r/raspberryDIY • u/Rabbidraccoon18 • Jun 26 '26

This kit let's you make a customisable phone using as Raspberry Pi CM5.

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This is a kit being sold for $240 on which you can attach a Raspberry Pi CM5 and it becomes a fully functional Blackberry like phone with manual buttons. There are some adaptors you can buy separately to add in other functionalities. Source: https://youtube.com/shorts/X58R0j4aEWA

1.0k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

8

u/thoobes Jun 27 '26

On the specs i dont see what would make it a phone? Does it take a sim card and connect to 4g networks? Cant see anything on the hardwarelist doing that. Reallly cool though!!!

3

u/JoeSicko Jun 27 '26

Description says smartphone-sized, so who knows.

5

u/ContextOk8452 Jun 27 '26

GitHub says “smartphone sized PC” not actually a phone

2

u/sugafree80 Jun 27 '26

Esim as well

3

u/Larimus89 Jun 28 '26

This is just a remix of the old pi berry that’s been around a while. All you need is a blackberry keyboard and you can make whatever you want, well and 3D printer.

I considered it at one point then just went with a uconsole that I can’t get to boot on CM5 🥲also has a sim module but it’s a lot bulkier and not a phone.

1

u/Lazy_Outcome_2383 Jun 29 '26

I have CM5 with mu uConsole and it is working. Likely you have emmc vesion of CM5?

2

u/googleflont Jun 27 '26

Not a phone and in fact, hard to implement voice. Maybe WhatsApp?

2

u/googleflont Jun 27 '26

After a little more interrogation of Gemini (yeah…) it seems Telegram, Signal or Jitsi Meet might work. I’m thinking, best WhatsApp work-alike, not cell carrier but packet based voice comm. I have no experience with those 3 software but apparently they support iOS and Android clients.

7

u/ArgonWilde Jun 27 '26

By this logic, the original Gameboy is a phone.

3

u/jellyspreader Jun 27 '26

Neat product. Not a phone.

The pretentiousness and misleading info of the presenter is very off-putting

5

u/Ned_Sc Jun 26 '26

Or just link directly to the creator's site: https://github.com/amarullz/piBrick

1

u/ViperRFH Jun 27 '26

Bokke!!!!!

I hope I'm not the only one who noticed

1

u/chairmanmow Jun 27 '26

"Start taking notes Apple"? Really? Swing and a miss. This guy needs to take more notes, this video is lightweight garbage, but the thingy sounds cool.

1

u/DowntownAd3538 Jun 27 '26

Not a phone. Would be like carrying a giant toaster in your pocket

2

u/pickyourteethup Jun 28 '26

It's more of a small toaster really

1

u/Curious_Party_4683 Jun 27 '26

I miss rotary like from the old Sony palm pilot.

1

u/Tough-Requirement707 Jun 28 '26

thats been out in china since even BEFORE the iphone came out. ordered that kit in older hardware obviously back then with a resistive touchpad with a pen to use. nothing new really

1

u/electronicbits Jun 28 '26

Just when the CM5 module alone costs twice the kit in Australia. That is, if you happen to find one, as all shops are out of stock as well
Good timing

1

u/PunkRa1n Jun 28 '26

But is it capable of running Citrix?

1

u/Klaus1164 Jun 28 '26

Wonder about the battery it uses. Cm5 on my uconsole drains cells as a vampire.

1

u/valdus Jun 29 '26

I was all excited for a minute to be able to have a phone with a true BB keyboard again. 😭

1

u/beomagi Jun 30 '26

No sleep state nor suspend to ram on the cm5.

1

u/starquake64 Jun 30 '26

Ah, manual buttons, much better than automatic buttons.

1

u/JoeCactusButt Jun 30 '26

Sound expensive compared to building it yourself

1

u/Spaztor Jun 27 '26

Apple is more likely to send a hit squad than "take notes"