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New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

arstechnica.com

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Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#81

Post by webster23 »

timlod wrote: post #51
diggan wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been a Moto G fan since the first one, but the current one I have (3rd Generation, falcon) does not have replacable batteries. But instead it has space for a sd-card. I was not sure which one was best to have, but after having the phone for a while and the battery loosing it's juice, I would definitely be happier with a replaceable battery compared to upgradable storage.

I have the recent one (G5), and it has both. 2 Sim card slots, SD card slot, replacable battery. The first one also had a replacable battery. Didn't know the 3rd Generation didn't! In that case I'm glad they reverted their design in that regard.

The first Moto G (2013) does not have a replaceable battery. I have one right here.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#82

Post by e12e »

madez wrote: post #67
e12e wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd prefer a more classical model of having a group of volunteers work with semi-independent groups of vendors - along the lines of Debian Gnu/Linux. Rather than some semi-closed Linux + Google+hw-vendor Android. I like the direction Google one + lineage Os seem to be taking us; even if the baseband are still a problem / back-door.

Devices with LineageOS are still stuck on old kernels and can't run mainline Linux.

Ah, my point was that I would prefer to run mainline Linux (among other things). And I'm hoping we'll get there. Didn't mean to imply we were there yet.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#83

Post by amiga-workbench »

BoorishBears wrote: post #76
amiga-workbench wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't put up with iOS, it feels like I'm using a crippled feature phone rather than a pocket computer.

Coming to Android from WebOS with Preware (where you could install an LDXE chroot in one click) felt the same way. But my tastes have changed over the years, now if I want a pocket computer I’ll just get a pocket computer. My phone needs to make phone calls and not annoy me. The same freedom that makes Android not an iOS clone can be (and is often) abused, and now Google is cracking down on said freedom try and save…

I know what you mean, sadly users sometimes don't have the awareness to take care of themselves properly, and will be taken advantage of by malicious software.

Even though I know Androids rather flexible API's and Intents system are all exploitable, I really appreciate the freedom they give me.

While I find Apple's approach to functionality and UX condescending, there is a large swath of users who either want somebody else to take all the effort away from them, or need it.

I guess its nice that both kinds of users have something to cater to their needs, but I wish the mobile OS space wasn't a duopoly.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#84

Post by shock »

dbspin wrote: post #14
tudelo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These phones seem like really good deals... too good to be true? I'm in the market for a cheap phone coming from a moto E 1st gen and these seem like promising options.

The Xiaomi phones absolutely work. They're amazing for the price, and very popular as imports here in Ireland. There's always the chance they might have Chinese govt spyware however, as has been alleged with Huawei https://mashable.com/2018/02/14/huawei-prove-phones-not-spyi...

My Xiaomi Mi5 won't power on after 2 months of use. My friend's Mi5 won't power on after less than a year. It seems it's a common problem: google "Xiaomi Sudden Death". For warranty I have to ship it to China, which I knew when I bought it so I'm not complaining, just not recommending Xiaomi in light of the "sudden death" issue.

A sample search: https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mi+5+not+turning...

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#85

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

srhngpr wrote: post #73
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

You should consider Android One [1] phones. There's plenty of them now, including all the latest Nokia released ones. They have vanilla Android and receive all updates directly from Google. I personally own a Xiaomi Mi A1[2] that I purchased from Amazon for under CAD$320. Solid phone and overall great specs for this price range. The only thing missing is NFC, but I don't miss it too much since the rollout of Android…

I had Android One phones back when they were called Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, and they stopped getting updates after 18 months. I know that things have gotten a little better on paper, but Google really has to prove itself to me now. They've been dicking around too much for too long. Fool me once, etc.

Android One says "two years of upgrades", but I see no promises about patch schedule reliability. Motorola also promised to bring Android 8 to the G5+. Maybe it will happen in 2018. We'll see. That's just not good enough.

Also...2 years is an impoverished standard compared to the 5 years that iPhones get.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#86

Post by izacus »

shock wrote: post #75
madez wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Devices with LineageOS are still stuck on old kernels and can't run mainline Linux.

Which Android devices can run mainline Linux? I'm very interested to buy one, but so far I thought all Android devices ran patched Linux versions.

None, Android requires additional patches still and pretty much all the SoCs run on binary blobs.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#87

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

UncleMeat wrote: post #65
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

Okay. If you only have $100 to spend, what other option exists?

None. The state of smart phones in 2018 is complete bullshit. You either get fucked in the wallet or you get fucked in maintenance. It's extremely frustrating if you aren't wealthy.

The closest right now is maybe a used iPhone SE? Or maybe something old that happens to be well supported by LineageOS, if ADB is your idea of a fun time. Neither seem like great options to me. I don't have a good answer.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#88

Post by toast0 »

StudentStuff wrote: post #30
Grazester wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go apps are stripped down version of their normal counterpart. These stripped down versions are smaller in size and maybe be optimized for slower internet services. Android Ones is still going well in places like India but Google usually has a say in what hardware is used on Android One phones as they push the updates for these devices. With Android Go any hardware can be used.

> Go apps are stripped down version of their normal counterpart. They're slightly smaller, but the update model is still a total mess. You can never uninstall the baked in Google Apps, and updates are extremely bulky (basically storing a 2nd copy of each Google app). > Android Ones is still going well in places like India The #1 & #2 non-Apple phone manufacturers are totally uninterested, and Xiaomi (the current Andr…

The hope for running Android go versions on a nicer phone isn't to save space (nice phones have plenty) or make updates not suck (that's unlikely to change), it's that the experience might be faster because it's doing less.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#89

Post by a012 »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #85
srhngpr wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should consider Android One [1] phones. There's plenty of them now, including all the latest Nokia released ones. They have vanilla Android and receive all updates directly from Google. I personally own a Xiaomi Mi A1[2] that I purchased from Amazon for under CAD$320. Solid phone and overall great specs for this price range. The only thing missing is NFC, but I don't miss it too much since the rollout of Android…

I had Android One phones back when they were called Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, and they stopped getting updates after 18 months. I know that things have gotten a little better on paper, but Google really has to prove itself to me now. They've been dicking around too much for too long. Fool me once, etc. Android One says "two years of upgrades", but I see no promises about patch schedule reliability. Motorola also promised…

I bought a Nokia 8 because I saw it got upgraded to Oreo 8.0 then 8.1 recently. Looks like only Nokia/HMD is the most competent vendor now.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#90

Post by bfrog »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #85
srhngpr wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should consider Android One [1] phones. There's plenty of them now, including all the latest Nokia released ones. They have vanilla Android and receive all updates directly from Google. I personally own a Xiaomi Mi A1[2] that I purchased from Amazon for under CAD$320. Solid phone and overall great specs for this price range. The only thing missing is NFC, but I don't miss it too much since the rollout of Android…

I had Android One phones back when they were called Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, and they stopped getting updates after 18 months. I know that things have gotten a little better on paper, but Google really has to prove itself to me now. They've been dicking around too much for too long. Fool me once, etc. Android One says "two years of upgrades", but I see no promises about patch schedule reliability. Motorola also promised…

Well seeing as you can get two new phones in those 5 years and still pay less than a single iPhone...
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