Nostr Web Client

Nah. If you can plug your phone into a computer ane click some buttons and tap your phone screen, go be got this.

Patrick 1y ago

What was your ROM of choice back in the day?

I used MIUI for a while back in 2010. I used to help do some of the releases and English translations for the HTC Incredible. I ran MIUI.us for a while. Eventually I migrated over to CM7 when it launched and pretty much stayed with CyanogenMod for the next several years. I ran AOKP a little because I liked Roman and I ran ParanoidAndroid a bit for fun, but I always came back to CM. I was friends with many of the CM devs and hung out with a lot of them, so it was an easy choice.

Patrick 1y ago

AOKP WAS MY JAM! That's what I ran all the time as my daily. I'd usually be at parties in college installing new ROMs being the meme that they don't know how cool AOSP is.

The MIUI UI was just a bit too different for my taste. I remember Paranoid's name but can't remember much about the mod itself. I also liked CarbonROM later but shortly after that probably stopped messing with them when I started using more Samsung devices. Those jerks made it a PITA to do anything fun.

Now, you'd have a easier time breaking into Fort Knox than getting past the Samsung bootloader.

Historically they always had exploits found eventually allowing people to bypass and root. Is that no longer the case? I haven't paid attention to this space in a very long while.

I use a S22 Ultra, and a Note 10+ and I haven't found any methods of unlocking the bootloader. There was someone on XDA who was running a service to unlock the Note 10, but he shut that down and there doesn't appear to be any other reliable self-service method available. And I haven't seen anything compatible with the S22.

Patrick 1y ago

Yeah they used to have decent exploits but they've done a good job over the years of lockign things up around the time they started intoducing Knox

Hell, I remember when Samsung had a website where you put your serial number in and it gave you a code that would unlock the bootloader. They're not doing that anymore!

I think we talked about AOKP before. I remember showing someone a pic of Roman and I 😂

CyanogenMod! I ran that on my Samsung back in the day.

Tracy 1y ago

I used CyanogenMod for years - loved it! It was nice when Android was immature, CM added lots of features that were lacking. GrapheneOS is 💣

I've used Replicant, CyanogenMod, LineageOS and GrapheneOS.

I think it hasn't actually gotten easier IMHO - but some manufacturers are decently chill about letting customers own the hardware they paid for (Google!), others are nightmare-mode dystopian parodies (Xiaomi, but also late-model Samsungs).

The Pixel is really the only option for custom ROMs here in the US, as far as my experience goes. I stood in a local electronics store and went down the list of Lineage supported devices and couldn't find a single one with the EXACT model number, which is required, for a given brand. I checked over 20 devices. I did find some devices online but the vendors make it nearly impossible to obtain their driver packages. Motorola requires a horribly massive package, drivers, admin privileges, an online account, and you can ONLY flash from the tool. You can't select or save a ROM file. It's aweful and full of flash ads like late 2000s websites.

TallBrian 1y ago

That’s crazy, my phone doesn’t even have a CD ROM.

The best phones have 3.5 floppies.

Ivan 1y ago

Googles android flash tool also makes it so easy to flash back to the stock rom if you ever plan on selling it.

Luxas 1y ago

This. Worked a treat when I sold a pixel that previously was flashed with GOS.

Does it only work for Pixels?

No. Many bootloaders can be unlocked or exploited. Many ROMs exist for various phones. GrapheneOS only exists for the Pixel line though.

Specifically Google's flash tool? Because I've been on the hunt for years for support for US devices that I don't have to give money to Google for.

All other devices I've come across require support from the manufacturer (flashing tool OEM rom, and even drivers) and if the MFG doesn't provide all of those things you're out of luck

I honestly haven't owned a non Google device since the HTC Incredible in 2010 and Moto X in 2012. It's been Google Nexus and Google Pixel since. They are the most open and most developer friendly devices.

Yeah seems to be the consensus.

I am honestly looking for alternatives. Every time I bring up the argument it goes, (like a dozen times on nostr)

Them: yeah you don't have to buy a Pixel, there are other options

Me: Sweet, literally name ANY other smartphone that is purchasable in the US, made within the past 5 years, works with US carriers, and can ACTUALLY be flashed. Not theoretically, like actually you've done it, or seen someone with your own eyes do it.

Them: Oh, dunno the pixel is what I use and it works great.

Me: *facepalm*, literally my argument!

I just don't like that I have NO other option than to give Google money in software or hardware at some point. I just want the option to be different, don't like being told what to do XD

I am designing and planning to home-build my next phone. I think its the only way...

I'm listening?!?

I need to keep the heat production down, way down, for the Australian summer. My Pixel powers off if I leave it on the passenger seat while I drive with aircon on, and its only late Spring. So that's a design constraint you probably won't have.

There are a bunch of dubious diy smartphones built around the RPi Zero, but the heat production is unacceptable for me, even though I could fix the hideous form factor.

So far I'm looking at hardware:

Cellular module (anything SIM7000-compatible should do)

e-Ink screen (4.3")

Mechanical i2c keyboard

LoRa module

Huge lipo pouch cell (slow boat waiting on for two months now)

1S BMS

Raspberry Pi Pico W

Remote server (or shell account) to run heavy apps

For the software, I've been collecting libraries.

Going to run Micropython and go bare metal for the native apps (sms, calls, email, terminal client, image viewer, TCP-IP and Reticulum) and run as much as possible on the server.

Will see!

That's quite interesting, I'll be following along! If you make it OSS I'd love to contribute. I have prosumer PCB design, LoRa, and FSK firmware and driver code experience :) I spent a ton of time on power management for AVR's and the radios too. We had pretty strict constraints and LoRa radios can pull a ton of power.

e-ink will be interesting, simple i suppose.

How big is the lipo?

12mm x 60mm x 110mm. Claimed 10 Ah, but I'll be happy with half.

Overkill, probable mistake, and dominates the form factor decisions, but I do miss my Nokia 3210's battery life :p

I have an off topic question. Funny enough I have like a dozen pic boards but haven't had a chance to play with them. I was reviewing the debug assembly for noscrypt and realized how much I missed writing firmware.

Question: do you have experience with a full or "commercial grade" simulation tool for the pico? I don't think they have debugging hardware, iirc it's software only. I've never heard complaints, but hobbyists aren't usually aware of commercial debugging equipment and software suites that people like Microchip and TI offer for their MCUs. I want to be able to see state for every instruction. Microchip has a generic simulation tool for each MCU series, so it's not perfect but it's so nice and fast to build with.

I don't, I'm afraid! Data / software background, but I'm learning :)

Grrr, thank you! I'll keep looking. Something about fast dual core mcu with lots of memory is really appealing. I've never done multi core firmware before, which is why I purchased them!

nostr:npub1f49twdlzlw667r74jz6t06xxlemd8gp2j7g77l76easpl8jsltvqvlzpez do you have any experience here?

That's the kicker. US devices, mainly AT&T and Verizon have historically come with locked bootloaders 😂 Never buy from a carrier.

100% But I only purchase unlocked phones. I mean support from the MFG not the carrier.

When you say Android smart phone, I think you mean to say Google Pixel.