/tech/ - Technology★

>>1045136 (OP)

I never understood the anti smartphone meme. Are you all just boomers who are just proud of using older SoCs with smaller screens glued on top instead of newer SoCs with bigger screens glued on top, or have you bought into the "smartphone addiction" media articles and confused the proprietary nature of current smartphones with the idea of a smartphone itself?

In fact "smartphones" (just a vague marketing buzz word btw) are better than feature phones, because you have more hope of turning semi-open source Linux platform into a device capable of reasonably private comms, than a drvice ("feature phone") running an obscure proprietary RTOS which only allows voice amd text over the standard GSM protocols using the manifacturer provided software with no additional encryption on top. You think a barebones GSM phone can't spy on you? Think again. The firmware can broadcast whatever comes through the mike at any time, and also if the phone has a camera and data connection at all there'd be no problem taking pics and sending them off to your service provider, law enforcement, the NSA or whoever.

You said it best, they are a computer, camera, GPS, and high speed packet radio transceiver rolled into a pocket device.

If you are somebody who doesn't use public transport then maybe you don't have any use for them, but if you travel by bus then you can't really carry a laptop+gps+camera+radio modem with you everywhere.

You might say nobody needs to carry around these things, but in a strict sense nobody NEEDS to have a computer or a camera or an Internet connection at home either.

The actual problem with these things is the locked bootloader, the proprietary DMA baseband, the lack of hardware standarization, the higher need for binary blobs than desktops, and the immaturity of free software available for it.

There's nothing wrong with the concept itself.

You might say it promotes Internet addiction and ADD, but maybe it is better for an addict to be able to go around rather than have to stay at home because of his addiction.

>>1045168

no keyboard+mouse = no life

>>1045188

He said, as if there's no smartphones with keyboards

i cant use a modern smartphone even if i would want to. the sim size changes every year so my card can only be used in old phones now. i have the card that was standard for probably more than 20 years and i wont buy a new card with a new number just so i can buy something that i wont really even use. i do all internet things on the computer and dont usually even have the phone with me when im outside.

>>1045232

My mom had similar problem. She just took kitchen scissors and cut her old SIM card, everything works perfectly :---DDD

>>1045232

Are you retarded? It's the same shit with the plastic cruft removed, >>1045235 do this

>>1045136 (OP)

>Totally useless

Nice delusions anon, I'm not a big fan of smartphones myself but anyone with eyes can see that they are pretty fucking useful in some cases

>>1045226

Qwertyphones or whatever are fading into obscurity.

Also these >>1045168 concerns like immaturity of software, closedness, no way to influence corporate decisions etc are just a deal-breaker for me. Might as well just use a dumb phone that can only make calls, that's how fucking bad that shit is.

And, c'mon, the fact that CIA niggers can spy on you via your GSM phone has nothing to do with a GAZILLION of ways EVERYBODY with tools and exploits can spy on you via your smartphone. I use some bullshit Nokia phone for like 10$ that can make calls LMAO. Why would I use anything else for a PHONE is beyond me. Go fuck yourselves.

>>1045136 (OP)

Smartphones are what is wrong with modern computing. Ignoring the surveillance programs pushed the big governments, the goal of the companies is to create completely proprietary and closed devices where the user has absolutely no control or access to the device. Despite that fact that some of the Android source code is open source, Google is strongly pushing to add more proprietary companies and to move code into their non-free spyware services. Additionally, the software stack for all the big mobile OSes is complete shit, just dumb down shit for retards who know absolutely nothing about computers and want to take it in the ass from the (((big tech companies))). The only reason retards buy smartphones is to use non-free social media applications to post dumb shit. Smartphones are the symbol of technological illiterate retards. The end goal mobile OSes is to convince the consumers to gave up all control over their devices so (((they))) can push non-free dumb downed desktop software to retards who worship (((their))) every word.

>>1045242

>Why would I use anything else for a PHONE is beyond me.

Not only making phonecalls is kind of the point of smartphones, isn't it. I also wouldn't use a toaster for making pasta.

>>1045244

That excuse for a platform calls itself "phone", so IDGAF.

>>1045238

isnt that only for micro sim? at least a year ago the phones that were sold were all nano sim.. might be even smaller now but i would not know since i dont check these often.

>>1045249

its basically a pda with a new name that they can use for marketing.

