[HN Gopher] Cat S22 Flip Phone
___________________________________________________________________
Cat S22 Flip Phone
Author : enthdegree
Score : 409 points
Date : 2022-05-24 15:10 UTC (7 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.catphones.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.catphones.com)
| pjerem wrote:
| Oh I want it. Looks like it's only available in the US though :(
| tmikaeld wrote:
| I'd be all over it if it where available in the EU :(
| fxtentacle wrote:
| Yeah, it's a pity they don't sell it in the EU.
| smm11 wrote:
| The world has changed when Cat Man pictured emphasizing manliness
| and durability of Cat Flip Phone has a ring in 'their' ear.
|
| https://www.catphones.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Cat-S22...
| greatjack613 wrote:
| For all the fliphone enthusiasts here check out
| https://forums.apps4flip.com . It's a great community dedicated
| to flip phone users.
| grenoire wrote:
| Looking at the reviews on the T-Mobile website, you can't type
| using the number pad. That's an _insane_ oversight!
| ranger_danger wrote:
| They're wrong, I can do T9 typing with the numbers just fine on
| mine, and switch to a touchscreen keyboard if I want to also.
| Just wish it was faster to switch between them.
| enthdegree wrote:
| This is a dealbreaker if true.
|
| This link says it comes with a T9 keyboard called "Kika" and
| other installable T9 keyboards exist:
| https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/comments/qfr6rc/one_mont...
| 12312er13r wrote:
| Google have been delaying reviews of apps that accept keys.
|
| Go on, plug a keyboard (or use a phone with a qwerty keyboard.
| ha!) and try ctrl+t, or ctrl+w on firefox android to manage
| tabs...
|
| If you are on any version past 78, it won't work.
|
| I guess google call it bot-enablement-features. or they just
| really hate people with disabilities. ...it you remove these
| functions, app reviews fly trhu in comparisson.
|
| thankfully they don't seem to impact keyboards which all still
| support ctrl+a/c/x/v... the day that is gone i will probably
| even consider apple.
| asddubs wrote:
| linux phones can't be ready soon enough
| _rami_ wrote:
| Is there any source / data on that? I haven't noticed such a
| difference between our apps.
| [deleted]
| SamBam wrote:
| Wait, what? So how do you type? Minuscule touch keyboard on the
| screen?
|
| Edit, yes, here's a video.[1] The thing is also a lot bigger
| and thicker in the hands than I realized.
|
| 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVzuT6eYZUA
| hinkley wrote:
| It definitely big, but there are some clues in the video that
| the presenter may be a fairly short person as well. So the
| fact that it looks huge in his hands may have something to do
| with his hands and not entirely the phone's fault.
| SahAssar wrote:
| At https://youtu.be/GVzuT6eYZUA?t=107 he types with the
| keyboard
|
| Watching that video the phone was a lot bigger than I
| thought, I was hoping for something compact but this thing is
| really chonky.
| SamBam wrote:
| If you look at the screen, the only thing he "types" at
| that timestamp is one "#", then he presses the screen with
| his thumb, then a types "##########"
|
| I'm pretty sure you never see him typing letters.
| SahAssar wrote:
| No, that was at a previous part of the video. Look at the
| timestamp I posted.
| bryans wrote:
| The parent comment's link goes directly to a portion of
| the video where he types "fdro" and then taps on the
| "F-Droid" search result.
| TurkTurkleton wrote:
| A bit after that he switches to a keyboard called "Kika"
| which appears to enable typing with the keypad and
| provides predictions. A bigger objection to this device
| to me would be the fact that UI animations appear to chug
| like a freshman at his first kegger and overall it
| doesn't look to be all that responsive.
| djmips wrote:
| You know after watching a couple of times I realized the
| chonkyness is partially an optical illusion. The bevel on
| the top of the screen makes it look like a huge box from
| the camera angle you bookmarked in your link.
| 40four wrote:
| That video clearly shows the user typing using the number
| pad. So no worries there. I agree, if that were not possible,
| that would be a little bit silly. This is a perfect example
| of why I never trust reviews. People are either just _really_
| stupid, or they are fake / paid for.
| joshstrange wrote:
| I think they meant letters, in the video I only see him
| typing numbers from the phone keypad. I think they person
| you replied to is talking about T9/pressing-the-number-X-
| times-to-get-a-letter type things.
| Multicomp wrote:
| Yeah the [Freetel Mushashi](https://www.gsmchoice.com/en/
| catalogue/freetel/musashi/) had it back in the day, so
| it's possible but apparently not implemented.
| function_seven wrote:
| Video shows letter input from the keypad.
|
| https://youtu.be/GVzuT6eYZUA?t=107
| takanori wrote:
| Why hasn't push to talk (ptt) taken off on smartphones?
| r2sk5t wrote:
| We have push-to-talk, group chat, and live video software for
| similar devices: Kyocera DuraXV https://kyoceramobile.com/duraxv-
| extreme/ Sonim XP3 Plus
| https://www.sonimtech.com/products/devices/xp3plus/
|
| Both flip phones are based on AOSP (https://source.android.com/)
| and we've had to deal with custom implementations of soft keys,
| and push to talk headsets. Even Kyocera's implementation varies
| between the ATT version (https://kyoceramobile.com/duraxe-
| epic/att/) and the Verizon one.
|
| This phone is made by https://bullitt-group.com/ and they very
| smartly license the CAT brand. We have not worked with them yet,
| but I'm guessing it would be relatively trivial to support the
| phone.
|
| Without good soft-key support, these phones are unusable. Any
| questions, please LMK.
| xmonkee wrote:
| The CAT phone definitely looks a lot better.
| r2sk5t wrote:
| Our important requirements: * Android > 10 * fast enough
| processor * strong soft-key API/SDK support * loud speaker *
| all day replaceable battery * retail cost < $250 * mobile
| device management software (MDM) * PTT headset support
| https://kleinelectronics.com/p-o-c-ptt-over-cellular/shop-
| by...
| mintplant wrote:
| Who is "we"?
| [deleted]
| r2sk5t wrote:
| We are a software company called ALO https://alo.ai
| Mo3 wrote:
| r2sk5t wrote:
| Sincere apologies. I did not reply to this thread for
| business development purposes, since our customers run
| stadiums, arenas, campuses, facilities, etc. Would it
| have been more proper for me to not answer the question?
| r2sk5t wrote:
| Appreciate the explanation, and I never intended to
| reveal my identity. I obviously have way too much scar
| tissue from dealing with insufficient or non-existent
| soft-key support, and as a result way overzealous on this
| issue. Cheers.
| Mo3 wrote:
| Your experience is highly appreciated, I see your post
| came off in a different light, to answer the question, it
| could've been done in a way that only highlights the
| specific possible issue and not a straight-up "unusable"
| label in combination with an obvious plug for your own
| service
| tucnak wrote:
| Why are you bullying them? Moreover they've apologised
| already. Not cool.
| Mo3 wrote:
| Im not bullying anyone - they asked a question - I
| replied
| tauntz wrote:
| > Without good soft-key support, these phones are unusable.
|
| Depends on what you mean by "good". I worked with PTT for a
| long time (disclosure: Motorola WAVE), Android devices with HW
| buttons, wired PTT headsets and buttons, wireless PTT headsets
| and buttons, you name it. It's a world of pain and _lots_ of
| edge cases and testing but in the end, there was always a way
| to beat any device into submission and get it working for most
| common use-cases. Any questions, LMK :)
| dzhiurgis wrote:
| Just curious why something like Apple doesn't support it out
| of the box? Is there some sort of regulation that won't let
| them or just plain ignorance of customers?
