3 ms·

> I can use my bank on some linux distro, Yes, I've been doing that since 2009 on Ubuntu and Debian but there are several caveats. One of those banks has its

by pmontra 8mo ago

> I can use my bank on some linux distro, Yes, I've been doing that since 2009 on Ubuntu and Debian but there are several caveats. One of those banks has its own TOTP device and they won't replace it when the battery dies. It's almost 20 years old now. Then it's the fingerprint sensor on my phone. The other banks authenticate accesses and many operations with either their app + fingerprint (all of them) or SMS (some of them). So basically I would still need a phone with a blessed OS. I could buy the cheapest one and store it in a drawer, but it's still a dependency on Google or Apple. GrapheneOS requirement of Pixel devices is a dependency on Google too.

microtonal 8mo ago
GrapheneOS requirement of Pixel devices is a dependency on Google too. They are currently working with an OEM to release a non-Pixel GrapheneOS phone in the future.
- dotancohen 8mo ago
  I hope and pray that is a Samsung S Ultra device. The built-in stylus transforms the whole user experience, I would not go back to a device that I must swipe my dirty fingers across.
  - dangus 8mo ago
    I’m just imagining myself pulling out the stylus on the train/plane, dropping it, and watching it roll away forever.
    - dotancohen 8mo ago
      They thought of that! The cutaway of the stylus is a rounded rectangle, comfortable in the fingers but does not roll. In any case, replacement stylii are very cheap online. Less than a screen protector.
      - dangus 8mo ago
        Good to know they’re cheap, I actually figured they’d be more like an expensive active stylus.
    - edoceo 8mo ago
      The Palm Pilot experience. But that stylus was required for operation. Fortunately, just a plastic stick, so 3-pack replacement were cheap.
    - izacus 8mo ago
      Millions of owners of Samsung devices somehow manage to not do that every day.
      - deleted 8mo ago
        [deleted]
      - dangus 8mo ago
        I’ve never seen anyone in real life using the stylus on a Samsung phone so I always figured it was a somewhat unused feature of a very specific niche model in the lineup. The ultra series MSRP is over $1400, I imagine at that price Samsung sells less than 5% of their volume with an integrated S Pen.
  - pmontra 8mo ago
    I saw one last week. I can't comment about the stylus (but I'm swiping with my thumb to write this message). I held it in my hands and it's a brick but most phones of the last years are bricks so I expect that they will deliver another nearly 7" 200 grams brick. We used to call them phablets. This is one of the models that defined the category in the early 2010s https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-4135.php https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-4135.php It's almost lightweight nowadays and it's definitely small. I remember that we thought that it was insanely huge when pressed to a ear to talk.
- aloisdg 8mo ago
  as long as it is not fairphone. I am out. I don't want to have to choose between privacy and sustainability.
  - tranq_cassowary 8mo ago
    It won't be Fairphone. Fairphone is very far removed from the hardware requirements listed here https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices They don't seme to take security seriously at the moment, so the chance is low they are going to make the huge leap needed to meet the requirements. Fairphone heavily markets their sustainability but it's very relative. Fairphone doesn't give proper software support. They don't properly keep up with Android updates and also stop giving updates much more quickly than Google (8 years since Pixel 8) and iPhone. Giving proper software support is also part of what makes a device usable for a longer period of time and hence reduces the need to purchases a new device which has an environmental and climate impact. With regards to the hardware longetivity, Google has good repair programs for their Pixels. It's more difficult and less supported to do repairs yourself but it's certainly possible to repair your device.
tranq_cassowary 8mo ago
It's not really a requirement of a Pixel device. It just happens to be the case that Pixel devices currently are the only devices meeting the hardware requirements listed in the FAQ: https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices. The hardware requirements don't contain exoctic things but non-Google and non-Apple companies until now just fail to deliver on the security front. It's also not that GrapheneOS catered these requirements to fit to Google and Google only. They are actively working with an OEM partner since June 2025 to help them meet the hardeware requirements for a subset of their future devices. So they are even willing to assist companies to meet the requirements if they have the ambition to do so. The OEM is not yet disclosed, the launch of the device will be somewhere in 2027.

by pmontra 8mo ago

microtonal 8mo ago

GrapheneOS requirement of Pixel devices is a dependency on Google too. They are currently working with an OEM to release a non-Pixel GrapheneOS phone in the future.

dotancohen 8mo ago
I hope and pray that is a Samsung S Ultra device. The built-in stylus transforms the whole user experience, I would not go back to a device that I must swipe my dirty fingers across.
- dangus 8mo ago
  I’m just imagining myself pulling out the stylus on the train/plane, dropping it, and watching it roll away forever.
  - dotancohen 8mo ago
    They thought of that! The cutaway of the stylus is a rounded rectangle, comfortable in the fingers but does not roll. In any case, replacement stylii are very cheap online. Less than a screen protector.
    - dangus 8mo ago
      Good to know they’re cheap, I actually figured they’d be more like an expensive active stylus.
  - edoceo 8mo ago
    The Palm Pilot experience. But that stylus was required for operation. Fortunately, just a plastic stick, so 3-pack replacement were cheap.
  - izacus 8mo ago
    Millions of owners of Samsung devices somehow manage to not do that every day.
    - deleted 8mo ago
      [deleted]
    - dangus 8mo ago
      I’ve never seen anyone in real life using the stylus on a Samsung phone so I always figured it was a somewhat unused feature of a very specific niche model in the lineup. The ultra series MSRP is over $1400, I imagine at that price Samsung sells less than 5% of their volume with an integrated S Pen.
- pmontra 8mo ago
  I saw one last week. I can't comment about the stylus (but I'm swiping with my thumb to write this message). I held it in my hands and it's a brick but most phones of the last years are bricks so I expect that they will deliver another nearly 7" 200 grams brick. We used to call them phablets. This is one of the models that defined the category in the early 2010s https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-4135.php https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_n7000-4135.php It's almost lightweight nowadays and it's definitely small. I remember that we thought that it was insanely huge when pressed to a ear to talk.
aloisdg 8mo ago
as long as it is not fairphone. I am out. I don't want to have to choose between privacy and sustainability.
- tranq_cassowary 8mo ago
  It won't be Fairphone. Fairphone is very far removed from the hardware requirements listed here https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices They don't seme to take security seriously at the moment, so the chance is low they are going to make the huge leap needed to meet the requirements. Fairphone heavily markets their sustainability but it's very relative. Fairphone doesn't give proper software support. They don't properly keep up with Android updates and also stop giving updates much more quickly than Google (8 years since Pixel 8) and iPhone. Giving proper software support is also part of what makes a device usable for a longer period of time and hence reduces the need to purchases a new device which has an environmental and climate impact. With regards to the hardware longetivity, Google has good repair programs for their Pixels. It's more difficult and less supported to do repairs yourself but it's certainly possible to repair your device.

tranq_cassowary 8mo ago

It's not really a requirement of a Pixel device. It just happens to be the case that Pixel devices currently are the only devices meeting the hardware requirements listed in the FAQ: https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices. The hardware requirements don't contain exoctic things but non-Google and non-Apple companies until now just fail to deliver on the security front. It's also not that GrapheneOS catered these requirements to fit to Google and Google only. They are actively working with an OEM partner since June 2025 to help them meet the hardeware requirements for a subset of their future devices. So they are even willing to assist companies to meet the requirements if they have the ambition to do so. The OEM is not yet disclosed, the launch of the device will be somewhere in 2027.