[Discussion & Suggestion?]A Smartwatch with Some Privacy?

[Discussion & Suggestion?]A Smartwatch with Some Privacy? - Other SmartWatches

Good evening. I'm in the process of leaving google. To put it simply, I am to replace GApps with MicroG, cause privacy reasons. However, one thing that's holding me back is that MicroG doesn't have WearOS support, at least not at the time of this writing, it's yet to be implemented. So I'm looking for alternatives to replace my TicWatch E2, be it software (custom firmware?) or hardware. I've been considering full android watches, which hopefully there's at least one with custom ROMs available for it, or at least don't have GApps on it, which could be removed but I am uncertain if it's the safest route. I should note that, I, personally usually use my watch to reply to notifications, and keep me updated on stuff like weather, battery lives, step count, calendar events, among other things. I got to make a watchface that does all this, so if you've a watch that has WatchMaker support, or have a way to get custom watch faces on it, that'd be a huge bonus for me.
So I'm wide open to suggestions. I was considering the Zeblaze Thor 5 Pro, the Kospet Prime, cause those two were fairly new and were covered plentifully, but mind I've yet to look deeper. But again, I'm open to suggestions, so if you happen to know of a watch that respects privacy at least a bit, or has custom ROMs or can do any of the things I currently can (some give or take), please do let me know!

Related

Thinking about getting TPT. Few basic questions.

Hey all,
I'm sick of waiting around for the Samsung Note 10.1" and I really want a device with great stylus support. I have owned ThinkPads in the past (when they were IBM) and from the reviews it seems like most peoples problems with this device were software, not hardware related. I've owned 3 other android devices, always rooted and loaded custom ROMs on them but I am seeing a lot less development activity and choice here. So some questions:
1) I will probably order from Amazon, 32GB w/ stylus. Not sure if it will come with ICS aka 4.0.3 aka OTA3 (I think?). If it does there is currently no way to root it correct?
2) I see there are a few rooting methods, packages, apps, etc. I am getting really confused about which ones are for which device & image (K1, TPT, ROW, JP, etc). Is there a "go to" guide for this specific device?
3) Are there any AOSP ROMs available? If not, how much junk/bloat comes with Lenovo's images?
4) I am looking to use this for business, mostly note taking and diagramming. The stylus input is the *biggest* factor for me and I want it to be smoooooooth. Am I making the right purchase?
I have experience rooting and loading custom roms via CWR on the Nexus One and SGS2-Tmo. I'm just trying to do my homework and see if this device is going to meet my needs before dropping a few hundred on it.
Thanks

I think from what you've read on the forum YOU know you are making the wrong purchase but you're sick of waiting. Then Of course by all means pls get a tpt. That impatience of yours will be tested when you have to send the tablet for a few weeks to repair the broken usb/power button/volume button. The pen is NOT smooth-it develops a mind of its own after writing for a few mins. I'm also sorry to say that development on this tablet is DEAD. There were gallant efforts by koshu and Co but lenovo has proved that they are against development of any kind. Even updates from lenovo are a pain in the backside especially if u somehow had root or Cwm recovery. It's very difficult to learn from other people's mistakes until you make yours then you'd wish you been patient and saved a few hundred dollars

