[raspberry-vi] Re: Possibly Off-Topic: Android Smartphone Recommendations.

Tue Sep 28 22:38:11 UTC 2021

Okay, after calling to get some idea of what phones are available from
my carrier, it's sounding like my main options boil down to:

Google Pixel 4a(Though I've gotten mixed reports on whether they still
carry this model).

Sumsung Galaxy s10 or s20.

Moto G Play, power, or Stylus 2020 or 2021 editions.

There are other options, but these are the ones from brands at least
one previous reply recommended that I can get for just the sales tax
if I disconnect the unused line on my plan and add a new line for the
new device.

I'm leaning towards either the Moto G Power or the Pixel 4a. What I've
learned from Googling suggest the Play versions of the Moto G line
have nothing to recommend them if you can afford the Power or Stylus,
and that the Power has better battery life than the Stylus while the
only thing the stylus has going for it is more storage that still
isn't enough to not need a microSD card and the inclusion of a stylus,
which I persume would be rather useless since I would think blind
users would be leaning more on broad stroke touch gestures than
pin-point screen taps... As for Samsung, the S20 lacks a 3.5mm jack,
but I fear the s10 might be showing it's age too much for the 3.5mm
jack to be worth it. Probably leaning more towards Moto G power since
it has a microSD slot(which I understand no Pixel model has ever had)
and has more heft(one review listed it's thickness as a con, but
personally, I'm not all that fond of the ultra slim aesthetic).

But of course, most of the reviews are sight-centric, so any thoughts
from those more experienced with running Android blind? I know several
have said the Pixel 3a and 4a are good, and at least one who praised
the Moto G Power 7(I think my options are between the 8/2020 and
9/2021, but the numbering is a bit confusing due to the switch from
ordinal-based numbering to year-based).

