PINE64+ 2GB Single Board Computer with WiFi + Bluetooth Module

This is probably the best ARM64/Aarch64 developer board available at the moment. I own a LeMaker HiKey, an ODROID-C2, and a Raspberry Pi3. All of them are nice (except the RPI3, which is in a 32-bit configuration ARMHF configuration for some unknown reason), and the Pine64 was the best in its class and cost the least.

Not much software available yet.

I have been using Android mobile devices for about 5 years, and like the operating environment. My Samsung Note 4 provides impressive performance, so I decided to look for a desktop computer that runs on the Android operating system (OS). After some online research, I found Remix OS 2.0, an Android OS which provides a desktop environment with features similar to Windows. The Remix OS runs on many platforms, but I wanted to run an experiment to determine if an Android OS is viable as a desktop environment. The Pine64 enabled me to run my experiment for about $100.I am happy to report that the Android OS has a bright future as a desktop environment.Before I summarize my approach and results, I must say that starting up the Pine64 is a hobby computer project. To get from parts in a box to a fully operational computer required about 10 hours of work, so be prepared to allocate a weekend to get it running. A powerful computer, large hard drive and fast internet connection help get the job done. While this was my first hobby computer, I am not a computer novice, with about 40 years of computing experience going back to the days of Fortran, Basic, and Z80 microprocessors. Although I "understand" computers, getting the Pine64 going with Remix required a lot of reading, learning and plain old trial and error.HardwarePine64+ 2GB single board computerPine WiFi/Bluetooth ModuleAAA Backup batteryVESA CaseMicroSD card 32 GBSD Card to USB adapterPower supply and cord - AnkerHDMI CableKeyboardMouseSoftwareOperating System. The Pine64 does not come with an OS, but is capable of hosting several different kinds. Since I wanted the Remix OS 2.0 version of Android, I used the April 15, 2016 release of Remix OS Beta 2 DD 32GB. The OS image needs to be downloaded and burned onto the 32GB mircroSD card. This was the most time consuming part of the project. After inserting the loaded microSD card into the Pine64, I powered it up and was presented with the basic desktop environment. Like any Android device, all software downloads and installs thru Google Playstore. Thus, Playstore must work, otherwise there is no software. Playstore was very fickle on this platform, and needed to be reset constantly while downloading the software. Kudos to Google for their Playstore support. The tech, Roland, helped me resolve the playstore issues, even though the Pine64 was a brand-new device with no available support history.After resolving the problems with Playstore, I installed all the desktop software:Google Chrome browserOokla SpeedtestFoxit PDF readerRealcalc scientific calculatorMS Outlook for AndroidMS WORD for AndroidMS Excel for AndroidMS Powerpoint for AndroidMS OneDrive for AndroidMS OneNote for AndroidNote: These MS applications all require a MS 365 account, which I already had.I also installed entertainment softwareAmazon Kindle readerAmazon Prime Video playerAmazon Music playerNetflix streaming video appBarnes & Noble Nook readerPROSGood Bluetooth, supports simultaneous operation of multiple devices: mouse and speakerSupports a complete desktop environmentMultiple open windows can all be resized and repositionedPerformance is reasonableLooks great on an 1920x1200 monitor with HDMI inputExcellent streaming performance for video and musicWorks well with USB keyboard and bluetooth wireless mouseCONSPine64 does not ship with a microSD chip with preinstalled OS softwareMarginal Wifi speed, 3 Mbps down, 1.5 Mbps upModerate ethernet NIC port speed, about 15 Mbps down, 20 Mbps upScreen saver timer does not work, does not blank the screen upon timeout.Google Playstore continuously auto-updates to a version that does not workIn fairness to both Pine64 and Remix 2.0, I don't know if the various flaws and shortcomings are due to hardware limitations or software limitations. Really, I don't care. Ultimately, the market viability of any Android desktop will require well matched hardware and software that runs well out of the box.Despite some shortcomings, the Pine64 is a remarkable little computer. A recycled HDMI monitor and $100 of hardware produced a viable and useful Android desktop computer. Although I spend my workday on high-horsepower Windows workstation computers with snappy performance, I found the performance of the Pine64 with Remix OS 2.0 to be quite acceptable and reasonably responsive. Since brand new 22" to 24" monitors with HDMI are available for about $100, the Pine64 and Remix OS combo resets the desktop price point to about $200. Subscription software, such as MS 365, adds another $100 per year, more or less depending on the selected subscription.

