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Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
If you dream of owning a Linux phone that respects your privacy and keeps your data secure you'll want to check out Purism's new crowdfunding campaign.
The security-conscious US-based Linux laptop maker is hoping to raise $1.5 million to manufacture a 5-inch privacy-focused smartphone powered by open-source software.
Starting at $599, the Librem 5 will run the GNU/Linux PureOS distribution instead of Android, and will include a slate of features aimed at helping you protect your 'digital identity' — including end-to-end encryption of calls and texts made to other Librem 5 handsets.
While the phone will use as much free software as possible Purism do concede that the mobile baseband will likely use ROM loaded firmware (but with a FOSS kernel driver).
Wondering what kind of smartphone you get for $599? Us too. As it is, Purism say Librem 5 specs won't be finalized until after the campaign ends. This, they say, is to "ensure the best available components."
[...] If you're thinking of replacing your current smartphone with the Librem 5 you will need to look elsewhere as Purism plan to ship the phone in January 2019.
Source: Purism is Crowdfunding an Encrypted Linux Phone
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday August 30 2017, @05:35AM (10 children)
I'd like to see a phone with a bunch of tiny DIP switches or similar which physically break the circuit to various components - camera, wife, bluetooth, cell, microphone, speakers, gps, ... anything else?
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday August 30 2017, @05:35AM (5 children)
Well, a little bit freudian there -- wife is obviously wifi.
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:14AM (4 children)
Well, to be honest, I wouldn't mind a switch to turn the wife on. Or off.
Needs to be sturdier than a tiny DIP switch, tho; I suspect there will be quite a number of switches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Wednesday August 30 2017, @09:33AM
Probably looks a bit like this:
https://workingmomadventures.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/phone-brain1.jpg [wordpress.com]
(Score: 4, Funny) by Unixnut on Wednesday August 30 2017, @11:24AM
> Needs to be sturdier than a tiny DIP switch, tho; I suspect there will be quite a number of switches.
http://www.toocooldude.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/men-women-on-off-switch.jpg [toocooldude.com]
At least makes women fun for me, I enjoy complicated machines xD
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday August 30 2017, @07:40PM (1 child)
I'd start with (as with any device you want to turn on) talking sexy to the wife [uwm.edu].
Should this API call return an error, there are troubleshooting steps [wikihow.com] to address the message returned.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday August 30 2017, @11:22PM
This doesn't work for turning off.
Especially in the case of perceived competition being present, or that time of the month, or ... zillions of other cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 3, Funny) by MostCynical on Wednesday August 30 2017, @05:49AM
Turning your wife on that easily could be dangerous!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday August 30 2017, @05:53AM
Be nice if the switches were accessible without dis-assembling the phone. A simple cover, maybe.
The microphone and speaker switches should be like the on/off switches on old calculators. "Slide to enable phone"
(They could also be the "answer" and "hang up" buttons)
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 5, Informative) by MadTinfoilHatter on Wednesday August 30 2017, @08:40AM (1 child)
It appears that this phone will have that. From their FAQ:
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday August 30 2017, @02:37PM
I'm sold!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by melikamp on Wednesday August 30 2017, @05:59AM (4 children)
Sorry, no sale then. But even beyond my personal preferences, think about the wireless cartel and the utter injustice to you as a consumer, let alone a participant in a democracy. That you should need to authenticate at all in order to access the internet is utter horseshit. Say what you will about the network neutrality, but I think the following system would be far better for us the people than the sleazy "service" we get today:
Every wireless provider should be required by law to serve from a menu of libre protocols for a possibly low-band, but fully working internet. If they want to charge an arm and a leg for some kind of premium service, let them choke on it. A federal network of wireless towers and onion routers would make more sense, but hey, this is America, so I'll be realistic :)
(Score: 1) by Beau Slim on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:23AM (2 children)
Yep, a non-open, non-user-auditable base rom makes these guys absolutely no different from anyone else. In fact, it probably makes them (and any other small player) worse because they won't have the funds to hire the legal team required to protect themselves from secret warrants, etc. If they weren't US-based, they might stand a chance of avoiding the "install this and keep your mouth shut or go to prison" situation.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:39AM (1 child)
Even if you have tons of money..
http://www.techradar.com/news/canonicals-dream-for-an-ubuntu-phone-is-dead [techradar.com]
"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 Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:57AM
Followed by an expensive non-cellular SoC for the 'system'.
Hell you could even add a switch to turn off the baseband SoC if desired, rather than software disable via the 'primary' SoC.
Now mind you this increases parts costs by 25+ percent and may be worse when you roll in design costs.
But it is totally doable today. It solves that pesky baseband issue, except for the cornercase of using the baseband to spy on the RF emitted by the main chip, and it allows you to securely partition the phone in ways that haven't been done since the ceullar modem got rolled into the SoC for cost cutting and power saving reasons at least 10 years ago.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:03PM
The difference is that the baseband on this phone will not have access to the other parts of the phone. It is the model neo900 was using (but neo900 wanted to have more than isolation, they wanted to monitor what the baseband was up to). It is impossible (legally, AND within the budget of mortals) to use free software on the baseband processor.
So, with a USB connected baseband, nobody can remotely switch your mic on, nor access the contents of the memory of your phone. So, while not perfect, it is quite a bit better than *every* other modern phone currently available*.
$600 is *a lot* of money, though. And, the actual BOM isn't even known yet. I'd love to help fund this worthy cause, but can't part with that kind of cash for something not even to a specifications phase let alone prototype phase yet.
* The European Galaxy S3 (exynos based) and a couple other older phones use a separate baseband. The US S3 (qualcom based) has baseband integrated into the SOC.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:19AM (2 children)
Someone went HAM on the topics for this story.
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Wednesday August 30 2017, @01:56PM (1 child)
Can someone explain this comment for me? I thought I knew what intersectionality meant, but I see no discussion of multiple disadvantaged classes being combined in the summary. Similarly, HAM to me evokes imagery of either amateur radio or salted pig leg, neither of which is evident either. I'm at a loss here.
If this is a troll it's assuming I'm much more hip than I actually am...
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 3, Informative) by Osamabobama on Wednesday August 30 2017, @04:40PM
There's also this version of going HAM [urbandictionary.com].
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RamiK on Wednesday August 30 2017, @10:14AM
https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/08/25/purism-librem-5-open-source-linux-smartphone-focuses-on-privacy-crowdfunding/ [cnx-software.com]
And there's always decent commentary since the blog is run and visited by people who work in embedded.
compiling...
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Wednesday August 30 2017, @02:06PM
I can't support a project for a cell phone unless I'm confident it'll work with my cell provider. If I'm going to spend $600 on a phone I don't want to be forced by it to switch providers, too. I can't tell that they've even committed to being either CDMA or GSM yet...
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday August 30 2017, @02:19PM
It's too damned big to fit in my pocket, like most phones [mcgrew.info] today.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Wednesday August 30 2017, @04:40PM
I love it...BUTT, there is absolutely no way (that I can figure) that $599 is going to pay for the years of needed R&D on hardware, software, and THEN all of the manufacturing costs (which always have complications) and THEN still have enough left over to actually pay for the finished product and get it to my door.
Unless somebody can convince me that all of the components this phone will have (not even finalized yet) as well as its casing/screen will add up to no more than maybe $150 in a couple years when it comes time to churn them out by the thousands (not hundreds of thousands or millions), there is simply no way that ticket price is going to get a phone in your hand. Crowdfunding is great in concept, but this particular one raises way too many red flags for me.