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Linux - Mobile This forum is for the discussion of all topics relating to Mobile Linux. This includes Android, Tizen, Sailfish OS, Replicant, Ubuntu Touch, webOS, and other similar projects and products.

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Old 08-24-2013, 12:31 PM   #1
NotAComputerGuy
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Need a New Phone - Don't Trust Google


This is more a hypothetical/philosophical question than it is advice, but I'm thankful for any insight or feedback.

I've never really 'liked' Google (which is a lie, I used to love them back when I was a teenager, many moons ago), they know far too much about me and what they did collecting Wifi data was inexcusable, in my opinion. They seem obsessed by collecting as much information about me as possible. I also like to champ 'the little guy'.

It is for these reasons that I now DuckDuckGo/Startpage, use Zoho for my mail and my current phone is a Nokia N900. Well, it was a N900, it is now dead, hence this thread.

Very few phones appeal to me, I want a physical keyboard, which doesn't *really* exist in the UK, except from Blackberry who I predict gone within a year, I am not interested in a Windows Phone, which leaves an iPhone or Android. I like a bit of choice and therefore Android it is. But we come back to my Google problem.

Just what will Google get to know about me if I use one of their phones? I understand I must have a Google account to use their products, do they collect data about everything I do on the phone? Who I contact? Where I am? Etc? If I root the phone, do they lose some, if not all of that ability?

Finally, I understand you can get Ubuntu for Android phones now, does anyone use it? Is that any better? Do people think it will be worth waiting for the Firefox phone?

Thanks for any thoughts
 
Old 08-24-2013, 01:58 PM   #2
rokytnji
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Quote:
except from Blackberry who I predict gone within a year
Good reason to pick one up cheapo then. My wife bought me a Blackberry Storm 9530 ,($20.00), (no wireless antenna for wireless g), (16 gig micro sd for music and video) but I unlocked it and installed h20 pay as you go sim card and installed Opera browser and total investment ended up at $40.00.

Not bad for a phone with no monthly contract. As far as

Quote:
Just what will Google get to know about me if I use one of their phones?
You are a day late and a dollar short. Google already knows about you.
 
Old 08-24-2013, 09:14 PM   #3
CrackerPunk
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You can try Orbot Tor for android

Description from google play store

Orbot is a free proxy app that empowers other apps to use the internet more securely. Orbot uses Tor to encrypt your Internet traffic and then hides it by bouncing through a series of computers around the world. Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis.
 
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Old 08-25-2013, 03:45 AM   #4
NotAComputerGuy
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Thanks. My concern with Tor is that you can bounce packets around the world as much as you like, encrypt them etc. If the packets destination is Google and it says "Mr NotAComputerGuy is at X,Y location" then it doesn't mask much. It just doesn't tell Google what IP it originally came from.
 
Old 08-25-2013, 05:12 AM   #5
cascade9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotAComputerGuy View Post
Very few phones appeal to me, I want a physical keyboard, which doesn't *really* exist in the UK, except from Blackberry who I predict gone within a year, I am not interested in a Windows Phone, which leaves an iPhone or Android.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nokia-E5-00-...W?tag=sta06-21

Might be too expensive, you might not want another nokia, but it might be worth a look.
 
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Old 08-25-2013, 05:19 AM   #6
NotAComputerGuy
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Originally Posted by cascade9 View Post
Might be too expensive
I backed Ubuntu Edge as I thought it could be a feasible alternative, and whilst there was no keyboard I was hoping a Bluetooth/USB keyboard might work.
 
Old 08-25-2013, 03:55 PM   #7
CrackerPunk
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Hi NotAComputerGuy

It sucks when these smartphones track your web and email communications. And we know the main reason for it, advertising revenue i.e targeted ads.

I assumed most phones will use some kind of tracking/data collecting system of some sort. The only options we have is to either accept it or find apps that eliminate or reduce data collecting as much as possible as you already did. I wish I knew more to help.

Good Luck

Last edited by CrackerPunk; 08-25-2013 at 07:15 PM.
 
Old 09-17-2013, 05:25 AM   #8
Aleksdem
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Hello!

I use Tine2.0 for my mail, calendars, addressbooks and notess. The Android can be synchronized with it through ActiveSync. Google has no access to these data. I can't trust such data of the company which can close my account at any time.
 
Old 09-17-2013, 04:35 PM   #9
zeebra
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotAComputerGuy View Post
This is more a hypothetical/philosophical question than it is advice, but I'm thankful for any insight or feedback.