I was among the Kickstarter backers. I had really high hopes & was VERY excited about this board. I got the 2GB version, PlayBox case, 7" Touchscreen, I went all out.What a huge disappointment! The touchscreen only works with the LCD specific Pine 64 Android 5.1.1 image. Remix OS is very nice, but it only has an image for version 2.0 from July.The board is sluggish & about, roughly the size of 2 Raspberry Pi boards.It pains me too have to write this, because I believed in this product & I wanted it too work badly. I was going to turn it into a DIY tablet, but I gave up.I ended up getting a Raspberry Pi 3 to learn coding, maker projects, GPIO & Linux on. Then I bought an Up Board (Intel Atom X5-Z8350 64 bit Quad Core, 4GB RAM, 64GB EMMC) I have it loaded with Windows 10 Pro (full version not IoT), I have it mounted behind my UHD 4K TV, so I can have a full PC in my bedroom. The board is the same size as a Raspberry Pi.

This is a new product, introduced into the GNU/Linux community. It is a work in progress — and it is progressing well. However, the board shown here is not the board I got from pine64.org, the actual legitimate source for the actual legitimate pine64+ 2GB with wifi/bluetooth. I paid less than $40 for mine, including shipping which was included in the price. It came two days later in the mail. It is small and light enough to mail. The pine64s are green; this one is blue. This is somebody else's product, and $20 more expensive. Check out pine64.org.You will >WILL< need a class 10 or better microSD card, I recommend 32GB or greater, given they are so cheap.You will >WILL< need a 2 amp or better micro usb power adapter. I recommend 2.5amps or better.You will >WILL< need an hdmi display device. A 1080p tv will do. Or better.You will >WILL< need a mouse and keyboard, which can be bluetooth or usb. If usb, I also recommend a powerd usb hub. usb is 2.0You will >WILL< need a working computer with enough hard drive space to handle your forthcoming microSD system images. Depending on your card (this thing supports microSD up to 256GB!), that will be the size of the image files on your hard drive. So if you've got a 32GB microSD, plan on multiples of 32GB files. Yeah, that adds up quickly.You will >WILL< need a high speed connection to the Internet, when downloading the system images. They are many gigabytes in size, even the small ones.I recommend a GNU/Linux system, Ubuntu being a very easy system anyone can install and use. This is used to (build), install and manage your pine64 images. I use dcfldd for mine...I recommend a heatsink, one that is self-adhering. There are no places to latch a heatsink. They are easy to find and inexpensive to buy.As for the rest of it, that's what so awesome about this product. It is small enough to use all kinds of things as a case. I'm putting my first one into a wooden cigar box, cause its cool. You could use all sorts of other things, creative things. Fun things.This is definitely a craft item. Not a plug and play piece of kit. This system runs on GNU/Linux, Android or Windows Iot.. We do not yet have working open source graphic drivers for this board on GNU/Linus, so it does not yet run applications like kodi usably. It does run, but not well enough to use. GNU/Linux is an open source operating system, and we are in the process of developing open source drivers, which are not done. They ARE on the way though.I've only used GNU/Linux (xubuntu) so far, but Android and (ughh) Windows IoT might have the proprietary drivers, and fully support the graphics. Haven't tried either of those yet, but it is as easy as having extra microSD cards, or re-imaging the card with these other images. To change "drives" you just change your microSD card. Even I can do it.All in all, I am going to use this pine64+ 2GB with wifi/bluetooth as my primary workstation. It is plenty powerful for what I do (office type applications and information development (software/hardware)), and runs on about 2.5 minuscule watts of power, not counting peripherals. It has gigabit ethernet, and lots of i/o pins for lots of device interfacing. It has OTG (usb on the go). Get the full specs from pine64.org.MAKE something you CANNOT go out and buy off the shelve!Love it!David

Poor hardware quality. Poor customer service.Original Kickstarter backer. I ordered 2. One is flakey. It took months to get all the parts.The LCD screen was DOA. I've emailed support a dozen times and gotten a couple replies saying they are working on it. Still no replacement.These are sitting in a drawer with no use.