On 9/25/21, Linux for blind general discussion <blinux-list at redhat.com> wrote:
> If you can you might want to wait another few weeks until the Pixel 6
> models are released. It's quite likely the older models will then
> suddenly see a reduction in price.
>
> PS: I have the 4A and it's a great phone. I agree that the lack of SD
> slot is annoying, but I have honestly not missed having a physical audio
> jack. And, yes, once you enable it via Developer Options, you can use
> adb from the terminal, or simply access the phone's filesystem from a
> USB port on your computer via the graphical desktop. It just comes up
> ready to use--and it's slow-charging your phone while plugged in that way.
>
> Janina
>
>
> Linux for blind general discussion writes:
>> Okay, so did a bit of research... Not even sure where to start trying
>> to make sense of Samsung's umpteen dozen offerings, but the Google
>> Pixel seems straight forward enough.
>>
>> Best I can tell from Wikipedia and Google, the pros and cons of the
>> Pixel 5 are as follows:
>> Pros:
>> Longer than usual upgrade support
>> No manufacturer added bloatware
>> No alterations to Android that negatively impact accessibility.
>> What sounds like a decent rating against dust and water damage.
>> Cons:
>> It's a slate(though in all fairness, this is practically a universal
>> constant with smartphones)
>> -No 3.5mm audiojack
>> -No memory card slot.
>> -No removable battery
>> -only one USB-C port
>> And I'm left with the following questions:
>> 1. Does the USB-C port support USB OTG?
>> 2. are there USB-C to 3.5mm audio adaptors or memory card readers that
>> include an extra port for daisy chaining other adaptors? Or USb-C hubs
>> that can be strapped to the back of the phone?
>> 3. Does the Pixel 5's internal storage show up as generic USB mass
>> storage when connected to a Linux Desktop?
>> 4. What are the physical dimensions of the device?
>>
>> Again, US Cellular's website is a hunk of junk, but I did manage to
>> find via Google that they carry the Pixel 3 for 9.99 USD per month and
>> the Pixel 5 for 23.99 per month. The former is more agreeable with my
>> budget, though it sounds like there's a promotion going on to get
>> either for 0 per month and I plan to give them a call to find out
>> details(experience says there's a catch, such as switching to a more
>> expensive plan that offers no benefit)... I understand the Pixel 5a is
>> supposed to be a more budget friendly variant of the Pixel 5, but best
>> I can tell, USCellular doesn't yet carry it, and beyond people
>> thinking the Pixel 4 was bad, I can't really tell what the difference
>> between different Pixel models is.
>>
>> And to whoever it was who asked about my current phone, I'm using an
>> LG Wine 4. Nothing fancy, but it has decent text-to-speech allowing me
>> to make use of the contacts and call log, and while the numpad is a
>> bit low relief with closely packed buttons, it's sufficient for
>> dialing and touch-tone automated systems. It as a microSD slot and the
>> usual apps flip phones have had for close to 20 years, but I really
>> only use it for making and recieving calls. Form factor, it's a bit
>> longer and wider, but thinner compared to every other flip phone I've
>> ever had.
>>
>> On 9/20/21, adilhusain shaikh <adil.cavi at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi th= ere,
>> >
>> > I live in India, and the only stock android c= omes from nokia,
>> > Motorola
>> > and
>> > Asus here.
>> >
>> > Here, nok= ia is bit pricy (not value for money), but they do have
>> > longer
>> > update perio= d ( 3years)
>> >
>> > Motorola is value for money with stock= android for 3 years update.
>> >
>> > And Asus =C2=A0doesn= =E2=80=99t release any budget smart phone in
>> > India.
>> > Asus launches =C2=A0onl= y its premium smart phone.
>> >
>> >  You haven=E2=80=99t mention what=E2=80=99s your budget. = So, I assume
>> > that
>> > you might be OK spending 100-200$.
>> >
>> > Check out Motorola edge 20. It=E2=80=99s a decent smart phone.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > If you=E2=80=99re = looking for truly cheap smart phone , buy the Redmi
>> > phones with snap dragon= processor and flash the custom rom.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Sent from Mail[1] for Windows
>> >
>> > =
>> >
>> > From: Jeffery Mewtamer[2]
>> > Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2021 10= :11 PM
>> > To: Linux for bl= ind general discussion[3]; r=
>> > aspberry-vi at freelists.org[4]
>> > Subject: [raspberry-vi] Possibly Of= f-Topic: Android Smartphone
>> > Recommendations.
>> >
>> > =
>> >
>> > Okay, so I'm contemplating puttin= g a cheap Android smartphone on a
>> >
>> > spare line on my = household's shared plan and trying to learn how to
>> >
>> > = use talkback(or whatever it's called these days) and wanted to get
>> >
>> > some feedback from fellow Blind Linux users.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I don't care for pretty= much any of the trends in Smartphone design
>> >
>> > I'm aw= are of, so I know I'll have to make compromises to things I
>> >
>> > consider bad design, and I don't have the funds to buy a phone=
>> >
>> > straight out, so I'm limited to what I can get through= my carrier's
>> >
>> > in-house financing. My service is thr= ough US Cellular, and I'm stuck
>> >
>> > with them until at = least May 2023 due to existing financing plans on
>> >
>> > p= hones already on the plan. Recommendations for phones US Cellular
>> >
