XPost: alt.windows7.general   
   From: Newyana2@invalid.nospam   
      
   "J. P. Gilliver"  wrote   
      
   | Ah. Well, you're conflicting two things there - the OS, and the service   
   | provider.   
   |   
      
      I'm talking about 3 things: hardware maker, OS maker and service.   
   For example, Samsung, Google, and Verizon, or Apple, Apple and Verizon.   
   Google doesn't provide phone service but they do greatly control   
   and spy on Android cellphones. Apple does the same with iPhones.   
   What I'm saying is that Apple and Google should have no access to   
   the phones except for voluntary OS updates, or perhaps for   
   voluntarily loaded apps. If they want to have a "store" then let   
   them, but it shouldn't be forced and other stores shouldn't be   
   restricted. That's partly what the US lawsuit is about.   
      
     Microsoft is also gradually getting in on this model, by having   
   their "Windows Store" where they sell UWP/Metro crap and try to   
   coerce Windows users to take part. For example, they're currently   
   discontinuing Outlook and pushing Metro Outllook through their store.   
   Which is odd, given that they recently announced that they'd be   
   coming out with non-rental MS Office again. (Though I'm not certain   
   that the new Office won't just be Metro crap.)   
      
   | >  I actually have an LTC Tracfone that cost $40. I don't know   
   | >how they can afford to sell the screen for $40. Yet it's a very   
   |   
   | I don't know LTC - is that a service provider? If it is, and it's a   
   | 'phone that's locked to them, it may have been sold at a (slight) loss,   
   | them expecting to recoup the loss from your service charges.   
   |   
      
      LTC is the hardware maker. Tracfone is the service provider,   
   which was bought by Verizon. We have a few smaller operations   
   like that, catering to people like me who only want minimal service.   
   I buy 60 minutes every 90 days, and probably use 5 of those minutes.   
      
   | >used it, so I don't know. But my Tracfone is still heavily infested   
   | >with Googlism. I've managed to block or remove most of it, though   
   | >every time I turn it on I get a flurry of messages telling me that   
   | >I simply must enable Google Play Store, or Google Services, or some   
   | >such. All of that should be prosecuted for monopoly control. Google   
   | >have no business running their spyware/crapware on my private   
   | >cellphone.   
   | >   
   | I agree. Though how much of that is from Google and how much from your   
   | service provider, I'm not sure. Can you turn it on as just a computer -   
   | i. e. not connected to either the mobile (cellular) network or wifi?   
      
     None of it is from the Tracfone service. It's all Google crap   
   pre-installed on Android. I go to a non-Google app provider, have   
   no Google account and use no Google apps or services, but   
   Google infests the whole OS. There are dozens of pre-installed   
   Google processes, many of which can't be uninstalled.   
      
     Tracfone just sells me minutes and provides the phone call   
   service.   
      
      I can use the phone as a computer, but there's nothing much   
   of value. I can also use it with wifi or cell minutes, with Firefox,   
   to go online. Occasionally that's useful.   
      
     With my last Tracfone it got too old. I decided to try to use it   
   as a portable PDF reader. That worked, but it was just too small   
   to be useful. I finally threw it out. There simply isn't much I can do   
   on a cellphone screen that's worth doing. They work OK for services.   
   But it's basically a services kiosk device.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)