I have been trying to make a move to free software and open
hardware, and talk to my friends about doing the same. The idea is to
move all smartphone tasks onto another portable device that does not
turn on bluetooth or wireless by default, does not have a SIM, SSID,
CDMA, or any other cell technology (like a tablet but pocket sized). I
want it to:
a. take good digital pictures and videos (without location tagging),
b. do offline GPS navigation if needed (not a requirement, but a nice feature),
c.
Let me put appointments into a calendar, with audible reminders,
possibly vibrations, where I can insert directions, contacts, and other
appointment details;
d. connect to bluetooth speakers to play music,
e. play my music, hopefully free software can play mp3 as well as ogg, flac, and wav?,
f. play video files, in whatever video file formats are free software friendly,
g.
have a contacts list, with phone numbers, names, email, addresses...
and be able to import csv or other cell phone contact list formats,
h.
make secure connections over WiFi or Ethernet from behind a VPN, i2p,
tor, or other security methods, to browse the web with free software web
browsers and free software browser plugins.
WiFi and Bluetooth communications are not required. A, C, G, should be the top priority I think?
F and E should be secondary in importance,
B should be third in importance,
And the others should be fourth in importance.
Long battery life is important, so you can keep the device on, so it can alert you to callendar events. My 5,000 mAh smartphones seem to last a good while, while the 3,000 mAh ones only last a day, but perhaps with more light weight software, better power management, and hardware, battery life could last longer.
It should fit in your pocket, and should not require a physical keyboard, but it might be nice to have one.
An
alternative I looked into was the PDA's without bluetooth or wifi, but
they are old, and the batteries and screens usually go bad quickly, and
other accessories may not be good. Of course if the software is
proprietary it may not matter, as long as the device does not connect to
the internet, bluetooth, or directly to any other device. It can't spy
on you or share your information if it can't communicate.
PDA's used for barcode scanning looked like a good option, if affordable ones could be found.
Pocket Computers and Handheld Computers looked like good possible platforms.
I
have an old android tablet that your site said would work for
replicant, however I haven't been able to find that resource since the fsf website was changed. Public access to the Forum and other resources are either hidden or gone from the FSF website. I did find some links by using a search engine. On the FSF website I don't even see links to GNU/Linux approved distributions. I'm not sure if I like the
idea of installing free software on hardware I can't trust. I have a
lineageos phone, and it still connects to data and or wifi when data and
wifi are disabled. It seems to happen when bluetooth is enabled. I
don't think I trust the device or the software with my calendar data or
pictures. I have a laptop with a switch that turns off WiFi, but that same WiFi card is not removable, so that makes me wonder if it can be trusted. You can't turn off the bluetooth with a switch. A laptop is too big for my pocket, and the battery won't last ;)
I have recently made a
discovery in the computer hardware world, and once I am able to patent
it, and make cash off of it, I want to invest in free and open
technology. I'm not sure if wireless technology can ever be truly
secure.
I would like to get away from
using gmail, but I haven't found another email server I trust yet, and I
have lots of things tied to my gmail accounts. It will take time to
switch to another email, once I find one to switch to. I tried Riseup.net but they told me that I need to be referred by someone else, or be part of an anarchist movement of some kind to have a mailing list.
Perhaps the FSF has suggestions for email providers?
Thank
you for your time, and may Jesus bless you, your family, your business,
your income, your health, your youth, and everything God has for you to
do!
Sincerely,
Justin Breithaupt.