darkhandsome18 said:
I think from what you've read on the forum YOU know you are making the wrong purchase but you're sick of waiting. Then Of course by all means pls get a tpt. That impatience of yours will be tested when you have to send the tablet for a few weeks to repair the broken usb/power button/volume button. The pen is NOT smooth-it develops a mind of its own after writing for a few mins. I'm also sorry to say that development on this tablet is DEAD. There were gallant efforts by koshu and Co but lenovo has proved that they are against development of any kind. Even updates from lenovo are a pain in the backside especially if u somehow had root or Cwm recovery. It's very difficult to learn from other people's mistakes until you make yours then you'd wish you been patient and saved a few hundred dollars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I was basing my impressions of the pen from this video: http://youtu.be/prqFXRFHbPE It looks like it has some quirks but for the most part these are software issues. I know I am running a risk buying something that is already out-dated, but I feel like the device still has potential with the right software and a price tag under $400.
I appreciate both of your replies but I guess I am no closer to figuring this out and should put off my purchase for another few months to see what else is in the pipeline. I wish there was more video and coverage of the stylus input on the new windows tablets.
I have been waiting *years* for the right tablet with pen input to come along. I do not understand how people deny that a market exists for these devices. I'm not even in school anymore (been hoping for this type of device since my first year of university) but if I was, as a science major the ability to draw and sketch ideas and diagrams, not to mention annotate PDFs/reading material, and have digital copies of my textbooks... it just all seems so obvious. As a web developer I am still constantly sketching out ideas and concepts and *cannot* take notes with a keyboard. I am a visual and tactile learner and the subtle underlines and annotations of my notes make all the difference.
Ok sorry for venting. Thanks for the replies.

ac251404 said:
Hey all,
I'm sick of waiting around for the Samsung Note 10.1" and I really want a device with great stylus support. I have owned ThinkPads in the past (when they were IBM) and from the reviews it seems like most peoples problems with this device were software, not hardware related. I've owned 3 other android devices, always rooted and loaded custom ROMs on them but I am seeing a lot less development activity and choice here. So some questions:
1) I will probably order from Amazon, 32GB w/ stylus. Not sure if it will come with ICS aka 4.0.3 aka OTA3 (I think?). If it does there is currently no way to root it correct?
2) I see there are a few rooting methods, packages, apps, etc. I am getting really confused about which ones are for which device & image (K1, TPT, ROW, JP, etc). Is there a "go to" guide for this specific device?
3) Are there any AOSP ROMs available? If not, how much junk/bloat comes with Lenovo's images?
4) I am looking to use this for business, mostly note taking and diagramming. The stylus input is the *biggest* factor for me and I want it to be smoooooooth. Am I making the right purchase?
I have experience rooting and loading custom roms via CWR on the Nexus One and SGS2-Tmo. I'm just trying to do my homework and see if this device is going to meet my needs before dropping a few hundred on it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the TPT forums!
First of all, this tablet has a very low dev support hence you might have to wait for a long time to be able to root your device and load custom roms. As for now, there is a user who has compiled AOSP jelly bean on his TPT which is partially working. So my point is that things are happening in the dev center but at a very slow pace.
If you are buying this tablet to make diagrams and sketches then I would highly recommend it. The plus points of the TPT is that the hardware is really solid. I unfortunately dropped it a couple of times (well my friends dropped it) from a considerable height and there are no scratches or dents and the tablet works just great hence its pretty well built. Having a full sized USB is a great deal maker for me, being a university student, helps me rally data to old systems real quick.
As far as pen capabilities are concerned, there are quite a few apps that will make great use of it. Like the apps named quill,lecture notes etc will definitely be great for the device. I personally take notes on quill and i must say that the tablet lives upto my expectations. I have virtually replaced pen and paper with it. After the ICS update, the device is pretty snappy and the general UI experience has improved great folds from the honeycomb times.
I never rooted my tablet and never felt the need of doing so, cause like I said, after the ICS update the device is much faster thanks to custom launchers and disabling certain vendor apps. The main reason why i bought this tablet was to take notes and it has surpassed my expectations.
So if sketching is the main use instead of multimedia experience, then go for it. It is a practical device.
Hope that helped, let me know if i can assist you any further.
Cheers
Vito

