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non-smart debian phone

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  non-smart debian phone Dan Hitt <dan.hitt@gmail.com> - 2020-08-06 06:40 +0200
    Re: non-smart debian phone "Russell L. Harris" <russell@rlharris.org> - 2020-08-06 08:00 +0200
    Re: non-smart debian phone deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2020-08-06 18:10 +0200
    Re: non-smart debian phone Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> - 2020-08-06 19:40 +0200
      Re: non-smart debian phone Dan Hitt <dan.hitt@gmail.com> - 2020-08-06 22:00 +0200
        Re: non-smart debian phone Karen Lewellen <klewellen@shellworld.net> - 2020-08-06 22:20 +0200
        Re: non-smart debian phone Keith bainbridge <keithrbau@gmail.com> - 2020-08-07 02:50 +0200
        Re: non-smart debian phone deloptes <deloptes@gmail.com> - 2020-08-07 03:10 +0200

#225925 — non-smart debian phone

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I plan to get a non-smart phone to replace my smart phone.

By non-smart, i mean that it does not have a touch screen.

However, it might be reasonable for it to have a usb port not just for
charging, but for communication with my computer.  Conceivably it might be
useful to download voice mail to my computer, for example, or maybe to play
through its speakers.

It would be nice if it ran a free operating system, such as debian.

Does anybody have any experience along these lines, or advice?

Thanks in advance!

dan

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#225928

On Wed, Aug 05, 2020 at 09:38:40PM -0700, Dan Hitt wrote:
>I plan to get a non-smart phone to replace my smart phone.
>
>By non-smart, i mean that it does not have a touch screen.

A couple of years back I switched to AT&T.  Back then the only
flip-phone offered by AT&T was Kyocera.  Battery life typically was
one day, even with minimal use.  AT&T replaced the phone once and the
battery three times, but nothing cured the problem.  Then an AT&T
representative recommended a Samsung which has an ultra-low-power
mode.  This is a model SM-J337A.  Yes, it is a "smartphone"; but it
can go a full week on a charge.

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#225941

Dan Hitt wrote:

> Does anybody have any experience along these lines, or advice?

there is nothing running debian out there AFAIK. The cheap phones without
touch screen run something like KAI OS.
There might be something around SailfishOS Community, that would be open
source, but I don't remember exactly.
AFAI Kai OS was the mozilla mobile project that got further developed by
Google, but it is not Android, so you have limitations.

The SM-J337A is an Android phone. If you are sick of Android, take a look at
jolla.com and Sailfish OS. It still has some limitations compared to
Android, but it can not be compared at all as it is completely different
approach (IMO of course). I jumped on it after the N9, which was running
debian, retired. 
It is effort to put Sailfish on it, but once there it is OK. Again there are
some issues, so educate yourself if you go this way or the other.

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#225950

> I plan to get a non-smart phone to replace my smart phone.
> By non-smart, i mean that it does not have a touch screen.

Could you clarify what you're looking for?  I.e. is the presence of
a touch screen the problem, or is the absence of mechanical/physical keys
the problem, or is the risk of being spied on via the device the problem
(... or something else)?

I say that because the market is such that it might be easier to take
a cheap "normal" smartphone and adapt it to your particular needs than
to get what you directly wish for.
[ E.g. if you're looking for a good&cheap MP3 player, a smartphone is
  most likely your best bet by a long shot.  ]

> It would be nice if it ran a free operating system, such as debian.

Which part matter most: the ability to tweak/configure it, or the
ethical aspect of it being truly Free, or the familiarity with Debian?


        Stefan

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#225951

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On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 10:31 AM Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
wrote:

> > I plan to get a non-smart phone to replace my smart phone.
> > By non-smart, i mean that it does not have a touch screen.
>
> Could you clarify what you're looking for?  I.e. is the presence of
> a touch screen the problem, or is the absence of mechanical/physical keys
> the problem, or is the risk of being spied on via the device the problem
> (... or something else)?
>
> I say that because the market is such that it might be easier to take
> a cheap "normal" smartphone and adapt it to your particular needs than
> to get what you directly wish for.
> [ E.g. if you're looking for a good&cheap MP3 player, a smartphone is
>   most likely your best bet by a long shot.  ]
>
> > It would be nice if it ran a free operating system, such as debian.
>
> Which part matter most: the ability to tweak/configure it, or the
> ethical aspect of it being truly Free, or the familiarity with Debian?
>
> Thanks Stefan for your reply.   Thanks also Russell and Deloptes for the
recommendations and leads.

