I suppose it depends on whether you think regulation should be used to dissuade poor people from buying expensive phones. That seems like a reasonable enough goal, though I don’t believe that’s the proper role of government.
I’ve always bought phones outright, used when finances so dictated. I agree that’s the wiser approach.
It seems to me that a carrier should be able to lock a subsidized/financed device until it’s paid off. That makes it possible for people who would otherwise not qualify for financing to have relatively up-to-date devices.
A carrier should not be able to lock a device that’s paid off for any length of time.
It’s most likely that the anti theft feature is based on a hardware identifier (IMEI) and won’t be triggered by installing a different OS.
Google was positioned to make Hangouts the dominant messaging and video call app, then just… stopped. I’m kind of glad that’s not an area dominated by Google, but I find the decision really bizarre.
It’s also working for me with the same setup. I made a real transaction with it today.
Play Integrity Fix solves that for most apps. It even worked for Google Pay last time I used it last year (but I usually don’t want Google to know my shopping habits).
Well, yes, breaking the security model is the whole point. The security model prevents things you might want to do, like using the hosts file as a denylist (adblocking). On the other hand, a malicious app writing the hosts file would allow an attacker to impersonate websites and services. HTTPS wouldn’t save you either since they could add malicious certificates.
Ideally, we’d have ways to open much smaller holes in the security model; an ACL could allow an app to write just the one special file or directory it actually needs rather than giving it completely unrestricted access.
Bizarre that a Google product would get new features on Apple’s platform first.
GSMArena says both phones take 10W power input.
One likely candidate is the type of power regulation used for charging. A Li-ion battery is about 3.0V when empty, and 4.2V or 4.35V when full. Basic USB power is 5.0V, or higher for various fast-charge technologies neither phone uses. To provide the correct voltage during battery charging, a charging circuit could use an expensive, bulky, efficient switched mode power supply, or a cheap, compact, inefficient linear regulator. The latter just turns the voltage difference into heat.
Thanks. I knew Google changed the name, but I didn’t know about the new module. So far the old one is still working for me, but I suppose I should update.
Universal Safetynet Fix solves a lot of the banking app issues.
I liked a lot about the Sony X Compact, especially the compactness. It had a headphone jack, SD card, unlockable bootloader, and dedicated button for the camera (with half-press to focus and meter like a real camera).
It’s not really a 108mp camera. It’s a 27mp camera with a quad-bayer sensor. Some software/firmware magic might output a file at higher resolution, but it can’t really capture that level of detail.
That’s a fair complaint. My phone’s USB port acted like it was dying this summer, but seems to be back to normal now.
I think you just like it for the 1200 lumen flashlight.
If I need that kind of battery capacity and illumination, I’ll bring my Skilhunt EC300 and some spare 21700s and use it to top off the phone as needed.
I think the way Mozilla has handled extensions for Firefox on Android for the past few years is really shitty, but I’m glad to see it moving in the right direction.
My Pixel 4A is fine and I will use it until it requires excessively annoying or expensive repairs. I’ve been using ACC to go limit battery charge, so I could get quite a while longer out of it.
Really wanted to try a custom ROM like Lineage, but it seems that Google Apps are a must for me
You can install them on LineageOS.
I don’t know how Mexican laws about computer trespass work, but I think this would be a crime most places.
Subsidized devices blur the line between a fee for terminating service early, and paying off the cost of the device. Perhaps the former should be banned to encourage competition, and the cost of the device and the service clearly separated. That way it’s clear when the device is paid off and (in my imagined ideal regulatory scenario) must be unlocked.
They probably don’t have to pay the fee. They might owe it legally, but the likely consequences for not paying are some impact on their credit score and inability to get service from that carrier under their own name for a while.