>> > carries would be nice, but considering their website is utte= r
>> >
>> > garbage(and even my sighted housemates agree), I'= d rather ask a sales
>> >
>> > associate if they carry x phon= e and be told no than subject people
>> > not
>> >
>> > their cust= omers to their website.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Anyways, my biggest priority is that the phone has a 3.5 mm = audio
>> >
>> > jack. I already have a pair of wired earphone= s I like and would like
>> >
>> > to be able to go back and f= orth between the phone and my
>> > Desktop(which
>> >
>> > doesn't= have bluetooth as far as I know) and don't have the money for
>> >
>> > wireless earphones that have decent battery life, aren't earbu= ds, and
>> >
>> > have an aux port for compatibility with old= er devices.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > My next biggest priority is longevity. I don't want to get stuck onthe
>> > upgrade treadmill with a phone that's barely paid o= ff by the time
>> >
>> > it's stuck with a version of Android= that no one supports anymore.
>> >
>> > Long term support fr= om the manufacturer would be nice, but I'll
>> > settle
>> >
>> > = for good chances of running generic Android images or being able to
>> >
>> > load a more traditional Linux Distribution. And on a relat= ed note,
>> >
>> > something that won't shatter like glass if= knocked out of my hand
>> >
>> > would be nice.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Some lesser prioriti= es:
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > The m= ore physical buttons, the better... a proper numpad or full
>> >
>> > qwerty keyboard would be great, but not holding my breath. I know = I'm
>> >
>> > going to have to do battle with touch gestures = or voice commands, but
>> >
>> > anything that can be done vi= a traditional controls would be a great
>> >
>> > anti-frustr= ation feature in my book.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Since a removable battery is highly unlikely, and being ab= le to
>> > charge
>> >
>> > a spare on a dock is a pipedream, dece= nt battery life would be a
>> > plus,
>> >
>> > though I get the i= mpression that decent battery life and smartphones
>> >
>> > = are seldom used in the same sentence without some kind of negation.
>> >
>> > Also, the ability to completely disable the display part o= f the
>> >
>> > touchscreen, or at least keep the backlight i= ncredibly dim if not off
>> >
>> > would be nice... Honestly,= I'd rather not have a screen at all and
>> >
>> > instead us= e the real estate for a keyboard on par with those Texas
>> >
>> > Instruments uses in their calculators, but again, not holding mybreath.
>> >
>> >  Since smartphones cap out at a rather anemic 128GB of on= -board
>> >
>> > storage, and I get the impression 128GB is s= till a premium feature,
>> >
>> > removable storage is a must= .. and it would be nice if I could access
>> >
>> > the memo= ry card and even the phone's on-board storage by connecting
>> >
>> > the phone to my Desktop via USB, it showing up as generic USB mass=
>> >
>> > storage, and just being able to do a
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > pmount /dev/sdx
>> >
>> > where x is wh= atever letter the phone gets assigned instead of having
>> >
>> > to constantly mess around with moving a microSD card between phone and=
>> >
>> > desktop... And it's a pipedream feature, but a ful= l-sized SD slot so
>> > I
>> >
>> > can just pop in my existing 51= 2GB card instead of investing in a high
>> >
>> > capacity mi= croSD and having to populate it would be nice.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > And, it's a bit of a lower priority, = but I have big hands, so
>> >
>> > something with a decent am= ount of heft would be nice... and as I plan
>> >
>> > to keep= my flip phone until the day it stops working, I couldn't care
>> >
>> > less about how well the smartphone does as an actual phone.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I've heard = good things about Google's Pixel line of smartphones in
>> >
>> > regards to accessibility, and understand the Pixel 3 to be a solid,
>> >
>> > economical option, but I also suspect that was coming= from the
>> >
>> > perspective of someone who either uses a = Windows Desktop or uses a
>> >
>> > smartphone as their prima= ry computing device.
>> >
>> > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
>> > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
>> > =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>> >
>> > The raspberry-vi mailing list
>> >
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>> >
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>> >
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>> >
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>> > and attitudes expressed by the subscribers to this l= ist do not
>> > reflect
>> > those of the Foundation.
>> >
>> > &n= bsp;
>> >
>> > Mike Ray, list creator, January 2013=
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >  =
>> >
>> > --- Links ---
>> >    1 3D"https://go.microsoft.com/=
>> >    2 3D"mailto:mewtamer at gm=
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>
> --
>
> Janina Sajka
> https://linkedin.com/in/jsajka
>
> Linux Foundation Fellow
> Executive Chair, Accessibility Workgroup:	http://a11y.org
>
> The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
> Co-Chair, Accessible Platform Architectures	http://www.w3.org/wai/apa
>
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