Commlink Thread

What phone do you have? Looking to get a new one, any recommendations?

>>9931 Still using an old iphone 4s here. I am thinking about getting an overpriced mi mix 2 and slapping lineageos on it, for the meme of an overpriced chinese phone and the security of lineageos over ios.

I have an lg g3, its a very nice phone in my opinion but i havent had many before.

I was using a nexus 5x with copperheadOS, the people behind copperheadOS are really commendable > clear and laid out business strategy, no shady play with data in the background > their OS are open source and you are free to build the OS yourself > prebuilt images for pixel phones and some other brand they support cost money, prebuilt images for nexus phones are free > enhanced(tm) security > doesn't even mention Goolag Play Services in the official installation guide Was a really solid combination, the phone itself was not too pricey when it came out, the specs are realistically more than anybody should have the need for. Anyhow a few weeks back I've been considering the "Light Phone 2", which tries to bring the minimalism of old devices back. As we all know smartphones are evil (https://www.thelightphone.com/smartphonetm/). I've realized that the light phone offers no pros that make the phone worth buying over a run-of-the-mill nokia, so that's what I've been using

Still using a old(er) Nokia N101, rocking it like the first day I got it. Got everything I needs, torch, calculator, timer/alarms, music (although MP#, but that's just fine for me. I don't have golden ears) and a dualsim. Although I tried out some smartphones here and there, but decided to drop them mainly because I wanted to learn myself how to do it without those devices. The more you know about them, the more they look like a megacorp's telemetry blackbox. Hence why I still am messing around with the devices themselves. But not keeping them in my pocket 24/7. Heck, I don't even take that Nokia with me 5 times out of 8. >>9948 CopperheadOS is sweet! I don't have a nexus myself around here, but the specs of the system are lovely if you like Android. But another option is installing Debian (or anything else really with enough tinkering) and using that as driver, which I've been experimenting with. It's a shame though, since that type of native debian install only has been experimented with with the nexus 5x. Or even the EFIdroid install.

>>9951 having a smartphone does have merits, but the many downsides and all the bad habits I've formed due to these smartphones doing so much gave me a good enough reason to go back to the Nokia another big problem is how closed and dominated by Android the smartphone market really is, you can fool around with custom ROM and whatnot, but there are so many issues custom ROM developers have and there are huge differences from phone to phone. The plattform is anything but open, like Jewgle liked to call it. All the firmware is shipped in the form of binary blobs with absolutely no documentation whatsoever, so custom ROM developers can go through the fun of reverse engineering these blobs and taking guesses at how they might work, at this point it's just sad how people who want to do fun stuff with their phones are prevented from doing so I have to say the Nokia has all the basic features I need and music is not a problem, as a good old fashioned mp3 player can easily make up for the Nokia sound quality (heck mine doesn't have a 3.5mm jack but a 2.5mm, I couldn't even listen if I wanted). The biggest change for me was having others ask why exactly I've been rocking a Nokia. In my town wherever you look, everyone has a smartphone. I was aware but I never quite realized how integral smartphones have become in the life of probably about everybody. You don't even have to be wealthy anymore to be running a smartphone. So yeah, getting weird stares here and there. I know I don't have to justify the decision, and people can easily be ignored. All in all it feels good to finally be free from the shackels of Goolag and the like, there is so much less to worry about. Staying private on an Android cost me so much energy, getting rid of it is a really big relief.

Moto G, 4th gen. Running LineageOS+microG which is pretty nice. If you need a smartphone, checking up on community support for the device you're considering is well worth doing. In general, though, it's hard to go wrong with a Nexus or Moto G. I would be the ideal candidate for just getting a Nokia except that I rely heavily on smartphone mapping capabilities. Being to locate any type of business in a pinch is indispensable, and the public transit agencies here increasingly assume that everyone has a smartphone.

