<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Getting a smartphone is, well, fraught. You are married to your wireless
provider. Sprint is one of the relatively good guys of a quite bad
lot. I'm currently on T-Mobile, in large part because I find Verizon unconscionable (
<a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/verizon-x-uidh">https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/verizon-x-uidh</a> ). Verizon also
found a way to nullify HTC's bootloader policy, forcing you to rely on
Exploits to bring the phone under your control. T-mobile still
helpfully informs me that my phone is rooted every month or so.<br><br>The radio part of every current smartphone (the software and hardware
that actually connects you to the phone network) is completely closed
and riddled with security holes. You'll have to decide whether the
inherent insecurity of the device is worth the significant additional
daily-life power it gives you. The latest editions of CM have some
enhancements to make you marginally safer, FWIW. <br><br>+1 for Oneplus one, although I've had no personal experience with it. Failing that, HTC will unlock your bootloader on request ( <a href="http://www.htcdev.com/bootloader">http://www.htcdev.com/bootloader</a> ), making it easy to install CyanogenMod or any other 3rd party ROM you fancy. Plan to spend at least a few hours hacking your phone when you first take it out of the box. It gets significantly harder to make the device your own when you have content on it. I've been pretty happy with my HTC One M8, although the speakerphone and sound recorder mic is very weak. <br></div><br></div><div>I'm also a fan of swappa ( <a href="http://swappa.com">http://swappa.com</a> ), a site where people sell their used Android phones. I've bought a couple of phones through them and been happy with the results. Wireless provider purchase plans are generally a poor deal. You can usually purchase a phone outright for significantly less, and you shouldn't have to pay to get free of your provider if you decide you don't like them.<br></div><div><br></div>-- CHS<br><br><div><br><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 12:02 PM, Jim Kinney <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jim.kinney@gmail.com" target="_blank">jim.kinney@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><p dir="ltr">Oneplus one</p>
<p dir="ltr">Runs a cyanogen out of the box. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Availability is an issue. Presales SWAMPED the site. It's on par with a nexxus 6 at half the price. Reviewers have liked it lots.</p>
<div class="gmail_quote"><div><div class="h5">On Nov 4, 2014 11:19 AM, "H P Ladds" <<a href="mailto:householdwords@gmail.com" target="_blank">householdwords@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div class="h5"><div dir="ltr">I'm (with some dread) giving-in and buying a "smart" phone. <div><br></div><div>I seem always to turn a tech buying decision into a big "thing." I fear that as I learn of all the proprietary tech, backdoors and privacy rights stomping I will become angry and despondent. But here goes... <div><br></div><div>What stay ye Linux enthusiasts -- what phone should I buy for the Sprint network?</div><div><br></div><div>My inclination is to use Cyanogenmod.</div><div><br></div><div>I prefer a phone that allows me use the machine in any way I see fit. If I want to repurpose the thing as calculator, that's my choice.</div><div><br></div><div>Is this Holy War fodder -- hope not?</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers and TIA.</div></div></div>
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