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Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

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Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#131

Post by fsflover »

bornfreddy wrote: post #100
fsflover wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mobian. I'm not using MMS; according to [0], it's in beta state. [0] https://wiki.mobian-project.org/doku.php?id=pinephone

Can you share the current state with regards to basic functions (phone calls, SMS, mobile data)? Does it work reliably?

Phone calls and SMS work fine (but I don't use them much), mobile data also (and I do use it a lot). Rarely, typically during the use of mobile data, the modem disappears. Reboot always helps. Telegram and Firefox are somewhat slow but generally work reliably. Even calls on Telegram work (with the sound coming from the speaker). Noscript helps a lot. Calendar is not very usable. Heavy usage with high brightness can drain full battery in a couple of hours, but suspend lasts more than 24 hours.

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#132

Post by flas9sd »

devonallie wrote: post #36

I love LineageOS and have used microG services for so long but forks like this strike me as sad as needing to assimilate to the look and feel of iOS. It comes off as cheap and unoriginal. Now this is harsh criticism I understand but I do appreciate how much effort it must have taken to make all of these app forks. I only wish the effort was spent building something more interesting.

the forks create a great burden of keeping them up to date, and they can't keep up of course with constrained resources. Though it gives them independence to achieve orthogonal goals.

Having default apps colors aligned is soothing, not sad at all. It's not iOS-y beyond the launcher.

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#133

Post by kemayo »

jqpabc123 wrote: post #89
devonallie wrote: post #36

I love LineageOS and have used microG services for so long but forks like this strike me as sad as needing to assimilate to the look and feel of iOS. It comes off as cheap and unoriginal. Now this is harsh criticism I understand but I do appreciate how much effort it must have taken to make all of these app forks. I only wish the effort was spent building something more interesting.

I use /e/OS with Discreet Launcher. It does not mimic iOS.

It does look like /e/ mimics iOS by default, though, which is where I think the original poster's criticism is aimed. The screenshot in this article showing bliss is very iOS-y.

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#134

Post by dang »

PufPufPuf wrote: post #118

When the title said "Android alternative", I was actually expecting an alternative OS (like Sailfish or Ubuntu Touch), not a mere LineageOS fork. That's like calling Ubuntu a "Linux alternative".

Ok, we've Android-based it in the title above.

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#135

Post by EastSmith »

So I went and check the instructions how to manually install /e/ on a device here [0]

I was welcomed with 5 types of warnings why not to do it. And I decided not to do it.

But here what the instructions should have been:

1. Adb - make sure you have a adb connection. More information here.

2. Run this script from you computer.

3. At the beginning of the script check a checkbox acknowledging that the data will be lost, and there is a small chance your device gets bricked.

https://support.e.foundation/devices/beyondx/install

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#136

Post by [deleted] »

fezfight wrote: post #27
commoner wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Organic Maps has a simple user interface that makes it a more similar FOSS replacement for Magic Earth. - Organic Maps: https://organicmaps.app OsmAnd is a heavyweight with more features, including an advanced OSM editor, trip recording, Mapillary street view, and other plugins, for those that need them. - OsmAnd: https://osmand.net

I can vouch that organic maps is really quite nice, straight forward and familiar. OSMAnd is more fun, in my opinion, because of all the features but if you're looking for familiar, organic maps is the way to go.

[deleted]

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#137

Post by sneak »

colordrops wrote: post #5

Eventually it would be nice if they could contribute to Osmand and get it up to snuff for daily use and replace Magic Earth.

OSMAnd currently has spyware built in, per the App Store privacy label.

I don't think it is an appropriate choice for a privacy-focused OS.

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#138

Post by tpoacher »

fsflover wrote: post #131
bornfreddy wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you share the current state with regards to basic functions (phone calls, SMS, mobile data)? Does it work reliably?

Phone calls and SMS work fine (but I don't use them much), mobile data also (and I do use it a lot). Rarely, typically during the use of mobile data, the modem disappears. Reboot always helps. Telegram and Firefox are somewhat slow but generally work reliably. Even calls on Telegram work (with the sound coming from the speaker). Noscript helps a lot . Calendar is not very usable. Heavy usage with high brightness can…

I have a pinephone pro sitting idly until I find the time to install an OS to try on it.

I'm keen to try sailfish, I had a jolla in the past and really liked it.

At the same time, I'm weird enough that I want to use the terminal on it wherever possible! For calendar I was thinking of using calcurse.

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#139

Post by [deleted] »

acka wrote: post #122
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #13

"We are making a mobile phone ecosystem that lets users escape the permanent and industrial harvesting of their personal data." I have never heard any normal person ever talk about data privacy. It feels like there's this giant bubble that the tech world lives in, and they are the only people who care about this issue.

0xbadcafebee: > I have never heard any normal person ever talk about data privacy. It feels like there's this giant bubble that the tech world lives in, and they are the only people who care about this issue. Honestly, I don't know if I've just missed your irony here, or if you don't realize there are lots of 'normal' people out there who have been thinking about this since like... the 50s of last century or somethin…

[deleted]

Re: Review of /e/ – Android-based alternative for mobile phones

#140

Post by [deleted] »

autoexec wrote: post #99
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's like a trope now where a tech person builds a thing that bothers them but nobody else, and meanwhile most people are like "I just want to do X, why is it so hard". Like why does my Android phone take up 15GB just for system files? I care about having free space more than data privacy. Security would sure be nice too, seeing as I use banking apps from this thing. Call me crazy, but I think most people car…

> Call me crazy, but I think most people care less about Nike knowing what their shoe size is They don't care because they don't understand. "Most people" think their shoe size or what ad they see doesn't matter because they're right, those things don't matter. What matters is that all of the data being collected about them will be used against them at every opportunity so that other people can get more money and pow…

[deleted]
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