|
| I guess we got softcore version where you can ask Siri be
| kind enough to attempt to send a voice message, which
| absolutely sucks for unsupported languages.
| r2sk5t wrote:
| Apple has been highly supportive of what we're doing. I
| mentioned Apple because it's difficult in different ways
| and there are many edge cases; especially with BT & wired
| headsets.
| r2sk5t wrote:
| I can affirm that beating devices into submission is possible
| :-) We support iOS too with PTT headsets, Airpods, and other
| BT headsets and that gets interesting in different ways.
|
| Based on my experience, it seems hardware vendors are not
| treating soft-keys as a core requirement and are generally
| bolting support on and in some cases omitting it. It's as if
| the requirements didn't include third party app support
| beyond the carriers PTT products that they OEM.
| tauntz wrote:
| Indeed! Add to this older Android OS support, Classic BT
| devices, BT LE devices, combined LE - Classic devices (and
| each with their own firmware quirks), audio routing,
| undocumented APIs ..and the list goes on and on. PTT is a
| wonderful world :)
| eu wrote:
| The specs are on T-Mobile's site: https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-
| phone/cat-s22-flip
| ccbccccbbcccbb wrote:
| > giving you access to ... security benefits of Android
|
| As secure as Google's scout's honor about it, and as private as a
| mesh fence.
| not1ofU wrote:
| Had an S35 a few years ago, bought it because of the waterproof
| factor. Worst phone I ever owned.
|
| They dont provide android updates (at least for that model) and
| would just stop working randomly, I had to hard reset it at least
| once every 2 days, but sometimes twice in 1 day.
|
| Might have been just my phone though as I knew someone else with
| the same model and they didn't have that issue.
| NoGravitas wrote:
| If I were to get a flip phone, it would be because I didn't want
| Android. This is a little weird to me.
| bdefig wrote:
| Am I the only one who thought this was going to be a flip phone
| startup in the Summer '22 YC batch?
| fady wrote:
| I want one! Probably the coolest looking flip-phone I have seen
| heleninboodler wrote:
| Oh, I miss the tiny rear screen on my HTC Star Trek. What a great
| feature for quick status updates or just using the phone as a
| clock.
| soylentcola wrote:
| My first phone with a camera was a Sanyo SCP-8100 and it also
| had one of those. The "gee whiz" feature was that you could
| open the camera app, close the phone, and then it would show a
| live display from the camera on the tiny screen, allowing you
| to take "selfies" despite only having the single camera.
| jmcphers wrote:
| Oh gosh, I had one of those! What a great little phone.
| nick238 wrote:
| I hope this brings back the ear-splitting _PA-DURRRP_ that I
| heard everywhere in my old job where Nextel (later Sprint, now
| T-Mobile) cell-phones were basically walkie-talkies. /s
| krinchan wrote:
| I remember when Nextel PTT was all the rage. I had a job
| coordinating a bunch of contractors and had to spend all day
| just being chirped at. I'd be mid-conversation on the landline
| and then "PA-DURRP Hey man can you text me that customer's
| address again?"
| thrill wrote:
| "Go for Snake Doctor"
| ramesh31 wrote:
| >The Cat S22 Flip takes the cell phone back to what it should
| be... a phone. Made for those who want a device as simple to use
| as it is tough, the Cat S22 Flip features physical buttons and a
| large touch screen, letting you choose how you interact with it.
| The Cat S22 Flip's 'Snap it to End it' calling gives you
| confidence that when it is closed the call is over.
|
| Yay!
|
| >Android(tm) 11 (Go Edition)
|
| Yuck.
| nfriedly wrote:
| It looks like fairly weak specs for an Android phone (4x Cortex
| A53's @ 1.3Ghz & 2GB RAM)[1], but I guess that's not really the
| point.
|
| On the upside: it supports a lot of LTE bands, including all of
| the primary bands for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, & T-Mobile in the
| US, as well as bands used in many other countries - so if you can
| get one unlocked it should work on most carriers.
|
| Also, there are some complaints about battery life, but the
| battery is user-replaceable, so you can just get two and swap
| them out as needed.
|
| [1]: https://gsmarena.com/cat_s22_flip-11141.php
| LarryDarrell wrote:
| The thing is, I don't want Android smushed into a less useful,
| more fustrating to use, form factor. I want a dumbphone that
| calls, texts, and has a wifi hotpspot.
|
| No battery draining screen, no app store, no navigation... if I
| need any of that, I can use the hotspot and a tablet/old phone...
| torvald wrote:
| And some type of encrypting would be nice. I find it very
| exciting that The Punkt phone is picking up Signal at least.
|
| https://boingboing.net/2021/04/08/the-best-dumbphone-gets-si...
| hedora wrote:
| Any hope of custom roms on this thing?
| phh wrote:
| It is unlikely to be officially bootloader-unlockable (being a
| T-Mobile exclusive). But I'm expecting it is a Mediatek SoC,
| which has known security flaws allowing for bootloader unlocks,
| so uh, /maybe/.
|
| If by chance it is bootloader-unlockable, GSI (Generic System
| Image, generic Android custom ROMs) should boot just fine on
| it. As a reference, GSI work on Coolpad C558 (not flip-phone,
| but uh bar-phone I guess? not sure if the term still makes
| sense in the age of smartphones) - it doesn't work great on
| Coolpad C558 because of the severe lack of RAM, but should be
| ok on Cat S22.
|
| Some specifics will just probably need a bit of work for PTT
| button, and mapping long press on "#" to vibrator. Unless you
| want T9 on it, or to fix random apps's broken DPAD UX, there
| shouldn't be more than a day of work to be fully usable.
|
| Edit: If someone wants to send me one (in EU), I'd be happy to
| take a look
| nfriedly wrote:
| SoC is Qualcomm QM215 Snapdragon 215
| mschuster91 wrote:
| At least the old CAT phones all used to be shipped with
| unlocked MTK bootloaders.
| stratosmacker wrote:
| Hey! We spoke on your Github https://github.com/phhusson/treb
| le_experimentations/issues/2...
|
| Bootloader unlocking worked out of the box, and GSI installed
| without a hitch
|
| issues right now:
|
| - The flip doesn't turn on the internal screen
|
| - front screen is inoperable and just displays T-Mobile's
| logo after installing the APK for the radio
|
| - obviously there is no T9 keyboard with the GSI
|
| - PTT button DOES work with an add-on app that maps keys, it
| registers fine
|
| Happy to help anyway I can if you're interested
| xwdv wrote:
| If Apple made a flip phone I'd buy that. The reason I wouldn't
| get something like this is just that it's not in the ecosystem,
| and not privacy focused.
|
| FaceTime calls on a flip phone would be pretty bad ass, as would
| getting my usual app notifications.
| H8crilA wrote:
| I have been using CAT phones for a few years. They really are
| tough, work pretty well with gloves, do not care much about
| water, etc. Can recommend, and the infrared sensors are worth it
| just for the wow effect alone :). From the downsides - some of
| the smaller things break faster than you'd like (e.g. laser
| meter, or rubber covers for the USB port, or the painted/glued
| layer on the back in one of the older models). These downsides do
| not invalidate the main purpose(s) of the device. Also the phones
| rather quickly fall out of the supported Android version range,
| but this seems to be a common problem with all Android phones.
| kevincox wrote:
| If you want a long-lasting phone the best thing I am aware of
| is to go to
| https://androidenterprisepartners.withgoogle.com/devices/ and
| you can filter by supported lifetime.
