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Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

theguardian.com

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Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#471

Post by bionade24 »

ryukafalz wrote: post #462
bionade24 wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty devices that work well with UT and are available in the US, e.g Google Pixel 3a/3a XL. Mentioned devices still have an Android Kernel and many limitations. Waydroid on the Volla phone isn't stable, Ubports itself mediocre compared to SailfishOS and suffers from competing for developer time over other Linux on Mobile OSses. You're overestimating the Volla phone and Fairphone, 1st one still doesn't sup…

> 2nd one isn't even recommended by UT. FP2 is the second device on the "promoted" devices page. That feels like a recommendation? https://ubports.com/supported-products > Google Pixel 3a/3a XL. Doesn't support one of the most interesting features to me in UBports, which is display output for convergence.

> FP2 is the second device on the "promoted" devices page. That feels like a recommendation?

The FP2 is a very old device lacking some features and probably got recommendation back then because other devices were worse. https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/fp2 Otherwise I'd also could have recommended the Nexus5.

On FOSDEM 2023 Ubports developers didn't show off this old phone, either.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#472

Post by lolinder »

Scoundreller wrote: post #463
lolinder wrote: post #458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Custom rom support would be helpful for a very niche audience, but it's not something that's going to make a dent in e-waste at all. I'm a pretty tech savvy user who runs Linux on my desktop and I'm too intimidated to try a custom ROM on my phone. The average Nokia customer isn't going to even know it's an option, much less be willing to take the plunge. If Nokia is serious about fighting e-waste they need to provide…

iunno, setting up a custom ROM is the first thing I do on any wifi router I buy. Haven't really touched the concept on my phone, but it's totally something I've done for security reasons.

I can totally see doing it on a router, but I'm scared to do it on a phone because I've heard too many horror stories about banking apps and similar refusing to run if they detect they're running on a rooted phone.

I only have a smartphone in order to use all of the apps that people assume you'll be able to install. If a significant percentage of those won't work on a custom ROM, I may as well not have the device at all.

(It's entirely possible that my fears are overblown, but that I have them is suggestive of how far from mainstream custom roms are.)

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#473

Post by acdha »

lucb1e wrote: post #470
dsego wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Waterproofing is the main reason. Samsung Galaxy S5

Huh, guess I am just that gullible to buy the marketing to the point where I now wonder: how the heck can you have a removable battery and also survive being held under water? (It has an IP67 rating.) I guess waterproof everything except the battery contacts and trust that the salinity is low enough that the 5V doesn't jump between the poles, plus it not being wet for long enough to start rusting (IP67 afaik doesn't…

Older devices I used had gaskets around the battery contacts and a tight fastener. That seems to work well until the gasket eventually degrades over time.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#475

Post by RjQoLCOSwiIKfpm »

lucakiebel wrote: post #456
cubefox wrote: post #439

Does anyone notice the irony of it being partly repairable, while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? The repairability sounds nice, but it is very irrelevant compared to the limited software updates. Imagine buying a Windows laptop and only receiving three years of security updates. (I know, most other phones aren't better.) It would have been better…

Yes, though they can always make it easy to run a custom rom and rely on the community for (security) updates

Having to use a custom ROM is the same annoying amount of work as having to upgrade to a new phone every 2-3 years.

Because custom ROMs usually update to the latest Android version ASAP, which moves tons of things around all over the OS, and breaks a lot of stuff.

It's super annoying to update custom ROMs.

And frankly some people just want their phone to work most of the time, not to have the responsibility to install and maintain some pocket-sized server. That's also a reason against using custom ROMs.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#476

Post by alwayslikethis »

lolinder wrote: post #472
Scoundreller wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iunno, setting up a custom ROM is the first thing I do on any wifi router I buy. Haven't really touched the concept on my phone, but it's totally something I've done for security reasons.

I can totally see doing it on a router, but I'm scared to do it on a phone because I've heard too many horror stories about banking apps and similar refusing to run if they detect they're running on a rooted phone. I only have a smartphone in order to use all of the apps that people assume you'll be able to install. If a significant percentage of those won't work on a custom ROM, I may as well not have the device at…

It's fairly easy to bypass most of these with Magisk modules, like universal safetynet fix.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#477

Post by lucb1e »

cptaj wrote: post #76
throwanem wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The tradeoff is "back cover that comes off in an instant, whenever you want it to" versus "back cover that comes off in an instant, even when you don't want it to."

My decades of experience with easily removable back covers tells me this is a complete non-issue. The back cover coming off accidentally has never happened to me.

Moreover, the battery coming out seemed to act as a shock absorber. If you do throw it hard enough for it to come out, and that was rare for me, at least something gives instead of breaks.

Ah, the memories of classmates playing soccer with phones in high school... phones could run MSN, browse websites (without JS! The .mobi site owners were just forced to make sites lightweight), play Java-based games, had replaceable screen covers, honestly what more should we want? That it's now open source Android instead of proprietary Symbian is great, but slap a touchscreen on it for web browsing and upgrade it from GPRS to 4G or so, and theoretically we could just have nice things.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#479

Post by angry_octet »

userbinator wrote: post #469
cubefox wrote: post #439

Does anyone notice the irony of it being partly repairable, while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? The repairability sounds nice, but it is very irrelevant compared to the limited software updates. Imagine buying a Windows laptop and only receiving three years of security updates. (I know, most other phones aren't better.) It would have been better…

while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? "security" is just used as an excuse, in practice there's very little in the way of remotely exploitable vulnerabilities. In fact the "security" of newer devices seems to be squarely aimed against the user, so make of that what you will...

Remotely exploitable does not require it can be hacked without user action (although there have been many exploits which have achieved that too, e.g. Pegasus) but typically involves visiting a web page, opening an attachment, or installing an app with a vulnerability. Chrome updates and app scanning will protect against some problems, but advances are often tied to platform security features.

So really, you've made an absurd comment. If the phone is to be usable past 3-4 years it must have security patches. Otherwise there will be a pool of devices which are still in use and easily targetted.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#480

Post by itake »

userbinator wrote: post #469
cubefox wrote: post #439

Does anyone notice the irony of it being partly repairable, while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? The repairability sounds nice, but it is very irrelevant compared to the limited software updates. Imagine buying a Windows laptop and only receiving three years of security updates. (I know, most other phones aren't better.) It would have been better…

while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? "security" is just used as an excuse, in practice there's very little in the way of remotely exploitable vulnerabilities. In fact the "security" of newer devices seems to be squarely aimed against the user, so make of that what you will...

In 2017, there was a remote exploit via the browser:

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5116

Fortunately, this was patched. Not sure if there are newer ones

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