I've never really 'liked' Google (which is a lie, I used to love them back when I was a teenager, many moons ago), they know far too much about me and what they did collecting Wifi data was inexcusable, in my opinion. They seem obsessed by collecting as much information about me as possible. I also like to champ 'the little guy'.

It is for these reasons that I now DuckDuckGo/Startpage, use Zoho for my mail and my current phone is a Nokia N900. Well, it was a N900, it is now dead, hence this thread.

Very few phones appeal to me, I want a physical keyboard, which doesn't *really* exist in the UK, except from Blackberry who I predict gone within a year, I am not interested in a Windows Phone, which leaves an iPhone or Android. I like a bit of choice and therefore Android it is. But we come back to my Google problem.

Just what will Google get to know about me if I use one of their phones? I understand I must have a Google account to use their products, do they collect data about everything I do on the phone? Who I contact? Where I am? Etc? If I root the phone, do they lose some, if not all of that ability?

Finally, I understand you can get Ubuntu for Android phones now, does anyone use it? Is that any better? Do people think it will be worth waiting for the Firefox phone?

Thanks for any thoughts
Buy a used N900. No phone beats that one! I bought two, one of them failed with the USB port, now using the second one. Considering buying a spare one as well.

Anyways, Jolla seems that it might become something interesting for people like you and me, especially if that "second half" can be a qwerty keyboard or something like that.

Otherwise, Ubuntu Edge was a hope that failed. But perhaps they release something in the future.

Perhaps you can hack an Android phone with Ubuntu Touch?
 
Old 09-18-2013, 06:34 AM   #10
cascade9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NotAComputerGuy View Post
I backed Ubuntu Edge as I thought it could be a feasible alternative, and whilst there was no keyboard I was hoping a Bluetooth/USB keyboard might work.
Ubuntu edge was IMO a bit of a joke, and I'm not at all suprised they failed to hit the funding target.

You can run a USB or bluetooth keybaord with at least some android phones-

http://www.all-things-android.com/co...ndroid-devices
http://gigaom.com/2010/02/17/how-to-...android-phone/
 
Old 09-22-2013, 12:43 AM   #11
fulvetta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rokytnji View Post
Good reason to pick one up cheapo then. My wife bought me a Blackberry Storm 9530 ,($20.00), (no wireless antenna for wireless g), (16 gig micro sd for music and video) but I unlocked it and installed h20 pay as you go sim card and installed Opera browser and total investment ended up at $40.00.

Not bad for a phone with no monthly contract.
I've heard that Blackberries are very customizable. For a while, I was flirting with the idea of purchasing a used Torch 9810 on eBay and hacking the soup out of it. I ended up with an iPhone 5 (which aside from the tracking garbage is quite a nice little creature, but let's not argue about that, mkay?) but plan to reconsider the modified Torch idea when I'm in the market for a new phone.

Another idea would be to get a Droid or some other Androidish device, and run alternate firmware like Cyanogenmod on it instead of stock Android. I haven't tried this, but I've heard good things.
 
Old 09-27-2013, 04:45 PM   #12
Tadaen
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Probably a bit conspiracy theorist attitude but you are barking up wrong tree if you think you will find a phone or any internet service (email and such included) that doesn't track everything you do and send it somewhere for evaluation to the highest bidder. Everything has a price. Information is king these days and people will do anything to get it including flat out lie about it. Goverment does it all the time. Businesses are all about making as much as they can as fast as they can, they only admit it's wrong when and if they get caught.

Last edited by Tadaen; 09-27-2013 at 04:46 PM.
 
Old 09-28-2013, 05:41 AM   #13
911InsideJob
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Quote:
Probably a bit conspiracy theorist attitude...
Nothing governments or corporations do (together or alone) is a conspiracy. It's only a conspiracy when human beings do it.

To OP: You do not need a Google account to use an Android phone. Mine is used as a mobile 3G hotspot and nothing else. I do all my work on other devices.
 
Old 09-28-2013, 08:13 AM   #14
zeebra
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Richard Stallmann doesn't use a mobile phone.
 
Old 10-03-2013, 02:39 PM   #15
profmpiya
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the privacy concerns over google are over hyped but here are some alternative phoes that might twickle your fancy

Mobile os alternatives to android are Firefox OS, Ubuntu mobile, Tizen and Jolla Sailfish,

The problem is all these mobile OS are yet to release a phone that carries their software but maybe soon
 
  


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