Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Yes. Got the impression somehow that htheb was involved somehow in the mess. He said the device was ready after all :)

Project leader == chen right

It’s good yes.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

It's all speculations ;)

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Yeah! Never trust people on the interwebs. There might not even be a device.

Until there is actually is :)

But then...

There must be parts available, money to build it and so forth or it be like jolla tablet scam. But let’s hope not. On the good side. So far customers money is not in the game so chen can go forward or cancel the project if he likes I guess.

When you have the device in your hand it’s a done deal.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

New writeup on xda-developers.com

x

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

isn't that an old one? witten before CES? Ok. Seems to be an updated version.

so it might run LineageOS or might not. we will see :D

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

You posted first!, I was reading and about to post it. we are In Q1 2019 Let's wait and see what happen first: this or Librem5

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Recently heard, again, about this device, Fx phone... Name is not that eye-catching, but fairly recognisable.

Renderings look impressive:
https://www.xda-developers.com/liver...rd-smartphone/

Given how neat angled slider mechanism sounds to be... I would like for Fx phone to be able to dual-boot Maemo Leste and Nemo Mobile, if possible. No Android - I should try to make do with Apkenv if needed.

How is this device going to be made so quickly? Is it based on an existing keyboard-less multi-boot-friendly phone? Which one? Because, if PCB has to be designed from scratch, and certified, then it will take years, or decades, for Fx to exit prototype stage.

Thank you. Best wishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Per aspera ad astra...

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

If you have followed the newsletters, it was stated that they hired ex Nokia designers who previously worked on the E7, N97 and the N950.
So they know what they are designing.
This device has indeed been in development for over a year now. Just because some things are arising, doesn't mean that they just started the development.

Btw, good to see you again Wikiwide!

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

[disclaimer: I have been away from TMO for over half a year and just learned about ReadyFx]

Nonsense. You're contradicting yourselves. If you include Google Play Services, then you have just included weird backdoor apps. I don't want to have that thing on my phone.

I do understand that the average Joe wants the GMS and it's a valid commercial choice to include them by default.

I really think that Fairphone really got that thing right. By default Fairphone ships with a GMS-enabled version of Android, but there's also an official free-software ROM to flash.
Alternatively, you could just provide an extra flashable zip to flash on top of the free-software ROM to <s>up</s>downgrade it to the GMS-enabled version, the way LineageOS does it.

Maybe ReadyFx could also go that way?

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

I think it's important for Readyfx to create a phone that will appeal to the majority and focus on niche markets later. Most users will use Android, along with the host of Google Apps. That will be probably 90%+ of the users. Lineageos will probably be the biggest aftermarket ROM base followed by others like Sailfish, etc.
Do we have any updates on release date? I know it's Q1 2019, but i'm itching to buy this phone.

One thing I'm afraid of is screen size. I know Chen said with the 6 inch 18:9 screen, the device will be smaller than the Moto Z dimensions, But I feel like that still makes the device larger than my preference. The most comfortable phone I've ever used size wise is a Galaxy S7 (142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm). I feel like any bigger would make the device tough to handle without some grip. Hopefully they make it with some grippy materials. I would prefer soft touch surfaces (like the original Nexus One or the T-Mobile G2). Both of those handsets were premium aluminum feeling with some soft touch accents to provide incredible levels of grip. It may be a while until skin manufacturers make applications for this device (assuming they ever do).

I'm obsessively checking on this phone every day, haven't been this excited about a device in a while. Hopefully they release soon

Based on my research and existing phones with a similar display size, I'm thinking this device will be roughly 150mm tall, 75mm wide, not sure about thickness, but maybe 10mm or less. I sincerely hope it's as compact as possible for handling purposes, possibly smaller than I estimated

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Hey Marmistrz, welcome back :D

Not sure if you went through the whole thread, but I think, Chen mentioned a few times that he plans on getting hardware to sailfish, ubport, plasma mobile groups and possibly others. So this shouldn't be a big concern.

However it will have android binary blobs to support hardware components, like GPU and etc. That's my understanding. Only the purism phone and a few other smaller project are trying to do hardware with out the blobs. Even gemini does the same.

