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I value this sentiment and do feel charitable, but $2000 is not a small amount for me - I could buy 10 or more used Android phones for the same price and flash
by icefog 7y ago
I value this sentiment and do feel charitable, but $2000 is not a small amount for me - I could buy 10 or more used Android phones for the same price and flash them with open source software to give to friends and family. Wouldn't that maximize my contribution to collective privacy instead?
- AnthonyMouse 7y agoFor two years until the non-replaceable batteries in the used phones wear out, so you'd also have to do it again every two years. Whereas with this, it's expensive because it's uncommon, but the more people who buy one the faster they can cover their development costs or fund further development that makes them more popular and achieve economies of scale, and the sooner it is that they can be making them at commodity prices for everyone.
- _emacsomancer_ 7y agoGive them Samsung Galaxy S5s, which do have replaceable batteries.
- AnthonyMouse 7y agoThen you've got five year old phones. Even if you can get batteries for them in two years, then they'll be seven year old phones.
- _emacsomancer_ 7y agoAnd? Can we not use hardware that's five years old? I have one as my main phone.
- AnthonyMouse 7y agoAt some point the cost of a newer phone is less than the incremental value over the existing phone.
- _emacsomancer_ 7y agoOnly if the newer phone actually has desirable features. - physical, normal headphone port - Swappable battery - microsd card slot - 1st class LineageOS support I think Samsung Galaxy S5 is the newest phone that has all four of the features, with irblaster and waterproofing as nice extras.
- AnthonyMouse 7y agoThat's kind of the point. Isn't there some advantage in supporting a venture that could ultimately produce an affordable new phone with all of those things? At some point the existing stock of phones with the features you want is going to wear out unless somebody makes some new ones.
- _emacsomancer_ 7y agoSure. But the Librem 5 (USA) isn't that phone. Maybe the Pine Phone (or similar) could be.
- swebs 7y agoThe problem is that smartphone batteries aren't standardized and eventually Samsung will stop producing them.
- dev-il 7y agoPinePhone (with even a real Linux system instead of Android) has a replaceable battery too and is 150$