Android on the Astro Slide, I don’t see how we will ever get a proper hacking device

#20

I want to run a supported OS. If there is no Sailfish support for the Astro, I will run something else. Quite frankly, if there is no supported Linux OS with official Android support (e.g. Sailfish), I will probably end up running a Pixel or something instead, leaving both Sailfish and Planet Computers behind.

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