>>9954 use maps to navigate in your immediate area, maybe get a navi for when you know you'll need it

>>9948 I've considered busing copperhead on my pixel, but i heard that ota updates are disabled for devices that aren't bought from them. Also >light phone This is kind of interesting to me. Thanks for sharing!

>>9952 >The biggest change for me was having others ask why exactly I've been rocking a Nokia. In my town wherever you look, everyone has a smartphone. Oh man, I was expecting the same thing. But in fact, almost no one minds or even cares. And those who do are usually interested in why you feel so motivated to step down to such a depreciated norm, and not even in the bad way. If you just rationalize it with some stuff like 'I just think I got too addicted to a smartphone' or 'I want to enjoy life without it'. Just as long as you don't start bashing them because they have a smartphone, it's all good. Stay respectful and they will stay respectful to you. Heck, even some privacy stuff works fine, just don't go too in depth else people will raise eyebrows. It's a fantastic ice breaker, I actually got to meet some lovely people on the way. It also works well as a beer opener at parties. In a way, it made me more social, but that's a big claim. >having a smartphone does have merits, but the many downsides and all the bad habits I've formed due to these smartphones doing so much gave me a good enough reason to go back to the Nokia I agree, I think smartphones have some huge pros. But to counteract that, it also had a good chunk of time/dependency cons join the play. I myself am quite a avid outdoors man, and I tend to enjoy just being disconnected for once. It helps me put priorities and desires in contrast, it doesn't help for me that I got a device in my pocket that keeps vibrating because that some person that I barely know finally finished his sandwich. Sure, there are ways to counteract this. But there is something psychologically inside of you that has integrated the device in it's everyday functions, which becomes a addiction at that point. Although I don't like to use that term for this subject, but the criteria for a addiction are all there for smartphones here. It's not as easy as leaving the device home for that moment, just like it's not as easy for people to lose weight by simply cutting off the full caloric intake. Once you have it back to availability, it won't take too long before it's all back to normal consumption, or like with dieting, weight. Sure, there is a small period with change. But in the end nothing changed. Although, to be completely frank right now. I think cutting out the smartphone in a society is a very crude solution to a much bigger problem, most people with busy careers depend on it in a very different way than the average person. But as far, it works for me and I think it actually helped me develop my face-to-face interaction with the world and the people on it. >another big problem is how closed and dominated by Android the smartphone market really is, you can fool around with custom ROM and whatnot, but there are so many issues custom ROM developers have and there are huge differences from phone to phone. True, but I still think that custom ROM developers have started a very good initiative to try and accomplish a open smartphone market. While they are not able to fully accomplish that with their minimal impact on the smartphone market, they sure for a nice alternative choice. For those curious. But they too are limited to what parts are open or not. Like you mentioned with the binary blobs, if you don't include them the functionality for the device drops like a brick. Which is like kicking dead whales down the beach.

>>9978 man you just spoke out of my soul, I wholeheartedly agree! It almost seems to me like smartphones inherently make people develop unhealthy habits. Perhaps a little too political and probably a little controversial, but this effect will only get more significant as Google, Netflix, Facebook and the like get a tighter grip on society through the wired. Best to jump ship now.

My Nexus 5X is going to stop getting security updates this fall. I'm torn between getting something newer and installing Lineage. What do?

>>9951 Question about the Nokia: one of the tipping points in me getting a smartphone over my comfy dumb phone was that I had to keep deleting my SMS messages because I ran out of internal storage. Do you experience that problem on the Nokia?

>>10448 Lineage has had problems in the past for slowly implementing security updates. Tho it's still better than having none at all. If you can afford a new phone go for one, but if you feel like you don't need to, it's better to flash a new rom

>>10452 Any good resources? I've checked the /g/ threads and they seem to just be a clusterfuck with no real consensus.