| shp0ngle wrote:
| Why is fairphone not in the list? From what I understand,
| they offer very long updates
|
| (it's just not a very good phone for the price, but they try
| to push updates as long as possible, from what I heard)
|
| edit: yep still getting updates 7 years later
|
| https://www.gizmochina.com/2022/03/15/fairphone-2-launched-a.
| ..
|
| also the phones get 4 years of regular warranty.
|
| They are available just in Europe though
| kevincox wrote:
| I don't think this is a comprehensive list. I don't know
| what the exact requirements are but based on the domain it
| seems related to Google Enterprise policies.
| notatoad wrote:
| is fairphone an android partner? i thought they shipped
| some sort of de-googled AOSP-based operating system
| shp0ngle wrote:
| No, they ship proper Android
| baq wrote:
| got an iphone se for that reason.
| kennywinker wrote:
| I did that, out of curiosity, and I'll summarize what I found
| in case anybody else is interested:
|
| First, it looks like the very best options for long term
| support is this guy https://androidenterprisepartners.withgoo
| gle.com/device/#!/F... (Point Mobile PM30) with "Security
| updates until March 2028". That's 6 years of support, if a
| little suspicious since it's from a company with a single
| device on the market.
|
| After that it looks like Samsung offers support for their
| devices until "February 2027", and one other company, Zebra
| Technologies, offers support until "March 2027". Going to
| 2026 adds a few more brands (Motorola, Xiaomi, Google Pixel).
|
| So the bulk of phones have support for 4 years, there's
| decent options with 5 years of support, a single device with
| 6 years, and nothing beyond that.
|
| Two data points for contrast:
|
| 1. I just bought a 10 year old PC that's still useful, can
| run the bleeding edge of operating systems, and can be
| upgraded and repaired easily - I expect it to have another 5
| years of useful lifespan ahead of it.
|
| 2. The iPhone 6S, released in 2015, is still supported by
| Apple. That's a 7 year old phone. iOS 13 (released in 2020)
| dropped support for the iPhone 6/6+ (2014) and 5s (2013) so 6
| years and 7 years respectively.
|
| A final note: all of this is about software support - none of
| this is actually about useful lifespan. Two years ago my
| phone crapped out on me and I used a friend's old iPhone SE
| (1st generation, 2016) for a couple months - it was trending
| hard towards a trash can. The battery lasts about 2 years
| before it needs replacement, the glass screen breaks easily
| and aftermarket replacements have touch input issues, and
| running the latest iOS on it had things moving slower than LA
| traffic.
|
| My hope is that phones hit / have already hit the end of easy
| performance advancement, and a focus on longevity might start
| to take over. But I don't think that's likely. There is
| pressure from things like large institutional buyers to make
| generic PCs last long and be endlessly repairable - it's not
| really clear that pressure exists or CAN exist under
| capitalism, for phones.
| joecool1029 wrote:
| >A final note: all of this is about software support - none
| of this is actually about useful lifespan. Two years ago my
| phone crapped out on me and I used a friend's old iPhone SE
| (1st generation, 2016) for a couple months - it was
| trending hard towards a trash can. The battery lasts about
| 2 years before it needs replacement, the glass screen
| breaks easily and aftermarket replacements have touch input
| issues, and running the latest iOS on it had things moving
| slower than LA traffic.
|
| The screen doesn't break that easily unless you drop it
| face down on a sidewalk or accidentally close it in a rat
| trap (don't ask). Tip for buying screens if they do, get
| working pulls or buy from a vendor that does high quality
| refurbs on OEM screens. I've had good luck with the
| 'premium refurbished' from injuredgadgets, their batteries
| have held up (even if the battery health % never goes down)
| as well. Ifixit's aftermarket screen had poor colors and
| one of my batteries turned into a spicy pillow in about a
| month of use, so I can only recommend them for guides and
| tools.
|
| As for speed, I don't use them as a primary anymore but
| unless your battery is shot and iOS is throttling it, maps
| and payments don't seem to lag. Data speeds will be
| unimpressive, it can't aggregate carriers. Otherwise it
| works fine. For me it's a great utilitarian secondary
| device, basically the phone that always 'just works'.
| Absolutely usable, in fact there are use cases where it
| excels simply because it can be used with wired headphones
| while plugged into a charger at the same time and I can't
| think of any other supported device on the market able to
| do that.
| fencepost wrote:
| Just recently bought a Samsung A53 5G in part because of
| the extended update time frame. I was going to get the very
| similar A33 but it's not available in the US.
|
| The only real lack that jumps to mind is no wireless
| charging, but it does have a feature I enabled immediately
| - capping the battery charge to 85%. With that and the
| updates there's a pretty decent chance that I actually will
| still be using the same device 4-5 years from now -
| possibly without the battery replacements needed on my
| previous phones.
| yepguy wrote:
| I just looked into this issue over the weekend, since my
| current phone is now EOL. The newest phones from Google and
| Samsung just upped their support lifetime from 3 years of
| software updates[1][2]. Their newer phones now get 3 or 4
| years of feature updates, and 5 years of security updates.
|
| Not as impressive as Apple, but it's a welcome improvement.
| Soon it might actually make sense to buy older Pixel or
| Galaxy models without worrying about them going EOL just a
| year or 2 after you get them.
|
| [1]: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705
| [2]: https://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-android-
| updates-114...
| shp0ngle wrote:
| Well, it's just, people that care about longevity buy an
| iPhone.
|
| And the capitalism kind of works there - iPhone is still #1
| phone brand, and even rising in marketshare a bit recently.
| That's despite being a bit overpriced.
|
| And they are the richest company on Earth, or something on
| that level.
|
| People do want longevity, but there seems to be something
| stopping Android manufacturers from that. I don't know
| nearly enough about mobile drivers and mobile OS to tell
| you what.
| shp0ngle wrote:
| It seems the main stumbling block is Qualcomm not
| supporting their chips beyond 4 years, as described by
| Fairphone here, that tries to push support of their
| phones to 7-ish years
|
| https://www.fairphone.com/en/2020/06/18/fairphone-2-gets-
| and...
| asddubs wrote:
| I never fully understood that. Kernel drivers have to be
| open source, right? Maybe not mainlined, but the source
| should be available. So what prevents someone from taking
| that and then getting it into a shape to be upstreamable?
| Why exactly is support by qualcomm needed?
| theodric wrote:
| Have to be, and are not. It's amazing what simply
| refusing can accomplish.
| ChikkaChiChi wrote:
| I'm not an OEM but I'll hazard a guess: long term
| hardware support assures that field replacements will
| match the exact specifications your are expecting. Large
| scale implementations have historically relied on a
| reference device to make sure you don't have a thousand
| different profiles running around.
|
| Combine this with a JIT supply chain, and nobody making
| phones is going to want to stockpile a bunch of old
| Qualcomm chips they aren't sure they'll ever need.
| maxwell wrote:
| > And they are the richest company on Earth, or something
| on that level.
|
| Aramco surpassed them last week.
| kennywinker wrote:
| I'm not sure if I would define 6-7 years of support as
| capitalism working. Apple has differentiated themselves
| by offering more longevity than the competition, but
| instead of competitive a race to make phones last longer,
| we've just got a choice between no longevity and a little
| longevity. This is the devices serving the company that
| makes them, not the devices serving the people who use
| them - which is how I define success.
|
| I'm hoping for 15 years of usable life out of this PC.
| I'm expecting the iPhone I bought in sept 2020 to last me
| another year, maybe two. Not because Apple drops support,
| but because carrying something around in your pocket for
| years is hard on any object - and this one is not built
| to be repaired.
