Samsung Scandal

[Delightful Life]

Cell Phones are my addiction

As addictions go, this one is one of the better ones

Anyway, just found oot aboot this nasty thing Samsung did

Here is a short 9 min vid on what happened

(with links below the vid to sources and more info)

Essentially Samsung remotly disabled some people's phones in Mexico (they couldn't even make calls) and held their data hostage until they bought new phones from Samsung. They lied aboot the reasons. Good thing Mexico gov't stepped in :3

I see stuff like this keeps on happening

(I am a Right to Repair advocate as well...I believe that if I buy something I own it and I have the right to do with it what I want which includes repairing it...many companies are and have been fighting this...to repair a John Deere tractor is illegal to do it one's self is one bad example...so the customer has to pay big bux...)

I am glad that some gov'ts are fighting back with proper regulations :3

 

[Luce NDs]

Business regimen is always better that folk based which may involve doing something for the good of the populace (socially conscious)?

"Damn that sucks" say many Billion Eire 's ... yet they have Mastered the lies and Lisa 've all as you no longer can possess anything ... even yourself as an unknown hare of the top dog ...

Word is important (critical even) carry it well and don't let them know you are a carrier of the dis eased ... those giving up the word as muted essence ... it is laid out in the buk as the Lady of the Lake/el OHC? Just a mire impression ... requires some dirt, dust, etc.

The dirt behind and beyond some myths is substantial ...

 

[Northwind]

That does sound like a good time for government intervention. We just replaced our five year old Samsung phones with new Samsung phones. They're at my sister's and we pick them up today.

I'm thinking every big business is guilty of something like this.

That's a pretty nasty thing to do.

 

[KayTheCurler]

Nasty move by Samsung. No one told us we couldn't repair our John Deere equipment. Most of it qualified as antique - the local museum were working on a tractor like one we used a lot on our small farm.

 

[Mendalla]

I need to watch the video. Not sure if this is relevant to right to repair. If they are very old phones, then they could be a security hazard due to the software not being updateable, not because of hardware. Being able to repair them has nothing to do with that. There are often builds of newer versions of Android (since it is open source) for old unsupported phones but only a serious geek (like my son) can really change the build that's on a phone. And that's not always an option for less popular phones. The open source crowd tend to focus on what they and their friends have. However, phones that had been cracked and had a non-Samsung build of Android would not have been affected anyhow since Samsung's software would all be gone.

We just replaced our five year old Samsung phones with new Samsung phones.

That's actually the current replacement cycle for Samsung. They stop issuing new updates for phones after five years (it used to be three, IIRC). That said, they don't wipe or anything after five years, you're just on your own if there's a breach or bug.

So without watching the video, and I can't right now, I'm reserving judgement.

 

[Mendalla]

One other point on right to repair: As far as I know, you can get Samsung devices repaired. I'm pretty sure we have at work and there's a number of shops around here that will do them. Apple has always been the sticky one because they want all the repairs (and money for them) done in their shops and they want to push replacement as quickly as possible so they can make more $$. Most Android devices are repairable, keeping in mind that repairing phones is mostly replacing screens or batteries, maybe ports (like the headphone jack or charging port). There's no way to upgrade RAM or change out the processor like there is in PCs.

 

[Northwind]

That's actually the current replacement cycle for Samsung. They stop issuing new updates for phones after five years (it used to be three, IIRC). That said, they don't wipe or anything after five years, you're just on your own if there's a breach or bug.

Our current phones are good ones. They have lasted well and are still working. I'm conscious that can change in a flash so when the Black Friday deals came up I took advantage of it. I don't want to be in a position to have to upgrade at short notice and high cost.

We'll end up with essentially the same monthly bill and far more data.

. Apple has always been the sticky one because they want all the repairs (and money for them) done in their shops and they want to push replacement as quickly as possible so they can make more $$.

Apple seems to be like the Borg to me. I have zero intention of buying any Apple products or related anytime soon.

 

[Mendalla]

I have zero intention of buying any Apple products or related anytime soon.

Ditto. They have the advantage of being fairly easy to use and maintain for a non-technical user but, yeah, Borg isn't a bad analogy. Plus the fanbois and fangrlz can be annoying in their devotion. Sorry, folks but Steve Jobs is not Jesus and Tim Cook, as good a CEO as he is, is not the second coming. Having a gay CEO is probably the one thing I have "hell yes'd" Apple for in recent years. In terms of product, I am quite meh to negative.

 

[Northwind]

When I was looking for cases for our phones yesterday I had to dig through Apple to get to Samsung. They sure know how to market. I highly doubt that the displays represent the proportion of Apple to android users. The displays would suggest about 80% of people use Apple.

 

[Mendalla]

Frankly, the mobile world is largely down to Samsung vs. Apple with Google, who are also Android of course (it's their OS), pulling up behind Samsung. There's still lots of other Android phones but outside China and some developing countries, where companies like Xiaomi and Huawei have strong presence, I can't think of any having a significant market share.

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

I thi

When I was looking for cases for our phones yesterday I had to dig through Apple to get to Samsung. They sure know how to market. I highly doubt that the displays represent the proportion of Apple to android users. The displays would suggest about 80% of people use Apple.