>>1045243

100% this. War on general computing. You cannot have access to your own device except in trivial highly regulated ways - you can run new sandboxed apps pre-approved by the mothership.

Repairing, updating, or re-purposing with alternate operating systems is forbidden.

I pray PC's don't die before there are phones and tablets outside of this botnet, and I'm not even religious.

>>1045239

There are not.

From mobile phone I except ability to communication in every moment and mobility. It is mean that this device has to be small, lightweight, solid and should works on battery at least one week. So then smartphones are not good mobile phones in comparison to feature phones.

There are also not good computers. There are just useless toys.

>>1045269

>isnt that only for micro sim? at least a year ago the phones that were sold were all nano sim

No. Back in early 2016 I used the ruler&scissors method to converted my bog standard miniSIM to nanoSIM. Worked and still does. The actual chip within the smart card is smaller than the contact pads, and nanoSIM dimensions extend slightly beyond them.

>>1045294

>converted

convert

Smartphones let me access the internet whenever I want to, without having to lug around a laptop wherever I go. That is invaluable. The internet is not just a bunch of normalfaggot social media sites, it's a gargantuan collection of information.

>>1045280

Rooting, flashing custom ROMs is easier than ever now. I'd trust my girlfriend to do it with no preparation. There's also things like F-droid now, so convenience doesn't have to go out the window.

Nevertheless, what you said is true.

>>1045321

Feature phones also have internet browser.

>>1045136 (OP)

>shitty computer,

Not for me. I'm able to do email and other communications, look up allergen info for restaurants while on the road (my daughter has a peanut allergy), read PDFs, etc. I have a bluetooth keyboard and occasionally do some programming in Termux. Do I prefer my desktop or laptop? Yeah, of course. But in a pinch, my inexpensive smartphone works okay.

>shitty mobile phone,

Can't agree with you there. It's fine as a mobile phone. Where it sucks is in comparison to landline phones, even 30 years ago. The sound quality was much better on those, and there was no annoying delay where you and the person you're talking with start talking over each other.

>shitty camera

Some people are able to take pretty good photos and videos with their smartphones. I can never seem to, but that's fine, because I don't take photos very often anyway, and when I want to, I have an actual camera I use for that.

>and shitty navigation

I keep location services turned off on my phone and generally don't use the GPS functionality, as I like to know where I'm going and how to get there before I leave. However, I have occasionally taken a wrong turn and ended up out in the boondocks, and the navigation feature has been helpful a couple of times in helping me get back on track or letting me know I was already headed to a major road instead of deeper into sister-fucking country.

>combined into one shitty and in practice totally useless device.

You're certainly entitled to think smartphones are shitty, and I'll agree that there are a lot of shitty things about them, e.g. privacy issues, lack of security updates, etc. But while you may not have a use for a smartphone, which is fine and good on ya, m8, calling them an "in practice totally useless device" is just absurd. Get real, nigger.

>>1045353

I have tried several smartphones (Nokia N97 mini, Huawei Honor 4X, Apple iPhone 8 Plus, Motorola Moto Z² Force) and every time I went back to feature phone after no more than 3 months.

I have enough experience to say: this kind of devices is totally useless and I can not understand why it is so popular.

>>1045353

people could live fine without them before. those are just excuses by lazy social media addicted retards.

>>1045242

>And, c'mon, the fact that CIA niggers can spy on you via your GSM phone has nothing to do with a GAZILLION of ways EVERYBODY with tools and exploits can spy on you via your smartphone.

Except that's fucking bullshit. They're just Linux embedded devices. Show me just one non-cherrypicked Android phone that you can tap into knowing the IP address. You're like the retards that go OMGZ Windows is so insecure, my uncle got it full of spyware after downloading porn.zip.exe!!!111

Sure, if you install chineesium apps from the jew store they can spy on you to the extent the permissions allow it to. The solution: disable (or use a rom without) Google Framework Services, monitor net activity with packet sniffing tools.

Im that respect it's not just like Windows doesn't get (extra) malware if you don't do stupid shit, but unlike Windows, the built-in spyware can be removed or avoided by using an open source build of the OS or disabling a few APKs showing unwanted network activity on a packet sniffer, and only using open source applications from the fdroid repos. You even have the fucking Tor browser. I'm not saying you need to post instructions on how to make zyklom b from your phone, and leave it at home if you plan on burning a mosque, but it's good enough for most things IMO (unless you're in, say, the top 10000 most wanted by the NSA, in which case you should consider yourself watched by an analyst at all times unless on a strictly offline machine, and even then I'd lay off the fetish porn just in case they get you with TEMPEST or physical intrusion.