| lotsofpulp wrote:
| >but instead of competitive a race to make phones last
| longer, we've just got a choice between no longevity and
| a little longevity
|
| What if it is not possible to make a phone that lasts
| long enough at a price point that is competitive with
| iPhones?
| fsflover wrote:
| It is possible:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31495844.
| kennywinker wrote:
| I'm sure there are physical limitations that come into
| play, but there's no doubt in my mind we could do
| exponentially better with different market forces driving
| the direction of design. Look at the framework laptop,
| for an example of progress on longevity in a space where
| people have expressed similar doubts.
|
| The bit you said about price is, I think, the key. Except
| I don't think it's so much the price as the profit
| margin. There a millions of people who buy a new $1200
| iPhone every 1-2 years - those people could be served by
| a $2400 iPhone purchased every 2-4 years - but they
| probably wouldn't go for that, since one of the things
| you're buying when you spend the $1200 is having the new
| hotness, status, a perception of "luxury" etc.
|
| Which is why I pointed the finger at capitalism in my
| earlier post. This system rewards what is profitable, not
| what is good for people + the planet.
| GeekyBear wrote:
| > 2. The iPhone 6S, released in 2015, is still supported by
| Apple. That's a 7 year old phone. iOS 13 (released in 2020)
| dropped support for the iPhone 6/6+ (2014) and 5s (2013) so
| 6 years and 7 years respectively.
|
| If you include years where you get a security update, but
| not an OS update, as Android device makers do, the 2013 5s
| got another update at the end of last year.
| fsflover wrote:
| If you want lifetime software updates, consider GNU/Linux
| smartphones, Librem 5 and Pinephone. They run mainline
| Linux, which will receive updates even if the companies
| behind the smartphones disappear (actually, the second
| company already doesn't do any development).
|
| More details: https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-
| wiki/-/wikis/Freque....
| spicybright wrote:
| I'm going to sound like a negative nancy, but after some
| casual research I did 6 months ago, I couldn't find any
| that were reliable as a daily driver cell phone.
|
| For profit companies and strict legal requirements for
| emergency calls and such have a very good track record so
| far compared to most reviews I've seen.
|
| Maybe I just don't text much, but SMS and phone calls are
| generally very important to me in terms of reliability.
| I've read some reports about one of the main contenders
| locking up to prevent even 911 calls in certain cases.
|
| I'm sure many of these issues have been addressed, but
| it's to early for my risk level to use it as a primary
| device (unless I kept a backup flip phone on me all the
| time too)
|
| Would absolutely love to be proven wrong though. I want
| to live in a world where the best software is free and
| open source, and you can flash it to any device capable
| of running it.
| fsflover wrote:
| Yes, these phones are really new and should be used with
| care. Some people report them as reliable daily drivers
| though: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31237002.
|
| Anyway, anyone who is supporting the change helps future
| users and solves the problem of the duopoly in the long
| term.
| the_third_wave wrote:
| If you want long-time software support on an Android device
| make sure to get one which is supported by AOSP-derived
| distributions like LineageOS. As soon as you get the device
| install LineageOS (or something similar) on the device and
| you're set (OTA updates and all - I get weekly OTA updates
| on a Samsung SIII-neo from 2014). Get a relatively popular
| device to increase the chance of the thing being supported
| for as long a time as possible.
| kevincox wrote:
| The state of affairs is definitely dark. However the best
| way to improve this in the current system is to spend money
| on the phones that promise and deliver long support
| lifecycles.
| KronisLV wrote:
| > However the best way to improve this in the current
| system is to spend money on the phones that promise and
| deliver long support lifecycles.
|
| I think a part of the problem here is the fact that I
| haven't seen a phone advertise this as a selling point,
| not once in my life. Where's the RHEL equivalent among
| smartphones?
|
| Then again, I've only used mainstream Android devices and
| Symbian back in the day (which was an amazing time for
| mobile devices, in my opinion).
| kevincox wrote:
| Few do, but there are some of there. For example this
| list. But in more mainstream marketing the Pixels always
| have advertised their support lifespan.
| djur wrote:
| Can they be flipped open one-handed easily?
| ranger_danger wrote:
| Nope, I have this phone and it's quite bulky (about 3 Note8's
| worth of thickness) and requires two hands to open.
| bo1024 wrote:
| > Also the phones rather quickly fall out of the supported
| Android version range
|
| This was my first concern. Otherwise seems awesome.
| shp0ngle wrote:
| yeah if you care about getting updates, don't get CAT phone.
| They stop putting updates very quickly.
|
| Much shorter time you get updates than even Samsung, forget
| Apple.
| kekebo wrote:
| Or if you care about unlocking the bootloader / getting
| root (at least based on the S60).
|
| Latter was possible but non-trivial, with a good chance of
| ending up with a brick. IIRC installing a custom OS to get
| recent security patches never worked (it was abandoned on
| Android 6).
| KronisLV wrote:
| > Or if you care about unlocking the bootloader / getting
| root (at least based on the S60).
|
| It would be really cool if in the $CURRENT_YEAR we could
| finally get unlocked bootloaders for all of our phones
| and actually own the devices.
|
| But that's unlikely to ever happen with the way how
| Android and manufacturers treat the OS, much like how the
| driver situation is nowhere near where *nix is.
| slingnow wrote:
| I know the #1 reason I buy a phone is to get updates for
| it. The rest is window dressing.
| samstave wrote:
| The number #1 reason I buy a phone is TO PREVENT CERTAIN
| UPDATES.
|
| I have been on the iPhone 6S+ since inception. But
| upgraded to the 7S+ only for the water proofing...
|
| Its the only phone I like... but the 6S+ didnt have the
| facial survellience NSA option. Thus I held onto that for
| a long time.
| the_third_wave wrote:
| Try an Android with LineageOS, it won't suddenly change
| underneath you unless you tell it to install a new
| version (full or point release, e.g. 18.1 -> 19). No
| surveillance, no planned obsolescence, no hassles. The
| source is there is you want to modify/build your own
| release. This also makes it possible to extend the life
| of the device even when LineageOS ceases support.
| shp0ngle wrote:
| Then, CAT phones are not for you.
|
| They are very durable, yes, but they don't care about
| supporting them long term, software-wise.
| slingnow wrote:
| So you're telling me the device I buy will stop nagging /
| forcing me to install updates to it that changes / breaks
| the way it functions?
|
| Sign me up!
| shp0ngle wrote:
| You seem to be contradicting yourself?
| treve wrote:
| I took the original comment as sarcasm.
| corrral wrote:
| This would seriously be a Killer Feature for phones for
| my parents. Android updates confuse the hell out of them
| (me, too, when I have to help them out--Google's UI
| design for their built-in apps is terrible, and they
| can't help but screw around with it in _unhelpful_ ways
| every single release)
|
| LTS Android (or iOS) with five+ years of security-only
| updates would be the perfect phone for them.
| legalcorrection wrote:
| You should care about security updates. For most people,
| their phone has more very private data than even their
| laptops. And the attack surface on modern phones is
| absolutely massive.
| ranger_danger wrote:
| _woosh_
| samstave wrote:
| Uh, can you just get a cat phone for all the HW -- and
| manage your own android dist on the phone?
| Animats wrote:
| I've had several CAT phones. I have two S41 phones right now.
| Their biggest weakness is the little rubber covers over the
| ports. Those are the first to go. They need a better solution
| to that problem. Wireless charging, at least.
|
| Also, I've had two of them bulge from battery expansion, just
| from leaving them plugged into power most of the time. Battery
| repair has several week turnaround, which is why I ended up
| with two of them, one back from repair, unused in its box.
