|OT| Tech Thread of Tech for Techie Techs to Tech out with Tech

[Cauliflower Of Love]

I just wanted a reason to post about the OSOM phone being announced today. From former people at Essential ( the company that Andy Rubin started after getting kicked from google for having a sex cult ring(after he brought android to google(as part of sidekick)))))))


https://www.osomprivacy.com/?e=1

4/ OWN YOUR PRIVACY#ownyourprivacy #privacy #android #google #startup #startups #osom2022 #ICYMI pic.twitter.com/j4NpWeF2sF

— OSOMPrivacy (@OsomPrivacy) March 4, 2022

https://twitter.com/OsomPrivacy/status/1499747397567762441


(hype-sponsored post)

(this will be the tech thread)

3PM EST

[Uncle]

a good phone huh?

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Appears to be a crypto based nft phone thingie?

[Potato]

While I don't think I'd buy one quite yet, I'm really interested in where e-ink phones are going.

This new one from Hisense looks really good.

[Tasty]

Cool new tech I've bought recently or am planning on picking up:




Kindle Paperwhite SE (2021) + Dock

I'm upgrading soon from the 2016 model. Compared to that one, the new version has waterproofing, bigger screen, and most importantly to me, USB-C and wireless charging. I've always been big into docks (😏) for my phones and tablets, and I've been switching to a more eInk reading/writing lifestyle, trying to focus better and cut out distractions. I love my current Kindle so much, despite my hatred of Amazon burning like a thousand neutron stars.




ReMarkable 2

Got this as a birthday+Christmas gift a few years ago. It's super low-lag e-ink with a textured screen and stylus that actually feels like pencil on paper. Beyond the drawing/writing capabilities, I mostly use it to display sheet music PDFs. The one drawback IMO (aside from color obviously) is lack of a glowlight, adding that would make a nearly-perfect device indespensible. Excellent software and hardware design that nears Apple levels.




Freewrite Traveller

A portable, clamshell eInk typewriter with cloud sync and pretty much nothing else. The price is a pretty outrageous ~$500 atm, so I don't know when I'm getting this but it is on my wishlist. I'm ditching my laptop for a desktop again and this fills my need to write on the go without the baggage that comes from a full-featured operating system.




Google Pixel Watch

Not as big a Goog fan these days but I still vastly prefer their hardware for many reasons. Mostly it's a "first party" thing where I want the hardware from the same source as the software, and I'm not that compatible with Apple and Microsoft. Anyways, this will probably have a super underpowered CPU compared to the competition but hey I'm a Ninthing, I'm used to it. Aside from that I'm looking forward to the Fitbit integration and having a read on my health for the first time years (I used to have a Misfit Shine for swimming, then a Fitbit Flex, but moving out of the big city I kinda stopped caring... now I'm in my 30s and I kinda want to be more aware again).

Also, I love the hardware design. The Apple Watch's square screen is puke-tastic garbage, fight me.

[chronovore]

I don't mind the square screen. I bought the Series 3 though, and the lack of onboard memory basically demands an entire reinstall of everything after every OS update.

Kindle Paperwhite is always nice. I have an ancient one, and it's lovely to read on, though I sometimes find its touch-sensing inconsistent.

[Uncle]

Cool new tech I've bought recently or am planning on picking up soon:

Freewrite Traveller

A portable, clamshell eInk typewriter with cloud sync and pretty much nothing else. The price is a pretty outrageous ~$500 atm, so I don't know when I'm getting this but it is on my wishlist. I'm ditching my laptop for a desktop again and this fills my need of needing to write on the go without the baggage that comes from a full-featured operating system.

let me introduce you to the greatest hardware created by man:

The Jornada 720 was released in 2000. It featured 32 MB of RAM, a Compact Flash slot, a PC card slot, a Smart card slot, 56K Modem, 640x240 16-bit display, a 206 MHz StrongARM CPU, and has 9 hours of battery life. It ran under the Windows CE 3.0 based HPC2000.

I actually love this little thing, came out 7 years before netbooks did, in an even smaller form factor, with a full keyboard and touch capability and anything that works on Windows CE

I played NES roms on this with nice built-in hardware buttons unlike modern phones

I played nethack on it too with all the letters that game requires

way ahead of its time and still fun today if you can find a working one

[Potato]

I've just gone from a Kindle 3G to the latest base model kindle with the front light.

I fucking hate touchscreen controls. GIVE ME BACK MY PHYSICAL BUTTONS BEZOS!!!!!!!!

Much nicer to have a lit screen though. Didn't think I would miss the free 3G connection as much as I do either. That was a nice addition and meant I could synch across devices much more easily.

