14 DAY TRIAL // Believe it or not, Purism's Librem 5 security and privacy-focused smartphone has been successfully crowdfunded a few hours ago when it reached and even passed its goal of $1.5 million, with 13 days left.
Librem 5 wants to be an open source and truly free mobile phone designed with security and privacy in mind, powered by a GNU/Linux operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux and running only Open Source software apps on top of a popular desktop environment like KDE Plasma Mobile or GNOME Shell.
"Running Free/Libre and Open Source software and a GNU+Linux Operating System designed to create an open development utopia, rather than the walled gardens from all other phone providers," said Purism. "A fully standards-based freedom-oriented system, based on Debian and many other upstream projects."
The Librem 5 smartphone also wants to be world's first ever IP-native mobile device that uses decentralized end-to-end encrypted communication. It won't be compatible with Google's Android or Apple's iOS mobile operating systems, but it's capable of running any GNU/Linux distribution if its source code is freely available.
Runs PureOS by default, it's carrier-independent
Featuring a 5-inch screen, Librem 5 is compatible with 2G, 3G, 4G, GSM, UMTS, and LTE mobile networks. Under the hood, it uses an i.MX 6 or i.MX 8 processor with separate baseband modem to offer you the protection you need in today's communication challenges, where you're being monitored by lots of government agencies.
Librem 5 also features hardware kill switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera, microphone, as well as baseband. It runs Purism's PureOS GNU/Linux distro by default, which is based on the Debian GNU/Linux operating system, but, as mentioned before, you are free to install any distro of your choice.
"PureOS on the Librem 5 initially, upon shipment, will offer basic communication services: phone, email, messaging, voice, camera, browsing, and will expand after shipment and over time to more free software applications, through shared collaboration with the developer community," notes Purism on the Librem 5 website.
First units expected to arrive Q1 2019
At the moment, Librem 5 was successfully tested with popular GNU/Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Arch Linux ARM, Fedora, SUSE, as well as SubgraphOS. It's capable of running HTML5 apps, but also native Linux programs. Best of all, Librem 5 recognized and can easily connect to Android, iOS, or Windows devices, and it's a convergent device that can be trasformed into a full-fledged PC if you attach a monitor, keyboard and mouse.
However, the founding of the device is just the first step in its creation, as Purism will now start searching for a manufacturer to build the units, which will go through a complex hardware testing process. PureOS also needs to be thoroughly tested before it can be deployed on Librem 5, so expect it to arrive in Q1 2019. Until then, you can still contribute to its funding if you want it to become a reality faster.
