Opensource/Free Phones

[Xcl4m4t10n]

I wonder if it's ok to have a thread about the upcomming opensource/free phones (mostly based on linux) that are comming. For now I know about:

- PyraPhone
- Librem 5.
- Neo900.
- Pine.

Aside of that, which phones does we have on the market using Linux aside of Fairphone 2 and Gemini PDA? AFAIK Gemini PDA Linux distro is a mess. Can somebody tell us something about the Fairphone 2?

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Some new stuff from the "Pyra Phone" (I hope the change will be changed at some point):

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Also, the Librem 5 phone is delayed but almost finished:

https://t.co/B5tviM5g4P

 

[second exodous]

Are you going to do a kickstarter after the Pyra is released? If you make the board/shell and then order the CPU board from ED this might work. It would be cool to upgrade my Pyra and phone at the same time when new CPU boards are released!

 

[docbroke]

Fairphone 2 runs android. It has modular design. Not open source.

There is cosmo communicator, on indiegogo, by the same company that made gemini

 

[ingoreis]

Hmm on some Unlocked Phones you can
install FirefoxOS,and Linux,
and with a rooted Android you can easy deinstall most
Bloatware,which you dont need.
Fdroid is a good Alternative for Opensouce Software on Android Phones.

Did you think about WebOS Phones like the Palm Pre3?
WebOS is Opensource now and there is a good Community about that OS.

Nokia N900 ..there is Maemo Linux for it like and it
have nearly the Same Specs like a Pandora.

I do use a Samsung Galaxy Relay 4G with Hardware Keyboard and one great "debloated" Android.
With a Chroot i can use Linux on it and with an VNC Viewer on Localhost i do have a Full working Linux Distro like Ubuntu on it.
...but complicated to install.

Opensource is good...maybe i gave you some Ideas.

 

[pmprog]

Some new stuff from the "Pyra Phone" (I hope the change will be changed at some point):

Can you quote these three tweets please? All I get is "Loading tweet..." and no hyperlinks

 

[levi]

I didn't even get that. I usually get a discernable gap that I then have to quote the post to see what is there, but this time I didn't even get that this time.

I decode them by taking the media id contained in the quote message then pasting that into the url

twitter.com/user/status/<media id>

That redirected me to the following targets:

https://twitter.com/goldelico/status/1097499919949139968
https://twitter.com/goldelico/status/1097500855408971776

There's not really anything quotable for here there. They're both basically images with a little text, showing the phone schematics and a flat layout. I could conceivably screen grab them and upload them somewhere with less faff than twitter, but I can't be bothered at the moment, I'm afraid.

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Fairphone 2 runs android. It has modular design. Not open source.

There is cosmo communicator, on indiegogo, by the same company that made gemini

After open this thread, I learned that, for example, UBPorts needs an Android Layer (I think, the kernel maybe?) to run properly drivers. That, plus the fact you are commenting are facts that the phones are not open. Aside of that, I was trying to mean the OS, not the phone itself. Sorry about that.
[doublepost=1550958788,1550958285][/doublepost]

Are you going to do a kickstarter after the Pyra is released? If you make the board/shell and then order the CPU board from ED this might work. It would be cool to upgrade my Pyra and phone at the same time when new CPU boards are released!

@hns
[doublepost=1550959392][/doublepost]

Hmm on some Unlocked Phones you can
install FirefoxOS,and Linux,
and with a rooted Android you can easy deinstall most
Bloatware,which you dont need.
Fdroid is a good Alternative for Opensouce Software on Android Phones.

Did you think about WebOS Phones like the Palm Pre3?
WebOS is Opensource now and there is a good Community about that OS.

Nokia N900 ..there is Maemo Linux for it like and it
have nearly the Same Specs like a Pandora.

I do use a Samsung Galaxy Relay 4G with Hardware Keyboard and one great "debloated" Android.
With a Chroot i can use Linux on it and with an VNC Viewer on Localhost i do have a Full working Linux Distro like Ubuntu on it.
...but complicated to install.

Opensource is good...maybe i gave you some Ideas.

Actually you can go LineageOS:

https://lineageos.org/

And if you want to go a Step further, you can try LineageOS for microG:

https://lineage.microg.org/

About linux, some devices support UBPorts (I am using that one right now on Nexus 5) but as I said, it still needs an Android layer to make drivers work (I'm not pretty sure about this, but what I am sure is that you need some kind of Android layer).

Also there is a tiny (very tiny) group of people trying to keep alive FirefoxOS (B2G OS):

https://developer.mozilla.org/es/docs/Archive/B2G_OS

Now, as you can see, we have no real alternative to android, because one way or another, we are using it.

 

[levi]

I have a nokia 8110 4G phone which runs a closed source variant of Firefox OS. It apparently runs on top of an android bootloader and kernel, and it shows up if I connect it to my PC as an android phone, but I haven't yet found anyone rooting it.

 

[docbroke]

--- Warning: includes some rant ---

I prefer to avoid google apps and google services framework(GSF) on my android phones, but many applications depends on GSF, (almost all banking apps in India).
Only open source alternative to GSF is microg. However to replace GSF with microg one needs signature spoofing in the rom, which can achieved by special rom with signature spoofing support ( like lineage with microg, not offical lineage) or one can install xposed framework, and install fakegapps app through xposed( I am using that). Most applications on play store can be installed using yalp store ( available on f-droid ).

So it is too much of trouble when I have to get new android phone, unlock bootloader, root it, replace original OS with lineage, flash su, flash xposed, and get microg. Even after that some apps doesn't work because they think phone is rooted and doesn't pass google's safety net check. I hate google for their GSF, and monopoly over phone market. Who is google to decide what I can do with my phone, and weather it is safe for some app or not?

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

--- Warning: includes some rant ---

I prefer to avoid google apps and google services framework(GSF) on my android phones, but many applications depends on GSF, (almost all banking apps in India).
Only open source alternative to GSF is microg. However to replace GSF with microg one needs signature spoofing in the rom, which can achieved by special rom with signature spoofing support ( like lineage with microg, not offical lineage) or one can install xposed framework, and install fakegapps app through xposed( I am using that). Most applications on play store can be installed using yalp store ( available on f-droid ).

So it is too much of trouble when I have to get new android phone, unlock bootloader, root it, replace original OS with lineage, flash su, flash xposed, and get microg. Even after that some apps doesn't work because they think phone is rooted and doesn't pass google's safety net check. I hate google for their GSF, and monopoly over phone market. Who is google to decide what I can do with my phone, and weather it is safe for some app or not?

Based on the license agreegement (when you buy a phone) they decide what and what can not you do with your phone. That's why alternative like the Librem 5 or PinePhone are important:

https://www.androidcentral.com/cheap-android-phones-are-selling-user-data-developing-countries

http://theconversation.com/7-in-10-smartphone-apps-share-your-data-with-third-party-services-72404

I understand that not everybody can be a "computer specilist" or a "computer hardcore fan", but I can't understand the people that doesn't really are afraid about their privacy and how we accept almost EVERYTHING any company does (Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsfot...).

 

[comradekingu]

Neo900, and Pine. There are some dumbphones too.

 

[Xcl4m4t10n]

Neo900, and Pine. There are some dumbphones too.

Thank you, list updated

 

[levi]

When he says 'Pine' I assume he means the phone coming from the company listed as Pine64, commonly known in the trade at present as the 'pinephone' (but who knows what it'll actually be released as, although thus far the pinebook's always been known as that throughout its life).