Hey there, just a quick summary of what the different versions mean:
US,ROW,WE etc is the region of the device.
TPT is the thinkpad tablet
K1 is an entirely different Lenovo tablet, with no pen support. As far as I can tell, the two are not compatible (ROMs etc.) I'm pretty sure that K1 activity is routed here because there is no dedicated forum for it.
I hope to write a guide for the device shortly. There is not much development going on but that does not mean it is dead. Devs are working on various (very alpha) ports of CM9 and AOSP JB, and the official lenovo update is apparently very nice (including making the pen even better to use )
In terms of bloat, lenovo does add quite a few annoying apps, but luckily most can be uninstalled without root.
I bought a 32GB ROW (because I'm in canada). I have been using NVflash and am able to flash roms without the use of CWM, which could turn out to be our salvation. It looks like US tablets have NVflash disabled. I don't know if this means all ROW tablets are unlocked, but I haven't heard of anyone with an ROW tablet not having NVflash access. ( I also haven't looked very hard)
Stay tuned, I have a feeling there will some nice breakthroughs on this tablet eventually

ac251404 said:
1) I will probably order from Amazon, 32GB w/ stylus. Not sure if it will come with ICS aka 4.0.3 aka OTA3 (I think?). If it does there is currently no way to root it correct?
2) I see there are a few rooting methods, packages, apps, etc. I am getting really confused about which ones are for which device & image (K1, TPT, ROW, JP, etc). Is there a "go to" guide for this specific device?
3) Are there any AOSP ROMs available? If not, how much junk/bloat comes with Lenovo's images?
4) I am looking to use this for business, mostly note taking and diagramming. The stylus input is the *biggest* factor for me and I want it to be smoooooooth. Am I making the right purchase?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Probably you will get Honeycomb version. I do not believe there is anyone upgrading the stock. And probably no ICS loaded devices were made (seems like production stopped some time ago).
2) Hard to tell, as it is unclear which version Amazon is selling. But generally if you have some basic experience, you will make it.
3) There is no working aftermarket ROM. But after upgrade to ICS the situation is a lot better. Using alternative launcher ignoring the Lenovo SW can make the job.
4) I bought it for the same reason. More than HW you fight the SW looking for the best app to make your notes. The Lenovo SW is not usable. And every alternative I tried has some issues.
I clearly understand your dilemma. I doubt that waiting for Samy Note tablet will satisfy you, as this will be the first Samy experience with pen ... I expect a lot of problems, which Lenovo somehow solved till now with ICS release.
I was buying it as replacement for old Lenovo Windows tablet with pen. Especially in combination with OneNote it was great tool ... but it was old, heavy and broken by years of use.
After some time, I got used to this tablet, and I do not use notebook going to client. There TPT can make the job. For other more demanding work I have standard "big" PC.
Of course ... if you buy TPT you will have to accept some "features" like slow charging without full power off (and cold boot after charge), or sometimes frozen unlocking touch till you do not pull the pen of. I don't know how you, but I can live with these problems .
Generally. There is NO device with ANY operating system, which can satisfy needs of me and probably you. Having electronic alternative for paper and pen.
Anyway I'm more satisfied with current status than with lot of papers, where I usually I was not able to find the note I needed
If you need such device, go for TPT a use to live with it. Not perfect, but probably the best available.

Galaxy Note 10.1
Woohoo, the galaxy note 10.1 has been officially announced for release later this month. If you have waited this long, a couple of weeks shouldn't bee too much. As for me, I'm simply salivating at the specs - Quad core processor, wifi+3g versions, 7000mAh battery, 1200 x 800 display; weighing in at approx 600g (way lighter than the ipad). Oh and you can bet that samsung's pen will be far better than the horrific stylus on the thinkpad (just ask galaxy note users). Having had a galaxy s2/s3, I know that samsung products are extremely easy to root, mod update, etc; unlike the thinkpad where even updating is a pain. All in all, I'm elated that I can finally toss out this piece of garbage that lenovo put out. Infact, if someone offers me 100pounds for my thinkpad, I'll toss it to them with some change.
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-tablets/samsung-galaxy-note-10-1-review-50007108/

how do you like it

Not very impressive resolution for the price.

[Q] When will stock OS be available for DL?