|
| Plus, putting silver in the case rubber to "avoid infection" is
| just silly.
| samstave wrote:
| Has anyone tested a 'submersible phone' (whatever water-
| proofing level that may be... and wireless charging whilst
| submerged?
| 867-5309 wrote:
| Linus Tech Tips challenge accepted
| samstave wrote:
| A good litmus may be: get a phone to a certain level of
| depletion of batt
|
| Get (2) phones' batts to same level.
|
| Place each on a charged, but one submerged, one not.
|
| Time to 100% ==?? Measure this multiple times/multiple
| device types
|
| Build a table of "underwater charging rating of
| xFactor..."
| hulitu wrote:
| "Place each on a charged, but one submerged, one not"
|
| Unless the connector is waterproof ( i doubt it) , don't
| try this at home. Water is a good conductor.
| robocat wrote:
| DC plus water equals electrocorrosion[1] if the pins are
| in contact with water. USB 5 Volts is easily enough to
| corrode most electronics - certainly made a huge mess of
| one phone I owned that got dunked while charging.
|
| [1] electrocorrosion isn't used much as a word, but it
| should be. Google electrolytic corrosion, direct current
| corrosion, stray current corrosion.
|
| [null] https://knowledge.electrochem.org/encycl/art-c06-c
| athodic.ht...
| Dylan16807 wrote:
| Connector? This is about wireless charging.
|
| If you're worried about the wire to the charger itself,
| I'm sure they've thought of that if the charger is
| submersible. (Do any of those exist? I'm only finding a
| splash-resistant one.) And if the charger isn't
| submersible it'll be outside the bucket and the cable
| will be fine.
|
| I do see some wireless charging waterproof battery banks.
| No cable needed for that.
| spicybright wrote:
| And make sure to plug it into your bathroom outlet for
| the fault protection!
| SketchySeaBeast wrote:
| Which only makes sense because how else would you test
| this beside sitting in the bath with a stopwatch?
| samstave wrote:
| Try sitting in tub with a toaster?
| [deleted]
| a1369209993 wrote:
| > Plus, putting silver in the case rubber to "avoid
| infection" is just silly.
|
| Pattern matching on silver+rubber+infection, I think this
| might be intended to prevent 'infection' _of the rubber_ (by
| rubber-eating bacteria). I can 't find a citation offhand,
| though.
| aqfamnzc wrote:
| I have an S41 missing its USB cover too, and have always
| wondered if it's still splash or water proof without it. I
| did find a picture of a replacement port online, and it looks
| like that part has a rubber seal which seems promising.
| Zondartul wrote:
| As a fellow CAT S41 user, I can confirm that the phone is
| basically invulnerable to dropping, although one of the rubber
| pads did break off after a couple years of opening and closing
| it. My compass doesn't work, probably due to exposure to strong
| magnets. Gps and cellular internet still work perfectly, I can
| browse modern websites and watch youtube without much trouble.
| The battery lasts forever. The camera is kinda meh and I regret
| not getting the variant with a FLIR camera.
|
| If they can make the flip-phone variant hardy enough to play
| football with I'll definitely buy it. But chances are, my S41
| will still be working by then ;)
| mdp2021 wrote:
| > _hardy enough_
|
| They have a page about the ruggedness of their products -
| "built rugged, perfect for construction sites, farms or
| extreme, outdoor environments"; "Made to military
| specification (MIL-SPEC 810H) - Drop-proof, dust proof and
| shockproof"; "[drop] tested onto concrete from up to 1.8m
| (6ft)"; "waterproof" with Ingress Protection level 8 or 9.
|
| https://www.catphones.com/en-us/features/rugged-and-tough/
| samstave wrote:
| >Play football with...
|
| Basically any phone can work as you play football - because
| your hands are free to browse the web.
| digitalsin wrote:
| Personally I've gotten good enough spirals with a Samsung
| phone that I feel confident during neighborhood pickup games.
| hoistbypetard wrote:
| With my Galaxy, I can get a pretty good spiral when I throw
| it down field, but haven't had any luck so far when I punt
| it. I suppose I need more practice.
| andai wrote:
| >infrared sensors
|
| Thermal imaging! How cool is that!
|
| https://www.catphones.com/en-gb/features/integrated-thermal-...
| unwind wrote:
| Or how hot!
| kipchak wrote:
| There are a couple companies (Seek, FLIR) that make
| attachments for iOS/Android also, though having it integrated
| is definitely nicer.
| ChikkaChiChi wrote:
| I purchased one a few years back. The lack of range and
| incredibly low frame rate make it virtually useless for
| anything more than a few feet away. I think it's meant
| mostly to upsell to the more expensive handhelds.
|
| Frankly, I'm shocked we haven't seen an alternative in this
| segment
| vvladymyrov wrote:
| The promise 13 day standby battery life. Looks like it costs $240
| from t-mobile. I'd love to get phone like that for my kids. Not
| sure it would withstand abuse though. Would be nice if there
| would be iPhone like that .
| thatguy0900 wrote:
| This is a construction company, cat phones are literally made
| solely for abuse. Even says you can wash it with bleach.
| francoisdevlin wrote:
| Right, but experience has taught me that construction
| equipment has nothing on my toddler...
| kube-system wrote:
| It's not made by a construction company. It's made by a
| ruggedized phone manufacturer who licensed CAT's name.
| stratosmacker wrote:
| I just bought one of these and installed a GSI from phhusson
| Unfortunately there are a few things that keep me from daily use
| with the GSI, notably the lid switch doesn't work without the
| stock firmware. Less importantly, the front screen also doesn't
| work, but I can deal with that. WIP
| https://github.com/phhusson/treble_experimentations/issues/2...
|
| There is no T9 keyboard on F-Droid that I can find, and
| everything on the Play store is adware.
|
| Last complaint is that it's thick AF. Yes all the reviews mention
| it. But it's the same WxL as my iphone SE 2016, and TWICE the
| thickness.
|
| When I contacted CAT to retrieve the original ROM so I could fix
| the lid switch issue, I was met with "we do not redistribute ROMs
| outside of the company". Aside from the usual "You are not GPL
| compliant if you don't release your kernel now!" style response,
| this is an asshole move.
|
| I want to like it, I want to use it, we'll see how much resolve I
| have to fix the aforementioned issues. Does anyone want an
| unlocked CAT S22 with a GSI installed? ;)
| phh wrote:
| LID switch fixed
| kk6mrp wrote:
| I'm interested! But I'm not sure I like that big of flip phone.
| I really like the Kyocera e4710 form factor.
| fencepost wrote:
| Smart Keyboard Pro from dexilog.com maybe? Not updated since
| 2020, but I'm not sure what updates would be needed.
| 0x0000000 wrote:
| Does anyone know if this has a built in Hotspot? I want a simple
| flip phone so badly, but in the rare case I need to get online
| while out of the house, I don't want to have to pay for and carry
| a separate device/plan.
| axjmc wrote:
| It does, specs here:
|
| https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone/cat-s22-flip
| omoikane wrote:
| The original site (https://www.catphones.com/en-
| us/cat-s22-flip/) is curious in that I can see the technical
| specs when browsing in Lynx, but not in Chrome or Firefox. I
| can find the specs enclosed in a <div> but couldn't find a
| path that would make it visible. Maybe there there is some
| reason why they want the specs to only be visible on
| T-Mobile's website?
| 0x0000000 wrote:
| Thank you! I did check out that page but missed the "Mobile
| Hotspot Capable: true" the first time around.