I'm not a fan, but the hope is the more these types of project that come out and are successful the more likely the devices will meet all our wish could appear :D

This is a very exciting device, with many compromise ... but I so glade it might be coming soon. I'll celebrate when it actually ship and we get some review ;). But I may get it and run sailfish till maemoL is working well. Then I'll have hard choices ... fav OS vs modern one.

Cheers

x

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Quotes from Chen
We chose a notch-less screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio, and minimal bezels. Our device's footprint is smaller than most other 6-inch 18:9 phones, like the Nokia 7 Plus or Moto Z3. This doesn’t just reduce physical size, it also improves the typing experience.
It's a 18:9 ratio in 6", in another word it's the same panel as a 5.4-5.5" screen in 16:9. The screen is bigger due to less bezels. In measurements the device is quite narrower and slightly shorter than the Moto Z2 Play.
Thinking this way, it's a 5.4" of the traditional 16:9 ratio.
P.S: Being quite smaller than the Xperia XA2 Plus, which quite some users are happily using SFOS upon.

Xperia 157 x 75 x 9.6 mm
Z2 Play 156.2 x 76.2 x 6 mm
Moto Z 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.2 mm
Galaxy S7 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm
Sharp Aquos 131 x 67 x 10 mm
I don't know what "quite narrower" means, but hopefully the device is as small as possible. I've never ventured past 5 inch 16:9 phones because they're already the max size I can handle.

I think Chen also said it's smaller than the Moto Z, so I think my estimations are accurate. Roughly 150x70x10. Push for smaller Chen, PLEASE! @chenliangchen I would be very impressed if the device is under 70mm wide and under 150mm tall, that would be a feat. Thickness I don't mind too much, I know the keyboard will take some space

I also included the dimensions for the Galaxy S7 and the Sharp Aquos for comparison. Those are true compact phones in today's market

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Last newsletter was 1/16
I know I'm obsessed...

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Adding best QWERTY slider ever since it was truly nice size,
X10 Mini pro compact QWERTY slider 3.5 × 2.0 × 0.7 inches
X10 Mini without landscape slider 3.3 × 2.0 × 0.6 inches

Maybe time for a compact mini Fx chen phone next maybe ?

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Ex-Nokia designers are responsible for slider mechanism, which is very nice.

Nevertheless, my question is about PCB design (and FCC/whatever certification). Going by my experience with SayGus V2, Neo900 and DragonBox Pyra, it takes more than a year or two to have the whole device delivered to customer. Therefore, I am curious about the promise of release in Q1 2019 - is the phone based on some previous work/phone/prototype, thus speeding up the release?

Thank you for welcome :-) I am idling a lot.

Best wishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Per aspera ad astra...

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

The keyboard part doesn't need any certifications. I think they are more about the wireless part (Wifi, Bluetooth, GSM).

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Not the whole truth.

The chassis and mechanism affect the RF behaviour of the device; the antennas need to be designed against that, it is different when one has an unibody model.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

You should not compare home/kitchen projects with this one. Projects like the Pyra are done in free time and only by a few people.
The F(x) is a whole team. It is not comparable with vaporware like the Neo900. If you work hard, you can achieve good results with a limited time frame (see for example the GPD)

You really have no idea what you're talking about don't you....?

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Care to explain a bit more so we can know what we are talking about here. What team? Appox how big? How hard are they working compated to garage project? What kind off support do they have? Do they have external funding? What time frame did GPD worked with? What kind of connection do they have to youYota? Friends, colleagues, same city? Same country?

Do they even have a product?

I have absolutely no idea any of that.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Very good questions @dave. Having created a previous product could be seen as a bonus. :D

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Keeping up with any news about this device is really complicated by the fact that terms like Fx and F(x) and Hardware Keyboard and Livermorium are all either too generic or too overshadowed by other usages to search for effectively. Or maybe it's just the lack of any independent news . . . Looks like all the information either comes from here or from the xda-developers article based on the promotional emails.

