Volla Phone Plinius is a rugged phone that ships with Ubuntu Touch or Google-free Android and mid-range specs
And, as is tradition, they don’t appear to have any way to buy it in Canada…
not that you might not want it because it supports very few north american bands, but it still surprising that they seem not to bother w the largest consumer market in the world just to the south of you.
AFAIK, none of the Linux phone brands seem interested in the North American market.
I assume it is partly because the phone hardware market here is so tightly controlled by the carriers and is heavily integrated with the service plans.
It’s almost impossible to go into a phone shop and buy just the hardware without it being bundled to a plan.
What? Even in that regard the “freedom” fucks you guys sideways? Can u only buy a damn phone with a damn contract? And then probably just pick one from the usual “top-sellers”?
Do they provide mainline kernel support or will it become trash soon after sale?
How close is ubuntu touch from bwing usable for an average user. Tech literate or enthusiast but not necessaily abke to fix problems. Like the ubuntu or mint of PCs?
From what ive seen, there seems to be some basic functionality missing. My pixel is on its last legs and i just switchedto graphene. I dont want to get a pixel again. Im keen on the motorola they will lauch but more options is always better.
It depends on what you expect from your phone. If you want calls, messages, browsing and easy tasks, Ubuntu Touch can be pretty maintenance hand hassle free apart from the OTA updates. I daily drive it and I’m glad to trade a few painpoints for the freedom I get. But there are some quirks that you may have to handle concerning things like bluetooth, APN settings and others. And of course, you get a lot of the freedom you would on other Linux systems, so it can get as complicated as you want it.
Is APN settings just a once off thing? What kind of bluetooth issues?
Sounds pretty usable. App wise, are yiu using android apps or just linux apps?
APN settings are mostly a one off thing, yes, depending on your carrier.
Bluetooth can be a bit stubborn, requiering turning BT off and on again to see the things you want to connect to, and some things will just never connect. But there’s improvements coming every month or so. It’s easy enough once you learn the tricks your particular device needs. Every port is a bit different.
I use Linux apps or browser based services. There’s Android app support through Waydroid which works for many things, but many apps have special security checks now that won’t work in Waydroid, so the browser is my friend for banking in particular.
UT is usable, but it is different from Android (and desktop Linux) and you’ll need to adapt some new habits.
Thanks. Sounds better than expected.
Just make sure to pick the right device if you are considering trying it. The ports can be very different, and some devices do not support VoLTE, or work well on the carriers of your region.
Ah, that’s the bit I was worried about. That it won’t act as a phone.
Mine works very well as a phone in my corner of the world, northern Europe. So you just need the right model for your area.
Can’t answer the ubuntu-part (yet), but moto is decent minimal google, but still google. I have one I use for banking and depot-apps. It’s not bloated with stupid shit to the brim, like Samsung or poco or whichever else nowadays. Just some minor annoyances.
Yet I would prefer a used pixel just for graphene. As shitty as it might be to buy google, they’re still the best (easiest!) to modify.
