This morning I received a random tech question that I can’t answer. It seems like a lazy Sunday might be a good time to have a post where you guys can post your random tech questions on Balloon Juice. I’m pretty sure the hive mind at Balloon Juice can collectively answer almost any question.
So you guys get to supply the questions and the answers. In fact, we don’t need to limit it to tech questions. “On Tuesday, I’m traveling to Timbuktu – where are the great places to eat?”
I’ll start things off with the question that came to my inbox this morning from Ema Ema, who delighted us with photos in this morning’s Garden Chat.
My problem: I need to download an app* to my phone as anonymously as possible and, once on my phone, I need to make sure it hasn’t taken over my phone.
My solution: Hire someone who can help me do that.
My question: Who do you hire for something like this (IT security expert; cellphone expert?) and where would I find such a person? (I did look at Fiverr but no luck, probably because I don’t know what I’m looking for.)
Any guidance would be appreciated, thank you.
*Nothing nefarious. I bought a camera (DJI Pocket 2) and, unlike any other camera known to humans, once you pay for this camera you do not own it. The manufacturer owns it and they can, and will, brick your camera after you use it 5 times if you don’t give in to their demand to download their app to your phone. To me this screams “Danger, danger Will Robinson!”
(I know apps and cameras go together but, under normal circumstances, that’s to enhance the camera’s functionality, not to just be able to turn it on and film.)
Totally open thread.
Update: Oh, and the Ukraine auction I promised for today will be next week! When I figure out how to find more than 24 hours in a day, I’ll be all set.
WaterGirl
I know you don’t always read the full posts up top, so I will repeat this part: In fact, we don’t need to limit it to tech questions.
trollhattan
There are apps on my phone–Samsung Android, Verizon flavor–that cannot be uninstalled and my only recourse is not giving into the copious update demands for those I neither want nor use. However, I’ve never had any encounters like the DJI phone described and did not know they make anything besides drones, which they produce in veritable clouds. Auto-bricking would have me throwing it at a brick wall with vigor and finding something else (easy for me to say). Have disallowed auto-update everywhere it’s possible, as I prefer to at least know it’s occurring and serve as gatekeeper.
One can’t not have a phone and function at this point, but they really do have us by the proverbial short hairs.
Another Scott
APKMirror is a site that hosts all kinds of apps for Android phones and is an alternative to downloading from the Play Store. I have never used it, but the people running it seem to know what they’re doing.
They have DJI-Fly, but I don’t know if that’s what you’re looking for. I don’t know if getting it from there is any better than getting it from the company.
Presumably if you’re using an iPhone you’re out of luck because of the way Apple locks things down (there are no alternative download sites, AFAIK.)
[eta:] – There are many more DJI apps there, including older versions. Maybe there’s a version of what you’re looking for which isn’t so intrusive? Dunno.
That’s about all I know. I hope it helps a little.
Cheers,
Scott.
Roger Moore
Unfortunately, your two goals are somewhat in conflict. The best guarantee you have that an app won’t take over your phone is to get it from a legitimate app store. For Android, at least, it’s possible to “side load” apps by downloading the app directly, but you have to take affirmative steps to make that possible. More to the point, a major benefit of using the app store for your device is that the company that runs it vets the apps in their store to make sure they are legit. They aren’t perfect, but for an app from a major vendor like DJI you would have heard if there are serious problems. Your best bet is to install the program but deny it any permissions you can’t see the obvious need for. In particular, don’t give it administrative rights. It’s probably too late now, but in the future, make sure you vet your device to make sure it doesn’t have this kind of onerous term before you buy.
Gabe Nichols
What you want in this case is probobly an IT security consultant. So as an IT security consultant what I would say is a) this is shady but if you really want this camera get an Android emulator and run it on your computer or even better (although more expensive) a cloud based virtual machine. You can then download the app into the emulator and keep it far, far away from your own phone
Another Scott
@Roger Moore: +1
Locking down installed apps is always a good idea. My S20+ on the latest Android periodically locks down unused apps for me – a very nice feature.