I am probably going to get the Paperwhite once they put a new version out. My daughter has her eyes on this one.

[chronovore]

I've just gone from a Kindle 3G to the latest base model kindle with the front light.

I fucking hate touchscreen controls. GIVE ME BACK MY PHYSICAL BUTTONS BEZOS!!!!!!!!

Much nicer to have a lit screen though. Didn't think I would miss the free 3G connection as much as I do either. That was a nice addition and meant I could synch across devices much more easily.

I am probably going to get the Paperwhite once they put a new version out. My daughter has her eyes on this one.

Seriously, Next Page and Previous Page buttons seem like a damned no-brainer.

[OnlyRegret]

The difference between tech enthusiasts, engineers, and security technicians https://t.co/zHvly3qEqH � pic.twitter.com/O7T6xgfgNr

— Julia Galef (@juliagalef) January 10, 2018

https://twitter.com/juliagalef/status/950973936455446528

[Cauliflower Of Love]

 Been eyeing that remarkable for a while

my handwriting is so bad though

[Cauliflower Of Love]

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/07/rivians-r1s-is-an-electric-suv-for-those-with-an-adventurous-lifestyle/

You expect the R1S to be quick off the line, considering there's so much power and torque just a throttle press away. And in sport mode, the R1S will hit 60 mph in as little as three seconds, which is no small feat considering the SUV's considerable 7,000 lb (3,175 kg) curb weight.

[Tasty]

My new Kindle and custom case off Etsy finally got here! 🤩

Finding the right case-maker took a good couple hours' research, and finding the right images off Google (the back was particularly hard and I settled for low-res) and editing it in Gimp probably took another few. When this case gets worn and I order a new one, I'll definitely tweak the design a little (bigger margins, slightly brighter cover). But it really came out better than I expected!

The auto-wake feature with this cover is so choice. I even confirmed with the Etsy seller it'll work with the wireless charging dock when I get that down the line.

[Potato]

Considering a new phone soon (Nokia 8.1 has been a very faithful servant, but it's starting to show its age).

I am not a fan of flagships as they are overpriced for their purpose so mid-range phones are usually my thing.

I am tossing up between the Motorola Edge 30 Pro 5G or the Pixel 6a.

They are both available for around the same price at the moment.

Has anyone seen a good comparison or review. Might be a little early considering the Pixel releases on 28 July.

I am leaning towards the Pixel, but Motorolas have been good for me in the past and I'm quite impressed with the Edge 30 Pro specs.

[bork]

I'm sure this will be fixed quickly, but-

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-6a-fingerprint-scanner-could-have-a-dangerous-security-flaw

But I like the Pixel line of phones for that completely stock Android OS and all updates as they release.

[Tasty]

https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/16/instagram-chases-tiktok-with-a-new-full-screen-feed-changes-to-photos-and-navigation-to-come/

Yeah fuck this. Instagram was my last "social network" account and I don't even post more than every three months anymore. So-long, Zuck. Ascending to Full Boomer now.

So glad I never got sucked up into WhatsCrapp. These last 2/4 years since I deleted my Twitter and Facebook (respectively) have been so much less stressful and headache-inducing. I don't know how y'all handled the pandemic.

[Potato]

I'm sure this will be fixed quickly, but-

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-6a-fingerprint-scanner-could-have-a-dangerous-security-flaw

But I like the Pixel line of phones for that completely stock Android OS and all updates as they release.

Android One was the key decision in getting my Nokia 8.1.

[Madrun Badrun]

I just want to say, Tasty congrats on becoming a Grandpa with that font size.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

I wanted a nothing phone, and I wanted the osso that turned crypto, and then one plus 10 killed the silence switch, i phone 14 still has a fucking notch. pixel 6 has a garbage modem apparently and throttling, pixel 7 will be more of the same


what do I do? my phone has a big crack and the center of the screen doesn't work.

[bork]

I'm sure this will be fixed quickly, but-

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-6a-fingerprint-scanner-could-have-a-dangerous-security-flaw

But I like the Pixel line of phones for that completely stock Android OS and all updates as they release.

Android One was the key decision in getting my Nokia 8.1.

Is that still a thing with 2022 phones?

[Tasty]

I'm sure this will be fixed quickly, but-

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-6a-fingerprint-scanner-could-have-a-dangerous-security-flaw

But I like the Pixel line of phones for that completely stock Android OS and all updates as they release.

Android One was the key decision in getting my Nokia 8.1.

