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| Screwtape |
Posted on 19-02-06, 13:52 (revision 1)
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Full mod
 Post: #106 of 443 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 1110 days Last view: 182 days |
Right now, I've got a FirefoxOS-based smartphone, which I liked a lot, but apparently nobody else did. I decided I'd keep using it until it stopped working, because why throw out a perfectly good device? Today I noticed the Li-ion battery had started to puff up, which is apparently a firm sign that things are about to go very bad. I can't find a replacement, because apparently this is the only device in the known universe that uses a battery of these exact dimensions ("1ICP6/56/61" is the code), so I guess that means it's new phone time. Does anybody have any suggestions? I'd prefer a phone that's FSF-Free to whatever extent that's possible, at the very least I want the boot loader to be unlocked (unlockable?) so I can install an alternative OS like Lineage or at least explore de-Googlification. EDIT: For reference, I think these phones are what I have to choose from. The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. |
| CaptainJistuce |
Posted on 19-02-06, 14:47
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Custom title here
 Post: #228 of 1164 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 72 days Last view: 20 hours |
I went into sticker shock before I remembered those prices are in australian dollars. Can't attest personally to any of those phones. Or really, any relative of them except the lower-end Samsung. Used to have a Samsung J7, felt it was overpriced but functional. Also, didn't they get the memo? The JB brand is retired, it is Jistuce HiFi nowadays! --- In UTF-16, where available. --- |
| Screwtape |
Posted on 19-02-06, 15:10
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Full mod
Post: #107 of 443 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 1110 days Last view: 182 days |
> I went into sticker shock before I remembered those prices are in australian dollars. Ah for the glorious days of the global financial crisis, when every other country's currency tanked and for one brief moment, the Australian Dollar was top dog. > Used to have a Samsung J7, felt it was overpriced but functional. I've heard bad things about Samsung loading their phones with weird Samsung-specific extras, trying to "value add" but mostly making a mess. Did that happen to your phone, or not enough to notice/worry about? The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. |
| tomman |
Posted on 19-02-06, 17:34 (revision 1)
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Dinosaur
 Post: #145 of 1318 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 6 days Last view: 16 hours |
> FirefoxOS phones Heh, I remember that Telefonica (through their local Movistar branches) tried to push those hard, particularly in Latam. Nobody wanted them. Even in Soviet Venezuela, where cheap subsidized phones were a endangered species (they're now extinct), people just bought them so they could resell them to random suckers online, thinking non-Android/non-iPhones were scalper-level material. They mostly failed, and now those phones are nowhere to be found. I think their remnants now live under the disguise of KaiOS, which despise not being marketed as a smartphone platform (rather, they're aimed at cheap carrier subsidized dumbphones with "some" smart features), you still get perfectly rootable Linux-powered devices. Hell, there is even a 4G flip phone in the lineup! (some Alcatel model sold by several prepaid carriers in 'murica) Licensed Pirate® since 2006, 100% Buttcoin™-free, enemy of All Things JavaScript™ |
| BearOso |
Posted on 19-02-06, 17:35
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 Post: #34 of 175 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 1460 days Last view: 1460 days |
Posted by Screwtape That's pretty much the standard for Samsung. It prefers the Samsung apps. You can change the defaults, but not get rid of them completely. You might be happy with the Nokia 6.1/7.1, which are Android One, so bootloader-unlockable, stock android. The only problems I see are that the processors are mid-range, and I don't know how much of a community they have, but they seem pretty popular. Google's rumored to be releasing a mid-range pixel soon, but with that bulging battery I don't think you should wait. |
| CaptainJistuce |
Posted on 19-02-07, 00:56
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Custom title here
Post: #229 of 1164 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 72 days Last view: 20 hours |
Posted by ScrewtapeNot enough to bother me. Just that for the price, everyone else had a sturdier chassis and usually a gyroscope. Samsung seems to be bad about holding a few cheap features off their cheaper phones to try and force people to pay extra for an S-series. The J7 DID have a removable back for battery access, though. Don't know if the J8 does, that is an increasingly rare feature. --- In UTF-16, where available. --- |
| funkyass |
Posted on 19-02-07, 05:57
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Post: #22 of 202
Since: 11-01-18 Last post: 669 days Last view: 25 days |