| nfriedly wrote:
| That's amazing! I was just saying how I missed the HTC StarTrek
| and wished someone would do a modern take on it.
| gingersnap wrote:
| "I want a smartphone and a fliphone"
|
| Thats a Cat(ch) 22
| herpderperator wrote:
| I actually confused this with Samsung S22... interesting that
| there's no branding issue/trademark?
| 12312er13r wrote:
| This phone selling point hides behind the fact that probably most
| apps won't run well on it :)
|
| i handle corporate phones for a few ONGs. Blackberrys with
| keyboard are still somewhat supported on android, but even gmail
| (gmail! the main app from the main company behind android) have
| bugs that break main functionality (reading email!) because they
| do not care to test the odd screen size.
|
| one of the largest use bases on tiktok are contractors. My guess
| is that this phone will be sold as a way to provide a work phone
| to employees which won't break and won't allow them to waste too
| much time.
|
| CAT phones (and all cheap/rebranded phones listed as "corporate
| ready" by google) are already know for that to be honest. They
| are all behind android release versions even on launch day.
| ranger_danger wrote:
| Try it before you poo poo this phone. Every app I've tried runs
| perfectly on mine, even my favorite 3D pinball game (Zen
| Pinball).
| upupandup wrote:
| few things:
|
| - there is a big bezel that is occupied by CAT logo
|
| - impossible to type
|
| - most smartphones are already quite durable, so it really isn't
| a killer feature.
|
| - im confused as to who would use this. somebody working on an
| oil rig will likely appreciate more screen estate, ability to
| pinch zoom, type, etc.
| Guillaume86 wrote:
| > impossible to type
|
| T9?
| etskinner wrote:
| > - impossible to type
|
| T9 users from back in the day would like a word with you...
| assuming this has T9 or something similar.
|
| Personally, I used to be able to type with greater accuracy and
| speed with T9 than any touchscreen typing or swiping around
| today. After you develop the muscle memory, it's lightning
| fast.
| saint_angels wrote:
| this stock(?) android doesn't look well-suited to the flip phone
| form factor. Is there an android UI made for feature phones?
| pjerem wrote:
| What you need is really just a custom input method to write
| text. Android is already designed to be controlled with arrow
| keys. For tier apps, idk.
| Minor49er wrote:
| I have an LG flip phone that I use for testing phone systems. I
| believe it runs some form of Android. It's mostly okay, but
| typing messages with the keypad requires much slower input than
| the flip phones of yesteryear. Otherwise, typing too quickly
| will miss inputs. The rate is something between half a second
| to a second every time you press a key
| macinjosh wrote:
| The specs list "Android 11 (Go Edition)". I assume "Go Edition"
| is that?
| nicoburns wrote:
| "Go Edition" is really just a version for phones with low
| amounts of RAM.
| travisporter wrote:
| Lineage/Calyx/similar ports possible for such a device?
| stratosmacker wrote:
| GSI tested and working
| everdrive wrote:
| This is exciting in general, but I'm sad they went with Android.
| I certainly understand the practicality of this decision,
| however. It's not as if building your own OS is feasible for most
| manufacturers.
|
| As has been well-reported, it's effectively not possible to turn
| off a lot of the spying built into Android.
|
| That said, I'm still happy this phone exists. While imperfect, it
| seems like a step closer to phones which are primarily phones,
| and are made with practical concerns in mind.
| WesolyKubeczek wrote:
| Let me remind you that KaiOS exists for phones exactly like
| this.
| ck2 wrote:
| (spring-loaded) candybar slider would be superior...
|
| Half as thick (no fold) yet protective cover
|
| In other news they removed the last payphone from NYC this week.
| Pxtl wrote:
| Protective cover? Isn't the screen exposed in a candybar slider
| when closed? This is meant to be a jobsite phone so being fully
| closed is probably a pro.
| happyopossum wrote:
| Why would it be less thick? Each half still has to hold the
| same stuff - battery, screen, keypad, etc.
|
| In my experience, the candy bar sliders I used in the past were
| thicker than flip phones.
| higgins wrote:
| I used the CAT B35 all of last year (and some). Loved it. Battery
| lasted forever. Only pain points were in social scenarios bust
| most of those are mitigated with planning.
|
| More on what I learned with the "dumb phone" experiment here:
| https://encapsulate.me/writing/2021.html
| seltzered_ wrote:
| Oddly, this seems like the perfect phone for elders that from my
| experience have:
|
| - dropped the phone into the toilet, on ground cracking the
| screen, etc.
|
| - can't figure out how to end a call.
|
| - get addicted to reading garbage news on their phone instead of
| trying to use a laptop for thinking about news, writing,
| organizing instead.
| r3trohack3r wrote:
| Not just elders. Im 30 and I've long thought about buying a
| phone that is inconvenient enough to use that I don't build
| habits around it - but still has mapping software, gig economy
| apps, and short-term rental apps to get myself out of a bind in
| the few cases I need those.
|
| This phone is really tempting me. Bonus points that it's built
| the way I feel devices should be: rugged. It would go well with
| my Panasonic Toughbook. Just not super eager to re-enter
| Google's ecosystem.
| jmull wrote:
| I guess even in 2022 there are still some socially acceptable
| prejudices to express.
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| We talk a lot about kids and smartphone addiction but yeah,
| elderly people go crazy for them too.
|
| My wife's parents sit on Facebook just scrolling through photos
| endlessly. They do have other things they get up to, but I
| think their screen time is easily 3-4 hours per day.
|
| My elderly dad is guilty of too much screen time but he gets my
| partial endorsement because he's hacking on Linux and hates the
| news
| jlkuester7 wrote:
| People, talk to your parents about addition to Kernel hacking
| before it is too late!
| happyopossum wrote:
| None of those are exclusive, or even more common in elderly
| people than the general population. Let's not ascribe negatives
| to people based on any single factor such as age, sex, or race,
| ok?
| corrral wrote:
| That kind of thing happens to me all the time. iOS c. version
| 6 was a refuge from it, mostly, but they've since added so
| much more stuff to it (and replaced the home button with a
| gesture) that I find myself doing things by accident on there
| all the time, too, now.
|
| It's much worse for my parents, because when they do
| something by accident (or when some designed-by-assholes
| program decides it needs to replace your usual screen with
| some "helpful" full-screen message about an update, on launch
| or on trying to take an action) it takes them far longer to
| figure out what's happening and how to undo it. Often they
| just give up after a while.
| seltzered_ wrote:
| fair point, though I'll note my assertion was based on
| personal observation, frustration, and setting up
| interventions out of concern.
| jdmoreira wrote:
| Will this make me less addicted to my phone? If so, worth it!
| MiddleEndian wrote:
| Consider getting a Palm Phone. They're small, and if you spend
| too much time dicking around on one, it will simply run out of
| battery.
| hinkley wrote:
| People bag on Apple for making their phones thinner instead
| of increasing battery life. But perhaps as a constrained
| resource it keeps civilization running instead of grinding to
| a halt.
| enw wrote:
| Get a Kindle and start reading books instead. It has Wi-Fi as
| well to browse Hacker News on e-ink.
| throwaway787544 wrote:
| Highly recommend a regular feature phone or a KaiOS phone; the
| latter still has useful apps, the former doesn't. You can still
| keep your old smartphone with wifi if something requires a real
| smartphone, and a bunch of feature phones have a hotspot mode.
|
| My biggest problem is I have to keep my smartphone stowed away
| somewhere or I just use it instead of the feature phone.
| rconti wrote:
| The thing I always hated about clamshell phones (I was a flip
| phone guy.. eg, Ericsson T28/T39) was the duplication of screens.
