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Smartphone users are usually torn between the two choice — Android or iOS. Their dominance is such that other competing OS like Windows, BlackBerry OS, or Symbian have almost been abandoned.Those who don't want either of them can opt for Pine64's Linux phone dubbed the PinePhone which offers good hardware and software at an affordable rate of $149.
The phone's specs aren't great, but it does include a headphone jack (I wonder if it's capable of using the JACK audio system?) and the article notes that it may provide physical switches for disabling various components. The company behind it, Pine64, also produce the PineBook Linux laptop, which also use an ARM processor.
Source: https://fossbytes.com/pinephone-linux-smartphone-149/
Related: Kickstarter: Pine A64, Cheaper and More Powerful than Raspberry Pi 2 Model B
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Friday February 01 2019, @10:52PM (13 children)
Been looking at Android phones this week, and the choices are not inspiring. I want a phone that uses a SIM card, can be or is unlocked, has a removable battery, doesn't cost more than $300 (really, over $200 is too much), has okay performance, and for which there is an acceptable alternative OS such as LineageOS. There's this new (as of spring 2018) Samsung Galaxy J4 on sale for $150 that might do.
Several huge problems with installing another OS such as Lineage. First, they need time to study a new phone. It's hard to find a new phone that's on the list of supported devices. If the phone is not unlocked, it is a huge pain in the rear to root the thing, if that can be done at all. The whole Galaxy J family is missing from LineageOS's list of supported devices.
I am so sick of locked phones that become more crippled and slower, with more memory used up as the months roll by, and it wasn't me who clogged it up. Have a phone that started with Android 5, and upgraded to 6. Got the visual voice mail when I upgraded. And then, the visual voice mail was pulled in an "update". It was just gone.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Friday February 01 2019, @11:05PM
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BlackBerry-Passport-32GB-Black-AT-T-SQW100-3-GSM-GLOBAL-UNLOCKED/183619321960?hash=item2ac0908068:g:VZ8AAOSwfshbE8OX:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true [ebay.com]
I use the Priv personally or the Classic when I am making calls, but Sulla's AC friend appears to be quite happy with his passport.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Friday February 01 2019, @11:19PM
Try seond hand A series samsungs. My A5 is working very well on Lineage, inlcuding through several updates.
Battery lfe isn't as good as good as the J series, ut still acceptable.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 01 2019, @11:34PM (2 children)
for ~200 you have TONS of decent Chinese options from Xiaomi, umi, etc.
No carrier lock, some come pre-rooted, others are root friendly.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 02 2019, @01:24AM (1 child)
And ~none of them will ever be supported by lineageOS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 02 2019, @12:29PM
What? Xiaomi is pretty much first class support on lineage. They won't have removable batteries though.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Saturday February 02 2019, @01:19AM
I'm also in the market. I suspect I will need to keep my current device for work (only Android, iOS, or WinPhone can receive emails), but at 150USD I want to support this project and could use a spare phone.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday February 02 2019, @04:48AM (2 children)
I've been looking at Android tablets for months, and the choices are not inspiring at all.
I'd love to get a modern one to put a GoogleFi "only pay for the data you use" sim card into, but the choices are extremely limited and either carry ancient versions of Android or ridiculously expensive.
If Apple can still update and sell iPad Minis, why can't the Android tablet market get something decent out there that I can put a micro-SIM in?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday February 02 2019, @05:11AM (1 child)
The foldable revolution is upon us. Maybe there will be better options in 2 years.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 03 2019, @05:41AM
Still based on the privacy raping systems we have today
Until phones come with root access by default and the ability to firewall and uninstall all software the consumer is screwed
(Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Saturday February 02 2019, @11:44AM
Wait until Motorola announces this year's budget phones, then check those — they usually have at least one model that fits that description. (That's why I went with 2017's Moto E4 for my phone, as I had the same requirements.)
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Saturday February 02 2019, @01:01PM (2 children)
It doesn't have a removable battery, but aside from that I'm very happy with the OnePlus 5T that I bought a couple of weeks ago. The battery lasts long enough that I haven't had any problems and charges very quickly. Unlike the newer versions, it has a headphone jack and no notch in the screen. Apparently people want those two 'features' so it's now a lot cheaper than the 6 / 6T and the price seems to have been dropping for a little while - it will probably hit your requirements soon. Installing LineageOS on it was easy, with F-Droid and the privileged extension so F-Droid can automatically update things. It supports two SIMs, so you can stick in a cheap local one while travelling but keep your phone number working. The fingerprint sensor on the back works fine with LineageOS, as does everything else. It took a while to get a GPS fix the first time (I guess there's a calibration step somewhere?), but after that it's been working well. OnePlus have now released Project Treble support, which should make it easy for LineageOS to keep supporting it long term (device drivers not using unstable Linux kernel binary interfaces, so you can upgrade the kernel independently of the platform drivers).
I had been using a first-gen Moto G since it came out, but it was starting to die (loose connection to the speaker meant that it didn't ring 80% of the time). This one has 8GB of RAM, 128GB of flash, and a 4+4 big.LITTLE core configuration, which seem like specs that will last me a very long time - it has as much RAM as my last phone had flash...
sudo mod me up
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 02 2019, @01:07PM (1 child)
I knew I had to upgrade my laptop when my phone had more ram... Shit is ridiculous. How can I even use 8 gigs on a phone? I barely even need that much 99% of the time on a real computer.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday February 02 2019, @03:51PM
How about ramdrive mode?
The industry is starting to move to 12 GB, btw.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]