Yeah, as a Graphene user, there simply aren’t any other options. I could switch to Calyx or e/OS, but none of the phones they support are really worth it.

Unless I decide I need whatever satellite SMS support Google brings with the 9 (I live very remote, and rely on wifi calling 95% of the time), I’ll probably target the Pixel 11. My Pixel 8 should be fine until then, and I imagine they’ll work through most of the issues their first fully in house SoC has in the Pixel 10.

And hey, maybe they’ll decide to make the regular small Pixel smaller than the small Pixel Pro, by then.

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If you add the Calyx repository to F-droid, you can install their shim that will allow you to use a different gallery app.

So you’re paying $19 for 1GB and unlimited text/voice, plus another $15 most months for overages?

You can get 2GB with unlimited text/voice for $10/mo or $96/yr ($8/mo paid upfront) through US Mobile. You get your choice of Verizon, T-Mobile, or I believe they’re adding AT&T very soon. You can add a rollable GB for $2 a pop, but I’m not 100% sure you can if you pay up front for a year of the $8/mo price.

They also have a 10GB and unlimited plans for less than you’re paying, if I’m understanding your statements correctly.

We’re not on the right track for much of anything.

Sure, but that’s irrelevant to the point being made.

That said, I’d love to have expandable storage. Functionality out of the box aside, we need to start taking e-waste seriously, and upgradability is a major part of that along with long term software support, durability, and repairability.

Unfortunately, they have minimal support for US frequencies. The US market is dominated by disgustingly expensive flagships, and severely compromised midrange and budget offerings.

I’d give my left nut for a premium plastic phone…

It’s sounding like an upgrade from Exynos 5300 to 5400, so I’m not expecting much.

I’m pretty sure they’re just treading water this year, and focusing on their in-house design for the Tensor G5 in 2025. Hopefully it doesn’t break Graphene support.

I have a Nuphy Halo 75 that I’m rather thrilled with. I have a 65% and TKL Leopolds, with Topre and Cherry Clears respectively, that I also love. But I wanted to go wireless, and I wanted RF instead of Bluetooth. I also wanted a happy medium 75%, and the Nuphy checked all those boxes.

I got baby kangaroo switches, as I love tactiles, and I really enjoy them.

A couple caveats:

1. The v1 uses a proprietary tool for programming the layout. The v2 uses QMK/VIA, but the 65 isn’t available in v2 yet.
2. The keycaps are kinda meh. Coming from a Leopold, which has very nice textured PBT keycaps, I knew I wouldn’t be happy. I ordered some Osume keycaps, and they greatly improve the quality of the experience.

I was considering a Keychron, but just got the feeling that the QC may be a bit lacking compared to Nuphy. I can’t back that up, and have no idea if it’s true, it’s just the feeling I got from reading reviews.

I also considered a Zoom75, but haven’t had the time for a first build, and availability wasn’t great.

Do you need wireless? Do you need it to be programmable? If the answer to both of those is no, I’d definitely recommend Leopold. They do have some bluetooth boards now, but my experience with bluetooth input devices hasn’t been great.

Varmillo is another one to look into, with the VXT67 in particular looking interesting. That glintstone colorway is gorgeous.

Unfortunately, the next Zenfone is looking to be quite a lot larger. I’ve been using Nexus and Pixel for years, and while my uses have always been rather simple, I’ve never had any serious issues aside from the LG bootloop on my Nexus 5x. Motorola phones get practically no updates, and unfortunately Xiaomi is a non-starter for those of us in the US.

That said, I’ve also been using Graphene, because I no longer tolerate the tracking and other productization of me. That’s not just a Google thing, nor limited to their phones, but they’re certainly one of the worst offenders. It’s ironic that their own phones offer some of the most freedom to remove them from our lives.

Even if they are, it’s a drop in the bucket. And I imagine they’re less popular now than they were in the early days of Android, during the height of Cyanogen Mod, and others.

I say this as a Graphene user.

That’s unfortunate, Maps is near the top of the list of Google code I want nowhere near my phone. But now that the first domino has fallen, I’m sure folks are working on some de-googling.

I would love if the EU finds a way to force standardization of screen casting.

Does Android Auto in Graphene still require Google Maps to be installed, or is there a shim? If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if Calyx writes one, once they implement whatever black magic Graphene devs came up with to make AA work.

As a related example, Calyx has a Google Photos shim, so you can use other galleries with gcam. I just added Calyx’s f-droid repository, and use that with my Graphene install.

For now, I’m happy using my Mazda CX-5’s built in navigation with bluetooth audio. It’s nice enough to tile both side by side, and it’s less fiddly than AA. But my next car might not be as favorable, so I’m glad to have AA as an option.

Here here. After years of Nexuses and Pixels, I flirted with the iPhone for a couple of years. I finally grabbed a Pixel 5 earlier last year, and eventually a Pixel 8 to run Graphene. No play services, and I’m getting 3-5 days of battery life for a phone that I don’t feel constantly attached to.

Don’t worry, you can essentially get the same shit CPU in the US by buying a Pixel.

It doesn’t for me? I run it on Graphene without google play services. You just have to turn off battery optimization, but it’s very reasonable in its battery usage. I’ve been off battery for 18 hours, and am at 81% on my Pixel 8. Signal is at less than 1% of battery use, and it still will be in a few days when I’m ready to charge, unless I use it significantly on my phone. But I mostly use it from my laptop, and just get notifications on my phone, so probably not.

In contrast, K9 Mail is at around 3%, it’s running at battery optimized, and I haven’t opened it at all.

Nightmares are dreams.

People keep saying this, but it’s pretty reasonable as far as tablets go. Its base is 16GB and 512GB, and it MSRPs for $713 USD with a sale to $655 for quite awhile now (though out of stock). The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ with 12GB and 256GB is $700 on sale for $650. Considering the nature of the OS, maybe the standard FE is more equivalent with 8GB and 256GB at $520 on sale for $470. But you still have half the storage, and the Starlite is upgradable with standard M.2 NVME drive.

Even then, you’re getting a full Linux OS if that’s what you’re after. That’s a very niche market right now, to get a fully Linux capable tablet, much less one where the manufacturer supports and encourages it. Hell, it uses coreboot firmware. Considering the niche market, I’d say that’s a pretty damned good price. But if you don’t want full Linux support, and are happier with AOSP or Google’s Android, you can get a Pixel tablet for $400, or $500 with 256GB.

Sure you can get tablets for significantly less, like the Fire stuff from Amazon and a last-gen, base model iPad. But all of those have severe disadvantages as far as software and/or privacy. The N200 CPU in the Starlite isn’t going to set any records, but the ability to run full fat Linux puts it in a segment with the Surface and other Windows tablets. That’s something that the iPad Pro can’t even compete with, despite Apple fans begging for MacOS on those models for years.