I think that for Linux mobiles and tablets to be a real option, some time still has to pass. Almost everything out there is in beta and cannot be used for day-to-day use, but that could change later this year with the arrival of the jing pad. The tablet that they are preparing in China has the collaboration of some KDE developers, and it is that the K software seems to be the one that will take the lead in the Linux Mobile world. For that reason, I think it is important to talk about a launch that occurred this afternoon: Plasma Mobile 21.07 It is now available.
With each passing day, KDE / Plasma is reaching more and more devices. After the aforementioned JingPad, Valve has just presented its Steam deck, A console a laptop powered by a new version of SteamOS that is based on Arch Linux and KDE. PINE64 also chose Plasma as the interface of your mobile devices, more specifically the one offered by Manjaro, and postmarketOS it also relies on KDE for its operating system.
Highlights of Plasma Mobile 21.07
Unlike the version for the desktop, the one developed for mobiles does not focus so much on the graphical environment as on the applications. Among the novelties that it has included in Plasma Mobile 21.07, we have:
- The Shell is more responsive and the performance of the top panel has been improved.
- Fixed an issue with international numbers on the Dialer. They have also fixed a bug that could cause the dialer to display the wrong contact name when receiving a call.
- The SMS application has been improved, and now it correctly reports when there are any errors and shows the number from which they are sent. Also, chats are now sorted correctly.
- KWheather has resolved several issues and received cosmetic enhancements.
- KClock has also received improvements, among which there are aesthetics, just like KRecorder.
- Qrca now allows you to choose between several available cameras to read barcodes. It also offers the ability to import transparent ticket codes into the KDE Itinerary, and provides useful links for codes containing international item numbers or ISBNs. As in other apps, they have improved the user interface.
- Many improvements to the Kasts app, the podcast app.
- Full list of changes, here.
Plasma Mobile 21.07 is available from this afternoon, so it should soon appear on some devices such as the PinePhone Beta.