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Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

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Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#71

Post by Barbing »

echelon wrote: post #40
janvlug wrote: post #13

I use a Librem5 Linux phone. With the default PureOS operating system. Enjoy your freedom, break free from Google and Apple. Have a full Linux computer in your pocket that you can also use for calling. See also the discussion on this post: https://mastodon.social/@janvlug/116504044251287290

> Enjoy your freedom, break free from Google and Apple. You can't escape it. Your friends and employers and banks use it. The state will soon mandate it for ID. It's the accepted worldwide compute platform, and you're being the nail that sticks out. Your usage is subject to breaking randomly, being unsupported, losing access or being banned by stepping outside the traffic lines, etc. They'll use attestation, certs an…

Great comment

>We need the government to

Since they'll never, any marketers scrolling by: this is your time to scheme your way into the Linux phone promotion/sales game.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#72

Post by mmooss »

skc wrote: post #24

Many years later and I'm still bitter that the tech press laughed Windows Phone out of the room straight to its demise. Yes it had very little developer support but at some point things were looking up. It was just the butt of too many jokes from influential people. A third ecosystem right now would have been amazing

Why not Blackberry as the third ecosystem? They used QNX, a respected realtime OS, and had a history of making appealing, highly functional phones.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#73

Post by Barbing »

ElFitz wrote: post #19

I looked at Punkt. They keep saying "If you don’t pay for the product, you are the product". Okay, all fine and well. But what will my phone still actually be able to do if / when I stop my subscription? Not a single clear answer besides "[…] gradual feature deactivation, and ultimately reverting to a device running AOSP". Doesn’t really inspire confidence.

Swiss privacy phones? https://www.punkt.ch

What subscription?

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#74

Post by em-bee »

izacus wrote: post #39
johnsea wrote: post #14

This article fails to mention GrapheneOS. The article starts with Murena, Punkt, Volla which are all based on Android. If you do this, then imho you must mention GrapheneOS, the by far better option (updates, privacy, security, organisation). Google Pixel with GrapheneOS is the best non-Google phone... ;-)

GrapheneOS is a Google OS - it's a slightly modified Android developed by Google and continues to be dependent on Google for updates. (Murena /e/OS is similar. No, slamming the downvote button won't make either of them any less Google dependant OSes.)

you are being downvoted because the article considers de-googled versions of android acceptable. and neither are dependent on google in the sense that even if google stopped publishing android source altogether they could continue to develop the versions they already have. that's the whole point of Free Software and Open Source.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#76

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel »

The challenge isn't buying it, the challenge is being able to do phone things with it.

Nowadays, you can no longer exist in society without a phone. Most things will work but it takes one critical service that doesn't have a viable workaround, and you're forced to buy (and possibly carry) a "mainstream" phone just for that.

Banking, government, authentication, postal service and public transit apps are just some of the common categories that will, in the end, force you to use one of those systems, unless governments mandate viable alternatives. The QR-code based recaptcha that's being introduced will be another brick in the wall.

As an individual, it feels like my options are to either submit or try to live a hermit's life, bringing endless suffering and exclusion to myself.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#77

Post by ryandrake »

contubernio wrote: post #67
alnwlsn wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a phone can make calls, send texts, read emails, and take pictures it already covers 98% of my use cases.

Banking basically has to be done via phone now.

Maybe I am lucky in the USA, but every bank I’ve ever done business with can be accessed through a PC and web browser. If any of my banks should decide to remove that option, I just move over to one of the other thousands of banks in the USA.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#78

Post by t1234s »

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #76

The challenge isn't buying it, the challenge is being able to do phone things with it. Nowadays, you can no longer exist in society without a phone. Most things will work but it takes one critical service that doesn't have a viable workaround, and you're forced to buy (and possibly carry) a "mainstream" phone just for that. Banking, government, authentication, postal service and public transit apps are just some of t…

Bingo.. we will all need to pick which prison we walk ourselves in to: Google or Apple

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#79

Post by vitaflo »

contubernio wrote: post #67
alnwlsn wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a phone can make calls, send texts, read emails, and take pictures it already covers 98% of my use cases.

Banking basically has to be done via phone now.

Find a better bank I guess. I’ve never used my phone for banking of any kind ever.

Re: Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

#80

Post by fg137 »

alnwlsn wrote: post #66
echelon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Enjoy your freedom, break free from Google and Apple. You can't escape it. Your friends and employers and banks use it. The state will soon mandate it for ID. It's the accepted worldwide compute platform, and you're being the nail that sticks out. Your usage is subject to breaking randomly, being unsupported, losing access or being banned by stepping outside the traffic lines, etc. They'll use attestation, certs an…

If a phone can make calls, send texts, read emails, and take pictures it already covers 98% of my use cases.

If you never hang out with friends and pay them via a QR code, sure.
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