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63 points gaws | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.984s | source
1. byb ◴[] No.42194161[source]
e/OS is the best. To anyone reading this, give it a shot - you can break from from Apple and whatever spyware garbage is installed on your Android phone.

I've installed it to three devices and have daily driven it since June 2023. I got tired of paying the Apple tax, so I picked up a Motorola Edge 30 (Dubai) for ~200 USD which was the newest non-Murena/Fairphone listed on the website - but it is no longer listed because they've shifted to the "easy installer". I've turned to community-built ROMs for my other devices, including a Xiaomi Pocophone F1 from 2017 - which works great - and a Lenovo Tab. I specifically purchased the Lenovo tablet because there was a ROM; there's a user on the forums who is creating a lot of ROMs for devices. I was looking for a tablet to serve as an e-reader and media consumption device, but it's powered off most the time.

The OS is very nice to use. It's very similar to iOS. The browser has automatic ad blocks, so some sites complain that I need to turn off my ad blocker, but this isn't possible. The privacy-first focus has helped me to avoid becoming a smart phone addict. I use it primarily for consuming hacker news articles on the go.

As far as errors go, /e/OS developers have stated they need to invest more time on tablet features, so the Lenovo Tab I have isn't an iPad competitor. Also, my Motorola Edge 30 was stuck on version 1.19 for about 7 months until I manually side-loaded the update. For the past month, App Lounge was having trouble anonymously connecting and updating apps. V2.5 was released a couple days ago and everything seems fixed.

I like being able to anonymously install apps using the "App Lounge". I tend to keep less than 30 apps on my phone and don't use it for gaming. The only Google App I've installed is Gboard for additional language input - other than that it seems like every other app is available. My bank and brokerage apps are supported. I did set up a Garmin smartwatch on the tablet so I could get offline Spotify playback. One negative is that Uber recently updated their app in the last 6 months which broke scrolling on the map, which makes it difficult to see how far away my driver is.

The only concern I really have is that the boot loaders aren't lockable, which could be a security risk if the phone gets out of my possession. Luckily, I have treated my phones as disposable for years.

There are only two things I dream of: 1. An open-source Samsung Dex alternative so that I could plug my phone into a monitor and keyboard and use it as a PC. 2. An /e/OS ROM for an e-ink device with support from Murena//e/OS developers for e-ink devices.

replies(1): >>42202951 #
2. akimbostrawman ◴[] No.42202951[source]
/e/ like LineageOS still has many Google components and connections. If you want something truly without Google spyware you are better served with GrapheneOS which also has a desktop mode since pixel 8