Is that still a thing with 2022 phones?

https://www.androidauthority.com/what-happened-to-android-one-program-3123315/

On its way out.

I wanted a nothing phone, and I wanted the osso that turned crypto, and then one plus 10 killed the silence switch, i phone 14 still has a fucking notch. pixel 6 has a garbage modem apparently and throttling, pixel 7 will be more of the same


what do I do? my phone has a big crack and the center of the screen doesn't work.

I'm nearly set on the Pixel 6 (just for wireless charging and IP68, yes I've found both to be useful features in the past) but the wireless modem issues are seriously bumming me out. I'm in a similar position and can't wait for the Pixel 7, and I'm OK paying $150 for the features mentioned earlier so the 6a is out too.

My Pixel 3a is not long for this world.

[Tasty]

I just want to say, Tasty congrats on becoming a Grandpa with that font size.

If reading isn't comfortable and enjoyable what's the point?

Just another benefit of digital over physical media.

[Beezy]

Get a cheap 4a in the meantime.

[Potato]

I'm sure this will be fixed quickly, but-

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-6a-fingerprint-scanner-could-have-a-dangerous-security-flaw

But I like the Pixel line of phones for that completely stock Android OS and all updates as they release.

Android One was the key decision in getting my Nokia 8.1.

Is that still a thing with 2022 phones?

I got burned so hard early on with Galaxy S skins and duplicate apps and then with fucking carrier delays to OS updates with the Nexus lines that I'm too afraid to go back to anything that isn't advertised as completely stock Android.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Samsung Event for Fold 4 / Flip 4

[Tasty]

Pixel Fold needs to stop being imaginary already, goddamnit.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

pixel fold is going to be the biggest mess.

[Tasty]

pixel fold is going to be the biggest mess.

Agreed but Pixel Fold 2 tho



(I've got the same expectation for the Pixel Watch too, honestly...)

[Tasty]

https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/promotions/product-announcement-retirement-of-amazon-mobi-ebook-142421

Proprietary bullshit

Open standards

[pilonv1]

My Pixel 2 battery doesn't hold a charge any more so I got a Pixel 6

It's basically the same phone but bigger and faster but I already hate not having the rear fingerprint scanner 

[Tasty]

How's the under-display one? I'm getting a P6 in the next week or so to replace my 3a.

[pilonv1]

It's ok. Had no issues at first but is terrible with a screen protector but the setting to improve it helps a little.

By far the worst part is the blinding white light needed for it, which is fucking brutal in the middle of the night

[bork]

How's the under-display one? I'm getting a P6 in the next week or so to replace my 3a.

It generally works fine (without a screen protector- unsure if those are better now), but occasionally it won't recognize my finger for whatever reason. 

It's ok. Had no issues at first but is terrible with a screen protector but the setting to improve it helps a little.

By far the worst part is the blinding white light needed for it, which is fucking brutal in the middle of the night

Definitely hope they go back to something on the back or face unlock instead of this again on future models.

[Tasty]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HJZPFDD

Pixel 6 @ $499

[Potato]

Price dropped here too. Very tempted, but my Nokia 8.1 is channeling the 3310 and refusing to die an honourable death.

[Tasty]

My Pixel 6 will be here Wednesday. First premium smartphone in 4 years.

Things I'm looking forward to the most compared to my 3a, in order:

- Waterproofing
- Wireless charging
- First improved Pixel camera sensor since 2017
- 90 Hz Smooth Display
- 2-3x performance improvement (Tensor + double the RAM)

Plus miscellaneous stuff I may or may not use/like, such as 5G, pinhole camera, and in-display fingerprint reader (which still feels futuristic to me lol).

[Cauliflower Of Love]

yall slacking

[Potato]

It's an Apple event.

They'll announce some new stuff that looks just like the old stuff. Then announce some features that other devices have had for years, but the Apple tech bloggers will describe as "revolutionary". Then the cultists will circlejerk about how they can't wait to slap $2000 down for a new thing that functions barely any better than the old thing they slapped $2000 down for less than a year ago.

Meanwhile, normal people outside of the cult will just shake their heads and move on with their lives.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

I'm getting the new iphone.

[Polident Hive]

Realistically I’m getting the 14 Pro. Just checked and my phone, literally what I’m using to type this, is a 10S. Or 10X? Whatever they used to call the off years. Gotta give it to them, it doesn’t feel dated at four years and the battery isn’t shite yet.

But esim only on the pro model 

Website is spinning it as easier for travel. Activate foreign sims before you leave. What?