>>1045188

Lurking boards, reading PDFs, looking up maps, listening to audiobooks or studying with Anki doesn't require typing at all. Nobody's saying you should throw your desktop in the trash. Why would you rather not have a computer in your pocket than have one? This was the kind of tech I dreamt about when I was a child (admittedly without the spying and general kikery but still).

>This device is just shitty computer

Yes, but that's better than no computer and I can put it in my pocket. I used my phone to write code for 3 months after my laptop broke.

>>1045472

>They're just Linux embedded devices.

No boodloader control + worse hardware control (though desktop is hardly better) = CIA nigger honeypot

And Linux per se is probably vulnerable, like, I wouldn't bet my ass on its security for sure. Did Google-submitted code for Android devices get a fucking audit? Probably not.

>The solution: disable (or use a rom without) Google Framework Services, monitor net activity with packet sniffing tools.

If I HAVE to do it because you have no control over Google software, I don't wanna do it at all. Like, staring into packet logs is not fun, unless you know what you're looking for. Cheerypicking software that might not even work would make sense if I actually got more control over the device first.

>the built-in spyware can be removed or avoided by using an open source build of the OS or disabling a few APKs showing unwanted network activity on a packet sniffer

Can you do it for any Android device under the sun though? Is root available for everything? Do I have to write rootkits myself?

Because it's less shitty in that regard for desktops. Heck, you can modify BIOS or whatever even.

What I was getting at there was the fact that smartphones indeed brought the age of Net-connected handheld devices upon us, but they do not provide nearly as much control over the execution as desktops/laptops do.

>Lurking boards, reading PDFs, looking up maps, listening to audiobooks or studying with Anki doesn't require typing at all. Nobody's saying you should throw your desktop in the trash. Why would you rather not have a computer in your pocket than have one? This was the kind of tech I dreamt about when I was a child (admittedly without the spying and general kikery but still).

Surprisingly, I like tablets for this purpose much more LOL. Though they do have even less use.

>>1045324

Rooting is possible on many device, but manufacturers do everything they can to prevent it. Boot-loaders are locked and increasingly only loading signed OS - ARM supports secure boot via Trust Zone now. There are glimmers of hope, but the machines are designed by default to lock you out, and the masses have accepted this as viable, unoffensive, even necessary.

>>1045472

wtf. Surveillance is an architectural consequence on cellular networks, enabled by the 3rd party doctrine. Your phone, not by virtue of OS, user space, browser, etc, but simply by virtue of using the celluar modem to access shows up at dates and times on cell towers. Your location is recorded, and sold to the government without a warrant, and no dumb phone will save you from that period.

>>1045540

root probably is but custom roms are only available for very few expensive models

>>1045136 (OP)

by your logic then a laptop is just a shitty stationary computer.

>>1045553

but thats exactly what it is

>>1045555

but it has some advantages. you can bring it with you.

>>1045559

You can do that with a desktop too, it's just slightly less convenient.

>>1045136 (OP)

I liked the age of beepers better. You weren't beholden to be available at all times and you weren't expected to keep up with some idiots social media profile 24/7. "Oh, sorry bro, I saw your beep but I couldn't get to a pay phone." *a day and half after the call* "Sorry, I was so busy I couldn't get at my answering machine until now"

It's just a feeling of too much pressure to keep up with stuff that's not necessary.

>>1045566

I take it you've never done LAN parties?

Setting up desktops isn't too hard, especially if it's an ITX box though I don't have one of those., and you've just got a few more things to plug in.

It's nice to have notebook you can carry in your pocket, take it out and record a shitty 5s message to someone.

That's basically all there is to it.

Nice to lurk through it too, and bedlurking is comfy.

Only pain in the ass is it sucks to type or make proper posts.

I use it to study flashcards. Why are you such an anti-smartphone faggot OP? i do think theyre invasive as fuck so i do at least cover cameras and removed the fingerprint scanner

>>1045282

>From mobile phone I except ability to communication in every moment and mobility.

Good thing you don't expect strong encryption, because you can only get that on a device with a strong CPU and the chance to run user provided software.

