8 ms·

Many people get a phone case partly to add some heft to ultrathin phones, it makes sense to mandate this, and possibly an SD slot alongside the (good) USB regul

Many people get a phone case partly to add some heft to ultrathin phones, it makes sense to mandate this, and possibly an SD slot alongside the (good) USB regulation: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58665809 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58665809

rolph 4y ago
a very serious point , is what can be done about a damaged/swollen battery. you used to be able to remove it, and deal with it safely. now , when glued in, if it starts to go thermal, you cant remove it, bare minimum your phone goes mission impossible, large chance of injury or starting a fire. all batteries should be removable, for basic product safety. im pretty sure a federaly mandated recall of all such nonremoveable battery items is legally possible here in US, but how is the will to do it going to be born.
- sokoloff 4y ago
  If a LiPo battery goes off on a device that’s screwed together, you’re not getting that battery out until it’s done anyway, glue or no glue.
  - rolph 4y ago
    exactly, that is a safety issue, vs the risk to manufacturers of telemetry loss if your phone isnt always on. it shouldnt just be ~possible~ to remove a battery, it should be expedient, as in, push a thumbnail into the slot and pry lightly, or similar to FRS radio batteries [push on a catch, lift battery out]
  - BenjiWiebe 4y ago
    I can have the battery out of my waterproof phone in <10 seconds, using only my fingernail.
    - jacquesm 4y ago
      At the risk of stating the obvious: if your phone is about to explode get it away from you (or you from it), lest you lose more than your phone (or your fingernail). Lithium Ion going bad is an excellent time to have proper respect for chemical burns.
simonh 4y ago
Are there any other features I don’t need and tradeoffs I would not like to make you feel like mandating in the products I need while you’re at it?
- oplaadpunt 4y ago
  Yes, I would want them software rootable by law. It's my phone, if I'm prepared to lose warranty, it should be my decision to change files internally.
- Certhas 4y ago
  You are not the one making the trade offs. The manufacturer is. When they realize that certain anti-consumer features that are not readily appreciated at the point of purchase are possible, they get implemented, even if the benefits you get in return are minimal and often more fig leave than anything else. Replaceable batteries and SD Cards are prototypical for features that extend a phones useful life, but whose absence doesn't get punished because our purchase decisions don't factor in things we might wish to have in two years time. And manufacturers have no incentive to extend useful life. If long term consumer preferences really would drive phone design then why does everyone use cases, but there are no options to buy a phone that is less sleak but robust enough not to need a case?
  - brookst 4y ago
    > why does everyone use cases, but there are no options to buy a phone that is less sleak but robust enough not to need a case? I don’t use a case, and I resent you supporting the use of government power to force me to make a tradeoff that I have chosen against. Cases as an option mean the same phone can serve everyone, and people can choose to use a case or not. You are literally asking why phone manufacturers choose to serve a bigger market rather than a smaller one. As someone else asked, what other purchasing decisions that I make should be illegal in the name of forcing every product to conform to your personal preferences rather than letting consumers like me decide what we want?
    - Certhas 4y ago

rolph 4y ago

a very serious point , is what can be done about a damaged/swollen battery. you used to be able to remove it, and deal with it safely. now , when glued in, if it starts to go thermal, you cant remove it, bare minimum your phone goes mission impossible, large chance of injury or starting a fire. all batteries should be removable, for basic product safety. im pretty sure a federaly mandated recall of all such nonremoveable battery items is legally possible here in US, but how is the will to do it going to be born.

sokoloff 4y ago
If a LiPo battery goes off on a device that’s screwed together, you’re not getting that battery out until it’s done anyway, glue or no glue.
- rolph 4y ago
  exactly, that is a safety issue, vs the risk to manufacturers of telemetry loss if your phone isnt always on. it shouldnt just be ~possible~ to remove a battery, it should be expedient, as in, push a thumbnail into the slot and pry lightly, or similar to FRS radio batteries [push on a catch, lift battery out]
- BenjiWiebe 4y ago
  I can have the battery out of my waterproof phone in <10 seconds, using only my fingernail.
  - jacquesm 4y ago
    At the risk of stating the obvious: if your phone is about to explode get it away from you (or you from it), lest you lose more than your phone (or your fingernail). Lithium Ion going bad is an excellent time to have proper respect for chemical burns.

simonh 4y ago

Are there any other features I don’t need and tradeoffs I would not like to make you feel like mandating in the products I need while you’re at it?

oplaadpunt 4y ago
Yes, I would want them software rootable by law. It's my phone, if I'm prepared to lose warranty, it should be my decision to change files internally.
Certhas 4y ago
You are not the one making the trade offs. The manufacturer is. When they realize that certain anti-consumer features that are not readily appreciated at the point of purchase are possible, they get implemented, even if the benefits you get in return are minimal and often more fig leave than anything else. Replaceable batteries and SD Cards are prototypical for features that extend a phones useful life, but whose absence doesn't get punished because our purchase decisions don't factor in things we might wish to have in two years time. And manufacturers have no incentive to extend useful life. If long term consumer preferences really would drive phone design then why does everyone use cases, but there are no options to buy a phone that is less sleak but robust enough not to need a case?
- brookst 4y ago
  > why does everyone use cases, but there are no options to buy a phone that is less sleak but robust enough not to need a case? I don’t use a case, and I resent you supporting the use of government power to force me to make a tradeoff that I have chosen against. Cases as an option mean the same phone can serve everyone, and people can choose to use a case or not. You are literally asking why phone manufacturers choose to serve a bigger market rather than a smaller one. As someone else asked, what other purchasing decisions that I make should be illegal in the name of forcing every product to conform to your personal preferences rather than letting consumers like me decide what we want?
  - Certhas 4y ago