(At least I now know that Livermorium is an artificially created radioactive element named after a laboratory named after a place named after an English-American-Mexican rancher. And that there was another phone called the Fx that I'd never heard of I guess since it was so overshadowed by the Sidekick (and stolen naughty pictures). And also how annoying it is for this amateur jeweler to read the term bezel being pluralized.)

I, too would love to know a little more about the team producing this. And should it ever appear, those people had better "shut up and take my money". Seems like we have a number of interesting potential devices (or potentially intersting devices) coming soon.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Indeed. A bonus. I’m not sure what product we are talking about?

N950 that the “team” have built before?
Moto mod that chen built alone or what team?
Fx possibly a future device?

I think HtheB need to share if we knows what he is talking about. :confused:

1 month to MWC and I think we will see the device or prototype by then. Will be an epic MWC with new screen tech too along with this possible device.

So no longer a small product but a big team product?

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

I don't know any more than you guys know.
But do any of you guys know the team who makes the Nokia phones? Who makes Apple phones? Who makes Sony, Huawei, OnePlus etc. etc...!?
Seriously grow up guys

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

No, we don’t so no worries. Just need to wait to see what this team built. It will be EPIC. But how EPIC?

That’s the million dollar Q.

Maybe it will be announced tomorrow. What do you think about that?

Edit: will Fx be EPIC?

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

I'd like an update from Chen
The newsletters used to be about a week apart since they started and have steadily grown to just under 2 weeks apart now
Given the last one was on the 16th, we're due for an update

But frankly I don't care about updates, I wish they would just release the phone already :(
Or at least give us a behind the scenes of what's going on. Where in development are you, any issues, next steps, etc. I know devices don't get built overnight and it requires a lot of work and time. At least keep us in the loop

I feel like for this device to stay relevant, it needs to be released ASAP. Foldable screens are becoming the new big deal among cell phones. The market is at a point where cell phones have become as advanced as they can be and they're looking for a new innovation. The physical keyboard comeback probably isn't it, however it may just be the fresh new device that's different from everything else for the time being.

Honestly, this device should've been released 4-5 years ago, but no manufacturer ever stepped up to the plate. Even the Droid 5 prototype that was leaked was a lukewarm upgrade to the Photon Q (the last/best android QWERTY slider). I'm not surprised at all that they didn't release it, they barely tried to improve. So pissed off about that, no one tried. Not a single manufacturer. And don't tell me the Priv was good. Slides the wrong way, less than average keyboard, not great camera, no software support and stupid expensive. It was a failure, and I can't believe Blackberry bet the farm on that device.

All we see nowadays are slabs and emphasis on screen-body ratios. That's not a bad thing, but that's also why I was telling Chen to focus closely on physical dimensions. I know this phone has a keyboard and every other phone doesn't, but it is the comparison the public will make. The people that are committed to buying this phone will buy it regardless. But for the device to truly succeed, it needs to be adopted by more than enthusiasts. And if it's just another okay-ish phone with a physical keyboard for a gimmick, it won't succeed.

I'm really glad they took the time out to slap on the Pixel camera sensor, stock android, and a nearly bezel-less screen. Compact dimensions will seal the deal, but keep in mind compact-ish phones have been coming out for a while now. Technology also moves fast and is unforgiving. Sure the Pixel 3 sensor is great, but the google software backing it up is what sets it apart. Keep in mind the Pixel 3 has already been out for a few months now... And the world isn't rushing to buy new phones as much because they're built so well. Apple recently stopped announcing how many devices they sell, because sales are low, and they will go lower. Market is at the point of saturation, so this device needs to out there ASAP to make a difference.

Too Long, Didn't Read: CHEN, release the phone ASAP. I know we're asking for a lot, but for your success and relevance, deploy fast! The ship for QWERTY already sailed, but if this device is good enough, it might spark life back into the form factor. And try to build some hype for this device, outside of these few forums and the lone twitter post, or XDA article, there's very little posted about this phone. If people don't know about it, how will they buy it?

\end rant

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

[wondering]
Could the Chinese New Year affect something to release? 5th Feb in this year?
[/wondering]

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

I hear yah. But really what's a month? Some of us have been using phones that's are almost 10 years old!!

