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 :)
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.
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
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.
Great work!
I have 4 t480s...and I buy new ones to cannibalize rather than replace the parts as works out to be still cheaper. they are the last of the period that still have an extra memory slot so can be upgraded and put to good everyday use.
This just makes it perfect as I only use the handphone for 2FA and no longer need the dying and hard(er) to find OnePlus 6/T
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[ 10.8 ms ] story [ 99.9 ms ] threadI 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 :)
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.
Is that what's shown in the video? Or just another phone app that coincidentally looks like Android?
This just makes it perfect as I only use the handphone for 2FA and no longer need the dying and hard(er) to find OnePlus 6/T
Thank you!
Very strong doubt. They're usually running a RTOS. My experience has mainly been with Mediatek's, which use Nucleus Plus.
The OP may have confused things with the ultra-cheap USB modems which are actually a headless smartphone, and those do run Android: https://liliputing.com/this-dirt-cheap-4g-lte-modem-on-a-usb...