>It is mean that this device has to be small, lightweight, solid and should works on battery at least one week. So then smartphones are not good mobile phones in comparison to feature phones.

>There are also not good computers. There are just useless toys.

Learn Englis, Rajeet. What's up with so many Indians shitting on this thread?

>>1045543

Xiaomi unlocks your device for free and without hurdles. They give you the tools.

The Semitic influence is strong with this one.

>>1045136 (OP)

I'm pretty sure you'd like this, I know I do:

https://www.thelightphone.com

>>1045232

You can get your numbers transferred onto a new sim.

>>1045353

This guy understands it. It's not a catch all super device, it's a general utility device. I don't need a high end camera to take a quick picture of something. I don't need a laptop to look up a pdf of a allergy advice menu. I don't need a laptop to check my e mail when I'm out and awaiting something important. You flip it up, Press the screen twice and then turn it off.

They're a problem when you let them consume your life. They're useful when you use them as catch all utility devices for brief uses of a computer/the internet. It's especially good if you're out walking or cycling and need a map. A laptop is way too big and heavy, and traditional maps are easy to get lost with. Open up built in map, find your way back to some where you know or your destination and off you go.

I know its gay botnet, but have you ever tried samsung dex? its pretty fucking nice for normie stuff. most normies, in fact, are satisfied with it as their "computer," and can do everything they want/need to on it.

fast forward a few years and we'll hopefully have linux phones that do the same thing.

>smartphones are shitty computers

lol you're about to be wrong, FAST. smartphones are going to take over until there aren't any computers except for big rig mining machines and scientific apparatus. but you'll probably be dead by then you boomer. smartphones are pretty gay, but they are getting very powerful. the applications are getting more and more competitive to the pc market. many are merging as one and the same.

>>1045136 (OP)

someone should get a k120 and turn it into a phone i'd carry that with me over a smartphone.

>>1058039

>Webshit site that doesn't load without JS

>Bullshit nonsense that has 8 seperate CDNs including Facebook

I don't even want to know what this is

Navigation and emergency calls are the only things I use mine for.

>>1058261

what if there were a holster that were rfid blocking. or pants pockets that did that. protects the user from harmful radiation (i think) and also limits distracting notifications to only when you take it out.

>>1045136 (OP)

The problem with smartphones, besides all the huge privacy and surveillance issues, is the fact that _people invent use cases for them in order to justify their price and existence_.

>I can check my work email while I grab food for my lunch break

You're never going to respond to them anyways because you're on your 30 minute lunch break. If you do respond to them, it will be after you have eaten or at the very end of your break.

>I can check the allergens for this restaurant by visiting their web site or using a search engine

You could have checked this on your desktop/laptop before you left or you could ask the waiters and/or chef about the allergens at the restaurant itself.

>I can connect a bluetooth keyboard and do some programming

No. You're not going to be doing anything serious for your job using this. If there was an emergency, you would not try and work around the intricacies of such a setup and would instead find your way to the nearest suitable non-pocket computer. This is the pinnacle of inventing use cases.

>I can access the internet!

You can access the internet using a feature phone and many of the feature phones have a good enough web browser for whatever stupid shit you just have to look up right this second.

>All phones surveil you so just use a smartphone

Comparing cellular triangulation with Google sending 30 location updates an hour without your consent, saving all your voice recordings and voice searches (while also using them to improve voice recognition) without your consent, having stupid applications like solitaire or a blue light filter require access to phone/text metadata or needing GPS turned on, is a false equivalency of the highest degree. Tracking the location of a phone using cell tower signals is completely different than the advanced persistent threat that is the modern smartphone.

>What phone would you use then?

Any flip phone. The only smartphone that I would ever consider using again, and I would be doing some mental gymnastics for this, is the Blackberry Curve 8330 (or any of the 8300 series).

But seriously, a flip phone and a handheld GPS navigation system are both cheaper and have longer lasting batteries than modern smartphones.

>>1058261

maybe you should consider just taking the bus

>>1058267

what about mobile businesses?

you give google your consent for them to track you. otherwise you dont use their services. theyre gay but theyre not hiding it, most people are just too dumb to know that.

my smartphone has 250+gb of music and local media. dont use cloud backup.

you can root your phone and get rid of google services (not all botnet, but all of the bloat)

I travel for work and 90% of my emails are done on my phone. Just because you're slow at typing doesnt mean it takes me 30 minutes for an email. gmail has a slide to complete function.

smartphones are for normalfags. but everyone has to go into this gay real world for stuff. theyre a great utility for getting shit done.

