D&C GLug - Home Page

[ Date Index ] [ Thread Index ] [ <= Previous by date / thread ] [ Next by date / thread => ]

Re: [LUG] Android phones and google

 

On 02/02/12 09:52, Henry Bremridge wrote:
Got an email last night from fsfe.org talking about opening up Android
phones and removing the compulsory link with google

http://wiki.fsfe.org/Android

Has anyone put cyanogenmod on an HTC?
Any opinions on F-Droid?




"Software updates will only be made available when the manufacturer still has a commercial interest in your device" is what this site thinks is bad.  why would you expect them to do updates otherwise, unless you expect the entire software ecosystem to be run by volunteers. And really I have a couple of android devices and have zero interest in looking at the source code.

Also the link with google, though I am not fabulously happy about it, is one of the most useful things about n android phone. My mail is coordinated without having to re enter everyone, my kindle books are coordinated, so if I read on tab, pc or phone I don't have to scroll 200 pages... OK, the geographical stuff ain't great.

And yes the geographic stuff has worries, but I spend at least a week a month in Poland and am happy that my android device knows that I am half way between Wroclaw and Warszawa and tells me how long the journey may take, and if the "price" of this is ads for hotels in Wroclaw, well big deal. I am happy that when I am in a city I've never been in before that google maps can tell me that I'm walking in the right direction to get to my hotel. This can only happen because of horrible google.

It's OK to make money from software. Free doesn't mean unpaid for, though I have never paid for android app (except kama sutra., 1.99).

So if you want to turn your smart phone into a device for making phonecalls and playing whatever version of angry birds was current at the time you bought it... If so just keep the nokia you bought 15 years ago.

Anyhow the it isn't compulsory, just don't have a gmail account!

End of rant.

S
-- 
The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG
http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list
FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq