Re: [PLUG] Suggestions for replacement of android phone: small, privacy-

Re: [PLUG] Suggestions for replacement of android phone: small, privacy-respecting, T-Mobile?

On June 8, 2017 10:36:06 PM EDT, "Rich Mingin (PLUG)" <plug@frags.us> wrote:

I'm sorry, but both of those points are outdated/wrong.

Tethering is now, and has been for the last few years, done by DPI/browser agent, among other methods. It is absolutely not restricted more or less on branded phones vs. unbranded. Also, current T-Mobile One (Their primary plan) allows unlimited low speed (512kbps) tethering w/o additional charge. T-Mobile One Plus (5$/month more) allows 10GB of full speed tethered use, then unlimited approx. ISDN/DSL speeds. The days of phone firmware based tethering provisioning flags and the bypassing thereof have ended.

Wifi calling is supported on all iPhones, most recent Android phones, and even several of their feature phone (dumbphone) models. It is in no way locked to branded handsets only. Evidence: my purchased-from-Google Nexus 6 doing wifi calling right now, my Galaxy S3 (originally purchased as an AT&T handset and later unlocked) doing wifi calling two years ago.

I can't really speak to the current state of Android privacy, besides noting that any privacy derives from a compact between you and the firmware author/compiler, not you alone. Some level of trust is required on any cell phone.
On Thu, Jun 8, 2017 at 9:54 PM, Eric H. Johnson <ejohnson@camalytics.com> wrote:
Greg,

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime for my father a little over a year ago. At the time it was about $150 through T-mobile. I see you can get the unlocked version on Amazon for just over $100 now. It has 8GB storage. Not much, but may well work for you as it did for my dad.

The advantage of using an unlocked phone is that T-mobile usually locks down tethering on the branded phones, however the branded phones support wifi calling.

As a basic phone, it is quite adequate, and does fit in a shirt pocket. From a security standpoint, it really does not have enough storage to support drive encryption, otherwise it supports all of the security features of any Android device.

Not sure if a later model has come out to replace it.

HTH,
Eric

On June 8, 2017 9:09:05 PM EDT, Greg Helledy <gregsonh@gra-inc.com> wrote:

Today I dropped my phone. Half the screen doesn't work at all and the
other half displays dimly in a few colors. It is a Samsung Galaxy S
Blaze 4G.
https://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-galaxy-s-blaze-4g-t-mobile/review/

This is a very old phone (released in 2012). I chose it because it was
small (4" screen) and because there was a Cyanogenmod ROM available for
it--I flashed it immediately on purchase.

The only real limitation I ran into over 4 years of use was a lack of
onboard storage (1 GB). I have to confess I haven't kept up with the
state of Android since then--specifically how much it siphons off your
personal data, and how much control it gives you over what apps do on
your phone.

What's a good current choice for a phone that:
1. Is a good privacy choice
2. Isn't too large (fits in a pants pocket easily)
3. Isn't super expensive--having the latest is not important to me
4. Has to be a SIM model, fully-compatible with T-Mobile

I know this isn't really a "linux" topic, so maybe just email me
directly if you think that's more appropriate.

Thanks,

--
Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
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