Some back story: Work is hot and heavy to get a few of these as we are looking to deploy a couple hundred across the enterprise. Well specifically upper management has narrowed the choices down to iPad, Surface or Nexus 10 as they want a closed infrastructure product, and with Android, closest we can get as Google isn't officially in the hardware business yet.
So Surface I've ruled out, at least RT OS as the closed infrastructure they so desire doesn't give me what I need, as in a JunOS Pulse client, Zenprise not available in the store.
iPad right now looks great, has all the 3rd party software I need and kiosk mode as the tablets are going to be utilized for a very specific reason and they want to lock out certain access/apps from the devices.
Which leads me to Nexus. I have come to terms that Zenprise MDM is not going to give me the granular control I need to lock out applications we don't want. Nature of Android. Samsung's SAFE would be wonderful, but obviously won't be bundled with the "pure google" Nexus. So I need to get a copy of the stock OS, strip all the apps I don't need and create a custom ROM and then push to these devices. I've had my management team standing on my back for 2 weeks now and am super bummed that there isn't a B&M store stocking on launch day as they did with the 7. So I've already purchased two from play and am hoping Walmart might get me one this week though doubt it.
TL;DR How can I get my hands on a copy of the stock OS for the 10 to start creating my ROM? Will I have to wait for someone more knowledgeable than me to strip from the device or will Saumsung/Google eventually have a place for me to DL. With the Asus Transformers it has been great as ASUS themselves offer all the tools needed on their website.
Also, taking suggestions from any with experience. I'm not in the modding scene personally other than as a consumer. (USe JBSourcery on my G'Nex with delight) So have been boning up on mod scene as I can and hope that process won't be too difficult. Thanks!

Well the actual stock image can be found here, however going about modifying this might be a PITA (note they are in .img form). Another option would be to create a custom build of Android but that might be a bit of work and a tad overkill.

Why is a companion watch for iPhone with customizable watchfaces so difficult to find

First off, I've done about a day of research and I'm amazed by the sheer number of Chinese smartwatches there are on Aliexpress.
Back story: I came from an Apple watch which I bought with the idea "function over form". Soon enough, the square shape started to bother me so I sold it. Also, the fact that you can't choose custom watchfaces on a $700 watch is just plain ridiculous.
I kinda thought I was going to stick to plain watches (I'm somewhat of a collector), but I miss the notifications. So I started looking for a round alternative that works with my iPhone and supports custom watchfaces. I first checked out Android Wear (I like the look of the Huawei Watch), but quickly learned that you can't load custom watchfaces by default on iPhone. I know there's a huge workaround for that, but I don't want to bother with that honestly.
So I started looking into these Chinese smartwatches. The problem is, that you either seem to have a companion watch (without SIM) where you can't change watchfaces, or you have a phone watch (with SIM) with customizable watchfaces. I don't need nor want a watch with a seperate SIM card. My requirements are simple: round shape, no sim, notifications, customizable watchfaces. Siri & calling from the watch would be a big plus. I don't want to spend more than $100 on the watch though.
I already ordered a No. 1 G5 since I liked the look and read somewhere that you can indeed change the faces (limited to 2), but the resources are so damn limited that I'm not so sure anymore. Officially, No. 1 says that custom watchfaces aren't supported. And then there's the question of getting extra data in the faces, like date etc. It doesn't seem the G5 supports this, if it supports custom faces at all. At this point, I'm utterly confused.
So is there somebody who can help a poor soul out?

Noob dipping toe in Android waters...