| It seemed so silly to need a 2nd screen to be able to see
| anything while it was closed. That said, for a rugged phone I
| sort of get it; you protect the fancy inner screen.
|
| I always loved flip vs candybar because of the active
| answer/termination of the flip function. I guess that doesn't
| matter so much these days since I never talk on my phone.
| throwaway81523 wrote:
| Back in my day, flip phones had swappable batteries. It doesn't
| sound like this one does. Does it?
| smegsicle wrote:
| i guess if it's not claiming to be a 'multimedia device' no 3.5mm
| jack isn't that big of a downside
| loeg wrote:
| I like that they describe Android 11 not as the world's best
| operating system, but as the world's _biggest_ operating system.
| etskinner wrote:
| It seems odd that they'd use the word 'biggest' instead of
| 'most popular'. Wouldn't big = bloat?
| newsclues wrote:
| Geographic footprint of installed devices.
| [deleted]
| umeshunni wrote:
| What is "Programmable PTT Button"? I assume it's "Push to Talk".
| What's the use case for it? Who uses it?
| tener wrote:
| I can imagine it being used as a walkie-talkie replacement.
| Thoreandan wrote:
| An example I've seen is a dozen construction workers on a big
| job site whose phones push-to-talk goes to the speakerphones of
| everyone on their team. This functionality was big with Nextel
| phones/service in the early cellular era.
| serf wrote:
| >This functionality was big with Nextel phones/service in the
| early cellular era.
|
| as one of the fossils who was a subscriber to Nextel, I feel
| compelled to mention that the Motorola TAC phones were like
| 30 years earlier; the 'early cellular era' had been underway
| for some time before Nextel.
| saalweachter wrote:
| There's a physical button you can program -- you can use it for
| PTT, or to turn on the flashlight, open your to-do list, etc.
| stusmall wrote:
| I used to work on another ruggedized Android smartphone that
| focused on large commercial deployments. We focused more on
| hospitals than industrial. The PTT feature was a big selling
| feature. It was really popular with nurses communicating with
| the rest of their team on the floor. Think of it like a walkie
| talkie you can easily integrate tons of other daily work tasks
| with. Instead of just talking to your team you could also pull
| up charts, check emails, etc all on one device. Built into the
| PTT was also a panic button to sound an alarm for an emergency.
| It's just a handy flexible tool and from my understanding our
| customers found different useful ways to apply it to their
| needs.
| Pxtl wrote:
| Do these go through an app/wifi or do they use conventional
| radio?
| stusmall wrote:
| For the model I worked on, it was multicast on WiFi. I
| don't know about all models though. Not everything we sold
| had WiFi.
| c22 wrote:
| If it's like the extra button on my phone (Cat S61) you should
| be able to set it up to do whatever you like. I have mine set
| to toggle the flashlight on long press which is super
| convenient.
| throwaway4aday wrote:
| Not what I want in a flip phone at all. If I ever do make the
| switch to a flip phone it'll be to get away from all of the smart
| phone features. So that means no Android or iOS, just a basic
| feature phone "OS". Call and text only, no internet.
| Syonyk wrote:
| You might like Sunbeam's offerings:
| https://sunbeamwireless.com/
|
| They have some that are exactly what you want.
| schroeding wrote:
| I would love a reboot of the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2[1]. Worked
| just like this phone, but looked way better, as it wasn't
| ruggedized and just a "normal" (well, as normal as a flip-phone
| can be today) phone.
|
| Will probably never happen, though :D
|
| [1] https://www.gsmchoice.com/de/katalog/samsung/galaxyfolder2/
| AdamH12113 wrote:
| I've been looking to reduce my smartphone usage, and I would be
| really tempted by this if it weren't limited to T-Mobile. The
| ability to make a hot spot and run a handful of 2FA apps really
| seals the deal.
| wffurr wrote:
| T-Mobile coverage and speeds are great. Also it's a GSM phone
| and probably works with other carriers if you purchase it
| outright.
| pjerem wrote:
| > T-Mobile coverage and speeds are great.
|
| Not in EU :D
| Tijdreiziger wrote:
| No problems in the Netherlands. They like to pride
| themselves on being the country's best network.
| pjerem wrote:
| Ok that was not my point and I forgot that the T-Mobile
| brand existed in some EU countries. But my point was that
| the phone wasn't available outside of the US.
| CharlesW wrote:
| I don't know how pricing compares to local brands, but
| T-Mobile is majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom. I imagine
| this explains a related benefit:
|
| "With our Magenta plans, you get unlimited texting and data
| in 210+ countries & destinations. No international data-
| roaming charges. No setup. It just works the minute you
| arrive."
|
| https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/roaming
| username190 wrote:
| In the fine print, that page notes that international
| data is limited to 128kbps (or 256kbps if you're on the
| top-tier 'MAX' plan).
|
| Phones that are designed for (or sold through) T-Mobile
| US won't necessarily work on T-Mobile NL, because they
| operate on different frequency bands, take advantage of
| different CA combos (combining different frequency bands
| for better coverage/speed), etc. The phone would likely
| also be locked to T-Mobile US for a period of time after
| purchase.
| CharlesW wrote:
| > _In the fine print..._
|
| Good catch!
|
| > _The phone would likely also be locked to T-Mobile US
| for a period of time after purchase._
|
| Looks like 40 days:
| https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibility/consumer-
| info/polici...
|
| > _Phones that are designed for (or sold through)
| T-Mobile US won 't necessarily work on T-Mobile NL..._
|
| Supported network bands according to
| https://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=6464:
| LTE 4G band 1 / 2100 MHz IMT (Europe,
| Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil, India, Israel) band
| 2 / 1900 MHz PCS (Americas) band 3 / 1800
| MHz DCS (Europe, Asia, Africa) band 4 /
| 1700 MHz AWS (Americas) band 5 / 850 MHz
| Cellular (Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel) band 7
| / 2600 MHz IMT-E (Canada, South America, Europe,
| Asia) band 12 / 700 MHz Lower 700 (USA)
| band 13 / 750 MHz Upper 700 (USA (Verizon))
| band 20 / 800 MHz EU Digital Dividend (Europe)
| band 25 / 1900 MHz PCS+G (USA (T-Mobile))
| band 26 / 850 MHz Extended Cellular (USA
| (T-Mobile)) band 28 / 700 MHz APT (Oceana,
| Asia, Central America) band 38 / 2600 MHz
| IMT-E (Europe, Latin America, Asia) band 39 / 1900
| MHz DCS-IMT Gap (China) band 40 / 2300 MHz
| (Asia, Africa, Oceana) band 41 / 2500 MHz
| BRS / EBS (USA (T-Mobile)) band 66 / 1700 MHz
| AWS-3 (Americas) band 71 / 600 MHz 600 (USA
| (T-Mobile)) WCDMA 3G band 1 (I) / 2100
| MHz IMT (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Brazil,
| India, Israel) band 2 (II) / 1900 MHz PCS
| (Americas) band 4 (IV) / 1700 MHz AWS (Americas)
| band 5 (V) / 850 MHz Cellular (Americas, Oceania,
| Brazil, Israel) band 8 (VIII) / 900 MHz (Europe,
| Asia, Africa) CDMA 2G / 3G band 27 /
| BC10 / 800 MHz ESMR (Americas (T-Mobile)) band 5 /
| BC0 / 850 MHz Cellular (Americas, Oceania, Brazil,
| Israel) band 2 / BC1 / 1900 MHz PCS (Americas)
| GSM 2G band 5 / 850 MHz Cellular
| (Americas, Oceania, Brazil, Israel) band 8 / 900
| MHz (Europe, Asia, Africa) band 3 / 1800
| MHz DCS (Europe, Asia, Africa) band 2 /
| 1900 MHz PCS (Americas)
| nfriedly wrote:
| I mentioned this in another comment, but based on [1], it looks
| like it supports a good range of 2G/3G/4G bands. So if you can
| find one unlocked, then there's a good change it will work on
| your carrier of choice.
