03 Dec, 2013, Patriot wrote in the 1st comment:
Votes: 0
Good Morning,

I know this is not a cellphone forums, but I figured some of you guys are probably pretty savvy with phones.

I have the old iphone 4, and my phone contract expires this March. I was wondering if there is a linux - style
phone that is more secure then microsoft, iphone, etc. Viruses/hackers tend to attack more main stream software.

Probably not, but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. I'm sure every phone is vulnerable now adays. I just like
the idea of a more powerful phone, with maybe not so dumbed down features that iphone has.

Anyway, if you have any suggestions I'd appreciate it.

Thanks
03 Dec, 2013, Zeno wrote in the 2nd comment:
Votes: 0
Uh, Android?
03 Dec, 2013, Idealiad wrote in the 3rd comment:
Votes: 0
I feel like it's hard to keep up with all the new phone OS's coming out. Maybe have a look at Firefox OS and Jolla. Probably depends on your comfort level with beta releases though, as it seems like the newer stuff isn't really what you'd call consumer-friendly atm.
03 Dec, 2013, Igabod wrote in the 4th comment:
Votes: 0
Android is a linux os with a pretty wrapper. You can get any android phone and root it and have access to the linux os just like a computer. Though there may be some differences but I don't really have much experience with it. I just saw that it was possible on a friends phone.
03 Dec, 2013, plamzi wrote in the 5th comment:
Votes: 0
Patriot said:
I was wondering if there is a linux - style
phone that is more secure then microsoft, iphone, etc. Viruses/hackers tend to attack more main stream software.


Has your phone been struck by a virus?

Patriot said:
I just like the idea of a more powerful phone, with maybe not so dumbed down features that iphone has.


What's an example of a feature you need that you don't have on your phone? Have you hijacked and rooted it and not found the feature even on Cydia?
04 Dec, 2013, Patriot wrote in the 6th comment:
Votes: 0
plamzi said:
Patriot said:
I was wondering if there is a linux - style
phone that is more secure then microsoft, iphone, etc. Viruses/hackers tend to attack more main stream software.


Has your phone been struck by a virus?

Patriot said:
I just like the idea of a more powerful phone, with maybe not so dumbed down features that iphone has.


What's an example of a feature you need that you don't have on your phone? Have you hijacked and rooted it and not found the feature even on Cydia?


No virus plamzi. I guess I'm more tired of itunes and all that crap. I think I am leaning towards a Samson Galaxy 4. I really like being able to get a 64 gig card of memory for it. It has more features that I like, like make your phone a tv remote control, heh. It does have one feature that I find creepy, it follows your eyes to see if your looking at it, before it dims the screen. However, it is owned by Google, and I really hate them almost as much as Microsoft and Apple. Darn them for making cool gadgets. I would love a linux phone that is only done by contributions instead of a big corporation. But it would prob get taken over like linux companies seem to be.
04 Dec, 2013, Idealiad wrote in the 7th comment:
Votes: 0
I was reading about Firefox OS tonight and apparently it's closer to market than I thought. It's selling at least in Europe right now, so you could probably get your hands on one.
04 Dec, 2013, plamzi wrote in the 8th comment:
Votes: 0
Patriot said:
I guess I'm more tired of itunes and all that crap.


If you mean apps for consuming non-DRM music and video content, there's gotta be a hundred solid ones out there that make iTunes totally unnecessary. For example, gPlayer, Orb, Plex. If you mean for syncing, since iOS 6+ over a year ago, I haven't personally needed to sync with a desktop.

Patriot said:
I think I am leaning towards a Samson Galaxy 4. I really like being able to get a 64 gig card of memory for it.


I think this is a real concern. Apple charges a hefty premium for storage. To me, though, this is really starting to matter less given how many solid cloud storage solutions are out there that "just work".

Patriot said:
It has more features that I like, like make your phone a tv remote control, heh.


I'm assuming you own a TV without built-in wifi because otherwise you'd already be able to do that with any smartphone. I'm also assuming that you haven't really used a phone with IR to control your TV. As someone who has used phones with IR (back in 2006) as well as smart phones with smart TV's, and even smart phones with HTPC's, I can tell you that unless the app is amazing at full keyboard input and can stream content from the TV (neither can happen over IR), the feature is a gimmick. Within a week, I found myself reaching for the remote instead.

But, that's just me.
06 Dec, 2013, Kelvin wrote in the 9th comment:
Votes: 0
Patriot said:
No virus plamzi. I guess I'm more tired of itunes and all that crap. I think I am leaning towards a Samson Galaxy 4.

If you don't like all that crap, avoid the S4 at all costs. The bloatware and half-baked customizations that Samsung made to the version of Android running on it are a mess.

A "Google Experience" or "Google Play Edition" phone is mostly straight Android, as Google envisioned it. This avoids all of the obnoxious manufacturer customizations and lets you get Android software updates more quickly and for longer into the device's life. The Nexus 5 is the current Google golden child (and I really love mine). You can buy a number of the higher end phones (including the S4) this way, too. Just have to pay for them upfront. Well worth it to avoid the standard S4's bloatware. It really is ridiculous what they've done to it.

https://play.google.com/store/devices
06 Dec, 2013, quixadhal wrote in the 10th comment:
Votes: 0
I don't have an android phone (wretched iPhone), but I do have a Nexus 7 tablet, and it's pretty nice. It can pretend to be a phone with VOIP if needed. The only thing I dislike about it at all, is that if you tend to set it aside for a while and not use it every day, when the battery runs totally dry it will be unresponsive in all respects, even when you plug it in.

Basically, unlike most devices that show a charging icon immediately, the Nexus 7 sometimes seems to not notice for up to half an hour. First time it did that, I was sure it had killed itself somehow, but it eventually started charging.
07 Dec, 2013, Kelvin wrote in the 11th comment:
Votes: 0
wow, that doesn't sound good at all. Is that something other people are reporting?

This Nexus 5 is a standby champ. The only thing that drains the battery much at all are phone calls. I can browse/Reddit all day and only use a small portion of the battery. With light usage I went a full day and a half before I got low.
07 Dec, 2013, Tijer wrote in the 12th comment:
Votes: 0
quixadhal said:
I don't have an android phone (wretched iPhone), but I do have a Nexus 7 tablet, and it's pretty nice. It can pretend to be a phone with VOIP if needed. The only thing I dislike about it at all, is that if you tend to set it aside for a while and not use it every day, when the battery runs totally dry it will be unresponsive in all respects, even when you plug it in.

Basically, unlike most devices that show a charging icon immediately, the Nexus 7 sometimes seems to not notice for up to half an hour. First time it did that, I was sure it had killed itself somehow, but it eventually started charging.


mine does the same…. least its better with kitkat….
0.0/12