3,346 backers pledged $1,198,844 [1]on Kickstarter to build the (modular) handheld Linux computer, the Mecha Comet . It's slightly bigger and heavier than your smartphone, with a 4-inch AMOLED display and loaded up with things like microphones, speakers, a SIM tray, two USB ports and a mini HDMI port. There's three separate kill switches for wifi, microphone and camera — plus a "boot mode" switch for the SD card, and even three pins for instant access to its debug console.

It's now expected to ship in October or November (and is still [2]available for preorder).

Snap-in extensions include a keyboard (with programmable colors for its backlit keys), a gamepad, and a special IO Breakout that exposes the 40 pogo pins for modules, sensors, and MCUs. They're all [3]open hardware , and founder Shoaib Merchant says "I'm looking forward to more community designs over the upcoming months." He shows the screen in action in a video on Kickstarter, demonstrating native apps like Music, Notes, Settings, and Files — as well as a Terminal app running on its color screen.

A [4]Linux correspondent at How-To Geek notes its ships "with a custom, hardware-optimized Linux distro out of the box," so "it's like having a dedicated Linux terminal in your pocket." And they argue the new device "could be the future of Linux smartphones."

> I should also mention that you don't necessarily have to use the battery; it can power on over USB PD without one. Overall, you're getting the same I/O you'd expect from a computer in a smartphone-like form factor, complete with modular input devices — and it's running Linux under the hood. For me, that's the most innovative gadget I've seen in the Linux hardware space in a long time...

>

> It's powerful enough to run most Linux terminal apps, which opens up a lot of possibilities. You're also getting an [5]NPU built right into the SoC, which opens up the possibility for on-device AI workflows — something not possible in budget smartphones. Now, I personally plan to use it for [6]SSHing into my main computer and home lab and operating them remotely. That's also why I'll be putting the LTE modem in the M.2 slot rather than an SSD — mobile data means I can reach my machines even when there's no Wi-Fi around.

>

> I also showed it to my partner, and she sees this as the ideal minimalist phone for digital detoxing. There's a built-in media player, a basic notes app, and you can even run [7]Spotify from the terminal if you want.



[1] https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mecha-systems/mecha-comet-modular-linux-handheld-computer

[2] https://hub.mecha.so/preorder

[3] https://developers.mecha.so/docs/hardware/mechanicals

[4] https://www.howtogeek.com/i-cant-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-this-linux-pc-phone-hybrid/

[5] https://www.howtogeek.com/intel-amd-and-qualcomm-what-do-their-next-gen-npus-have-to-offer/

[6] https://www.howtogeek.com/ways-to-use-ssh-to-turbocharge-remote-server-sessions/

[7] https://github.com/aome510/spotify-player