381–390 of 531 posts
Why phones are so huge nowadays? How are you people carrying them? Oh how I wish for a compact sized phone, something like iPhone 13 mini, but with USB-C connector. And those camera bumps, don't get me started on those. If you cannot fit camera into phone, why not make whole device a bit thicker.
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I was a FaceID skeptic and it quickly won me over, not because of the unlocking experience, but for the authentication during use. What used to be a prompt, followed by an active fingerprint scan, turned into something completely seamless and automatic.
My wife and her sister can unlock each other’s iPhones using the face unlock feature which blows my mind because they do NOT look super similar and are 4 years apart. I’ve turned off all biometrics and use only a PIN. I’m extremely skeptical of the tech.
They mention the Pixel and I just got to say, I wish someone would bring back the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. That was seriously the best solution. Fastest way to unlock your phone, because no matter how slow the fingerprint reader is you activate it while pulling it out of your pocket. I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more (what I currently use). Someone, please bring this back
the scene early in Demolition Man where Wesley Snipes takes advantage of the most critical flaw in biometric security has always made me shy away from it. if someone is motivated enough, removal of the unlocking body part is all to easy so I'll stick with pass codes or patterns
I am still waiting for Fairphone and Graphene OS collaboration. This is match made in heaven. Any Fairphone/GrapheneOS developer reading this? Just do it, document if something is not secure enough for you, but do it. Nothing to think about, you fit together like hand and a glove and any seconds thoughts are depriving the planet of THE PHONE! Pick the cash we will throw at you and make second generation with the cpu…
Fairphones consistently doesn't support a quarter of what graphene os requires. See their FAQ: https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices Unless Fairphone becomes significantly better in their security and update policy and integrate a whole lot of new features it's not gonna happen.
I expect it's not just a matter of feature support: Fairphone in general seems rather horrible on security, doing things like using test keys for production signatures [1].
[1]: https://forum.fairphone.com/t/bootloader-avb-keys-used-in-ro...
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> then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses If they can be used like that, why couldn't they be used... as phones? Changing phone every two years is not sustainable, even if the old phone is used as an IoT wall terminal: it's still "consuming" one phone every two years. In a sense, an old phone in a drawer uses less energy than an old phone staying powered to control a…
Under the new EU Ecodesign regulation, smartphone manufacturers must provide software updates for at least 5 years after the date of last sale, not 1-2 years. (Applies to newly released devices, not to devices which were already on the market as of June 20). https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/news/new-eu-rules...
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Fairphones consistently doesn't support a quarter of what graphene os requires. See their FAQ: https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices Unless Fairphone becomes significantly better in their security and update policy and integrate a whole lot of new features it's not gonna happen.
>Fairphones consistently doesn't support a quarter of what graphene os requires I expect it's not just a matter of feature support: Fairphone in general seems rather horrible on security, doing things like using test keys for production signatures [1]. [1]: https://forum.fairphone.com/t/bootloader-avb-keys-used-in-ro...
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It's not "a bit more repairable": it makes it repairable for people who would not be able to repair a mainstream phone. I have many friends who never repair their phone: as soon as something is broken they buy a new one, because the repair price is often very high. With FairPhone, you get 5 years of warranty and after that you can repair it yourself at a low price. If some people can repair their FairPhone instead of…
I had my local Apple store replace an iPhone battery for £69. If I Google "Fairphone 5 battery" it comes at about the same price (£45 - £65) just to get the part. Of course, warranty won't cover aged battery or damage (which probably are 99% of repairs) in any case.
What about changing the screen? Or USB port? Or camera? Or speaker?
> "Fairphone 5 battery" it comes at about the same price (£45 - £65) just to get the part.
45 is still cheaper than 69, and you don't need more than "getting the part" because it's trivial to change it yourself, right?
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> There is no alternative. /e/ and others dont even come close. Can you elaborate on that? Say I install LineageOS without Google Services and without microG, would you say it's bad in terms of privacy? Or are you saying that microG is the issue?
In your given scenario (no Google Services, no microG), compatibility is the issue. I dont use Android because I like it. I use it because I am forced to use it, without it I cant connect to corporate VPN, cant even take public transport (actually I can use NFC card and take a lot of care never to lose money on it, to drive to first place where I can charge it). Banking software. Update firmware for my headset. Then…
What is it that makes GrapheneOS "good enough" (Would you say "perfect"? You seem to want "perfect") in terms of privacy, and /e/OS / CalyxOS / LineageOS unbearable?
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> then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses If they can be used like that, why couldn't they be used... as phones? Changing phone every two years is not sustainable, even if the old phone is used as an IoT wall terminal: it's still "consuming" one phone every two years. In a sense, an old phone in a drawer uses less energy than an old phone staying powered to control a…
> If they can be used like that, why couldn't they be used... as phones? To facilitate planned obsolescence, manufacturers stop providing OS updates after a relatively short time. And then they cease providing security patches after a... still relatively short time. If you unlock the device and install a custom ROM, which may or may not function adequately for you to begin with, then you're probably also compromising…
I don't think it works like that. Manufacturers stop providing OS updates as soon as they can because providing any kind of support has a cost. Planned obsolescence means "they care about making it obsolete" (active). But the reality is that they just "don't care about keeping the product alive" (passive). And the only way to make them provide updates is to force them by law.
> If you unlock the device and install a custom ROM, which may or may not function adequately for you to begin with, then you're probably also compromising secure boot
You can relock the bootloader with the FairPhone. You will still have a message saying it's a custom OS, but I don't think it compromises the secure boot, does it?
> many apps simply refuse to work with this setup
I heard that there are apps that refuse to work with an unlocked bootloader, but I haven't heard of apps refusing to work with a relocked bootloader. Is that a thing?
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> If they can be used like that, why couldn't they be used... as phones? To facilitate planned obsolescence, manufacturers stop providing OS updates after a relatively short time. And then they cease providing security patches after a... still relatively short time. If you unlock the device and install a custom ROM, which may or may not function adequately for you to begin with, then you're probably also compromising…
Why couldn’t manufacturers proclaiming to espouse longevity, such as Fairphone, release the vendor source code for out-of-support hardware which are supposedly no longer relevant and so doesn’t matter if the competition can see the code? Or is it an issue of signing certificates?
IMO we should put in the law that manufacturers have to mainstream their device and provide a way to flash an updated firmware. There is no way they do it without being forced, because it's a pure source of cost for them.
That's how it works: companies optimise in the legal framework we give them. Regulations set that framework.