|
| [1] https://www.gsmarena.com/cat_s22_flip-11141.php
| daviddaviddavid wrote:
| When Sprint/T-Mobile forced me to get a new flip phone because my
| Kyocera would no longer be supported, I had to decide between the
| Alcatel Go Flip, the Cat S22 and a Sonim XP3 Plus. I went with
| the Sonim and I am very happy with it.
|
| https://www.sonimtech.com/products/devices/xp3plus/
|
| The Alcatel had many bad reviews. The Cat seemed huge and
| defeated many of purposes I have for having a flip phone in the
| first place. The Sonim has incredible build quality, no apps,
| internet works fine. I have no complaints. I haven't tried using
| Google Maps on it yet, but if that works I will love it even more
| and ditch my Garmin GPS.
| ranger_danger wrote:
| From what I can tell the XP3 does not support the Google Play
| Store nor unsigned apps, while the S22 does both.
| hammycheesy wrote:
| I'm also rocking an XP3 Plus! I bought it around September
| because I was looking to curb my screen time. I ruled out the
| S22 for similar reasons.
|
| I find that in rare cases I need to bring my old smart phone
| with me (traveling, mainly) for things like airline tickets,
| movies on planes, maps in new areas.
|
| Otherwise day-to-day I am exclusively using the XP3. My screen
| time is now at an average of <10 min per day, and my battery
| life is between 5-6 days on average.
|
| Super happy with the experience, and I bought back so much more
| time and sanity by not staring at my phone for hours per day.
| jamestanderson wrote:
| What's your experience with group texting? I've been looking
| for a dumb-er phone, but I need good group texting support to
| stay in touch with my family. I've tried phones like the
| Nokia 3310 and Nokia 225 TA-1282, and have been disappointed
| in the way they handle group texting.
| daviddaviddavid wrote:
| Group texting works fine for me. It auto converts to MMS
| and sending/replying works as expected. On my old Kyocera,
| a group text would seemingly send individual texts in a
| loop over the recipients, which always seemed broken.
|
| The one maddening thing about texting on my Sonim is the
| KT9 predictive texting. Short, high-frequency function
| words such as "am", "of", "the", etc always have way
| decreased preference compared to larger, less common words
| that start with those substrings. e.g. If I type "amethyst"
| just one time, that word will always be preferred over the
| much more common "am".
| hammycheesy wrote:
| This experience matches mine. Never had problems group
| texting. Also find the predictive text a little
| frustrating (it's also seemingly impossible to reliably
| type contractions like "I'm"), but not deal-breaking. I
| see in another comment here that there's an open source
| T9 Android keyboard [1] that I may try out...
|
| [1] https://github.com/Clam-/TraditionalT9
| kk6mrp wrote:
| I got one also but it has a lot of rough edges compared to the
| Kyocera ones. That and it is larger.
| paulcole wrote:
| This is the kind of thing everybody says they want until they
| discover it exists and then they'll find a reason to not buy it.
| dcdc123 wrote:
| I feel like most people that want flip phones want something
| reliable and durable. I don't think shoving Android onto a tiny
| screen in a flip form factor accomplishes this.
| coryfklein wrote:
| My biggest impediment to downsizing my cell phone: maps and
| navigation. In my vehicle I _need_ to have at least a moderately
| sized screen in order to navigate safely. And the device _needs_
| to have mobile internet access.
|
| How do folks who are downsizing their cell phones work around
| this? Do you use a non-phone GPS in your car? Do you keep a
| larger cell phone around for "when you need it"?
| zhobbs wrote:
| It's a pretty recent version of Android, it probably supports
| Android Auto. So if you have a newer car or an aftermarket
| Android Auto device it might be best of both worlds.
| Nition wrote:
| Unfortunately not. It's running Android Go Edition, which
| doesn't support Android Auto.
| IE6 wrote:
| Anecdotally I have noticed that Android Auto is not supported
| properly on these oddball devices. I had a Unihertz Titan for
| a while and Android Auto refused to work properly and would
| just show a black screen. Of course with a Pixel phone it
| works fine.
| ZoomStop wrote:
| Tech like Android Auto could solve for this in a natural
| feeling way. Did these CAT phones lack mobile data?
| doublerabbit wrote:
| Had me excited thinking for it to not be an android phone.
|
| I miss the days when companies made their own operating systems
| for their phones, with their own OS/Firmware. Using your friends
| phone which had a completly different set of features really made
| the expirence fun. Every year I would get a new phone for xmas
| and it was a whole new expirence.
|
| Every phone was different but now when a new phone is released,
| it's just a new rectangle with X camera's we don't even need. All
| running the same bloated OS with less privacy and restrictions on
| customisability to boot.
| HidyBush wrote:
| The current mobile software ecosystem makes me so angry. We could
| truly have flip phones if only whatsapp, imessage, and whatever
| else were open protocols. Just program a simplified client that
| sips battery and is optimized for number keys and I would be
| golden. Instead if you want to have the privilege of sending
| _text messages_ you have to pack a whole android distribution to
| install some bloated unoptimized app
| izacus wrote:
| This is running a slimmed down, memory saving version of
| Android (that is - Go edition).
|
| What exactly is preventing you from buying it, if that's what
| you care about? It's literally what you want.
| golergka wrote:
| > the privilege of sending text messages
|
| And dropbox is just rsync with extra whistles, right?
|
| I don't think that modern messaging apps could be trivialized
| to just "sending text messages". And even if you in particular
| don't use all the other features, all the other people who
| create network effects do.
| HidyBush wrote:
| I don't understand your reply. Are you implying that Dropbox
| is so advanced that it couldn't be implemented on a simpler
| device? Are you seriously telling me you need Android to send
| encrypted blobs over the internet?
| golergka wrote:
| I'm referencing an infamous HN comment on Dropbox.
| dlivingston wrote:
| Matrix offers bridges to a large number of messaging services
| (WhatsApp & iMessage included). I don't know why it hasn't
| become more popular. https://matrix.org/bridges/
| renewiltord wrote:
| How do they implement iMessage? Through a puppet VM of some
| sort?
| jdmoreira wrote:
| You need a mac computer and the bridge reads some local
| folder as far as I know
| SahAssar wrote:
| It needs you to run the bridge on either a mac or a
| jailbroken iphone.
|
| Connecting matrix to non-open ecosystems is a bit hit-and-
| miss in that it often requires you to run bridges in
| special ways and there are sometimes ways it breaks
| unexpectedly. I expect that to improve if the EU passes its
| law to force more interoperability.
| HidyBush wrote:
| I know about matrix bridges, but I'm sorry to say they're a
| pipe dream. First of all I would have to manage them myself,
| which is a pain and costs money.
|
| Secondly, anything could break at any time: the vps provider,
| the domain provider, the matrix server, the bridges
| themselves could go unmaintained or suddenly not be
| compatible anymore.
|
| It's truly a flaky hack, and in truth you shouldn't need a
| flaky hack to send a photo to your uncle using whatsapp
| sa1 wrote:
| Beeper[1] is an app hosting these matrix bridges for you.
|
| 1: https://www.beeper.com/
| [deleted]
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