Phones and privacy

I wrote recently about how GNU/Linux focuses on security and allows for greater privacy on systems running their operating systems. Of course, a Linux kernel doesn't always translate into privacy.

For example, iOS and Android phones are not that great when it comes to privacy. Oh, sure, they can prevent third parties from accessing your data, but Apple and Google respectively gather a lot of your data.

Android is actually built on a modified Linux kernel, with the changes making it difficult to change the software. Google license is proprietary, not open source.

And while iOS are mature and stable platforms -- I've used them both for many years -- what they aren't is private. Apple and Google have lots of your data.

My foray into GNU/Linux has resulted in my searching for additional information about the various Linux distributions, and in the process of all that, I've run across some implementations of more privacy based phones, running essentially an Android-like OS.

I considered installing a different OS on one of the Android phones I have, and I considered buying a phone with a privacy-based OS already installed.

Being lazy, I opted for the second method. So, I bought a Murena phone with /e/OS installed.

How's that going?

Not too good.

First, I couldn't get my cheap provider, Tello, to work well. Oh, it would text, and it would make calls, but there was no data away from a WiFi network. Tello rides the T-Mobile network, and where I often am is in an area where T-Mobile has poor service. We get Verizon and AT&T signals very well, and in some places, T-Mobile has good reception, but not where I often am. And that's a problem.

Now, I never noticed an issue with the Google Pixel phone that used the Tello SIM, but the Murena phone didn't work well.

So, I decided to try AT&T. Only, not AT&T. You see, Cricket is owned by AT&T, and runs on the AT&T network, which has good reception here. And since Cricket is a lot cheaper than AT&T, that's a good option. Or so I thought.

Turns out that Cricket supports my phone -- yes, I checked, and Cricket customer service verified -- but it doesn't work. And that makes me think that it's a problem with the phone, not the SIM or service.

Except when I put the Cricket SIM in a Google Pixel, it won't make calls or send texts. It will receive some texts and calls, but it won't make any. And, it won't receive texts from Cricket itself. Which is odd. And pointed to the SIM.

Then I thought, maybe it's actually both. That would be my luck, right?

Well, not so much. After moving the Cricket SIM to an iPhone, I was able to get a text to allow me to set up the account. Moved the SIM to the Pixel and it began working properly. Texts and phone calls can now be made. But, moving the Cricket SIM to the Murena phone running /e/OS didn't work. No change there.

Now, I'm going to try a different carrier for the Murena /e/OS phone. I found a list of carriers that they say will work with that setup, and I'm trying one of those. Cricket was not on that list, by the way. Neither was Tello. So, I ordered another SIM and will try this other "will work" service and see how it goes.

All I wanted to do was to set up a secure phone to test along with my secure computer. And whatever can go wrong seems to go wrong.

I wish my Linux and cell phone projects were going as smoothly as thing have been going in my Streaming Life. But right now, not so much.

More local news for 8 large markets on Roku

Roku Channel recently added eight local news channels to its Live TV lineup.

All eight new channels are NBC-owned stations, and are in eight large markets, mostly in the north and northeast.

NBCUniversal owns 12 local stations, and now eight of those have news feeds on Roku Channel.

• Chicago (WMAQ)
• Fort Worth/Dallas (KXAS)
• Los Angeles (KNBC)
• Miami/Fort Lauderdale (WTVJ)
• New Britain/Hartford/New Haven (WVIT)
• New York City (WNBC)
• Philadelphia (WCAU)
• Washington, D.C. (WRC)

These NBC-owned stations are not available:

• Boston (WBTS)
• San Diego (KNSD)
• San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland (KNTV)
• San Juan (WKAQ)

I noticed that Roku's home market of San Jose was left out. I just found that interesting.

Those eight stations cover a large number of people, since those are some of the largest cities in population in the USA. But, there are 210 TV markets, meaning a number of cities are not covered.

Still, it is a step in the right direction, with more local news available to some areas. At least some people's Streaming Life got a little bit better.

Amazon Deals!