Cheers,
Scott.
Unique uid
My solution to this particular problem would be to use an extra phone. Last year you could buy an AT&T Moto G Play for $50. No requirement to pay for phone service or have a phone number (unless the app requires it?).
It would basically serve as a 5” tablet on Wi-Fi. Make up a fake Google account for it, leave you’re personal info off it as much as possible.
I think this would be cheaper than paying a good IT security person for the initial review and setup. Plus you wouldn’t need to worry much about future app upgrades causing more security issues.
(edited to add: Target is a source for the phone. I’m a retired IT guy, about 40 years. Not specifically security, but for several years I spent spring break at Virginia Tech for SANS training)
RSA
I don’t have any useful advice, but just to bolster your efforts to be careful, the U.S. government has had concerns about DJI data making its way to the Chinese government.
debbie
In regard to technology of another kind, what does a British design historian do when lockup begins? She makes cookies like these.
James E Powell
@WaterGirl:
Maybe change the headline?
Baud
Speaking of tech questions, has anyone bought a Lenovo tablet? They are much cheaper than Samsung or iPads, but they don’t guarantee updates for as long.
ema
@trollhattan:
Ha, very tempting to throw it at a brick wall. Will try to hold off, for now.
Another Scott
Poking around some more, … Android Police (from December):
DJI Fly 1.5.10 is on the APKMirror.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
Baud
@trollhattan:
You can’t uninstall them, but you should be able to disable them.
cope
Since it’s an open thread, Man City leads my Liverpool Reds 2-1 at the half. LFC has looked out of phase this whole half. I hope Klopp can work some magic during the break. I must say MC do look deserving of the title.
ema
@Another Scott:
It’s the DJI Mimo app, available from the company’s site.
MisterDancer
NOTE: A lot of what I’m saying here is speculation. Without more details on why this app needs to be anonymous, and even such basic things as what kind of phone (Android? iPhone?) you have, any efforts to tease out this issue are guesses — as they would be for anyone you hire. This is more about what I think the requestor is actually needing to potentially hire for, and why I suspect their efforts may be fraught with unforeseen difficulties.
If I may — I think the issue isn’t quite about downloading an app to a phone in an “anonymous” manner. I say that because I’m not certain who you want to be anonymous from — the peopel who control this app/camera, I assume?
If so, you’re likely to have a rough time of it. It’s likely, for example, said app will require you to register an account with will make anonymity much more challenging.
It’s even more likely that said app requires a connection back to the company’s servers, to function, and that’s your core issue. There are apps that can block it — but that’s also how they detect if you’re to be bricked, or not, and the moment you try to connect w/o a block (even by accident), they might see the camera and brick it. And even outside of that, a sufficiently aggressive app can bypass a lot of the underlying OS’es controls, as recently evidenced by TikTok.
There are ways for some Android phones to setup an isolated partition, but that’s about isolation from any other apps, not from Internet connections. That’ll help with some parts of being anonymous, but not all.
And, honestly? I’d not trust someone on Fiverr with my phone, which is basically what you’re asking for. Heck, I might trust them less than this company, and that’s knowing, from my research just now, that said company’s Android app is delisted from Google Play (EDIT: as others have noted here, as well). That means installing on Android has to bypass key restrictions, and trust this company with installing an app in ways that Google cannot constrain in the way they prefer.
All in all — your best bet may be to spend the money on the cheapest phone you can find per the app’s compatibility list; look on eBay or the like. As a long-time LG fan, I’d bet you can find a used V40 cheap, for example, and I’ve grabbed a iPhone xR on Woot for ~$100 in past. Install the app on there and nothing else. That’s about as close as you can get to isolating this app from risks, without trying to hire someone to jump thru hoops on your primary (and, I’d assume, crucial-to-you) phone.
Apologies for the presumption and didactic nature of my response; I just feel this question makes sense in abstract, yet runs up against a lot of critical realities in trying to get it to work — which is why you don’t see many people offering this service to begin with.
burnspbesq
An absolutely superb game of football going on between Manchester City and Liverpool. City leads 2-1 at the half.
