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

theregister.com

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

#311

Post by jjav »

ShinyLeftPad wrote: post #303
jjav wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nowadays, you can no longer exist in society without a phone. Fight this, fight it hard. It is not acceptable to have to pay a monthly fee to a giant corporation to participate in unrelated things. I do have a cell phone (grudgingly) but I go way out of my way to never use it. I tell every business I only have a landline phone (which I do have). I will not use anything that supposedly requires a phone, give me an a…

> It is not acceptable to have to pay a monthly fee to a giant corporation to participate in unrelated things. Do you always have to pay a monthly fee with a smartphone? Are there pre-paid SIM cards?

I have a cheap pre-paid plan (US Mobile). It's still a monthly fee though.

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

#312

Post by nerdsniper »

dandandandan2 wrote: post #310
nerdsniper wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

US cities as well, now that you mention it. Open lots often require scanning a QR code to pay. They watch cameras and tow your car very quickly if you don't. Maybe the reason this guy gets away with not having a smartphone is that his friends use their smartphones for him whenever things like this pop up?

I live in a small town with no such nonsense

You're incredibly, even astoundingly dismissive and judgemental towards the 80% of Americans who do not live in rural areas. Again - 80%.

> Hyperbole doesn’t help.

For MANY Americans, it's not possible to function normally in society without a smartphone. That's not hyperbole, but your argument was.

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

#314

Post by lproven »

ShinyLeftPad wrote: post #304
dandandandan2 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nowadays, you can no longer exist in society without a phone Hyperbole doesn’t help. I’m a 44 year old former software engineer now with a modest social media following (100k per platform). I don’t have a phone. I’ve never had a smart phone, last dumb phone gone in 2015. I have to hassle my bank to let me use email instead of SMS for 2FA, and I hand jot notes for driving directions sometimes. Otherwise, I’m immense…

How do you post on social media without a phone?

[dead]

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

#315

Post by lproven »

jjav wrote: post #247
aembleton wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you go on holiday, do you have to find an Internet café to print off your boarding pass for the flight home? Or do you select destinations covered by airlines that allow you to get a boarding pass more than 48 hours in advance?

> Internet café to print off your boarding pass for the flight home? You can print the boarding pass at the airline kiosk at the airport, at least in any US airport I've been to. I always do this. As noted in a peer post I try very hard to do everything without a phone. I do have a phone but don't want to depend on it. Boarding passes in particular seem very unreliable on a phone. I always have the paper boarding pas…

> in any US airport I've been to

So that is half of 1%.

Now try in any one of the other 194 countries in the world.

I, sadly, live in a small island and fly a lot. I haven't been able to do this in years.

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

#316

Post by lproven »

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... ;-)

> This article fails to mention GrapheneOS.

No, it does not. I wrote the article.

The article is not about phone OSes. The article is about companies that will sell you a NEW non-Google non-Apple smartphone.

The article is not about hardware, or phones.

The article is about PHONE VENDORS.

Also, go read the actual article and read the final paragraph, then act on it.

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

#317

Post by lproven »

fph wrote: post #178
abraham wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GrapheneOS doesn't fit the criteria of the list. https://grapheneos.org/faq#preinstalled-devices

You can buy phones with Graphene preinstalled: https://shop.nitrokey.com/shop , https://zextons.co.uk/categories/DeGoogled-Phones , if you really want.

I wrote the article. I think you did not read it. Read the last paragraph in particular. Not the bootnote, in the main text.

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

#318

Post by lproven »

drzaiusx11 wrote: post #42
mentos wrote: post #29

What would a mobile OS look like if the browser became the operating system and apps were sandboxed WASM instead of native APKs?

Maybe someone could revive FirefoxOS

News just in.

It happened in 2017.

https://www.kaiostech.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KaiOS

2017 is also the year ChromeBooks first outsold Macs (by value, not units). 2017 was the Year of Linux on the Desktop, and the penguin taleban didn't even notice.

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

#319

Post by lproven »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #38
mentos wrote: post #29

What would a mobile OS look like if the browser became the operating system and apps were sandboxed WASM instead of native APKs?

Palm webOS has entered the chat!

Still maintained, still sold.

https://www.lg.com/us/webos

Could be revived if anyone could be bothered.

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

#320

Post by lproven »

7e wrote: post #289

A key question: do any of these phones run an open-source baseband radio? Is that even allowed?

I wrote the article. Not that I am aware of, no. They are almost all Android devices which are available unlocked and with a different OS on from new.

It is possible, but nobody's done it since Symbian.

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