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This is why we need more devices like Pyra [1], which was in the frontpage today [2]. Or its sister project, the Neo900 [3]. To me, current mobile phones seem
by nextos 12y ago
This is why we need more devices like Pyra [1], which was in the frontpage today [2]. Or its sister project, the Neo900 [3].
To me, current mobile phones seem like a step backwards in many fronts, as highlighted by the EFF or the Neo900 developers [4]:
- It should be possible to install your preferred OS, pretty much like you do on a PC.
- Hardware components should be more open. When not possible, they should be isolated like the Neo900 will do [4].
These two things would lead to much better privacy, and less planned obsolescence. It's atrocious that many cell phones don't get software updates past the 24 months mark.
We should get much more serious about this. The current mobile landscape is depressing.
[1] http://pyra-handheld.com/ http://pyra-handheld.com/
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9463032 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9463032
[3] http://neo900.org/ http://neo900.org/
[4] http://neo900.org/stuff/ohsw2014/ohsw2014.pdf http://neo900.org/stuff/ohsw2014/ohsw2014.pdf
- sliverstorm 12y agoCan't you already install arbitrary OS to most Android phones? See Cyanogenmod & company.
- nextos 12y agoNot really. Cyanogen is OK, but it's just Android. The hardware problems are still there: i) no drivers so GNU/Linux can't be ported ii) the baseband processor is usually badly isolated so it's easy to attack the device.
- gizmo686 12y agoIf you can port Cyanogenmod, then don't you have a functioning Linux kernel that you can use to run any Linux based OS?
- nextos 12y agoYou do, this is Ubuntu Mobile strategy at the moment AFAIK. However, drivers in ARM platforms are very opaque. You rely upon the goodwill of the manufacturer to update them, and most of the time they don't. See how most devices get unsupported in Cyanogenmod after a while. And in any case, all the privacy concerns remain. It's a hardware issue. Android would be fine.
- mirimir 12y agoBest practice here is using a WiFi-only device with a separate cell modem. So you have hardware baseband isolation. See <https://blog.torproject.org/blog/mission-impossible-hardening-android-security-and-privacy> https://blog.torproject.org/blog/mission-impossible-hardenin....
- j_s 12y agoworking link: https://blog.torproject.org/blog/mission-impossible-hardening-android-security-and-privacy https://blog.torproject.org/blog/mission-impossible-hardenin...
- pakled_engineer 12y agoThen you run into problems with WiFi such as it broadcasting all your preferred networks/tracking, and the sad state of proprietary WiFi drivers. Blackphone uses Kismet WiFi Manager to prevent MAC broadcasting and other issues https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.kismetwireless.android.smarterwifimanager&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.kismetwire...
- mirimir 12y agoThat's true. But at least it's legal to spoof MAC.
- olalonde 12y agoNot unless you use a popular phone model since each phone needs to be individually ported. I just bought a Mi Note (http://s1.mi.com/m/product/minote/index.html http://s1.mi.com/m/product/minote/index.html) and am out of luck.
- pakled_engineer 12y agoFor now you can install arbitrary custom Android builds on a few commercial devices until all the device bootloaders have Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) signing schemes preventing any user changes. Mobile devices are becoming increasingly more tightly sealed blackboxes not more open.
- chriswarbo 12y agoThanks for the neo900 links; looks really interesting! My FreeRunner's still using the GTA02 motherboard, as I'm too much of a wimp to do the upgrade to GTA04 ;)
- xellisx 12y agoThe Neo900 look neat, then I see the specs. I want a 5-6" phone with a slide-out keyboard with the specs of a modern phone of the same size.