MisterDancer
I recommended similar at the end of my screed; one complicating factor is that the app in question has a short list of compatible phones :(
ema
@Roger Moore:
App used to be available on Google Play Store, now only available on DJI’s site. Not a good sign, I think.
I did know about it but thought I could manage it. (Why I thought that is unclear.)
ema
@Gabe Nichols:
Thank you for confirming my suspicions + the advice.
WaterGirl
@James E Powell: Like “tech questions and more”? Is that what you think should be changed?
azlib
As a retired IT security professional it is a difficult problem, especially with a device like a phone (which is really a computer) with access to the Internet. Android and iPhone’s do have a way of limiting what an app can access on the device itself, but it is harder to limit outbound access and in most cases you really do not want to do this because that is this what generally makes the app useful.
Your best bet is to limit what apps you need and only get apps from trusted and reputable vendors. You can also install a firewall on the phone itself which lets you better manage app connections to the Internet and even block access to specific sites.
I also strongly encourage people to limit personal data on the device itself and do frequent backups.
burnspbesq
@ema:
The bright side (maybe) is that unlike GoPro, it doesn’t seem like DJI is requiring you to subscribe to a cloud storage service in order to unlock the camera’s full functionality.
ema
@Unique uid:
Thank you, very interesting. I already have an old pone (Samsung Galaxy a 32) I only use to take pics. No cellphone plan, no contacts, no calls/emails, not sing to access the Internet at all.
My plan: Go to a public place with free WiFi, get a fake gmail and google accounts, download the app, restrict permissions as much as possible, and never have the phone on at home.
ema
@RSA:
I lack the expertise, so not sure about the quality of the source, but look what I found:
We reviewed the DJI Mimo app’s binaries and observed the network traffic between the internet and mobile devices using the app. We could not investigate everything, but did make several discoveries that may be of concern to US citizens and companies using DJI products (and to policy makers concerned about national security). We hope you’ll read the entire post, but it you are short on time, here is an overview of what we found:
I think the camera is going back.
ema
@Another Scott:
Thank you. Maybe DJI Fly is OK but the DJI Mimo app sounds unacceptable (see #26)
MobiusKlein
An app that requires you to download off official Google/Apple sites is a massive red flag.
Burner phone at best. How much functionality do you need that is unlocked by the app, beyond not bricking the device? Can you keep the phone in a sealed metal box (Faraday Cage) , and take it out monthly for just long enough to re-authenticate the phone, then power it off.
Does the phone have to be close to the camera? Can somebody here install it on their own burner device, and just send you the info?
Amir Khalid
@cope:
Be of good cheer, for our Liverpool have equalised in the first minute of the second half, thanks to Sadio Mane with an assist by Mo Salah.
Benw
@ema: smart move!
JaneE
What you describe screams nefarious to me. Just sayin’.
What I would recommend is to buy yourself a burner – cheap smartphones exist at WalMart and others. Get an android phone, because they will allow you to install an app from outside the app store, if you change the settings to allow it. I assume the camera web site has the software available to download. On your mandatory to control the camera phone, put the minimum information needed. Think of that phone as your extra roll of film or memory chip. Again, assuming that the app doesn’t send a lot of data or your pictures back to the company just a few gigs of data should last a while, and if you run out too quickly, it is probably a sign that your phone is doing more than just operating the camera. You should probably turn off any communications that aren’t needed as well. It probably needs bluetooth, but probably not wifi.
A burner may not have the latest version of Android or even close, but you need to find out what permission abilities you have on the phone and make sure that it only has what it needs to run. Another bad sign is an app that wants permission to everything, or things you can’t see a reason why it would need. Older versions are far less granular on permissions.
You would probably need to find someone who qualifies as a phone security expert to determine if the app has malware or other issues that make it risky.
Power off the phone when you are not using it to control your camera. If you can, pull the battery out too.
