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Why I will never buy another Samsung device

lehtimaeki.medium.com

451–460 of 664 posts

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To me, the issue is not the data collection. It is the lack of transparency. I don't exactly disagree, but it's hardly comparable. As a human being, i can grasp the notion of giving you 30 minutes of my time to try different cookie flavors and tell you what i think. I could likewise understand the notion/consequences of filling a one-page questionnaire for Facebook's advertisement engine in exchange for free servic…

I think that free services are a mistake. But for whatever reason people _really_ like it. Take Youtube. It offers a way to avoid all ads and yet people who spent hours upon hours every day either watching videos or listening to music with it refuses to spend a dime on it. And yet, they also complain that ads are ruining Youtube and so they installed adblocker specifically for it. Since everyone refuses to _directly_…

I'd love to pay to remove youtube ads. But... I refuse to surf the web logged into google. So I can't.

And beside that I'd very much not want to give google money either. So I don't.

(yes, watching the ads gives them money, and blocking the ads and use youtube reinforces their monopoly. But it still feels better than also giving them cash directly).

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#452
One person had one issue issue with a single repair ticket. And then amongst a site of hundreds of thousands of users, some also put their single issues in the comments. So what? We could do this with any major tech company. And we do. It's not enough to change my behavior. I want to see the data.

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have galaxy s7. I don't get why I cannot remove apps like "Samsung Health", "Samsung Internet", "Samsung Members", etc. I constantly pushed with updates on these, and all I can do is flaging the updates as inappropriate.

These applications are viruses. They eat all your resources, make connections to the network, and you can't get rid of them. I don't understand how some (most?) of humanity has accepted that it's acceptable for Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Huawei to make it mandatory to use their spyware. If i as an individual sold phones that are tied to crappy malware i would be in prison very quickly. They control your phone, you…

It turns out a good phone with good customer service and reasonable repair options is worth more than 300€ yes.

Sadly we have been made believe that it could be much cheaper, but there are hidden human, privacy and environmental costs.

Hopefully we finally start paying the actual cost for our smartphones, and our planet, the kids and our privacy will be grateful for it.

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#454
post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. I have a smart tv. (What other kind exists today?). The remote has a netflix button - which is super useful. But according to my router, the TV sends a trickle of data over WIFI constantly. Even when its "off". So I've banned the TV from my WIFI network, and I just have a PC plugged into it. Its less convenient this way - we need to pull out a wireless keyboard & mouse to watch netflix. But I think its the right…

I have a smart tv. (What other kind exists today?) Monitors. I have a 40" monitor in my living room, connected to the cable company's STB. Not that that's regularly used, most of the time I use my HTPC instead, which runs Kodi.

I suppose... My tv is 55" and as it is, its on the small size for the wall I have it on.

Replacing it with a monitor of a comparable size would be prohibitively expensive.

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#455
post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> need to pull out a wireless keyboard & mouse to watch netflix I run Kodi on a Raspberry Pi for this exact reason. The Pi's HDMI has CEC support built-in, which means the TV's remote works seamlessly with Kodi's UI. This works great for my Netflix needs. Unfortunately, most (all?) PC graphics don't do CEC out of the box. I've seen USB adapters that can add this functionality to PCs but I've never tried any of them.

Do you use Raspberry Pi 4? Does it handle 1080p h265? And 4K BluRay rips?

The Pi mk4 can do up to 4k (HDR) with the most recent Kodi updates. Really nice. Mine unfortunately requires a smol fan because otherwise it would randomly reboot, luckily Noctua makes 40mm silent fans. Connected on the GPIO pins for 5V, it's more than enough.

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#456

I avoid all things Samsung for a much more important reason: They spy on you mercilessly, up to about the same level as Facebook. For example, they take screenshots of what you watch on your Samsung Televisions! Don't believe me? Take it from them: https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-... and https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/insights/ You're not their customer, you're the product.…

> You're not their customer, you're the product. What is really annoying though is that you are their customer. It's sort of understandable when Google or Facebook spy on you and monetise your data to profit from the services that they provide you free of monetary charge to you. With Samsung, you've already handed over a few hundred dollars at least for the product. Spying on you as well is like having their customer…

Do you find the smartphone keeps working?

I stopped buying Samsung after two phones. About 18 months or so after I got them, some update would make things so slow I needed a new phone. Second time I figured it wasn't the phone being old, it was the update slowing it on purpose.

Other phones I've had don't seem to have this problem, updates seem to not change the speed of the UI at all. But I also don't appreciate the customised Android, there doesn't ever seem to be a benefit.

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#457
I have never had a good experience with a Samsung product. From TVs to appliances they all seem to have something go wrong within the first 1-2 years. Sometimes it is minor and I can live with it, but it is everything Samsung I have ever owned. When I Google whatever the problem is it is common and there appears to be a near 100 percent faliure rate of the particular component.

As a company I can only conclude they have poor quality control or do not do rigorous long term testing.

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#458
post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. I have a smart tv. (What other kind exists today?). The remote has a netflix button - which is super useful. But according to my router, the TV sends a trickle of data over WIFI constantly. Even when its "off". So I've banned the TV from my WIFI network, and I just have a PC plugged into it. Its less convenient this way - we need to pull out a wireless keyboard & mouse to watch netflix. But I think its the right…

> need to pull out a wireless keyboard & mouse to watch netflix I run Kodi on a Raspberry Pi for this exact reason. The Pi's HDMI has CEC support built-in, which means the TV's remote works seamlessly with Kodi's UI. This works great for my Netflix needs. Unfortunately, most (all?) PC graphics don't do CEC out of the box. I've seen USB adapters that can add this functionality to PCs but I've never tried any of them.

Kodi can do netflix now?

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#459

I avoid all things Samsung for a much more important reason: They spy on you mercilessly, up to about the same level as Facebook. For example, they take screenshots of what you watch on your Samsung Televisions! Don't believe me? Take it from them: https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-... and https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/insights/ You're not their customer, you're the product.…

> You're not their customer, you're the product. What is really annoying though is that you are their customer. It's sort of understandable when Google or Facebook spy on you and monetise your data to profit from the services that they provide you free of monetary charge to you. With Samsung, you've already handed over a few hundred dollars at least for the product. Spying on you as well is like having their customer…

No offence, but the idea that a company will not try to make money of your private data just because you pay them is naive.

Doing so would be comitting the cardinal sin of "leaving money on the table".

Re: Why I will never buy another Samsung device

#460

IMO foldable phones are a throwback to planned obsolescence. The mechanical wear of the folding and unfolding is going to win and you are going to find yourself with a new phone in a relatively short time. Every iPhone I’ve had has succumbed to either the home button failing (which requires a completely new main board to fix) or the lithium battery swelling to the point the case bursts open. My current model has no h…

Does your warranty period re-start when your device gets repaired or replaced?

Yep! I think she pays $4/month to keep the warranty going.
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