As to what i'm looking for, well, i'm trying to figure that out.  But as
far as the software goes, since i'm getting new hardware, i want to use
free software if possible: i think free software advances our civilization
and if my product choice can help that process along, that would be good.

If i were going to get a smartphone, i would very seriously consider the
Librem (puri.sm) running PureOS.

But i've decided that i don't really need or want a smartphone.  I want
something that i can make and receive calls with (with very low frequency),
and which i inspect to get the time if i'm not near my computer or a
clock.  I especially do not want a large, fragile touch screen.  If it had
a wired connection, such as USB, over which i could ssh in and fool around,
that would be a nice extra.  And it would be nice to be able to download
voicemail into sound files on my computer.

So i'm looking for recommendations or advice.

And thanks again, Stefan, Russell, and Deloptes.

dan

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#225952

I hate I dumped posts before checking on this thread as I have comparative 
issues.
With my own interest being the absence of a touch screen replaced by  real 
keys.
Was there a lead that matched this idea?
Karen



On Thu, 6 Aug 2020, Dan Hitt wrote:

> On Thu, Aug 6, 2020 at 10:31 AM Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>
> wrote:
>
>>> I plan to get a non-smart phone to replace my smart phone.
>>> By non-smart, i mean that it does not have a touch screen.
>>
>> Could you clarify what you're looking for?  I.e. is the presence of
>> a touch screen the problem, or is the absence of mechanical/physical keys
>> the problem, or is the risk of being spied on via the device the problem
>> (... or something else)?
>>
>> I say that because the market is such that it might be easier to take
>> a cheap "normal" smartphone and adapt it to your particular needs than
>> to get what you directly wish for.
>> [ E.g. if you're looking for a good&cheap MP3 player, a smartphone is
>>   most likely your best bet by a long shot.  ]
>>
>>> It would be nice if it ran a free operating system, such as debian.
>>
>> Which part matter most: the ability to tweak/configure it, or the
>> ethical aspect of it being truly Free, or the familiarity with Debian?
>>
>> Thanks Stefan for your reply.   Thanks also Russell and Deloptes for the
> recommendations and leads.
>
> As to what i'm looking for, well, i'm trying to figure that out.  But as
> far as the software goes, since i'm getting new hardware, i want to use
> free software if possible: i think free software advances our civilization
> and if my product choice can help that process along, that would be good.
>
> If i were going to get a smartphone, i would very seriously consider the
> Librem (puri.sm) running PureOS.
>
> But i've decided that i don't really need or want a smartphone.  I want
> something that i can make and receive calls with (with very low frequency),
> and which i inspect to get the time if i'm not near my computer or a
> clock.  I especially do not want a large, fragile touch screen.  If it had
> a wired connection, such as USB, over which i could ssh in and fool around,
> that would be a nice extra.  And it would be nice to be able to download
> voicemail into sound files on my computer.
>
> So i'm looking for recommendations or advice.
>
> And thanks again, Stefan, Russell, and Deloptes.
>
> dan
>

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#225955

On 7/8/20 5:55 am, Dan Hitt wrote:
> 
> But i've decided that i don't really need or want a smartphone.  I want 
> something that i can make and receive calls with (with very low 
> frequency), and which i inspect to get the time if i'm not near my 
> computer or a clock.  I especially do not want a large, fragile touch 
> screen.


If it's phone calls ONLY, all's good. The first SMS you send, will 
remind you how hard it is.

Our StVincent de Paul group needed a phone - as cheap as possible. So we 
got a 12 button unit. (Android by the bye). It took about 2 minutes to 
realise our error. We had all forgotten how inconvenient it is to touch 
one key several times to get the letter you want. And in this case, 
numbers were another menu away.   And it was about $10 cheaper than a 
low-end smart phone.

Just suggesting there are practicable matters  ....

-- 

Keith Bainbridge

keithrbau@gmail.com

0447 667468

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#225958

Dan Hitt wrote:

> If i were going to get a smartphone, i would very seriously consider the
> Librem (puri.sm) running PureOS.
> 
> But i've decided that i don't really need or want a smartphone.  I want
> something that i can make and receive calls with (with very low
> frequency), and which i inspect to get the time if i'm not near my
> computer or a clock.  I especially do not want a large, fragile touch
> screen.  If it had a wired connection, such as USB, over which i could ssh
> in and fool around, that would be a nice extra.  And it would be nice to
> be able to download voicemail into sound files on my computer.
> 
> So i'm looking for recommendations or advice.

750,- compared to 25$ Kai OS phone - you have some room in between :D
AS people said if you don't need SMS or some specific online service new
generation of those cheap phones will suite you
https://www.kaiostech.com/explore/devices/

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