It would be interesting to see if you have the ability to turn off the location on photos like normal photo apps can. Not that you are likely to be photographing anything that would be a security risk any more than Google Earth or Maps.
ema
@MisterDancer:
Thank you, you are spot on. My plan was to use a Samsung Galaxy a 32 (only used to take pics, no plan, contact list, email, etc) and fake Gmail and Google accounts, and turn the phone off while at home.(I already have tape over the selfie cam, muahahaha.)
Baud
The nice thing about getting a burner phone for this is that it can do double duty for sedition planning.
trollhattan
@ema:
Criminey! Bad actor, acting bad.
I wonder about DJI and their drones, as they dominate the market. They’re being used lots in Ukraine, by both sides, (e.g., for directing artillery fire in addition to surveillance) and I presume Beijing is “peeking in” and taking copious notes.
Starfish
If you are that concerned about this camera, return the camera.
I am an Android app developer. If you download anything from any app stores, the app stores know who you are. The app stores are also getting more strict on security and giving you, the end user, more secure control over your app.
Once you have downloaded an app, the developers of the app can know quite a lot about what you are doing with that app if you have to log in to the app in any way. Think about the number of apps that require log in. It is a lot.
The people who develop the apps can also decide to not support your phone in the future because supporting one person on an old phone is a pain.
If you stay on an old version of an app because you are afraid of the new version of the app, eventually the old version uses functionality that is no longer supported by the device. Either engineers have to work harder to support the old stuff or decide that they are not supporting the old stuff. Different groups make different choices based on the type of people who make up their user base. If my user base is a bunch of tech-savvy people who love the latest gizmo, I am not supporting your five-year-old phone. If my user base is people who shop at Home Depot, I may support a wider range of devices.
If DJI is providing a way that is not in an app store to download their app, it could be that they are collecting more information on you than the app stores allow. It could also be through the app store approval process is annoying, and they don’t want to do it anymore. Even your very ordinary apps will be booted from the app store one or more times a year because of things like “We want you to explain your privacy policy better. We want you to ask your users for location permission better.”
The people who would be good at solving this problem might be people who could use Wireshark or some other tool to give you an idea of what your app is sending back to the mothership, but that data will probably be encrypted, and they might not learn much. It is good practice for the app developers to encrypt the data because allowing end users to change one value to another can lead to fraud by end users. Imagine being able to change the cost of $100 outfit to $0.01.
Mobile development is a super high in demand job, and you are probably not going to find people on Fiverr or Upwork because these folks have high paying jobs and do not need to be on these platforms.
ema
@azlib:
Just to give you an idea, I have installed 0 apps on my phone and plan to hold out for as long as I can.
ema
@burnspbesq:
Funny you should mention GoPro. I tried a GoPro 8 and didn’t like it at all. It’s gone and I was trying to replace it with the DJI Pocket 2.
Villago Delenda Est
Is there a Moroccan-Mexican fusion place in Timbuktu? Asking for a friend.
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud: I don’t even know what a burner phone is…sez the guy who discussed burner phones with John Bolton.
WaterGirl
@Villago Delenda Est: Ha!
Starfish
@MisterDancer:
None of the small apps can get away with that garbage. TikTok and Facebook can do a bunch of terrible things that everyone else would get booted off the app store for.
RSA
@ema: @26—Wow! Thanks for the summary.
eclare
Watching Man City vs Liverpool. Amir and Mo Salad must be going nuts. On USA where I am.
mrmoshpotato
Probably, but will the answer be anywhere close to correct, or the most ridiculous gibberish (jibberish?) ever uttered?
ema
@MobiusKlein:
This is definitely telling me that I was on the right track, thank you. (I found out about the Faraday Cage while researching this app problem and was looking at some cellphone pouches that will even allow you to charge your phone.)
Sure Lurkalot
@Benw: Thanks for link to the Slate article by your friend and colleague about the overweight boson. Fascinating and who doesn’t want to upend a century of physics?
Amir Khalid
@eclare:
It’s finely poised at 2-2 and less than 10 minutes left.
mrmoshpotato
Slow down the rotation of the Earth.
ema
@JaneE:
No, I meant, I am not doing anything nefarious in downloading the app.
eclare
@Amir Khalid: I predicted free soccer, AKA overtime, around 75
And I am team YNWA.
