Tag • #smartphones

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Fairphone 5 review: could this be the first phone to last 10 years?

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Friday, 8 September, 2023 - 06:00

The most ethical, sustainable and repairable handset gets a big upgrade with even longer support

The Dutch smartphone company Fairphone has achieved something remarkable – a handset that could last a decade.

The ethical pioneer, which leads the way in repairable devices, has just released the Fairphone 5. It is a thinner, lighter and more refined device compared with its predecessors and one that makes leaps and bounds in terms of longevity, repairability and quality.

Screen: 6.46in QHD+ OLED (460ppi)

Processor: Qualcomm QCM6490

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 256GB + microSD card slot

Operating system: Fairphone OS based on Android 13

Camera: dual 50MP rear, 50MP selfie camera

Connectivity: 5G, esim + nanosim, wifi6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and GPS

Water resistance: IP55 (spray/splash)

Dimensions: 161.6 x 75.83 x 9.6mm

Weight: 212g

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‘I’d just delayed the inevitable’: what I really learned going without a mobile phone for a day

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Sunday, 3 September, 2023 - 04:00

Banning phones in schools might help children concentrate in class but how will it impact their overall relationship with devices?

Tuesday started like any other: before I was even really awake, I looked at my phone. Weather. Transphobes. Did Anybody Famous Die? Potential Polly Pocket/Scrabble/Settlers of Catan movies. But unlike other days, I then put it in a drawer.

I’m not good at regulating my behaviour. This is obvious to anyone who has ever watched me order chocolate on the internet. So it was with both fear and curiosity that I accepted a challenge from my editor to experience a day without my phone. The challenge was in response to phone bans hitting public high schools around Australia , something Unesco has called for globally in an effort to reduce distraction, cyberbullying and improve learning.

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New worlds of adventure: the most exciting video games of autumn 2023

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Tuesday, 22 August, 2023 - 16:00

From trips into the vast universe of Starfield, or the Islamic golden age, to a cuddly cat caper, these 10 games will be the big players in the coming months

A truly enormous science-fiction role-playing game, the product of more than a decade’s imaginings at Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda. It promises more than a thousand planets to visit, a space-station city of awe-inspiring proportions – and space fights that feel exciting.
• 6 September, Xbox, PC

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The basic, better and best mobile phone options for kids

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Saturday, 19 August, 2023 - 10:00

The lowdown on handsets, networks and parental controls, if your child is ready for a first mobile or an upgrade is required

If you have decided it is time for your child to have their first mobile phone, or they are due an upgrade, the choice can be bewildering.

There are various things to consider, from the handset and the mobile service to go with it, to parental controls and how well the phone fits in with the devices you already use.

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‘She looks so peaceful and relaxed’: Suki Dhanda’s best phone picture

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian · Saturday, 19 August, 2023 - 09:00

The portrait photographer on how she got this off-duty shot of a 22-year-old nanny

Portrait photographer Suki Dhanda was at the tennis courts in Millfields Park, east London, when she saw Chisom Okoli through the mesh. It was a late summer afternoon; Dhanda had finished work and taken her daughter and dog for a walk. Off-duty, she was without either of her professional cameras – a Hasselblad H2 and Sony a7R5 – but the 22-year-old nanny caught her eye.

“I thought about taking her picture surreptitiously, because I didn’t want to miss the moment,” Dhanda says. “There was something about the way she held herself, how deep in thought she seemed looking at her phone, the way the colour of her clothes blended with the background. But it didn’t feel right to take it sneakily, so I walked around the court, told her I was a photographer and asked permission.”

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EU wants “readily removable” batteries in devices soon—but what does that mean?

news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Tuesday, 20 June, 2023 - 20:52 · 1 minute

Enlarge / Very few modern smartphones can be considered to have a "readily removable" battery, but the Fairphone 4 is one of them. (credit: Fairphone)

Whenever regulation passes that seems to herald the dawn of a new age of repairable devices, there is almost always a catch, a loophole, or at least an "it depends." In the case of recent headline-grabbing battery legislation out of the European Union, we're waiting to see what counts as "readily" when it comes to removing and replacing device batteries.