I really, really wish I could go back to non-smartphones from all the bad luck I have with them. Either I get some cheap phone that has little space with Android eating it all up with app updates or a phone that has some massive hardware issue like the LG bootloops or Apple's touch disease, luckily with the hardware failures I've been able to get my money back or I didn't pay for it but it still blows. If Nokia could just make a cheap, modern QWERTY keyboard phone, I'd be pretty happy. All I do on a smartphone is text and listen to podcasts anyways. Everything else can be done on a cheap tablet or replace with the proper tool (watch, flashlight, 2DS, etc).

>>10457 Just get a cheap carrier neutral phone with an unlockable bootloader. I don't see how storage space would be an issue if you just use it for calling texting and light web browsing. I have a Motorola G-something-or-other with lineageos and it has served me well enough.

>>10458 Well, I do use it for a few other apps like Steam and email, and rarely I will get another app for some purpose but I'm unable to update even preinstalled apps due to the lack of space. You likely have 16 GB on your phone, I only have 8 GB. Plus I keep hearing Moto G phones have ghost touches, maybe it's just overstated.

So I'm thinking about getting Lineage on my Pixel XL. What exactly would I be breaking by not installing gapps? I really only use Spotify, Maps, and Outlook (work email) from the play store, and most if not all of my other apps are either from FDroid or have direct replacements.

I'm currently on a Moto G 2 with LineageOS and Micro GApps, and I have yet to find a flaw. 8 GB internal storage was really limiting for me when I still had the stock Android version but I'm fine since I changed to Lineage. The only downside is the non-replaceable battery, which is a shame considering that most parts of the phone would still work if I had to replace it. However, it turns out it's really sturdy even for my standards. I dropped it a lot of times, many of those would have been a death sentence for any more recent phones with their glass screens. All in all, I can recommend the Moto G 2, install LineageOS and you'll be fine. I also have an S3 lying around which I have used for some years. If you don't want to install a custom ROM for any reason, you can make do with that; it's a solid phone and I've had good memories with it. If you're going for a dumbphone, I recommend a Nokia 5310. The battery lasts ages, it can really take a punch and the walkman buttons on the side are a nice gimmick. It also takes microSD cards, so you can easily slap a lot of music onto it. The only quirk I can think of is that the music keeps playing over loudspeakers when you (accidentally) pull out your headphones, which has made for some awkward moments when I was out and about. However, the connection sits really tightly, and it comes with a separate stereo speaker which I still use to this day, so it more than makes up for that. I really only stopped using mine because the phone speaker died on me, probably accumulated lots of dirt from my pockets over the years. On the topic of general smartphone usage, I can say that it's really tough to let go of it completely. I already deleted my Facebook account long ago (still have one with a fake identity which I hardly use) which drastically narrowed down communication channels with friends and acquaintances. Going back to a dumbphone without WhatsApp or Signal would isolate me completely, especially because I'm in a long-distance relationship and the video call function is a godsend to my significant other. I would gladly get rid of my smartphone if it was a viable option, and other Lains have a very good point in that having one oens Pandora's Box in terms of bad habits. Looking on your phone when you're talking with someone or even while driving are just two that come to mind. I remember reading some articles on smartphone usage, and they were really worrying. One stated that on average, we check our phones around 50 times per day, and the other one reported on the issue of "ghost vibrations", which are imaginary vibrations you feel on your leg just because you're used to it so much. Another one even stated that with the phone's screens getting bigger, our thumbs might at some point adapt by growing longer. It jokingly made a connection with crabs, where the size of their claws plays a role in finding a mate. Farfetched thought but it would be hilarious to think about what that would mean for us. With all those things in mind, it's understandable when people choose to live without a smartphone, but at the same time, the perks that come with it are also really neat. Being able to look something up really quickly when you're with your friends, taking pictures of important things without a bulky camera, or planning the best possible train connection back home are just some that come to mind. Of course, you can argue that all those things are possible without a smartphone but centralization of these tasks saves both time and space. I choosing the paths less travelled by means trading security and freedom for convenience. Everyone has his own sweet spot, and I personally envy the people who can go all the way. Godspeed to them.

