PineTab

We’ve heard you, you want an early adopters edition of the PineTab. For those of you who do not follow this blog on a regular basis, let me explain; last month I asked if you want us to gear up for an early production run of the PineTab, and the answer was a resounding ‘yes!’. I’d like to thank all of you for the encouraging responses in the comments section, on the forum and chats, which ultimately convincing me (and more importantly TL) that an early adopters PineTab batch is viable. As things stand, we’re currently planning on making pre-orders for the PineTab available sometime in January of 2020. Mind you, this is a tentative time-frame however, as it is largely dependent on how PinePhone shipping progresses in the coming month. In short, we do not wish to find ourselves in a situation where we have to divide our attention between two important and highly anticipated projects. Tackling one thing at a time is usually the wisest thing to do.

Last time I wrote about the PineTab I mentioned that we’re doing research on a new and improved keyboard for it. We realise that whilst some of you will gravitate towards using touch-input based mobile OSs, there are also many users who will prefer to use a more traditional Linux desktop on the PineTab. To this end I am now happy to report that we have settled on the type of keyboard we will be selling for the PineTab. The core mechanics of the keyboard – that is to say the way it attaches magnetically to the PineTab and the way it folds – remains pretty much identical to the original concept, that we have been showcasing for nearly a year. That said, the material of the cover and the keyboard keycap styles have significantly changed for the better. The new cover material is made out of durable synthetic leather and the keyboard has a familiar chiclet layout. I am also happy to announce that the PineTab keyboard is backlit with 3-step brightness control.

Another accessory for the PineTab that you’ll also be able to order is a M.2 storage and LTE modem adapter. This adapter makes it possible to install any M.2 SATA SSD or LTE modem into the PineTab, further improving its core functionality. I am including a picture of the adapter below.

To learn more about the PineTab please read my Community Update from August this year.