WaterGirl
@ema: I knew what you meant. :-)
ema
@Baud:
The Samsung Galaxy a 32, your perfect sedition accessory!
frosty
@Baud: Thinking ahead! This is why we need you around on these threads.
ema
@Starfish:
Thank you, that was very useful.
Starfish
@ema: Thanks for sharing this.
Some concerns mentioned here are alarmist, and some of these tools are standard.
The “IF CALLED” is doing a lot of work there. I don’t use MobTech, so I don’t know much about it.
Crashlytics is a fairly standard tool. Most apps use something to make sure you are having a good time on the app, and it is not crashing. If your app is crashing, then I want to know what your experience was like and how I can make it not crash.
Most apps also do analytics, so they can know how their users are using the app. If users are not using some important feature, the designers and mobile developers have to think of ways to make that feature more visible and easier to access.
It is of concern that they are requesting much broader permissions than they need.
eclare
@eclare: My bad. No OT.
OzarkHillbilly
I’d throw the damn thing in the compactor then put into a smelting oven at about 1000 degrees, then drop it into the Marianas trench.
Raven
@WaterGirl: Yes to creeping charlie
Amir Khalid
@eclare:
It’s ended 2-2, same score as the reverse fixture. The title race is still on.
Starfish
@Starfish: If DJI is using bad security practices that are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, that means that end users can be sending DJI bad information. Please let DJI know that I am a Pastafarian if it asks about religion (which it may not.)
James E Powell
@WaterGirl:
Crossed in the mail
ema
@All:
We have a successful The BJ Hive Mind: Random Tech Qestions & More.
Thank you all, you have helped me to make a decision. I’m returning the camera tomorrow. As much as I like the handling and convenience (I shoot walking videos and having a palm-size stabilized camera vs. a huge gimbal is a great advantage) I will not download the app.
mrmoshpotato
@debbie: Those designs look too good to eat!
mrmoshpotato
@cope: Sunday Night Football :)
oldgold
My tech question: Where do you affix the stamp to an email?
mrmoshpotato
@Baud: Oh Baud…
ema
@OzarkHillbilly:
Alternatively, gently repackage the thing, put it in a bag, and return it to the store for a refund, while gleefully running your scenario in my head.
cope
@mrmoshpotato: Indeed. I need a lie down after that one.
Liverpool had some luck which is always a good thing. As one of the the commenters said, with seven games to go, the team that isn’t perfect will loose the title. Also, the side drama of the Champions League will play out next week when these teams meet again.
Looking forward to some good games in the coming weeks.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Baud: I got a cheap Lenovo tablet a few years back for stuff that didn’t work on iOS, but the thing was very slow when I got it, didn’t have nearly enough memory, and nowadays it’s sclerotic, arthritic, and essentially unusable.
mrmoshpotato
@cope: Hut! Hut! Hike!
WaterGirl
@Raven: Thanks! I ordered a pair, even though they look creepy. Death to creeping charlie!
Baud
@Bruce K in ATH-GR:
Thanks! I’ll spend the extra bucks.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Yeah, I read his comment and found it quite compelling!
cope
@cope: GAAK!! FA cup, not Champions League. So many competitions to keep track off.
Uncle Cosmo
Hey, long as we’re axing tech questions here…
I’ve been thinking about what sort of apps I would want/need on a mobile to take along touring in Europe this summer. So far I’ve come up with
Any recs for additional capabilities that might be useful? Recommendations for apps to implement them (or any of the above)?
(Current phone is a fairly crappy LG Phoenix 5 [Android] but I could easily be persuaded to upgrade if it doesn’t require a second mortgage.)
Thanx in advance!
Baud
@Uncle Cosmo:
I use Google maps and translate, both of which allow downloads. Pretty good and free.
Paul in St. Augustine
@cope: Our second 1 point result of the season against Citeh. Something will break next Saturday at Wembley. I’m expecting a PK resolution for this fixture.