I perectly happy with my moto g5+. tho thats a older phone. The bootload is unlockable too, evwn with the newer 6's mind you I ran with a iphone 4 for 6 years |
| CaptainJistuce |
Posted on 19-02-07, 06:27
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Custom title here
Post: #230 of 1164 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 72 days Last view: 20 hours |
Posted by funkyassPhone brothers! I've got a G5 S+. --- In UTF-16, where available. --- |
| Screwtape |
Posted on 19-02-07, 07:30
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Full mod
Post: #108 of 443 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 1110 days Last view: 182 days |
Posted by BearOso I did some research of my own, googling for things like "unlock bootloader" and "lineage OS" plus various phone models. None of the phones in that list scored particularly well, but the Nokia 6.1 seemed to do as well as anything else. I've placed an order and it should be here in a few days. Thanks! The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. |
| creaothceann |
Posted on 19-02-07, 07:33
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 Post: #60 of 456 Since: 10-29-18 Last post: 53 days Last view: 5 hours |
I'm perfectly happy with my ZTE Axon 7, still great even if it's a slightly older phone (introduced in July 2016). It even got an update for Android 8 (Oreo) that removed all ZTE-specific addons. My current setup: Super Famicom ("2/1/3" SNS-CPU-1CHIP-02) → SCART → OSSC → StarTech USB3HDCAP → AmaRecTV 3.10 |
| CaptainJistuce |
Posted on 19-02-07, 09:48
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Custom title here
Post: #231 of 1164 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 72 days Last view: 20 hours |
Posted by creaothceannEven the chinese spyware? --- In UTF-16, where available. --- |
| creaothceann |
Posted on 19-02-07, 11:55 (revision 1)
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Post: #61 of 456 Since: 10-29-18 Last post: 53 days Last view: 5 hours |
Posted by CaptainJistuce Updates can't remove what's in all phone hardware anyway... My current setup: Super Famicom ("2/1/3" SNS-CPU-1CHIP-02) → SCART → OSSC → StarTech USB3HDCAP → AmaRecTV 3.10 |
| CaptainJistuce |
Posted on 19-02-07, 12:52
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Custom title here
Post: #232 of 1164 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 72 days Last view: 20 hours |
Posted by creaothceannI meant the adups software, that allegedly was never supposed to ship to the US anyways. I wasn't just being catty, ZTE had a documented spyware problem for a while. --- In UTF-16, where available. --- |
| creaothceann |
Posted on 19-02-07, 15:37
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Post: #62 of 456 Since: 10-29-18 Last post: 53 days Last view: 5 hours |
Posted by CaptainJistuce As far as I can tell (running scanners) there's no adups or other spy/malware installed. My current setup: Super Famicom ("2/1/3" SNS-CPU-1CHIP-02) → SCART → OSSC → StarTech USB3HDCAP → AmaRecTV 3.10 |
| Screwtape |
Posted on 19-02-08, 12:46
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Full mod
Post: #110 of 443 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 1110 days Last view: 182 days |
When I ordered my phone, I elected *not* to pay for overnight shipping, and so wasn't expecting it to arrive until Monday. However, when I woke up this morning, I found a "Your parcel is scheduled for delivery today!" message. I got all excited, showered and dresssed as quickly as possible since the delivery guy could arrive at any moment, and opened the package-tracking webpage they'd sent so I could keep up-to-date. I waited, and waited, and nothing happened. By 5PM I'd gotten pretty frustrated, by about 6PM I knew I wasn't going to get a delivery today after all. A bit after 6 I refreshed the tracking page to see "Delivery attempted: please check the Sorry We Missed You card for more details". I *knew* delivery hadn't been attempted, so I rushed out to check my letterbox. Completely empty! And of course I couldn't ring their customer support, because I didn't have a phone. So I sent them an email instead, fully expecting them to tell me to come and pick the parcel up at the depo, an hour or two's journey across the city and far from public transport. Meanwhile, a thunderstorm had cropped up, so I shut down my desktop PC for safety, and booted up my laptop for the first time in a while. I did the usual "install updates" dance, then thought to log into gmail, just to see if the package people had replied. Turns out, there was a bunch of other messages saying that my package had been dropped off at a petrol station nearby, well within walking distance! Petrol stations are always open late, and I really wanted my new phone, so I put on my walking shoes, grabbed my bag and walked out the door. Turns out, that thunderstorm was *bucketing* down. I stood just inside the door of my building, looking out at the downpour and wondering if this was really such a good idea. Eventually I said "what the hell", and strode out. I had an old, broken umbrella, but it didn't really do much - what with the wind blowing it about, and the driving rain, I still got soaked to the skin on the way there. But I got there, picked up my new toy, brought it back, and now I've spent an hour