Hi -
As the title says, I'm a total Android noob. I tried a droid phone many years ago, but found it irritating and fiddly, and went with an iPhone. I'm no fan of Apple, but it works pretty good, and as long as I was able to jailbreak the phone, I was OK with it. I think the future of JB for iphone may well be at the end of the road. If I ever have to replace or reload my iphone, then I lose my JB & I'm locked into Apple's walled garden. Unacceptable, as then I lose my ad-block and other items that make the device tolerable.
Realizing that my current iPhone is very likely my last, I snagged a Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580 to see if I could learn to live with Android. One of my biggest issues with Android is Google. I despise Google and avoid using Google & their services to the greatest extent possible. (Yes, I know, flames and criticism headed my way for saying that ).
I don't want anyone's cloud, mail or other services.; I have my own servers for caldav, mail and file services. I want a stripped down, unbloated, and ad blocking android experience that is as free as possible from google or 3rd party services.
I understand there are other images (Cyanagen, AOKP, etc) but I don't know enough about any of this yet to know what I'd be getting into there.
But as a start, following a guide found here on XDA, I have rooted the tablet, and using Titanium, removed a good bit of the bloatware. I notice that since rooting the tablet, there is a 6 - 8 second delay after entering the pin code and hitting OK before the tablet unlocks. Not sure what that's all about.
There's a lot to learn and a lot of mis-information out there. It's hard to find a straight answer. Any tips or info appreciated as I try and figure out how to get as close as possible to my goal.

kalart said:
Hi -
As the title says, I'm a total Android noob. I tried a droid phone many years ago, but found it irritating and fiddly, and went with an iPhone. I'm no fan of Apple, but it works pretty good, and as long as I was able to jailbreak the phone, I was OK with it. I think the future of JB for iphone may well be at the end of the road. If I ever have to replace or reload my iphone, then I lose my JB & I'm locked into Apple's walled garden. Unacceptable, as then I lose my ad-block and other items that make the device tolerable.
Realizing that my current iPhone is very likely my last, I snagged a Samsung Galaxy Tab A SM-T580 to see if I could learn to live with Android. One of my biggest issues with Android is Google. I despise Google and avoid using Google & their services to the greatest extent possible. (Yes, I know, flames and criticism headed my way for saying that ).
I don't want anyone's cloud, mail or other services.; I have my own servers for caldav, mail and file services. I want a stripped down, unbloated, and ad blocking android experience that is as free as possible from google or 3rd party services.
I understand there are other images (Cyanagen, AOKP, etc) but I don't know enough about any of this yet to know what I'd be getting into there.
But as a start, following a guide found here on XDA, I have rooted the tablet, and using Titanium, removed a good bit of the bloatware. I notice that since rooting the tablet, there is a 6 - 8 second delay after entering the pin code and hitting OK before the tablet unlocks. Not sure what that's all about.
There's a lot to learn and a lot of mis-information out there. It's hard to find a straight answer. Any tips or info appreciated as I try and figure out how to get as close as possible to my goal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My advice.
Ignore built.prop mods. I haven't seen any empirical evidence to prove it does what people say it does. Infact I've read more to say its bolony. However, I did find 3c toolbox improved my battery life on my Galaxy s5 with lineage os installed.
I managed to remove google from my android box. Use aptiode for an app store.
Download F droid,
Install newpipe YouTube client. Then ads are banished forever.
Install ad-away. Helps block ads on browser.
I use mi-explorer.
Don't use greenify or clean master they don't help.
With 3c toolbox and root you can remove a load of rubbish. My basic M8S runs really great with google removed.
I would recommend lineage OS, I have it running on 3 devices so far. I'm the nougat Aosp from this forum on my tab 10.1.

Question Nothing phone 1 - the way to the perfect phone

Good day, friends and lovers of a little programming.
The other day, I faced a problem. My iPhone 11 Pro Max, unfortunately, broke down, and after sending it for repair, I thought about something. Should I buy me a new phone, but on Android?
Looking through a bunch of new products, I came across an inexpensive but attractive looking phone with a cool screen, Nothingphone 1. But when I looked at his reviews on YouTube, I realized that this is a very buggy system and was very upset about it. Suddenly I had an idea, why not buy this smartphone and write a cool firmware for it?
But after weighing all the pros and cons, I realized one thing, I need a team!!! They should be enthusiasts who are interested in creating a cool product for a small price, which will be a pleasure to use, like an iPhone, but in the world of Android with your own hands!
So, if you are a young or not so designer, programmer or human resource manager, and you are interested in creating a cool product, contact me or let's together in this discussion create what we all want for so long, inexpensive, but competitive and very cool smartphone!
You can contact me by email: [email protected]

Nothing OS is far away from "a very buggy system".
What are you talking about?

