it's incredibly repairable. I still use the t480 for modern workloads because I've been able to switch out the battery, the fan, the keyboard with fairly abundant aftermarket parts.
sadly my t480's usb c port is no longer able to charge the device, do you know of a way to fix it without replacing the mobo / getting god tier soldering skills? i'm kinda attached since i did a bunch of upgrades like two heatpipes and glass touchpad, sad to see my laptop from college die for a reason like the port dying
Nice, I know these mainly had a spare NVMe slot right next to the WiFi, in case you had the optional WWAN adapter, and the essential SIM card holder itself is also there already regardless. The separate unused (apparently non-standardized) cellular antenna connectors are also there and taped off from the factory otherwise.
I would have never imagined that the Lenovo WWAN approach would not even support audio calling, good findings and excellent workaround :)
What I did was use a 2242 size NVMe SSD in that WWAN slot for extra storage, plugged in right next to the standard Wifi card.
Unfortunately I can not get this 500GB NVMe SSD to boot in the Lenovo WWAN slot, even though it works good in a regular NVMe SSD position. Even with functional boot files on the main working SSD which point to the proven OS on the NVMe in the WWAN slot.
Still good for additional SSD storage at least.
And it's good to know you figured out how to get WWAN calling working better than new on an older laptop, that's hacking that non-tech people can see how worthwhile it is :)
Alternatively you could use a GNU/Linux phone (Librem 5 or Pinephone), which allows to freely choose the OS and supports ordinary mobile use cases. It is small, but if you connect a screen and keyboard, you get the full PC.
I’m disappointed in the lack of a Trigger Happy TV skit, but I’ll let it slide for reminding everyone that repairable laptops exist, and are still great
Yes, whoever can shrink this down to the size of something that would fit in your pocket would make a killing. Imagine not only being able to make phone calls, but use productivity software and even browse the internet.
Is there an easy way to make any generic computer work as a phone without hacking it?
Plug in an EG25-G USB module. It has good driver suppport on linux as this is the same modem that's in the pinephone.
I'm actually working on this right now. It also gives you GPS.
I still use my beloved t480 ... and there is still more amazing things it can do :) thank you!
> You can even use Android apps natively with Waydroid
Is that what's shown in the video? Or just another phone app that coincidentally looks like Android?
That's the gnome dialer, yeah.
I love the hackability of Thinkpads circa that generation.
it's incredibly repairable. I still use the t480 for modern workloads because I've been able to switch out the battery, the fan, the keyboard with fairly abundant aftermarket parts.
sadly my t480's usb c port is no longer able to charge the device, do you know of a way to fix it without replacing the mobo / getting god tier soldering skills? i'm kinda attached since i did a bunch of upgrades like two heatpipes and glass touchpad, sad to see my laptop from college die for a reason like the port dying
You probably have a bad Thunderbolt chip. No way around it besides SPI flash (which is honestly pretty easy):
https://gitlab.com/MobileAZN/lenovo-t480-thunderbolt-firmwar...
ThinkPad T480 can be used as a fully featured mobile phone, supporting calls, SMS and mobile data.
Nice, I know these mainly had a spare NVMe slot right next to the WiFi, in case you had the optional WWAN adapter, and the essential SIM card holder itself is also there already regardless. The separate unused (apparently non-standardized) cellular antenna connectors are also there and taped off from the factory otherwise.
I would have never imagined that the Lenovo WWAN approach would not even support audio calling, good findings and excellent workaround :)
What I did was use a 2242 size NVMe SSD in that WWAN slot for extra storage, plugged in right next to the standard Wifi card.
Unfortunately I can not get this 500GB NVMe SSD to boot in the Lenovo WWAN slot, even though it works good in a regular NVMe SSD position. Even with functional boot files on the main working SSD which point to the proven OS on the NVMe in the WWAN slot.
Still good for additional SSD storage at least.
And it's good to know you figured out how to get WWAN calling working better than new on an older laptop, that's hacking that non-tech people can see how worthwhile it is :)
Great hack! Is it possible to use a Bluetooth headset?
Of course! You can connect it to any audio source a sink. I had fun with piping music to phone calls with friends.
Nice, thanks!
It has whitelist for wireless cards ? That's just evil
Supposedly it's for FCC compliance. Makes perfect sense if you believe it, but I'm not super convinced.
Alternatively you could use a GNU/Linux phone (Librem 5 or Pinephone), which allows to freely choose the OS and supports ordinary mobile use cases. It is small, but if you connect a screen and keyboard, you get the full PC.
I’m disappointed in the lack of a Trigger Happy TV skit, but I’ll let it slide for reminding everyone that repairable laptops exist, and are still great
A setup like this but in phone size would be ideal. The free software mobile world has really been a dumpster fire from the beginning.
Yes, whoever can shrink this down to the size of something that would fit in your pocket would make a killing. Imagine not only being able to make phone calls, but use productivity software and even browse the internet.
A big issue is that the keyboard would take up valuable screen estate.
I can imagine it! It should be called the Imagine Phone, or iPhone for short.
That modem or a few others can be used with some of the small SBCs, which have a smartphone size or even a smaller size.
If you connect then to some battery pack with a USB charger, you have a mobile solution, though one more cumbersome than a real smartphone.