Hacker News Reader

Comment by archi42 | Hacker News Reader

Site is under maintanance, Google Cache link (hahaha): http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:europa.... //edit: oh, took only a minute or two :) nice work

I really like this point:

> [Google] has prevented manufacturers wishing to pre-install Google apps from selling even a single smart mobile device running on alternative versions of Android that were not approved by Google (so-called "Android forks").

Woaah, if this is dropped, it might entice someone to produce Google-free Android Phones (e.g. with MicroG) WITHOUT sacrificing the "Google pre-installed" Android market. I would buy the Google-Facebook-Other_BS-free variant of your otherwise commercial high-to-mid-end, google-and-other-stuff-infested mobile phone!

View on HN

I agree, if dropped, this will motivate big electronics players to release smart phones powered by android that aren't Google infested.

Sometimes when I'm in a cynical mood, I feel like my android phone isn't really mine, it's owned by google and exists purely to serve them.

This would improve the smartphone market on so many levels. We need a great driver support for AOSP, multiple app stores, community driven updates, so on and so forth to make this new reality.

I also feel like Android could play a huge role in IoT if it weren't as Google infested as you call it.

PS - site is working fine for me.

>Sometimes when I'm in a cynical mood, I feel like my android phone isn't really mine, it's owned by google and exists purely to serve them.

But this is objectively true, else why would Google spend so much money developing an OS to release for free?

This is a funny comment. You can get a samsung infested phone anytime, or Amazon, or any something from China? AOSP is created and being developed by google, calling Google's applications infestation is weird. You can also get an Apple infested (to the very core) phone as well.

Fair enough. I still feel like iPhones are infested with apple apps for my benefit or at least to not let other cos take advantage of me. Apple’s privacy oriented disposition makes this perception.

My iPhone serves me even if it is apple infested. My Nexus 6P can’t make me feel the same. Feels like it exists only to feed google data about me, and help me a little while doing so.

>Sometimes when I'm in a cynical mood, I feel like my android phone isn't really mine, it's owned by google and exists purely to serve them.

I am not aware of a smartphone out there where that isn't true. What is the incentive for Google to continue updating Android at all?

> I would buy the Google-Facebook-Other_BS-free variant of your otherwise commercial high-to-mid-end, google-and-other-stuff-infested mobile phone!

Isn't that what the BlackPhone has been doing for some time?

https://www.silentcircle.com/products-and-solutions/blackpho...

The problem with these offerings is: They are special developments targeting a niche. For that, they're great.

But I am not willing to spend 650 Euro on a BlackPhone2 when a 250 Euro phone is technically/hardware-wise enough for me. If things go as the EU wishes, Silent Circle could offer mass market phones at competitive prices and with the software most users expect (full Google Android experience) in addition to their current offering - allowing for MUCH better scaling effects and thus lower prices for their phones.

You can s/Silent Circle/ with any other manufacturer, e.g. HTC or Samsung. Those are already targeting the mass market and thus are already producing at scale. In theory they "only" need to develop a source tree variant, add some bucks to the price for Enterprise phones and could then serve a (gut feeling: growing?) privacy niche as well.

I don't know if that's really worthwhile for any them, I honestly have my doubts; what's the local saying? Hope dies last... Whatever way this turns out, at least now the manufacturers have more legal options (in the EU).

Same press release but in PDF form: http://europa.eu/newsroom/rapid-failover/ip-18-4581_en.pdf

Reply on news.ycombinator.com