What Makes a Smartphone?
from Toasted_Breakfast@lemmy.today to privacy@lemmy.ml on 30 Oct 14:26
https://lemmy.today/post/40753989

Many people argue you have to trade convenience in order to get privacy when it comes to cell phones in the technological world. But can we take a moment to appreciate just how much convenience you can obtain with a privacy-focused ROM I mean think about it, what makes a smartphone? The ability to make phone calls the ability to text message somehow, some way, as well as the ability to access the internet and properly GPS If your phone can do those things, it is absolutely a smart phone by all conceivable metrics.

Many people can play that a completely de-googled phone is simply too frustrating to work with. It’s still a far cry away from digital minimalism or monasticism.

#privacy

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gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 30 Oct 14:30 next collapse

The Definition I’ve always been taught:

a phone with the ability to install and run applications from an application repository (often called an “app store”) without needing to “sideload” via USB

So no, your definition isn’t inclusive of Smart Phones

Pre-smart would have the applications only be those set by a provider, and no way (without manually sideload installing via USB) to install extra applications

Edit: apparently I can’t spell “applications”, put it as “aplications”

Eirikr70@jlai.lu on 30 Oct 20:55 collapse

You have a very restrictive definition of a smartphone. Sideloading is a natural way for installing apps. In fact it has for a very long time been the only way to install apps on a Windows computer.

gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 31 Oct 09:47 collapse

I’d say that anything else isn’t “Smart”, it’s just a phone

Computer

Well yeah, a computer isn’t a phone

voytrekk@sopuli.xyz on 30 Oct 14:35 next collapse

People think you have to give up privacy because the early players (Apple and Google) didn’t make that a priority. People have gotten so used to apps that just harvest your data that it has become the norm instead of the exception. I do agree that you can have a great experience with a FOSS focused phone, as I only use a handful of proprietary apps that have no replacement.

icelimit@lemmy.ml on 31 Oct 12:36 next collapse

To me a smartphone is defined as a full fledged computer with dumb phone capabilities.

foremanguy92_@lemmy.ml on 31 Oct 14:56 collapse

For me a smartphone is a computer that you can carry in your pocket. No more.

Sure, brands are today adding loads of stuff, but a PC could do the same if some people were interested in.