16 replies to this topic

[Peter1]

I wish to get the iPhone 8 or 9 but am concerned about the glass back.

I would love another android phone but except for Google's Pixel which get 2-3 years updates and support, Apple says they are good for 5 years. I do not upgrade often so that is basically my criteria in choosing. I can only hope the 9 has no glass back as has been rumored. I will likely have to wait till September to find out.

[Tomk]

Well Peter, you didn't exactly ask any question that needed answered, but I'm believing you were seeking opinions.

 

It appears you have stumped everyone and no one has an opinion to offer.

 

I know nothing about the glass backed phones, or really much about apple products.  Just as you do, I keep my cell phones for many years.  My first cell phone was a bag phone.  I still have it but I replaced it with a motorola flip phone after less than 5 years.  I still have the flip phone, but I replaced it with a Nokia after cellular one was bought out by verizon.  I must have used it for 8 or 9 years.  My nokia worked fine until Verizon went from GSM to CDMA signal.  I got a Casio Boulder in about 2008 so I must have used the nokia for about 6 years.  I gave the boulder to one of my superintendents in 2012 and got me a smart phone.  A Nokia 822.  Cost $0.49 at verizon.  I had a bad habit of pulling it off of the charging wire while talking on it when I was charging it.  I managed to mess up the charging port and decided since I paid less than a dollar for the phone, paying something like $8 for the part and then having to go through the hassle and fixing it just wasn't worth it.  Besides, the phone was nearly 6 years old.  This happened last year so I currently have a Microsoft Lumia 735.  Cost nearly as much as my old Motorola flip phone.  It was $158.  It's only a little over a year old so I suspect it will be with me for awhile.

[Peter1]

Can I assume that you do no banking or anything sensitive sine you are not concerned about security updates etc.

[Tomk]

 My phone is current with all updates.  What makes you think I'm not concerned about security updates?

 

However, I do not do any online banking.  On my phone or on my computers.

[Peter1]

Emailing on forums can be misleading when I read your history of phones it seemed that you were not interested in updates and I probably drew the wrong conclusion apologies I know that updates can be important at times.
I may be wrong but it seems that Android phones have a year to expcept the pixel which has three and the iPhone has five years of firmware then security updates so I drew the conclusion that all the old phones you referred to were not security
protected for to age.

Edited by Peter1, 11 July 2018 - 04:26 PM.

[Tomk]

Up until I got a smart phone... there was nothing to update.  They are just phones.  None of them were ever updated.

 

My current phone runs the most current version of Windows 10 for mobile.  As a matter of fact it is current as of yesterday seeing how yesterday happened to be update Tuesday.

 

I am no mobile phone expert so I only know what my phone does.  Are you telling me that on android phones you only get updates for a year?  That seems crazy to me.  But on the other hand, my phone runs on Windows so I'm sure that the Linux fanboys would say my phone is never secure anyway.

 

My Nokia 822 came with windows 8.  It later updated to 8.1.  Verizon, basically, refuses to acknowledge the existence of windows 10 but most apps are written for 10 so I downloaded 10 direct from Microsoft and installed it myself.  When I got the 735, Verizon had put 8.1 on it, but I installed 10 on it the day I got it.  Because it is a windows device, it typically updates on the second Tuesday of the month just like your computer does... though it is true that there isn't actually an update every month.

[Peter1]

I think the Samsung Galaxies got a year-and-a-half of firmware and another 6 months of security patches and that was it the pixel currently now gets 3 years updates and yes the iPhone gets 5 years that's it

[Tomk]

Interesting.  I guess that makes another reason I like my windows phone.

 

Perhaps you don't know, but maybe someone else will chime in... but I'm curious.  Are the updates of which you speak just ones pushed out by the carrier, or are the phones actually designed to only accept updates for so long?  I just assumed as new android builds came out that you just updated... like I do.  How do the phones know that they can't update anymore?  Does all of that change if someone roots it?

[Peter1]

The carrier manufacturer and Google all issue updates Chromebook is the best Google offers a $100,000 reward for anyone who can hack it 23 layers of encryption
I do not root

Edited by Peter1, 12 July 2018 - 05:58 PM.

[Tomk]

Your way over my head.  I didn't realize that Chromebooks had anything to do with android phones.

 

I've never rooted... I've never had an android, but I did read about it a few years ago and it seems pretty straight forward.  Basically you are just taking control of your phone (root access) and removing the carriers root control.  It's really no different than sudo su on a linux machine, which is pretty much the equivalent of Administrator on a Windows system (well, actually System would be the actual equivalent access to root but Administrator is the super user ).

 

If I ever had an android, I don't know if I'd root it.  I don't do anything fancy with my phones.  I'm mostly looking for a device to make calls.  I have heard that rooted devices get considerably better battery life.

 

Well, based upon what you've said, I'm guessing that you can update a rooted device all you want, but on a device tied down by the carrier, they quit pushing updates so as to force obsolescence.  I don't think I like that... but then again, no one asked me.

[Peter1]

Yes there are some phones however that cannot be rooted such as my Galaxy S5 which is prevented by Verizon you have to be careful which phone you have or you'll end up with a brick I don't know if it rooted phone can install updates on its own or if they have to be initiated by either the carrier manufacturer are Google itself at any rate my next one will be iPhone the reason being the support

[Peter1]

Yes there are some phones however that cannot be rooted such as my Galaxy S5 which is prevented by Verizon you have to be careful which phone you have or you'll end up with a brick I don't know if it rooted phone can install updates on its own or if they have to be initiated by either the carrier manufacturer are Google itself at any rate my next one will be iPhone the reason being the support

[Peter1]

Yes there are some phones however that cannot be rooted such as my Galaxy S5 which is prevented by Verizon you have to be careful which phone you have or you'll end up with a brick I don't know if it rooted phone can install updates on its own or if they have to be initiated by either the carrier manufacturer are Google itself at any rate my next one will be iPhone the reason being the support

[Peter1]

by the way when it comes to phones I am a novice and that is why I'm asking so many questions 800 to $1,000 is a large purchase and one needs to be sure of his facts any information or any of my discussion is based upon basic hearsay and investigation which I hope proves to be correct

[Tomk]

I believe Terry1966, a tech that hangs around these forums, knows a bit about the androids... but I don't happen to know any Apple gurus.

 

Good luck