[Technology] ZeroPhone: The $50 Open Source Raspberry Pi Powered Smartphone

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The Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized (or smaller now) computer that's been on the tech scene for some time now, and I personally credit this amazing little device for sparking a modern DIY tech renaissance. With these tiny computers, you can build anything that you could possibly imagine. Want a low-cost media server? Raspberry Pi's got you covered. What about a custom arcade cabinet? That's right, Raspberry Pi. Well now, a developer by the name of Arsenijs has built a cheap-as-chips completely Open Source smartphone that can potentially be a truly smart phone.

The ZeroPhone is based upon the very popular mini sibling of the granddaddy Raspberry Pi, the Zero (hence the name). It's linux-powered, built using off the shelf parts that anyone can purchase and should keep even the most ambitious of Power Users happy. It has all the features you'd expect from a smartphone, although at present is only capable of 2G mobile connections with plans for 3G and 4G support further down the line.

If you're a happy iPhone user, this probably isn't for you, but if your Android phone is rooted, modded and pimped to the extreme you might fancy taking up the ZeroPhone challenge. No carrier locks, no big companies hoarding your personal information and no bloatware. You can easily modify or repair this phone, and potentially the extra features you could give it are limitless. Some of the extra features you could give your home built phone include IR transmitter/receiver, up to 8MP camera, storage and battery expansion or you could fit it with a wide range of sensors and make your own real life tricorder.

You can't buy the kit just yet, but head on over to Crowd Supply to sign up for updates on the project. You can also take a closer look on their Hackaday.io project page, where you'll also find the components list and instructions on how to build your own ZeroPhone right now. Ever since seeing a phone on Mr Robot that had a modified form of Kali Linux on it, I've wanted to make my own l33t phone and now I finally can. The future is brilliant, isn't it?

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What do you think about this DIY phone? Will you be ordering in the components to give it a try? I'm probably going to wait until a 3G/4G kit is available just because I have a couple of ongoing projects already. On that note, when the components arrive, would anyone be interested in a tutorial for building your own customisable and hackable drone? I'm thinking about doing a monthly post over the next 3/4 months that will show you how you can build your own flyable drone that is the perfect starting point to start something really cool. Let me know your thoughts on the tutorial, and the ZeroPhone down in the comments and I'll meet you there. As always, make sure to follow me for the latest Technology, Internet and Pop Culture updates, plus whatever else I feel like writing about (which could be anything). Until next time guys and gals, take it easy!

P.S. If you're new here, you might want to check out my Ultimate Beginner's Guide To Steemit, which covers everything you need to know to get started making money and meeting new people on Steemit.

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Sources:
ZeroPhone | Crowd Supply (https://www.crowdsupply.com/arsenijs/zerophone)
ZeroPhone | Hackaday.io (https://hackaday.io/project/19035-zerophone-a-raspberry-pi-smartphone)

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