Pine64

You could probably use it for a simple web server or maybe turn it into a crappy surveillance camera.

For automation, you could play around with the pogo pins on the back, but I don't know how easy that is. You can also use a Raspberry PI Pico instead. You can program the board in Python or C and communicate with it over USB (you plug it into the phone). I had an idea to use the PinePhone with the Pico, add 2 motors to it and turn it into a remote controlled car (PineCar?), controlled by a gamepad over bluetooth. I think that wouldn't be too difficult, but it requires some programming. Another idea: turn it into a weather station. Add some sensors like temperature, humidity, maybe air quality sensors and then either display the data on screen or share it over HTTP to access it over the network.

You can install aircrack and try hacking your own wifi. Maybe you could somehow make a map of wifi networks in your area. There is a distro called Nethunter Pro, which is a mobile version of Kali Linux (https://youtu.be/i1bDofmvhNw).

You can buy an SDR (Software Defined Radio) USB dongle and after plugging it into the phone you should be able listen to radio signals on the go (https://youtu.be/ffEGdbXt2Qo).

Since gamepads work, you can play some old games like Doom (https://youtu.be/IhBfy8xfoI8) and Quake 1. Maybe some emulation of very old games? DOS games should work (https://youtu.be/x-LvYEKjX78). Apparently it's also possible to stream games from your PC (https://youtu.be/XgQT5gEkK24).

You might be able to run OpenRGB on it, but I'm not sure how that could be useful. So far I've only seen this mod for the keyboard: https://youtu.be/9DGIwjaXMeI.

Maybe use it to periodically fetch and display information like weather or public transport schedule.

I'm actually considering buying one as a companion device for my remote work setup. I've got a few ideas.

1.) using the display output to my portable monitor with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard to have a backup machine I can work from in case my primary laptop dies.

2.) using the wifi hotspot feature while the pinephone connected to a hotel/house's wired connection to effectively make a wifi access point. Have my devices and anyone I travel with connect to it and install pihole via Docker on manjaro for DNS. (if anyone has the pinephone and can speak to using it as an access point in this way or has ideas for a full on router: please do feel free to educate me).

3.) Mobile wifi hotspot (I've heard its performance in this use case is better than Android. But that's mostly hearsay from other forums).

4.) a portable guitar rig solution. I play guitar and have a headless bolt-on electric guitar I travel with when doing extended stays. I am considering using a combo jack splitter I have to plug my guitar output into the "microphone" input of the pinephone, then run Carla as a virtual amplifier host to route the signal with guitar effects back out to my headphones for private playing fun. May see about routing to a D.I. box if I can find good enough sounds I like.

5.) Portable local nextcloud instance on Manjaro (found a Snapd instance i could run). I dual boot my work laptop for Windows and Linux, have multiple profiles on my GrapheneOS Pixel, and regularly find an external storage device useful. If I could run a storage solution for each and every one of those that runs wirelessly, that'd just be handy to have. And all the benefit of a Nextcloud server without needing external internet access sounds pretty convenient when doing anything offline.

6.) rsync host to back up savestates on a linux capable gaming console. I have the original Anbernic RG35xx. Looking at picking up the plus when GarlicOS has more features built out. I'm hoping to set up a regular rsync via SSH between the pinephone and the RG35xx so that way my hours of grinding on retro games gets backed up on more than just one SD card.

7.) Hotel TV media center upgrade. I could do Jellyfin on it, but I've also considered just having KDE connect paired with VLC. Either way: having a device other than my laptop plugged up to the hotel tv would just be nice.

8.) bluetooth receiver for speakers.

I've got a few ideas. Happy to hear more if anyone wants to share or has thoughts on more efficiently achieving any of mine.

Just a phone