[Potato]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-08/rcs-sms-apple-google-texting-green-blue-bubbles/101406056

Is RCS really 'the new SMS'? There's a battle over the future of texting, and our blue and green bubbles are caught in the middle

While the humble SMS has been around for 30 years, and many of us still send or receive text messages every day, Google claims that "texting is broken".

The company has launched a publicity campaign against Apple, calling on its fellow tech giant to "fix texting" by ditching SMS altogether.

Google says its push is the result of users getting a bad texting experience when sending messages between Apple and non-Apple devices.

Its alternative vision for the future of messaging is called RCS, which it says creates a better user experience: but it's a platform not without its own flaws.

So why does Google want Apple to stop using SMS? What is RCS all about? And what does it all mean for the future of texting?

----------------

Will Apple ditch SMS and adopt RCS?

The short answer is probably not any time soon.

Apple declined to comment on whether it planned to adopt RCS when contacted by ABC News.

Aside from the current drawbacks of RCS, the lock-in effect of iMessage is also believed to be a major reason why Apple is keeping iMessage exclusive to its devices.

This is because some consumers are said to be reluctant to move platforms for fear of losing their messages, running into issues with SMS or even just becoming a green bubble.

"Google's problem is that ~80 per cent of US teenagers use iPhones, and hence iMessage, locking out Androids," Mr Evans wrote on Twitter.

"Outside the USA, it's a non-issue, since WhatsApp won. Why isn't Google lobbying Meta to add RCS to WhatsApp?"

Apple had decided as early as 2013 that it would not develop an Android version of iMessage either, according to a 2021 court filing.

Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice-president of software engineering, feared that "iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove [an] obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones".

The filing also showed that a former Apple employee said in an email in 2016: "The #1 most difficult [reason] to leave the Apple universe app is iMessage … iMessage amounts to serious lock-in."

Why do American's still use SMS?

WhatsApp and Viber are far superior and the rest of the world ditched SMS years ago. My parents don't even use SMS any more.

Also a reminder that Apple is not your friend.

[Potato]

It's an Apple event.

They'll announce some new stuff that looks just like the old stuff. Then announce some features that other devices have had for years, but the Apple tech bloggers will describe as "revolutionary". Then the cultists will circlejerk about how they can't wait to slap $2000 down for a new thing that functions barely any better than the old thing they slapped $2000 down for less than a year ago.

Meanwhile, normal people outside of the cult will just shake their heads and move on with their lives.

Dynamic island is the hottest piece of UI I've seen in a long time pic.twitter.com/CuezwtTUuX

— Charles Patterson (@CharlesPattson) September 7, 2022

https://twitter.com/CharlesPattson/status/1567583474189570048

This is the shit I'm talking about.

Using UI to hide the camera notch...REVoLutionARY!!!11!!!!11!!!!1!!!!!! 

Apple bloggers/sycophants are the worst

[Tasty]

Why do American's still use SMS?

WhatsApp and Viber are far superior and the rest of the world ditched SMS years ago. My parents don't even use SMS any more.

Also a reminder that Apple is not your friend.

SMS is superior for a variety reasons assuming the cost is free, which it has been for Americans for over a decade.

WhatsApp is controlled by Zuckerberg. Viber is controlled by one company. It's easy to add features when you don't have to ask anyone beforehand.

SMS and RCS are standards which any company can participate in. They offer data portability that single-service apps could only dream of. SMS has been around for decades and RCS is the Version 3.0 (MMS was kinda 2.0), I doubt the same will be said of "Viber" when the time comes.

FWIW there's a couple minor features RCS is lacking, but the biggest and most important have been added in recent years. Google's been cooking up Group E2E in their own app before that makes its way to the full standard.

1-to-1 E2E, as well as laptop/desktop syncing, read receipts, high res video and high-res images are all already live and usable in current RCS clients. I'll take a standardized version of that over total control from Cook/Zuck/et al any day.

Also, it kinda Just Works. Practically every cellphone-owner in the US has a textable phone number, no "hey you on <stupid chat app>?" conversation beforehand required. Just send your message breh, easy peasy.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Whose getting that iphone?

[archnemesis]

Whose getting that iphone?

My four year old iPhone (XS) is still fine. I'll postpone updating it for as long as I can. I'm sure it will become sluggish in a future OS update.

[Polident Hive]

Same. On the XS. No complaints day to day. I’d upgrade just to upgrade. Not out of necessity.

But no physical sim might be a deal breaker. Annoying how other countries get a version with a sim tray.

[Potato]

https://9to5google.com/2022/07/06/would-be-chromecast-audio-successor/

Google appears to be working on a new device that — at the very least — has the functionality of the classic “Chromecast Audio,” which helped make normal speakers “smarter.”