I have a Samsung S5 Sport, got it as a birthday gift from my mom 3-4 years ago and I haven't gotten a new one since because I have no reason to. I was trying to throw Lineage on it today, but I couldn't even get a custom recovery loaded on there since the program I used (Heimdall) just did not want to communicate with it. Tried different versions of it, but not even the absolute latest compiled from source wanted to work. Maybe I'll try tomorrow if I can find some other program that will load TWRP like the guide asks. I really miss smartphones with physical keyboards. My first one had one that was full QWERTY and slid out, plus a directional pad. Perfect for Nethack and SSH. Then all the phone companies decided to ape the iPhone, and I haven't been able to find a new model with a physical keyboard ever since.

>>13112 A big part of why I have decided to forgo the smartphone is that I know I don't have enough self control to make it a two way street. Once I get one, I'll get addicted too its features and I'll have a smartphone for the rest of my life. 1) it's not an accident that people get addicted to them 2) I definitely benefit from the network effect. I spend 12 hours a day working in front of a computer, and 99% of the rest of the time I'm with a friend with a smartphone.

anyone have XP with the motorolo z2? My bud had a projecter attachment and was playing goldeneye64 on the wall.

i use iphone 5s with most features disabled by parental control. i have uber and lyft, maps, skype, sms. notably no safari. everything else is disabled, including app install. i wrote a very simple script that generates a random 4 digit number and saves it to a file, it shows it long enough for me to enable controls. the script lives on a usb key, which i hide. i've tested it and i can never remember what the sequence was, but if i need it, i can pull it from the usb. it's just enough of a deterrent that i can still use my phone for practical purposes. of course you still have to have some amount of self control.

>>13211 parental control seems like good subversion an opsec. Is this already an obvious known thing? On the other hand, for the argument, perhaps the reptilians or TPTB would "look" for parental controls activated so they could specifically exploit/target children. I would believe it.

Blackerry Q10. It's such a shame Blackberry dropped BBOS, it's so comfortable. Also qwerty hardware keyboard! The only issue a have is lack of native viber for BBOS (I need viber for work). Currently thinking on buying BB Classic.

I use a Xperia XZ1 very solid phone, can run anything I throw at it, runs Limbo fast

>>9931 I use a Nokia C3-01. Bone Stock except for the 128 gigabyte encrypted SD card. I highly recommend it.

Anyone have a BB passport? I love the display because OG hipster NES gaymes, but know nothing about BlackBerry at all.

I use Aselsan the old satellite phone

Moto G5 Plus. Wouldn't recommend buying one, or any Motorola phone. One of the main reasons I purchased it was because I wanted a decently cheap phone that would be updated to Android 8, and nearly a year later it still hasn't been updated. Hell I'm only on the June security patch. Next time I'm going for a Nokia.

>>13275 Who are you? lol Are a military operator or something? Can you actually connect to other cellular devices with that beast?

>>13241 Passport is a goddam shovel. It's like 1.5 regular 5" phones. Also you have to find an emulator that works with hardware keyboard. I couldn't find one and went back to emulation on psp. Also ye old good Blackberry ain't for you if you have a bit of regular life. There are no official apps for social networks, even for jewtube. BBOS supports android apks, but they're often glitchy and/or uncomfortable due to screen ratio,plus you have to manually search for old apks. A half of the apps in f-droid are uncompatible.

>>13308 no i found it in a flea market (at one point they were made public) can only use local carriers with special "help" from the provider

>>13215 this is not for opsec, but for purposes of self control. i don't want to be exposed to things that i know i will abuse

After whining about smartphones at >>10457 and >>10460, I got a Moto E5 Play from my carrier. It's pretty nice. I really like Moto phones now that I've played around with them.

My Nexus 5X appears to have finally died. Any recommendation for good value, bloat-free android phones? I've heard good things about Nokia, but I'm (unfortunately) stuck with Verizon in the USA and they don't seem to be available for their network. I haven't kept up with handset news in the past few years but this Android One program Google is pushing is appealing to me. Anyone got any experience with that?

