FP 2/3/... Modules & Wishlist meta discussion

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If I knew, I would suggest something awesome and not whine.

This seems like a very good start. Maybe a little impractical though :wink:

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Pretty easy for me.

Module list

  • A connector that can be easily exchanged (ā€œUSB-C moduleā€)
  • A camera, the only thing with a blob from f#@!!#ing Sony, but they work well. I think this is the only thing with a blob really needed on a smartphone due to patents.
  • If needed (I wonā€™t) a new chip from the SDxxx range, but I donā€™t think that is necessary.

Done.

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@Paulkreuzer: You seem to have investigated a lot about this: What IS the Status of the exchangability of the FP2 components? When in 2018 a 20MP camera is standard, might it be possible that one can be bought? More important: might the mainboard&processor be exchangeable for a newer one (I accept that it would have to be one from FAIRPHONE)? IMO this is the most important reason why people abandon their old smartphone.

Actually I donā€™t know anything more than what information the Fairphone team released on the blog. All of this here is just speculation and wishing. But I guess in theory a better camera and an upgraded mainboard is possible and probably something Fairphone are planning, but weā€™ll only know for certain when they announce something.

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Iā€™m not Paul, but currently the Fairphone project uses Qualcomm SoCs (ā€œSnapdragonā€). These SoCs are a bit open and they allow upgrades (801 ā€¦ 820) with new base boards.

There are certain kinds of bus systems (standardized by the big companies) connecting the different (few) parts of smartphone hardware (display, wifi, cameras). The most hurtful thing is the so called ā€œblobā€ firmware/software needed to make the different parts of the cellphone work together.

Most often those are not updated for new APIs (in Android) once new hardware is manufactured and needs to be sold. Although a lot of code is open ā€¦ it ages (linux kernel and android are not syncā€™ed up for the SoC) and other parts that are not open are also not updated. So ā€¦ although the hardware could run more up to date software ā€¦ it is turned to e-waste because the supply chain (SoC, camera, ā€¦) does not support the the upgrade for newer code any longer and (and this is the worst part) also does not allow others to code for their hardware.

Iā€™m sure fairphone developers could write more about this issues, but I never read much about this, only hints.

I have high hopes that the fairphone project will fix a few of these issues. But I donā€™t think they have enough manpower for this. They right now only focus on getting ā€œbetterā€ materials (fair source materials, better safety&health and payment for the workers) not so much on the software/hardware side.

But right now ā€¦ nothing new was announced. But it was promised that after this weekend we will know more about how open the software will be (see the blog). So keep checking the website!

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of course the question was open to everyone! I just found Paul a lot during my own search about this. Thx for the information (I actually even understood half of it and will get clever ppl to explain the rest to me :wink: ).
I will keep up my hopes, that I can keep up the FP2 longer than my current Galaxy Nexus which has me waiting 10-25 seconds after opening any state-of-the-art appā€¦

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An infrared transmitter, to use your Fairphone as a remote control for the TV! :smiley:

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Thatā€™s already on the list

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Upsā€¦ Well, then Iā€™m not the only one, who wants thatā€¦ :slight_smile:

How about an emergency button for elderly people, who need an ambulance?

Or a beamer? There was the Samsung Galaxy Beam, but the time was not right back then. What about.today?

These are bad guesses, Iā€™m gonna sleep over itā€¦ :wink:

Like @paulakreuzer says, the only information we have is from blog posts and news articles. The blog posts are very vague and only hint at the possibility of future upgrades. I think this is a good thing because Fairphone doesnā€™t want to overpromise and their main goal is reparability. Upgradability is ā€“ of course ā€“ also part of longevity but much harder to achieve, especially for a small team. So I think they do well by not promising too much.

The news articles, on the other hand, frequently mention possible upgrade parts (like ā€œcamera modules, or a USB-C upgradeā€ in the latest Engadget article). I donā€™t know whether they have more information from Fairphone or are just taking the hints and connecting the dots. Naturally, Fairphone is not bound to anything said by the media.

We should be creative and think about good ways to use the modularity and expandability but we should not expect too much from Fairphone. Maybe, if we have a very good idea, we could try to produce it ourselves and sell it on kickstarter :wink:

In the end, modularity also allows for that: Third parties can offer their own upgrades if there is a market for it.

Isnā€™t that the thing they use in Star Trek to get people from Enterprise to a planet? Great idea, I also want that. (I think you mean a projector :wink: )

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Yeah, exactly, similar to Star Trek! :wink: It could take a 3D picture of you and send a hologram to another phoneā€¦ :slight_smile:

Yeah, thank you for correcting me. In German a projector is a ā€œBeamerā€.

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One think to keep in mind with updates like camera is that the SoC must be able to handle required workload.

The signal processor of the Snapdragon 801 built into the FP2 is able to capture 4K video and handle cameras up tp 21MPs. So there is pretty much room for camera upgrades ā€“ theoretically.

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I dislike sony for a lot of reasons (just google it, there are plenty of reasons ā€¦ and yes, I know about their ideas for the embedded kernel, but although one can trust one of their devs doesnā€™t mean you can trust sony, the company ā€¦ too big and full of marketing) but a Exmor R would be a good 21MP CMOS upgrade for most smartphones. A binary blob that is not as worse as others. But I would try alternatives to an Exmor sensor gladly if sony lets them exist. Is Toshiba still around?

I think transparent solar cells built into the screen, should be the future for fairphone!

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I moved your post here and added your wish to the list. I like the idea a lot! :smile:

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I donā€™t think making cheaper modules will render the phone that significantly cheaper. The steep price of the phone is mainly due to the resources invested into designing the phone with such level of modularity and repairability as well as the ethical way it was madeā€¦

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That is true.
But many people said that the FP2 was too expensive and theyā€™d prefer to buy a cheaper version of the fairphone even if it had a worse price-performance ratio.

A big back cover with extended (multiple parts / sliders / ???) solar panels. I mean, being able to fully trust the solar pannel to recharge the phone and use it as GPS, camera and so on.

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I think cheaper modules oppose longevity and sustainability in some way