I just realized how odd it would be to see people walking around in brandless clothes. As odd as when someone removes all the badges from their car.

The advertising has been so prevalent for so long that it has been normalized. Fascinating.

Have you ever watched all the stupid crapware Google pushes on setup? They force-install 12-20 garbage apps that you then have to go delete. Even then, a user can’t delete Chrome, they can only “disable” it - which Google can reactivate whenever they choose. (Although, one could also argue since they can arbitrarily push apps onto phones, does it matter? Like when they pushed “Android System SafetyCore” without consent.)

Google is malware at this point. Not that Apple is any better. Smartphones have all just become this terrible thing at this point, where you’re just renting a pile of software that you get to use in exchange for the company harvesting everything you do, and they change the terms whenever they want, without your consent.

Never seen any of those Firefox problems in 5 or so years on multiple Android phones including Samsung, and using the native back button/3-icon setup instead of gesture nav. Also using a light combination of privacy plugins. May want to check your phone OS settings and make sure there isn’t a third-party app running an unknown display overlay that is screwing with things.

May I introduce you to what already existed at one time? (Motorola Atrix 4G from 2011 with Ubuntu desktop when docked.)

Only if they have the Exynos variant. Won’t work on the Qualcomm variant, annoyingly.

Not particularly great for the cat, either.

Ironically, Google’s new creepy Circle to Search feature gets to override the screenshot denial lockout that Google themselves created.

i think they do it for security reasons.

Yet, on iOS, the same app can’t. So it is more like, “ooh a button to twiddle, I’ll twiddle it!”

Sad, but likely true. Especially sad given how fast the Harris team just rolled over and shut up.

Why not beta test a general strike on Jan 6, 2025?

Basically, because we don’t own our devices. We are allowed to use our devices by the good graces of the manufacturers that charge a premium for them.

This really needs to change. I remember the preinstalled app antitrust suit(s) in the early 00s. Those need to happen again, but likely the EU will have to as the US is entering a dark age, and the US will continue to have inferior everything to the rest of the world for the foreseeable future.

On Macs in the 90s, it was the easy and fun thing to do, especially after the Fonts folder was created.

Nothing but Google‘s is allowed to.

Have they…have they ever used a Google product? I dunno, like google’s old SMS app, or Allo, or Hangouts, or Talk… There will be a new Google messaging app to conflict with Google Messages in no time. Probably also called Messages, or farquad fandango turtle trumpet, or whatever other goofy name they come up with.

I remember when Google introduced this amazing feature to delete apps that came with phones, so users had a choice. Unfortunately, it quickly morphed into “disable”, and then they let vendors dim it completely.

I want a third mobile OS in the mainstream. This duopoly is junk.

They do, just for some reason not effectively. Like, blocking the VoIP providers that allow scammers would dry all that up.

Weird thing is, this just drives more people to not use voice calls. They’re killing their own racket. (Although long-term, likely phones will be all IP with no carrier-managed services.)

Hey, it has a barometric pressure sensor, that’s cool. OG Galaxy Watch had one, then the WearOS replacements got rid of it.

Galaxy isn’t very good on updates either. Haven’t seen one on the Watch 5 Pro in a year.

Over the years I’ve found, in the grand scheme, unless the CEO murdered your family, who cares? I didn’t buy Sony products for a couple of decades, right now I don’t even remember why I stopped. I think it was around shit warranty handling. Meanwhile, I was removing viable options from my purchase pool.

More recently, I’m just trying to make my purchase decisions like I’m a business. Does the item at a given price fill the needs of the role? Does buying the year-old model at heavy discount fit the need? Avoid the top-tier release-day buzz, buy at a discount, use the tool as long as possible. These techniques collectively will stifle all the “economy” they’re trying to make a profit from.

Vendors that are truly terrible will lose customers. One person’s soapbox won’t affect them, however, despite best efforts.

Everything mobile manufacturers have done since smartphones finally became popular in 2007 seemed like temporary solutions due to moving so fast. It’s clear now that it was all an attempt to paradigm-shift compute into leased property.

It really needs to end, along with the terrible disposable hardware designs. Even if we were not in a climate crisis, it is about as bad as the US was in the 1950s throwing trash everywhere.

On some level, especially now, want to find an alarm clock or an mp3 player or even a camera? It’s getting harder and harder. Old phones with their battery removed or replaced are perfect for those roles.