or two letting it apply system updates, trying to figure out how the Android UI works, uninstalling a bunch of Google Play integrated apps and installing replacements. - Sometimes "Back" is an arrow at the top-left of the screen, sometimes "Back" is a triangle button at the bottom. Is there some nuanced difference I don't understand, or is that just Android weirdness? - The middle button is "home screen" on a short press and "Open Browser" on a long press, the square button is "switch apps" on a short press and "split screen" on a long press; am I missing any other cool tricks? - The phone only has a USB-C port for charging and connecting with a Real Computer, but my Real Computers don't have USB-C ports. Is a converter cable a passive thing like USB-A to USB-B, or an active (expensive) thing like VGA to HDMI? - I previously only really used my phone for web-browsing, shopping lists, reading e-books, and listening to music. I've installed Firefox, Simple Notes, Book Reader, and Odyssey to do these tasks, and they seem to meet my needs. Are there any alternatives I should know about? - Are there any cool apps in general I should know about? The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. |
| BearOso |
Posted on 19-02-08, 16:18
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Post: #35 of 175 Since: 10-30-18 Last post: 1460 days Last view: 1460 days |
Posted by Screwtape Passive. USB-A/B/C are just the connector type. Many phone ports are still USB 2.0. |
| creaothceann |
Posted on 19-02-08, 17:20 (revision 1)
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Post: #63 of 456 Since: 10-29-18 Last post: 53 days Last view: 5 hours |
Posted by Screwtape Depends on the app author what s/he thinks is appropriate. VLC for example has no back button (or ".." entry) in its file browser. Posted by Screwtape Long press on middle button just opens a Google search bar on my phone. Long press on the back button opens the home screen customization screen. You can probably configure more in the settings, e.g. if call and camera functions can be accessed from the lock screen. Posted by Screwtape I got a small Type-C to Micro B adapter with the phone, and bought an Micro B to Type A adapter, both are passive. I don't think they support USB3, but there ought to be adapters for that. Though your flash memory might not even be able to use USB3's faster speed. EDIT: Seems your phone has only USB2 anyway? Posted by Screwtape My "offline" apps: - Amazon Kindle (ebooks) - BatteryBot (to display the battery temperature in Oreo) (via F-Droid) - Bubble Level Gauge (via F-Droid) - Comic Screen (comic viewer) - Digital Clock Widget (better clock for Oreo) - exFAT/NTFS for USB (mounting USB sticks) - Google Authenticator - INKredible (handwriting app) - Lithium (*.epub ebooks) - Mobi Calculator - Mr. Number (call blocker) - Notepad (by Dmitry Korotkov) - Sky Map (via F-Droid) - Spectroid - Tiny Scanner - Total Commander - VLC - ZArchiver Games: - Dolphin - Inside Out (lots of ads unfortunately, especially when online) - lichess - Monument Valley 1 + 2 - RetroArch - ScummVM - Steam "Online" apps: - Anydesk - Dropbox - F-Droid (alternative "free" app platform) - FanFiction.net - Firefox - LibreTorrent (via F-Droid) - NewPipe (YT frontend) (via F-Droid) - QR Scanner (via F-Droid) - RedReader (reddit frontend) (via F-Droid) - TeamViewer - Youtube My current setup: Super Famicom ("2/1/3" SNS-CPU-1CHIP-02) → SCART → OSSC → StarTech USB3HDCAP → AmaRecTV 3.10 |
| Duck Penis |
Posted on 19-02-08, 19:24
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Stirrer of Shit
Post: #16 of 717 Since: 01-26-19 Last post: 1773 days Last view: 1771 days |
Posted by Screwtape Naked Browser is much faster and smaller than Fennec, at least in my experience. On desktop Firefox is fine, but on mobile it's a bloated piece of garbage with poor privacy (in particular, saving metadata it doesn't have to, keeping cookies longer than it needs, and for some godforsaken reason recording your search history, even in incognito mode) Posted by creaothceann Have you considered installing AdAway? It's not perfect, but it gets rid of most of the in-app ads. There was a certain photograph about which you had a hallucination. You believed that you had actually held it in your hands. It was a photograph something like this. |
| creaothceann |
Posted on 19-02-08, 20:15 (revision 1)
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Post: #64 of 456 Since: 10-29-18 Last post: 53 days Last view: 5 hours |
Posted by sureanem The phone isn't rooted, so that wouldn't work. I just turn off WLAN (mobile data is turned off most of the time anyway). And I also meant the many "special offer" (extra lives/abilities for cash) dialogs. My current setup: Super Famicom ("2/1/3" SNS-CPU-1CHIP-02) → SCART → OSSC → StarTech USB3HDCAP → AmaRecTV 3.10 |
| NTI |
Posted on 19-02-09, 00:20
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 Post: #17 of 40 Since: 10-29-18 Last post: 721 days Last view: 721 days |
Amaze File Manager - it allows you to even setup an FTP server so you can transfer files without cable connection. Omni Notes - neat application, though not as "simples" as Simple Notes. NCalc+ CPU Info Document Viewer - Might not be as good as Book Reader, I'm not sure how many formats it supports. |