AroFear said:
Good day, friends and lovers of a little programming.
The other day, I faced a problem. My iPhone 11 Pro Max, unfortunately, broke down, and after sending it for repair, I thought about something. Should I buy me a new phone, but on Android?
Looking through a bunch of new products, I came across an inexpensive but attractive looking phone with a cool screen, Nothingphone 1. But when I looked at his reviews on YouTube, I realized that this is a very buggy system and was very upset about it. Suddenly I had an idea, why not buy this smartphone and write a cool firmware for it?
But after weighing all the pros and cons, I realized one thing, I need a team!!! They should be enthusiasts who are interested in creating a cool product for a small price, which will be a pleasure to use, like an iPhone, but in the world of Android with your own hands!
So, if you are a young or not so designer, programmer or human resource manager, and you are interested in creating a cool product, contact me or let's together in this discussion create what we all want for so long, inexpensive, but competitive and very cool smartphone!
You can contact me by email: [email protected]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you search for each smartphone a bad review exist, you can't trust a review for a product without having testing the product yourself.
Actually NOS is young but pretty good and certainly not a "very buggy system".
But asking for create a new product without know the product is useless.
Maybe your message is just a hidded advertissement, if not i advise to simply return on your iOS environnement instead because your "idea" is already the Nothing Compagny spirit.
Cheers

Don't be so dismissive.
He is actually right, and I can confirm this firsthand. Many of the reviews were written shortly after the launch, and some of them (GSMarena, for example) have yet to update the audio section of their review, despite the fact that several updates had been released, some of which addressed the audio issues
So, all in all, from what you can see at a first glance when searching for "nothing phone," there are many positive hypes and articles about how the phone deserves praise for being such a complete product, but on the other side, if you go deep into YouTube wildness, you will find people who, when stating bugs and shortcomings, are really overstating them a bit, and objectively, you will conclude something along the lines of "seems good, but young and unfinished."
To answer your question, you don't need to build a custom ROM. As a decade-long user of them on every Android phone, I can only confirm that this one feels like it will not need any custom ROMs for regular users since updates are frequent and (for now) it seems that the community is being listened to. It can all still fail, naturally, but in the next 6–12 months, it will be more clearly defined whether the communication with the users and the promises made will be maintained and fulfilled. It feels and behaves like a basic pixel experience, minus all the pixel goodies while adding some of its own—essentially a blank slate for you to customize to your needs.

kriistofor said:
Don't be so dismissive.
He is actually right, and I can confirm this firsthand. Many of the reviews were written shortly after the launch, and some of them (GSMarena, for example) have yet to update the audio section of their review, despite the fact that several updates had been released, some of which addressed the audio issues
So, all in all, from what you can see at a first glance when searching for "nothing phone," there are many positive hypes and articles about how the phone deserves praise for being such a complete product, but on the other side, if you go deep into YouTube wildness, you will find people who, when stating bugs and shortcomings, are really overstating them a bit, and objectively, you will conclude something along the lines of "seems good, but young and unfinished."
To answer your question, you don't need to build a custom ROM. As a decade-long user of them on every Android phone, I can only confirm that this one feels like it will not need any custom ROMs for regular users since updates are frequent and (for now) it seems that the community is being listened to. It can all still fail, naturally, but in the next 6–12 months, it will be more clearly defined whether the communication with the users and the promises made will be maintained and fulfilled. It feels and behaves like a basic pixel experience, minus all the pixel goodies while adding some of its own—essentially a blank slate for you to customize to your needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He talk about create a new smartphone, not a custom rom...

how did i miss that last part :')
well my bad

Just downloaded android 13 and this phone is damn near perfect, love the feel of the phone and how snappy it is.

Database Users

welcome