Last week, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of new rules for handling batteries of all sizes in the EU , due to be implemented within 3.5 years of passage or as early as 2027. Along with measures addressing carbon footprints for electric vehicle and industrial batteries and stricter waste and recycling targets, there was a particular line in Article 11 regarding the "Removability and replaceability of portable batteries," that likely got smartphone, tablet, and laptop manufacturer lobbyists moving:

Portable batteries incorporated in appliances shall be readily removable and replaceable by the end-user or by independent operators during the lifetime of the appliance, if the batteries have a shorter lifetime than the appliance, or at the latest at the end of the lifetime of the appliance.

"Readily replaceable," as addressed in the next paragraph, is when, after removing a battery, you can substitute a similar battery "without affecting the functioning or the performance of that appliance." For all the things specifically defined, outlined, and estimated in the 129-page "COM(2020) 798 final," there's not much more about what the phrase exactly means.

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#smartphones with #Qualcomm chip secretly send personal data to Qualcomm.

Mathias Poujol-Rost ✅ · Monday, 1 May, 2023 - 19:32

Smartphones With Popular Qualcomm Chip Secretly Share Private Information With US Chip-Maker

This data is sent without user consent, unencrypted, and even when using a Google-free #Android distribution. This is possible because of proprietary Qualcomm #software which provides hardware support also sends the #data. #USA

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Huawei’s foldable is thinner, lighter, and has more battery than Samsung

news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Tuesday, 28 March, 2023 - 21:56 · 1 minute

Enlarge (credit: Huawei )

Huawei is still making phones, even if the US-China trade war puts most of the stalwart Android component vendors in a complicated relationship with the Chinese tech company. Huawei's new phones are the flagship Huawei P60 Pro slab phone and a flagship foldable, the Huawei Mate X3 .

The trade war makes these phones unique in the world of Android. First, it has a Qualcomm chip, but Huawei isn't allowed to use the latest technology from Qualcomm, so the chip in both of these phones is the "Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G Mobile Platform." Besides being last year's chip, this is a special, Huawei-only version of the chip that is branded as "4G." It has had the 5G bands stripped out of it—both mmWave and sub 6 GHz.

The other oddity is the lack of Google Play apps internationally. Huawei isn't allowed to ship the Google apps due to the export ban. While that's normal in China (where Google Play isn't available), internationally it means the phone is missing standard Google apps like YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, the Google Assistant, Docs, Search, Photos, and other apps that make Android a competitive consumer OS. Instead of the Google ecosystem, you'll be getting the OS with Huawei Mobile Services , which includes the Huawei AppGallery, Huawei Petal Maps , the Huawei Assistant (which appears just to be a search tool and some widgets, not a voice assistant), Huawei Pay, and Huawei apps for books, music, and video.

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Tech makers must provide repairs for up to 10 years under proposed EU law

news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Thursday, 23 March, 2023 - 18:37

DIY repair mobile phone at home. Woman repairing mobile phone at home, changing damaged part.

Enlarge / Smartphone repairs could be required for up to five years, while other products, like washing machines, may require up to a decade of vendor repairs. (credit: Getty )

Makers of numerous product categories, including TVs, vacuums, smartphones, and tablets, could be required to enable repairs for their products for up to 10 years after purchase, depending on the device type. The European Commission on Wednesday announced a proposal it has adopted that would implement long-term repair requirements on electronics makers, if the European Parliament and Council approve it.

The regulation would apply to any devices with repairability requirements in the EU, including vacuum cleaners, washer-dryers, welding equipment, servers, and data-storage devices. The EU is currently hammering out right to repair requirements for smartphones and tablets.

Already, the EU requires vendors to repair or replace products within two years of purchase for free if the product is defective. The new regulation would require companies to provide a free repair (instead of replacing the product) if doing so would be the same price or cheaper than replacing it.

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