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Comment by pyre | Hacker News Reader

I would be interested in a smartphone that doesn't require a Google account (or an Apple account) to function.

Get an Android phone and don't sign into your Google account (and flash a ROM that has it all removed, if you'd like). There are APKs available of non-Play Store stores that should let you find alternate map apps, etc..

I've done that, but I'd still like to get a few apps from the official Play store, and I haven't found any other way to download and install them.

I've found http://f-droid.org/ to be an increasingly viable alternative Android app store. All open source so obviously the choice is comparatively smaller, but it seems to have pretty much everything I need.

I have never signed in to any google account on my Galaxy Nexus. It works OK but I don't really install apps - it's too much of a hassle to track down the APKs.

The Windows Phone ones are out there. ;)

Now, I get your point, but there are too many useful scenarios where having an online ID helps (and too many benefits for providers if you have an ID too) that I don't think this is very feasible.

Last time I tried (HTC 8S) you needed an outlook account to mass transfer contacts from one phone to another (bluetooth was limited, vcf not allowed). Background syncing and 'cloud' features were aggressively pushed on users. Microsoft is no different from Google.

The WP mention was a joke.

I do agree that the account thing is pushed too much in many cases.

My point was that having an ID has too many advantages to both the phone user and the OS company (not that those two sets of advantages have a bigger intersection...) that it's hard to see their presence/usage in smart phones not happening.

I know it's not the answer you're looking for, but a Windows Phone fits your description. (and it's quite good)

... doesn't Windows Phone require a Windows Live account for most functionality? Not specified by GP, but almost certainly equally undesirable.

Yes, hence my "not the answer you're looking for" :)

now, explain the "Quite Good" part.

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