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https://9to5google.com/2019/09/11/google-scrapped-touchless-chrome-android-feature-phones/
For the past six months, we've been tracking Google's progress on introducing feature phones as a new form factor for both Android and the Chrome browser. Now it seems plans may have changed, as Google seems to be removing all of the code for Chrome's Android-based touchless mode.
Early this year, we discovered that Google was working on a version of Chrome that was designed to be used by feature phones without a touchscreen, a form factor that still sees significant usage in emerging markets. This "touchless" Chrome even included a bonus standalone version of the Dino Runner mini-game reworked for the new screen size.
This morning, reader Kawshik tipped us off to a new work-in-progress commit with the straightforward title, "Remove touchless* with the exception of Blink code." In the code change, we see Google removing all references to touchless Chrome and deleting the hundreds of files within the "touchless" folder.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 13 2019, @01:34PM (5 children)
Right now feature phones are used in emerging markets (as noted in the posting) but also by older people who don't want a smart phone. The thing is, there are some in first world economies who are looking at the ever increasing cost of data plans and trying to find alternatives. While the current generation of feature phones don't go far enough, add in a web browser, a decent navigation app, and e-mail (or something more than SMS) and you may find a lot of people deciding on a less data intensive option.
I know I have a few friends who are now in the 50s that were early adopters of the iPhone (having had a blackberry through work) that have discovered their iPhones work just fine with no data plan and diligent use of free wifi at their favorite coffee shops and restaurants.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 13 2019, @01:48PM (2 children)
You can find cheap smartphones (better form factor than feature phones for web browsing) and cheap data plans, and add an adblocker to stop a lot of the waste.
Navigation apps are probably the killer app for many people, and you can download offline maps if you have enough storage.
(Score: 4, Touché) by barbara hudson on Friday September 13 2019, @01:58PM (1 child)
Better form factor? I dug out my old LG flip phone to show a neighbour because he was fed up with his complicated smartphone.
It's amazing how much better the flip phone is as many tasks than an iPhone 6. And a lot smaller. With 500 hours of standby time. And an fm radio that works all day, no streaming required. Ended up bringing it to where I volunteer to listen to music.
It has a browser, text messaging, email, takes and plays videos, takes pictures, etc., and cost $65 more than a decade ago.
Now, I can sell it used for what I paid for it. But I'm keeping it - it's my fallback in case I lose all vision. The tactile keypad and just flipping it open to turn it on, or closing it to hang up, are features that I really miss.
And it's not that much thicker than an iPhone even when it's closed.
Of course, there's less opportunity to show ads, so that market is something Google and Facebook and Twitter want to discourage. Same as they don't want people to use links or lynx to browse the web because no javascript==harder to track.
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 13 2019, @04:56PM
Yes. Better form factor than feature phones for web browsing.
(Score: 1) by tbuskey on Friday September 13 2019, @01:55PM (1 child)
So, an iPod touch or Android tablet :)
Try finding a phone plan in the US with a smart phone but no data plan. Just calls/text and WiFi data. I had Republic Wireless like that. It worked very well most of the time for me. Not so good for using GPS type apps, but I had a real GPS then.
(Score: 2) by JNCF on Friday September 13 2019, @03:52PM
There are some BYOP prepaid talk/text plans you can game into costing less than $10 a year if you don't use them much. If you go up to $30 a year you can get a MVNO that will work with most Verizon phones (and unfortunately Verizon towers currently have the best US coverage AFAIK). There are similar options for AT&T phones, and just generally unlocked GSMs. The more you talk the more it costs, obviously, but if you don't lock yourself into a contract when purchasing a phone you can probably find a prepaid MVNO that will give you a cheap talk/text option.