In recent versions of the Google Home app, our APK Insight team has spotted that Google is preparing a new device, simply referred to as “YND.” From the code, it seems that YND will run on the same software as a traditional Chromecast — that is to say, not Google TV.

With a bit of digging, we found that Google Home includes code that explicitly labels YND as “Chromecast Audio,” alongside the original dongle, which was codenamed “Hendrix.” Putting it all together, it seems possible that Google is preparing a successor to the Chromecast Audio.

Awesome.

I love my Chromecast Audio and fear the day it dies.

Another theory our team landed on is that this YND device could be related to the upcoming Pixel tablet — itself already listed in the Google Home app’s code. Our earlier reporting on that tablet indicated that it would be a smart display that could come detached from a smart speaker base.

In that proposed design, one would imagine that the dock would be able to continue functioning even while the tablet is detached. For that to be possible, the Pixel tablet’s speaker/dock would need to have its own Chromecast-capable hardware built in. Following through on that idea, it’s plausible that the arrival of this supposed “Chromecast Audio” is simply intended to let the dock be “smart” without its tablet connected.

Damn it. Why does Google kill all the cool shit and keep all the shit shit?

[nudemacusers]

Whose getting that iphone?

all the new shit seems rev a. will wait for rev b.

[Potato]

Kindle Scribe looks pretty amazing.

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BS5XWNS

I came close to buying a Remarkable 2 a little while ago, but I didn't like the restrictions and incompatibility issues.

With the close integration with MS Word, this is on another level.

[Tasty]

Yeah the Scribe is gonna eat Remarkable's lunch, unless the RM3 is around the corner and packs a backlight + lower price (+ maybe color support).

The backlight in particular kills my RM2 use by about 50%. Would love to read books and comics on it (huge screen, etc.) but it's just a worse reading experience than my li'l Kindle. Which I knew going in, but damn, I miss that backlight lol.

That said, I prefer the RM2's design to the Scribe's. Asymmetric tech weirds me out usually.

[Tasty]

Nest Wifi Pro isn’t compatible with previous generations of Nest or Google Wifi devices.

WHY THE FUCK NOT?

[Tasty]

According to Google, this lack of support is tied to the introduction of 6 GHz bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E, as the older routers and points would have degraded performance.

This is BULLSHIT.

[Skullfuckers Anonymous]

6e isn’t worthwhile unless you have 2gb+ speeds or are using 100+ devices.

It’s better to go with an Omada or UniFi setup anyway so when tech evolves you can upgrade piece by piece. I recently upgraded all the phone jacks in my house to Ethernet and put some holes in my garage to setup a network cabinet in there. Pretty awesome feeling when you turn it all on and it just works.

[Tasty]

Nest/Google Wifi is just, hmm, Nice™.

Simple and works well. Nicely designed. No complaints... until this.

But the user experience is still Nice™.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

lets fucking go

[bork]

Am interested in the watch, but don't know if it does enough to be worth the $350-$400 asking price.  Something tells me probably not.  Plus, it being a Google product means the price will probably drop by $100 in like two months.


Will get a new phone when the Pixel 8 is released.

[Tasty]

Yep waiting for Pixel 8, really happy with my Pixel 6 the last two months.

Definitely gonna wait until Pixel Watch 2. They're gonna have some kinks to iron out for sure.

[Tasty]

Hmm, only $159 for a Pixel 7 if I trade my two-month-old Pixel 6 in... Hrm...

And the Pixel Watch actually is starting to look attractive... but I'd want the LTE model, and Google Voice isn't supported by WearOS for making/receiving calls using your number. Also it is too expensive. $200 is more appropriate unless reviews are AAAA+++ stellar (which, let's be honest, they won't be).

[Beezy]

With the family Verizon plan I'm currently on, I can get the Pixel 7 for free or the 7 Pro for $200 (split up over 36 months) if I trade in my 4a? Plus tax for the full priced phone and a $35 upgrade fee. This sounds too good to be true. I might have to jump on this.

Even Google is offering $300 for me to trade-in my 4a. Glad to see Google phone value not falling too quickly anymore.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

With the family Verizon plan I'm currently on, I can get the Pixel 7 for free or the 7 Pro for $200 (split up over 36 months) if I trade in my 4a? Plus the tax from the ull price phone and a $35 upgrade fee. This sounds too good to be true. I might have to jump on this.

Even Google is offering $300 for me to trade-in my 4a. Glad to see Google phone value not falling too quickly anymore.

They're trying to recoup old hardware to put in to the Pixel 8.