Smartphones are kiketech made for niggers and retards. Full of ads and spyware. Ever notice how every attempt to make a libre hardware phone turns into vaporware? (((they))) don't want you to have it.

>>1058269

>what about mobile businesses?

Laptop works perfectly.

>you give google your consent for them to track you

Maybe you do but I certainly do not.

>my smartphone has 250+gb of music and local media

Great. Again use a laptop. If you're specifically talking about listening to music in your car because of "mobile businesses" then you don't need a smartphone for that. Most automobiles, for almost a decade now, allow you to play music from a usb thumb drive because they have a usb port near the dash and/or in the center console.

>you can root your phone and get rid of google services (not all botnet, but all of the bloat)

You still have all the botnet. You cannot turn on that smartphone at all without loading non-free shit to load the cellular radio. Fun fact, the cellular radios are tied to the CPU so they are always able to be turned on and load their bullshit.

>I travel for work and 90% of my emails are done on my phone.

Good for you but let's not pretend this is only possible with a smartphone. Additionally, just because this is specifically convenient for you, does not mean that it is for others. Consider other solutions whose sole value is not just convenience.

>Just because you're slow at typing doesnt mean it takes me 30 minutes for an email. gmail has a slide to complete function.

I am not slow at typing on a smartphone, I've used swype on every android phone I could. This slide functionality you're referencing, called swype, is not gmail's functionality. It is the functionality of the android operating system. It is one of the keyboards that ships with the OS by default. This just shows how much you know about the technology you use which is obviously very little.

>but everyone has to go into this gay real world for stuff. theyre a great utility for getting shit done.

If you think that the only ways of getting things done are the methods that are the most popular, convenient, "attractive", and constantly sold/shilled to you, then I have a bridge you might like to purchase.

>>1058274

>car

airplanes? trains? subway? audiobooks?

I can load every single document I would ever need on my phone. edit live spreadsheets for teams, etc.

>I am not slow at typing on a smartphone, I've used swype on every android phone I could. This slide functionality you're referencing, called swype, is not gmail's functionality. It is the functionality of the android operating system. It is one of the keyboards that ships with the OS by default. This just shows how much you know about the technology you use which is obviously very little.

no no no. gmail has an autocomplete feature to slide on the text field and complete the whole sentence based on what you usually say or what people usually say.

I start to type: Please l

and it completes: Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns,

Look, my argument is that if you are doing business where you're constantly on the go, you cant just whip out a laptop and find wifi all the time. it isnt practical. the losing competition does that. If you're in another timezone you don't have the convenience of time to "get back to the office," because you may be ahead or behind your client's. If you need to get something sent by 5pm their time, for example, you can easily miss it if you can only do so on a laptop. without doxxing myself, I have a type of work that pops up sporadically with new projects and clients. Trust me, I don't like being connected all the time, but I have to be to perform well. I can, within the minute, start managing an order or sending documents to someone, among other things. It's basically a laptop, like you mention, except I truly can keep it with me, and it has internet everywhere I go.

>botnet

as stated, I hate being connected all the time. when I take vacations I leave my phone off or at the hotel or whatever. rfid blocking sleeves would be cool. botnet sucks but you have to manage with the cards you've been dealt. I'm not going to say no to success over botnet concerns. on my personal laptop, I can sperg out on systemd-less artix and other crap all I please, like that eom68 pocket card.

>you cant just whip out a laptop and find wifi all the time. it isnt practical

I didn't know about this. Thanks for the correction.

>>1058277

>you cant just whip out a laptop and find wifi all the time. it isnt practical

Which is why they have made laptops that accept sim cards and mobile broadband modems for the last two decades. Business laptops have had them built in for years too. They have even had them as usb plug n play devices for a long time as well.

>>1058277

>>1058280

Just gonna fix my gay shit.

>>1058277

>no no no. gmail has an autocomplete feature to slide on the text field and complete the whole sentence based on what you usually say or what people usually say.

I didn't know about this. Thanks for the correction.

>>you cant just whip out a laptop and find wifi all the time. it isnt practical

Which is why they have made laptops that accept sim cards and mobile broadband modems for the last two decades. Business laptops have had them built in for years too. They have even had them as usb plug n play devices for a long time as well.