Are there still quality fliphones being made? I had one for years but when it started flipping out (started getting graphical errors, wouldn't get calls etc) and I looked around for a replacement I could only find cheap ass burner flip phones. Gave one a chance but it started fuarrrking up after just a month, the keypad felt really bad from the get-go and it didn't even have the extra letters for my country in the software. If any fellow scandinavian had any info on a good model and a place carrying to get one I'd be really grateful. >>13114 I'm actually on a smartphone now and have been for years because of above, and I've yet to become addicted. But I mostly just use it as a phone, never bothered to install the facebook or messenger app or anything like that (expect friends to complain about that though). You'll only become a phone-ghoul once you get a data-plan and install all the apps.

>>13275 hello Al-Qaeda

I actually really like the potential of a smartphone, it's 2019 goddamnit and i expect to be able to order food and taxis and the groceries through my pocket computer. I just fuarrrking hate the lockdown that google has on everything and how all the phone makers lock down their phones and make soykafty decisions like fixed batteries and no headphone jacks. That and the literal spyware google and facebook apps that come preinstalled on all of them, it's absolutely insane that no good alternatives exist. My phone right now is an LG G5 and once i'm done paying it i'm just gonna sell it since i can't root it or install anything else on it. I'm shooting for an LG V20 (removable and upgradeable battery), will probably fork out for the US unlocked versions because Bell in Canada has this maddening trend of making phones who can't be rooted and i don't want none of that. Is lineageOS really good with keeping up with modern android? I dont know much about flashing custom roms and bootloaders and all that soykaf. I just want an unpozzed smartphone that i control, not goolag.

>>15542 I'm also interested in Lain's experience with lineageOS. I remember using cyanogenmod on my droid RAZR back in the day and it being pretty fun but a huge pain at times. I recall the crashes and (at times) poorly designed UX right along with my sick custom themes and workflows. I get the sense that lineageOS is more mature and streamlined, but I'd like to confirm that before diving in.

>>15551 I used Lineage on my old phone (Galaxy S5) and it was nice and fast. Programs that look several seconds to load on stock Android came up practically instantly under Lineage. Never gave me any trouble in terms of bugs, either. One thing to note is that official support is pretty limited. If you look at the downloads page, you probably won't find your phone on the list. Most of the official builds are for Samsung phones, and even then it's primarily their most mainstream ones like the Galaxy S series. You can still find unofficial builds, but then it's a bit of a gamble.

>>15552 Good to know. Glad to hear it's working well for you. I may give it a spin. I dug into their documentation and it looks like my phone is supported. One thing that seemed strange to me is every build I saw is nightly--I couldn't find a single instance of another build type. Looking elsewhere it seems like there hasn't been a 'stable' or any type of build other than nightly released yet. But if that's the case, why list build type so prominently? It makes me think I'm missing something.

>>9931 Blackberry Key2 A full size keyboard is pretty comfy

>>15599 Apart from the keyboard it's a pretty soykafty phone for general use; purely meant for business. A no-fun-allowed phone. Not that it's bad, i fuarrrking hate touchscreens so much. I wish there was a modern Droid with slide-out full-width qwerty keyboard.

>>9934 Didn't apple patch the wifi frame expoit just in ios11? and you are rocking ios9, brave lad.

>>15677 Yeah, I wanted one of those, but Blackberry's insistence on forcing you to rely on /their/ security suite is a huge turnoff. My dream phone would be like the Blackberry Key phones, but with an unlocked bootloader, replaceable battery, and open hardware (so it could run Replicant). I doubt I'll ever get my wish. For your wish, there is the F(x)tec Pro1 that is in development. It's a slide phone with a focus on allowing you to use other ROMs. I'd keep an ear out even though there's a good chance it'll go the same way all the other niche indie phones did and disappear.

>>16257 I use an old BBQ10. It's pretty nice as I just use it for podcasts, SSH into some servers, and Conversations works pretty well on it.