GAB to launch GAB phone-no longer a reason to buy Apple or Google device

creative destruction media ^ | 1/10/21 | cd media staff

[Amberdawn]

Can’t a company create their own apps?

[UnwashedPeasant]

More non-Google/Apple/MS Phones:
https://linuxsmartphones.com/
https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

Some alternative carriers:
https://patriotmobile.com/
https://www.mintmobile.com/

[dragonblustar]

A dumb phone is a freedom phone. Those apps were nothing but making you a cash cow for corporations and no doubt gave the Chinese all the info about your life.

[Old Yeller]

Best is to use iPhones and Androids. Blend in and disrupt from within.

Just don't buy the latest phone all the time, and thus feed the monsters. Hold onto your same phone for at least 4 years.

[SecondAmendment]

>There is a freedom-friendly mobile carrier: Patriot Mobile

They are a Mobile Network Virtual Operator (MVNO) sot they don't own their own network, and I believe they rent capacity from Sprint, who be woke.

[mass55th]

I hope they get their website straightened out before even thinking about cell phone production.

[reg45]

That would take time. Do you think that apps are created with the wave of a hand? And they cannot copy existing apps or they would be sued for copyright infringement.

[spokeshave]

Grab a Gab.....put me down for 3...thanks in advance.

[dontreadthis]

FROM PARLER https://parler.com/post/7721948005334f42862d81d69c46b284
Dan Bongino
1 hour ago
·
2.9m
@
Dbongino
I have kept my mouth shut but this is getting ridiculous. I have zero beef with Gab. I don’t know the owner of Gab, and I’ve never met him. I sincerely wish him luck in this critical fight. Yet, for month now, Gab’s owner has relentlessly attacked Parler and me with dopey nonsense. It’s immature and just plain stupid. The real enemies are the tech totalitarians and anyone missing that key point is NOT your friend, or your ally in this fight. We all need to keep our eyes on the real fight and not get distracted by silly nonsense. Unity, not division, is badly needed right now.

[Starcitizen]

Great phone for simple calling, texting, basic email. I’ll get one to play with it.

However a few comments as a mobile games developer:

Better not be one of those rebranded made-in-China phones, as most are.

No specs released, but I’m guessing similar to the Linux phone that’s being released, with 5 to 8 year old technology. i.e. 720×1440 display. Most common devkits no longer support anything less than 1080x1920 (HD)

So no basically no apps.

not even simple calendar or calculator apps, at least in the case of the $800 Linux phone competitor (Librem) and no developers willing to write apps for it (no chromium support)

Games pushes sales, and Unity3D and Unreal (both are about 99% of the market) can’t and won’t publish to the phone. Not even Xamarin, GADOT, Cocos2D/3D supports it or any commonly other UI toolkit/framework have support for it.

https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/webgl-browsercompatibility.html (no mobile support, basically)

https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/SharingAndReleasing/HTML5/index.html (i.e. deprecated and no longer supported)

Not pissing on the phone, but as a mobile developer, I see huge issues.

If we were communist China and Huawei, we can enlist thousands of developers, as they did when they were forced to develop their own app ecology and marketplace.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

And don’t download the upgrades. Slows the phone down so you will have to get a new one.

[cymbeline]

“Without the huge arrary of proprietary apps, no one will want it”

It wouldn’t have to be your only phone.

[Amberdawn]

I have no idea what it takes to create one, that’s why I asked.

[apoliticalone]

Being an early (cell phone) adopter means you will be frittering away your life learning new technology and interface. The older you get the less you will see value in this arrangement. I now typically get new tech hardware after 4 hrs or longer.

[baclava]

Better learn to code first

[Pollard]

puri.sm - Linux phone that is available now.(might take weeks for delivery - small company manufacturing phones in the USA) Android/apple apps are not compatible, no fb, no parler etc but it’s still a smart phone. Make calls, text messaging. camera etc

Here’s a list of apps for the Librem 5; https://tracker.pureos.net/w/pureos/mobile_optimized_apps/

Not cheap; $799 for Librem 5 and $1999 for Librem 5 USA (USA model is all components made in the USA and also has hardware kill switches to physically disconnect WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular signal, microphone & camera.

https://shop.puri.sm/product-category/phones/

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Graphene OS is Android app compatible. They don’t sell phones but there are some available on ebay. If you have techie abilities, you can install it yourself. Only works on a few phones. Ironically, Pixel 3 and 4 phones made by(for) google. Graphene has no google crap on it though. Good way to thumb your nose at google. Use one of their devices, minus them.

Just search ebay for GrapheneOS or Graphene OS. $3-400.00 with graphene pre-installed on a Pixel phone.

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Pine64 phones - Linux based, still in Alpha stage. You can currently buy a Community Edition phone for $149 or $199. Community Edition means they need Alpha testers to use it and give feedback. Best for experienced Linux users. Runs a mobile version of KDE Plasma. I’m running KDE Plasma desktop on this laptop I’m using. https://pine64.com/product-category/smartphones/?v=0446c16e2e66

[Starcitizen]

I have no idea what it takes to create one, that’s why I asked.
————————————
3rd party development kits/IDEs/ frameworks/ libraries, GUI/UI development and GPU renderer support/ libraries (no one will code in pure OpenGL ES/ Vulkan), internal and external data store support. APIs for accessing the phone’s network and radio components, Native Cross-compilation support. The list goes on and on.

That takes years to develop an infrastructure just to start writing apps.

[Bikkuri]

Thank you for no typos! (gag-phone, ;^D)

I am waiting for more info on the phone.. seems every phone I buy anymore can’t be rooted >.<

[reg45]

I am an Apple app developer. I know how difficult it is.

[Starcitizen]

Here’s a list of apps for the Librem 5; https://tracker.pureos.net/w/pureos/mobile_optimized_apps/
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Extremely over-priced Linux fanboi phone. Hope Gab doesn’t follow the same route and load their phone with free open-source crapware

Looks like basically ports of existing open-source freeware Linux apps.

When real apps, not open-source crapware apps, are available on the phone, (especially at $800 or $2000), I’ll consider it.

———————

Same comments I give when anyone pushes their Linux open-source desktop on FR. Linux is great for the backend (it’s really the only thing to use), but most Linux distros and open-source Linux applications rate a mere 0.5/10 on the usability scale. And I’ve been using some form of Linux since Slackware 0.9. 30 years to improve usability and functionality of these apps and it’s not done. It’s like the more difficult to use, the better. It’s the Linux badge of honor.