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Re: Are geeks becoming more respected?

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Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> writes:

> On 2017-03-22, Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:
> 
>> For my part, being on the edge of being dragged kicking and
>> snarling into the 21st c. by getting a cell phone, I would dearly
>> like to find the right kind of geek.  I know...doodlysquat about
>> cell phones.  But the sources of information seem to be (A) people
>> who speak current impenetrable jargon and assume knowledge of all
>> the current consumer-recognizable "features" of phones and (B)
>> people who are keen to sell me hardware and/or service and speak
>> Marketing Droid.
> 
> It's actually quite simple. Do you want Android or Apple? You look
> at Apple & think "*How* fucking much?" and decide on Android.

I wrote off Apple after talking to a salesdroid about the *first* Mac
in -- what?  Early 80s?  Nothing Apple has done since has reverted my
opinion.

Basically, I want a cell phone for:

  + A wifi access point so we can stop depending on deteriorating
    copper for flakey 26-32 Kbps dialup.  The 15 year time
    frame/deadline for broadband everywhere in Canada is too long to
    wait for, assuming optimistically that I live that long.  So that
    function, its price and coverage are priority.

  + If I'm going to have a cell phone at all, it might as well do
    voice.  I'm too old to walk home from anywhere in any weather at
    any time.  And pay phones seem to have become extinct while I
    wasn't looking.  So coverage and reliability are priorities.

Other functions would be of lesser (or negligible) importance.  Being
able to ensure that there are *not* any resident apps doing stuff I
don't approve or know about would be good.  I don't care about playing
games, doing Farcebook, taking and managing cloud storage of photos,
watching UTube while waiting in line to get my potrzbie waxed,
locating the nearest pizza joint etc.  If texting is enabled, a
physical keyboard would be good but a big screen, touch screen &
similar just seem like more bother.  Way to use headphones/earbuds for
voice good -- hard of hearing and AIUI cell phones don't have tunable
quadaphonic-surround-sound-quality audio.

> So, which Android? You don't buy a Samsung, because it will explode
> and burn your house down.

There *is* that.


> After that you just need to decide how close to the source you want
> to be. If you decide "Very close", you buy a Google Pixel. If you
> want good VfM you buy a One+.

Say what?  Pixel?  Is that the Google phone intended for app
developers that offers access to the Android system without risky
rooting?  That would be good in principle although I kinda doubt I'll
ever make the effort to master a new programming environment in which
a typo can brick the hardware.

VfM?  Ideally, give somebody a couple of hunnert bucks cash, then do
net access and occasional voice calls for a year before going back
with more cash.  Any contractual arrangement with a telecom megacorp
would be a negative point.


> And that's about as far as I've got so far. TBH, my BB Z10 does
> everything I want from a phone.

You're doing it too: "BB Z10"?  Big Brother?  Big Bother?


-- 
Mike Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada

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Thread

Are geeks becoming more respected? Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2017-03-22 10:35 +1100
  Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-22 08:25 +0200
  Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> - 2017-03-22 10:40 +0000
  Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-03-22 13:01 -0400
    Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2017-03-22 16:58 -0300
      Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> - 2017-03-22 20:10 +0000
        Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> - 2017-03-22 17:30 -0400
          Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2017-03-23 01:54 -0300
      Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-03-22 19:17 -0400
      Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2017-03-23 09:55 +0000
        Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-23 12:20 +0200
          Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2017-03-23 10:23 +0000
            Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-23 14:57 +0200
          Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2017-03-23 10:23 +0000
            Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-23 14:49 +0200
        Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2017-03-23 19:03 +0000
        Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2017-03-24 01:01 -0300
          Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2017-03-24 06:55 +0000
            Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2017-03-24 09:46 +0200
              Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2017-03-24 15:53 -0300
                Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2017-03-24 18:59 +0000
                Re: Are geeks becoming more respected? Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2017-03-24 16:00 -0400
                MIFI [was Re: Are geeks becoming more respected?] arnold@skeeve.com (Aharon Robbins) - 2017-03-25 18:37 +0000
              mobiles Ivan Shmakov <ivan@siamics.net> - 2017-04-05 06:24 +0000

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