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Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

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Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#271
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GrapheneOS and CalyxOS both provide that same benefit while being FOSS.

I couldn't be so cold as to give Graphene to my grandmother. That said, I am writing this from Graphene myself, having never touched an Apple device in my life.

With Google Play Services and the Play Store enabled there's almost zero usability difference between the standard Google Pixel Android and GrapheneOS.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#272

So why do you need the latest android version and why long term support? If you are a nobody, there isn't a need to pay for the "latest and greatest". Security updates are a meme and just a way to add more bloat. Don't download apk's from unknown sources, use an adblocker and that's 99% of all attack vectors closed. That only leaves pre-installed bloatware, a legitimate issue that can be solved with a few steps. The…

> Security updates are a meme and just a way to add more bloat. What. Are you serious? You mean in general or on certain brands for example?

I am and in general. I've bought and used android devices that haven't received updates for at least 3-7 years. It's a phone. If you can make calls and text, it's already doing it's job. If you have a device that regularly receives security updates then it's up to you to download it but the idea of getting rid of a functioning device just because its no longer receiving security updates is ridiculous. Especially since these devices often get sent to developing countries. The entire security theatre for consumer devices is incredibly overblown. Sure there was a time where viruses and malware ran rampant, but those times have passed but companies don't make money if they don't sell new devices so their incentives and yours don't align.

For computers, it depends but as long as you're not downloading sketchy shit and have an adblocker then you're fine.

And once again, all of this applies as long as you're a nobody, which is at least 70% of the population. Those who don't work in government, medical, aren't businesses etc.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Samsung can do it because they're smart, but Apple does it because they're evil? Nobody said Apple are doing it because they're are evil, calm down. Your parent said Apple can afford to give you longer support because they not only make money when they sell you the phone HW, they also keep making money from your iCloud, iTunes and every other third party subscription or SW you buy on Apple App store. Basically, they…

If Google's making all the post-sale revenue from Samsung's hardware sales, then how is Samsung able to support older hardware?

Higher margins due to vertical integration and high volumes like Aplle, and maybe ads and kickbacks from preinstalled apps like Netflix and Microsoft?

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Samsung can do it because they're smart, but Apple does it because they're evil? Nobody said Apple are doing it because they're are evil, calm down. Your parent said Apple can afford to give you longer support because they not only make money when they sell you the phone HW, they also keep making money from your iCloud, iTunes and every other third party subscription or SW you buy on Apple App store. Basically, they…

No, Google just sucks at maintaining an ecosystem. Microsoft figured out how to license an OS to third party OEMs and still allow end users to update their hardware without depending on the vendor for literally decades. Heck I was able to just throw a Windows 7 CD in my old first gen Mac Mini x86 1.66Ghz Core Duo and run it for years after Apple dropped support.

>Microsoft figured out how to license an OS to third party OEMs and still allow end users to update their hardware without depending on the vendor for literally decades.

You're cluelessly comparing apples to oranges. ARM smartphones, for better and for worse, are not like the Windows based IBM X86 PCs in any way when it comes to boot process, OS and drivers interactions.

ARM SBCs which is what all smartphones are, are completely different than X86 PCs which have more open standards when it comes to booting and driver support, versus ARM where it's mostly proprietary blobs different from vendor to vendor.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"They are the Apple of Android, big marketing budget, little care about performance or security." What are you on about? Every version of iOS I've used the past 11 years, on every iPhone I've used, has been a buttery smooth experience compared to most (not all; most) things Android, and on top of that I've gotten over 5 years of OS/security updates for each model which is practically unheard of with Android OEMs.

Doesnt matter what their security updates are. Those are after the fact. Bezos got his nudes leaked and Jamal Khashoggi was killed.

>"Doesnt matter what their security updates are. Those are after the fact."

Of course it matters. Whether you get 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years of updates is a huge deal. Their patches' timing don't differ from that of other vendors: most vulnerabilities are fixed before disclosure, few are exploitable, even fewer are found in the wild.

>"Bezos got his nudes leaked and Jamal Khashoggi was killed."

What stupid, arrogant and inflammatory rhetoric, suggesting that the reason someone died was because of their personal choice of an iPhone instead of an Android phone. Dumb toad.

Nothing ever leaned towards there actually being an iCloud system breach. Everything points to weak guessable passwords and a lack of 2FA being the common vector for these leaks, because if there were a system breach there would have been far more victims and far higher value/content besides celebrities and their private nudes.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#278
post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How's the camera? For me, the camera is more important than anything else on a phone, and thus far I've been stuck with Pixels because, despite the shorter support period (and absolutely mind-bogglingly bad customer service), that software does amazing things with old camera hardware .

Genuine question: why give yourself the headache of coupling having a great camera to choosong a phone then, if it's important to you? Why not have a compact camera as well as whatever phone, and carry that when quality matters?

Because carrying extra stuff is a pain in the butt and would be much more of a headache for me.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair to middling. It's a competent, well rounded phone --- not the best, not the worst in any respect. You can find reviews online. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/motorola-one-5g-ace-review It's perfectly adequate for my needs and I haven't found any issues with the e/OS ROM support. But if only the best will do for you, this obviously isn't it.

"Middling" appropriately describes Motorola cameras. I've bought Motos exclusively since the original Droid and have finally moved off of the brand because of the camera. It wasn't an important feature until I started getting potato quality photos of my children doing first-time-ever events.

Yeah, I finally got a Pixel because the camera was hard to beat. I since jumped to an iPhone 13, but honestly the Pixel still camera results were better. iPhone's video is the best of any phone I've used, though.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Now that’s just blatantly bullshit. The OS takes up at least 9GB. There are many Linux distros that take half of that. Don’t care about that. > Not to mention the OS is preloaded with a lot of Apple’s proprietary apps, most of which are designed to pull you into some kind of sales pitch. Fitness+, Apple Music, iCloud, the entire OS is an ad designed to sell you on their ecosystem. I’ve been iOS user for almost two…

You seem to be conceding every point but the last, but in a sarcastic tone?

What makes you think I'm being sarcastic?
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