Now days you can't share too much, since Chinese will copy the F'k out of your product and sell it before you even announce it. I mean look how quickly notch came out on everything after apple made theirs. Same with folding screens.

So as much as we all want more info, I would say how often do we get to be surprised with new tech these days. It's like a 4 month of xmas even .. lol.

Lets just hope this device is successful enough that they make more! Perhaps smaller with a pen :D

x

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Yes, that's the point I was trying to make ;-)

Quite likely. See below as well.

Well, you cannot just ask Motorola to hand over their schematics for PCB - Motorola is neither open-source nor encouraging competitors [bad for business, you know]. So it will have to be designed and re-designed and tested and prototyped. The experience in previously designing RF behaviour for Moto Mod may give a head start, though.

Going by how speedily they promise to deliver this device, they might have a huge team - and a lot of money invested into this, as well. It's about the only explanation coming into my head, for them to be not asking for pre-orders?

And yes, a lot of interesting potential devices coming soon. Neo900, DragonBox Pyra, Saygus V2, Fx, Librem 5... I am a fan of hardware keyboard though, personally. It's a pity that vertical sliders, with T9 keyboard, are not in development.

Thank you. Best wishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Per aspera ad astra...

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Generally agree, updates are nice to hear, and being able to have the phone in hand is even nicer. I am not particularly interested in foldable screens - partially because I am tired of screen this and screen that. I am more interested in camera-sliders - Oppo Find X has an outstanding approach to this (though I still long for optical zoom).

I don't like Priv, but for a different reason - I wish this vertical slider had square display, just like Passport. And of course, Blackberry isn't kind enough to release a phone with unlocked bootloader and everything else ready for booting an open-source OS.

I like bezel, a prominent one - it protects display from scratches, in many situations.

And I wish for RGB backlight for keyboard, and done well at that. And it's already too late to ask for a non-rectangular phone...

Thank you. Best regards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Per aspera ad astra

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

You might not care for foldable screens, but the general public does. Either way, it's the next bit of innovation manufacturers have come up with because other than incremental updates, the smartphone hasn't changed much over the past 10 years. Ever since the original iphone I would say.

Bezels are disappearing, whether you like it or not... I am usually very careful with my phones, so I don't really care how delicate it is, as long as it puts up with light use long term. Never dropped my phones

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Oh ? Will the Neo900 be released this year ? Will it be the same hardware has defined at the begining of this project ?

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

The Dragonbox Pyra is coming soon is it?
And the Neo900 is coming soon as well ?
Interesting.
years and years later,
many folks money vaporized...
And now the neo is coming soon?
(coming soon again rather..)
There isn't anything in the forum here that is recent by a long shot.
There isn't anything on the official site either that is an official update saying anything either.
So where is the official statement that the neo900 is coming soon?
Even if there is some mention somewhere in some long stream of "chat" ..
that hardly sounds certain or official

frankly I have nothing to say ...especially concerning the last.
Long long done and moved on from that fiasco...
and zero interest getting sucked into either wasting my time in discussion,
or wasting my time and money ...
again..
on the neo-expletive

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Chen hath spoken

https://twitter.com/chenliangchen/st...520750593?s=20
Wonder if that means they will launch soon

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

No, but a news letter might coming your way soon.

Might give you an idea of how they planning to do the launch. But launch is not immediate. But if you are in luck. Next month. But I guess more than one month.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Plus then it's going to take time to produce and ship. In reality it will be a while before I have this phone, assuming its released ever

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

No 5g, hardly surprising since it was originally planned to release last quarter, also pretty much confirms Snapdragon 845.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Yes, the choice between dualsim and MicroSD bothers me too.
The fingerprint scanner is a necessity for modern Android smartphones. I will most likely ignore it.
5G cannot be expected. Even the high-end flagships of the biggest companies do not offer it yet.

3.5mm jack and USB-C OTG were basic requirements from my point of view. But stereo speakers are awesome!

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

This is becoming really interesting. I just hope there will (at some point) be official Sailfish support.

Re: Are you Ready? Fx HW Keyboard Phone
 

Very good progress. Will some self assembly be needed?