I couldn't hold out til Prime Days to get a new TV. But if you've been wanting to get a new TV, Amazon is running some specials right now.

https://amzn.to/3y4Qjq7

One that caught my eye was a 65-inch that's about 40% off.

That's a pretty good deal. Yes, it's still $400, but those are pretty darn good TVs. And if you're looking for a Fire TV platform, this looks like a good choice.

Of course, if your TV picture is good, but your streaming device doesn't get a good signal, maybe it's actually your network.

Amazon's Eero 6 mesh router is a good option. The sale will end on this one soon, but it may come back. Even if it doesn't, it's a good device in my experience. Put a few of them together and give your home the coverage it needs.

Many people with do everything but upgrade their network. Once I got a good network setup, most of my problems with streaming went away.

Check out Amazon's Prime Day page and see if there's something that will make your Streaming Life even better.

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Resolving WiFi issues with Fire TV devices

I saw an article on AFTV News yesterday that covered a topic I thought was worthwhile.

Network issues are very common in low-end Roku devices. I don't see a lot of complaints about network issues with Fire TV devices, but I don't frequent the Fire TV support areas nearly as much.

Network issues happen on all devices. Lower end devices are usually more susceptible to such issues, as they are usually lower priced because the parts are cheaper. And cheap network parts sometimes function like cheap network parts.

Poor network quality and the issues that it causes, like buffering and degraded image quality/resolution, are the top complaints among Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube, and Fire TV Smart TV owners. That is likely why Amazon has revamped the Fire TV’s built-in network status testing utility with additional information and functionality to help Fire TV owners asses and fix network issues. This guide will help you understand the different values in the new network utility, such as signal strength, noise, and channel utilization, as well as suggest ways to improve each value.

Network issues can happen on higher priced, better devices as well, as  you may have noticed by the reference to the Fire TV Cube. So, if you do have network issues, or simply want to try to improve your network connectivity, consider giving the AFTV News article a read. It may improve your Streaming Life.

No subscriptions?

I've balanced my Streaming Life between watching free content, or FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) and subscription content, to include vMVPD (Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor) content such as Sling TV, etc., and SVOD (Subscription-based Video on Demand), such as HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, etc.

Rather than subscribe to multiple services, I'll subscribe to one service for a month, then the next month, subscribe to a different service. As I don't usually use vMVPD (streaming cable type of services), I am trading the immediacy of watching content for the extra money in the bank. The content will show up on SVOD soon enough, at least soon enough for my purposes.

Of course, some people just have to watch that special program when it airs. I'm not some people. And maybe you don't have to be either. Many services are $70/month, with others close to that. Do I need to watch the content RIGHT THEN, or can I wait a few hours (if it's on Hulu) or a few days, weeks, or months, and save the cost of an iPhone? Or more, as $70/month totals $840 over a year.

Since I preach this so much, but still do subscribe to the occasional service, I'm going to let the current subscriptions run out, then see how long I can go just watching FAST and AVOD content. June is nearly over, and I have some subscriptions ending. I'm not jumping to another service on the first of the month. Rather, I'm letting things end, and seeing how it goes.

Here's a secret: it will go well. How do I know? Well, I've not watched much of the content from this month's subscription service. I haven't missed it. I simply noticed that the month is ending, and I went to ensure I had a cancellation set. I did. Then I wondered what to get next month, and I realized I barely watched any this month, if at all. Seriously, I don't think I watched anything.

Now, the challenge for you. Look at all the items to which you are subscribed. How many did you watch in the last month? Seriously, more than just one thing, how many did you really watch? Drop anything you didn't watch. Remember, you can always subscribe later. Just cancel, or turn off auto-renew, and let the subscription expire. Go as long as you can.

Even if you only can go one week, think about this: you spend one week without a service, then subscribe. Let it go the month, then let it expire. Then go another week before subscribing again. Over a year, you have subscribed 10 times (actually, 9.865). That means 10 instead of 12. You saved two months. That's $140. You just saved $140 by letting a subscription expire, then doing without for a week.

Now you have a new problem, though. You have to figure out what you're going to do with that extra $140. There are a lot worse problems one can have in a Streaming Life.