Everything. We’re down to barebones and marketing now focus solely on camera software updates or phone materials (“now with titanium!” How fucking sad is that?) And they are all selling the same phone.
Some of the most important loses…
Swappable batteries changed travel for me. Always having two extra charged batteries in my backpack, that you could swap top 100% in 20 seconds, made me ONLY use my phone as a free and completely useful tool without any planning or restrictions on my use. Otherwise, you can’t take too many pictures or videos, stream music or video or make video calls too long or you might be fucked when you need phone, GPS, payment or to get a rideshare to where you’re staying.
Audio jack similarly meant freedom. Bluetooth headphones out of battery, broken or one earbud lost? Have a pair of wired in the backpack always add backup. Also better audio quality through wired with DAC on certain models and less daily device load to charge/babysit
secondary screens LG V10 had a bar on top, they also had the T shaped dual screen phone and the secondary screen phone case. There was just creativity and attempts at innovation.
microSD expandable memory, again less and less available and this was about freedom - fuck your cloud storage add its data leaks, corruption and redaction. I own my data, you don’t control it.
I also very much miss the removable batteries. I spent 8 years with my old phone simply because I didn’t want to give up it’s easy swap ability but I have to say that the headphone jack is the thing that really affects and annoys me the most. For years and years I literally carried a pair of wired earbuds with me everywhere I went (coiled up and carried in the small pocket of my jeans). No matter where I was or what I was doing, I could literally be ready to go music mode at any time. I absolutely loved it. Being saddled with the bluetooth buds now and their annoying battery life is not at all ideal for me. I often take very long daily excursions that end up seeing my headphones die on me frequently now and I miss my wired headphones nearly every single day.
My new android phone is waterproof, rugged, has 5 days of battery life, 2 microsim, 1 microsd (up to 1TB i think, for apps and/or photos depending on partitioning via adb), headphone jack, no stupid notch or hole in the display and a notification light for $100. Sure I only get 4GB of RAM, a 24MP camera without stabilization, 64GB of slow-ish flash and an 8 core mediatek cpu. But if Google or HTC won’t give me what I want, I’ll buy the Doogee S51 with the fake 2nd wide angle camera that is just a dummy lens.
I was really baffled when I got a November 2023 security OTA update. Didn’t expect that. Also it isn’t loaded with crapware like a Samsung or Lenovo. Overall I am quite satisfied with price/performance.
I think the reason why you get the OTA is because Doogee uses mostly non modified Android software, making the official releases available for your phone with ease.
Swappable batteries are coming back in 2027 because of the EU.
Under the legislation, consumers must be able to "easily remove and replace” portable batteries used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cameras.
I just tried a Pixel 8 for a few days after years of using a Pixel 6 - it is legitimately a worse phone. Even with its higher frame rate screen (which is considerably smaller), all the phones animations look like garbage because the CPU struggles to keep up. I found some menus that I tested side by side on the pixel 6 and 8… the 6’s reaction was instant and smooth, while the 8 took about half a second to register that it had been touched, after which the menu’s animation was glitchy. My wife tested one too, and was having issues getting her fingerprints to save.
Is there even an option for a decent modern android phone that doesn’t have bloatware (i.e… Samsung)? I was hoping the pixel would be acceptable so I could use Graphene OS, but it doesn’t look like that is going to be happening. Is there another device that works well with Lineage or something similar that would be a decent alternative to a Pixel with Graphene?
I rented a Corolla to driver Uber with. What I did for liking songs on spotify was memorize where I’d have to rest my hand in terms of landmarks outside the screen on the dash, so that just dropping my finger down would tap on the heart to like a song.
If you have an Android phone then you can enable a feature called TalkBack that reads up screen content and lets you control your device with touch gestures, so you can use the phone without having to look at the screen.
This combined with wireless earbuds is a real game changer for cheating in school.
Mine is really just getting back into working out. I kept trying to go too hard after my shoulder surgery and kept pulling muscles (not in my shoulder), so I’ve taken like an 8 month break to let my body heal. This time I’m starting with my goal being 30 reps with perfect form at 5lb and going from there.
It sucks losing a bunch of muscle mass that you busted your ass to get, but luckily it’s easier to regain it than to grow it the first time.
Alita: Battle Angel is a fun exploration into Bio modification as well as the hero’s journey. The first season of Altered Carbon also comes to mind, although the biomodification concept is in the lore, and not explicitly seen on screen. If you haven’t seen it, you can stop after the 1st season because the 2nd season is pretty garbage.
Breaks interstate Park between WV and KY is pretty nice. I also very, very highly recommend smoky mountains, I live in the region and have gone every year. Ik you said no cities but Gatlinburg area can be nice to check out after the trip if you wanna see Smoky Mountain Knife Works and all the small businesses in the rural parts of the mountains.
The Artisan’s Market is worth going to Gatlinburg, but avoid the main strip of the city unless you’re looking to eat. There’s maybe 4 unique shops, the rest are the exact same touristy shit under a different name.
The Knife Works will be busy, also. It doesn’t slow down. Parking will be ass. It’s totally worth it just to go into the downstairs Relic Room.
+1 for Smoky Mtns. So much to explore, Clingmans Dome, waterfalls, elk, bears, restaurants close by, but you can get as far away from the tourist-ty stuff as you like. Secluded cabins to downtown hotels. Dollywood for the kids is good. I live in Georgia, but try to get up there with the family every year or two. Also Smoky mountain knife works is worth it if you’re into knives, outdoors, camping…
Adding to the smoky mountain suggestion, the Gatlinburg area has a lot of fun touristy places to go. I haven’t seen the Apple Barn mentioned yet, but they and Cruze Farms Ice cream are both top notch dessert places. And I’ll 2nd The Local Goat for some good food.
Here’s another for the Smokies. I’m about an hour and change east of Gatlinburg, it’s a great area to spend a few days for sure. Dollywood is surprisingly awesome, the Aquarium is great, mountains like Clingman’s Dome are beautiful.
Also, if you’re into blacksmiths and actual hand-forged knives, definitely check out Viking Blade Forge, it’s a small place in the middle of nowhere with a few similar shops nearby. Definitely worth it. Contact us page w/ address
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