I think 80% is probably true. I can tell when someone is using iMessage (text between iPhones) because the text boxes are blue for iMessage and green if they come from a different type of phone or if iMessage is switched off - but the fact that text boxes are usually blue means most people I text with use iPhone. I don’t buy my phones they are hand me downs when a family member upgrades so I don’t choose iPhone but I’m (fortunately) provided with it and I’m used to it.

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

Samsung and others are just as much borg-like in terms of predicting consumer behaviour etc, mic’s, cameras. Apple is supposedly safest from hacking but I don’t think any of them are. I think of Androids as like bargain brand that aren’t as good but they do the job. Maybe Apple programmed me to think that - but they do seem better.

I don’t like that Steve Jobs and Tim Cook had/ have almost guru status. I don’t actually even know the names of Android inventors.

 

[Mendalla]

I think of Androids as like bargain brand that aren’t as good but they do the job.

You do realize that the the top-end Androids like the Galaxy S are as feature-rich, safe and secure as an iPhone for similar prices (i.e. hardly "bargain brands")? That Samsung has enterprise-grade security baked into every phone so is preferred over iPhone by guys like me? That almost every app on Apple, save Apple's own, has an Android counterpart? The best thing Apple has done is their move to make it easier to control your private data (earning them Mark Zuckerberg's ire and my thumbs-up) and some of the better Android phones (Google, Samsung) are introducing similar features. Really, you're speaking from ignorance here.

To be honest, from a privacy and security standpoint, Blackberry was the best in its heyday. Neither Android nor iPhone is their equal in that regard without adding additional management software like we use at work.

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

You do realize that the the top-end Androids like the Galaxy S are as feature-rich, safe and secure as an iPhone for similar prices (i.e. hardly "bargain brands")? That Samsung has enterprise-grade security baked into every phone so is preferred over iPhone by guys like me? That almost every app on Apple, save Apple's own, has an Android counterpart? The best thing Apple has done is their move to make it easier to control your private data (earning them Mark Zuckerberg's ire and my thumbs-up) and some of the better Android phones (Google, Samsung) are introducing similar features. Really, you're speaking from ignorance here.

To be honest, from a privacy and security standpoint, Blackberry was the best in its heyday. Neither Android nor iPhone is their equal in that regard without adding additional management software like we use at work.

I’m not arguing - I really don’t know. I’ve had people equally as tech savvy tell me iPhone is the safest and has built in security that’s almost foolproof. But iOS updates so often - and if you miss an update it seems to get glitchy (and soon enough doesn’t support apps). Then there’s the planned obsolescence that drives me nuts. And the fact that you can really only have Apple technicians fix it. Because, like I said, I get hand me downs. I can’t afford to buy a good phone of any brand so I accept what I’m given. That’s as much of a bargain as there is.

 

[Delightful Life]

No one told us we couldn't repair our John Deere equipment. Most of it qualified as antique - the local museum were working on a tractor like one we used a lot on our small farm.

It has been an issue for a while
Glad to hear the company finally seems to have allowed people to fix their own tractors

Farmers need right to repair their own equipment

Earlier this month, John Deere, one of the world’s largest farm equipment manufacturers, signed a “right to repair” memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau. This means farmers in the United States now have the right to fix their John Deere tractors and other farm equipment...

ofa.on.ca

 

[Delightful Life]

I am currently looking into alternatives to Apple and Google phones...one where I can still make calls, text and take pics...

 

[Mendalla]

I am currently looking into alternatives to Apple and Google phones...one where I can still make calls, text and take pics...

By Google you mean Android? There aren't really any at this point if you want a smartphone. The closest you can come are the Chinese phones and then you're sucked into their ecosystem.

Now, if you just want a feature phone with a camera (so no email, web browser, apps, etc.), which it sounds like you might be thinking, there are still options out there but I will have to research them. Have not looked at feature phones in a while.

Here is what Beast Buy has but it's all marketplace sellers, nothing that they carry themselves. But they are all unlocked so you can use any provider, even the cheap SIMs from a place like 7-11.

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/category/unlocked-feature-phones/748655

These two are available from providers but the cameras suck (2MP). Basically, feature phones as we knew them 15 or so years ago.

Cymbal 2

The perfect device to live a simplistically minimal life.

www.ztecanada.com

Great Phones & Plans with Unlimited Talk | chatr mobile

www.chatrwireless.com

 

[Waterfall]

Rogers has a Free 5G new phone plan for anyone in Canada with proven low income. It's $25 a month with data.
There are various other companies offering low rates for seniors too.
I am not on any of those plans, but I got a Pixel phone free from Rogers because it was used and a 2022 model.

 

[Luce NDs]

Rogers has a Free 5G new phone plan for anyone in Canada with proven low income. It's $25 a month with data.
There are various other companies offering low rates for seniors too.
I am not on any of those plans, but I got a Pixel phone free from Rogers because it was used and a 2022 model.

Unreal ... maybe something declared by different word(s) ... out there?

 

[Northwind]

We didn't have to pay for our new Samsung phones. I saw that Samsung had a sale. Telus had a big sale which meant free Samsung phone. Presumably Samsung gave Telus a good deal. This is my third Samsung. I have no complaints. We had our last phones for five years and they are still working.