John Barleycorn
@Uncle Cosmo: Look for public transport apps for your destination. It can be hard to find out how to pay for a ticket sometimes with cash/credit as the apps are so pervasive.
Some cities have cards offering discounts which can work in your favor if you do a bunch of stuff they are discounting. There may even be a variety of cards with different deals. These can have apps linked as well, I think.
Happy travels!
Ivan X
@Baud: no, but entry iPad is $329 and sometimes discounted to as low as $250 by Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and does everything one would want from a tablet and will receive support and updates for 5-6 years and probably still remain useful for 2-3 years after that. Hard to beat IMO.
Another Scott
@Uncle Cosmo: I’ve never used a dual-SIM phone. Since I’ve been on Google Fi I haven’t had to worry about such things – Fi just does automagic stuff so that my phone “just works” when traveling abroad. My bill is normally less than $30 a month in the US (I use almost no cell data most of the time and am on something like their “Flexible” plan). If others in-country are calling you while you’re over there, having a local SIM may be a good thing.
Fi lets you do the dual-sim thing.
Definitely download maps for places you’re visiting before-hand. Google Maps lets you do that.
I had excellent luck buying my S20+ on Swappa. It works fine on Fi. It looks like you can buy a new phone on Fi for $50 and up. I don’t quickly see any information about any of them being dual-sim.
HTH a little.
Cheers,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@Ivan X: I’m with you on that.
Baud
@Ivan X:
I don’t like the 64 gb of the base model. It’s scummy of Apple to not sell a 128 gb version and instead require you to pay for 256.
Ruckus
@Baud:
It might be more expensive for them to create a 128gb version when they likely mostly sell the base version, 64gb and the high version, 256gb. And most people would likely never need more than the 64gb version but some always have to have the most. I speak from experience……… in both contexts, building stuff and buying/using stuff.
Sure Lurkalot
@Ivan X: My 2 year old IPad is not stellar. About 2x per week, I get a “problem loading webpage” on Safari that’s best fixed by a hard restart. Lately, it’s been switching from my secure network to xfinitywifi for no discernible reason, at which time the web page I’m on crashes. Hangs up in the kitchen where there’s a microwave, whether or not it’s on, a space closer to the router than other rooms with OK connection.
Want a seamless experience with a tablet and this ain’t it. Second iPad, have lots of other Apple products, but this one may be a frisbee soon.
MazeDancer
France Exit polls after 1st round of voting:
(IFOP)
Macron: 28.6%
Le Pen: 24.4%
Opinion way
Macron: 29.5%
Le Pen: 23.5%
Ipsos:
Macron: 28.1%
Le Pen: 23.3%
The not crazy also rans are already lining up behind Macron.
(thought I posted 10 minutes ago. If you get two sorry)
bjacques
Not tech-related, but reason for cautious optimism.
Based on exit polling, etc. (updated)
~75% voter participation
Emmanuel Macron 28.5% – La République En Marche, reform mostly on the backs of workers
Marine Le Pen 23,6% – Far right but has gay friends
Jean -Luc Mélenchon 20.3% – l’Union populaire – left; did amazingly well compared to last time
Eric Zemmour 7.0% – Fash. Like fanboi Thierry Baudet, probably reads crappy early 20th century political novels; you know the ones I mean
Valérie Pécresse 4.8% – Les Republicans; center-right, formerly the UMP of Chirac and Sarkozy.
Yannick Jadot 4.3% – Les Verts
Fabien Roussel 2.6% – Partie Communiste Française
Anne Hidalgo 2.0% – PGSE (Socialists)
Runoff April 24 here we come. Le Pen was looking to do slightly better than Macron, so this was a pleasant surprise. Like 20 years ago, please hold your noses and do to the daughter what you did to the father. A lot of the world, especially Ukraine, would appreciate it very much.
The Socialists and UMP were once the twin titans of French politics.
JaySinWa
@Unique uid: Yes, a burner phone would be my solution, with a special google email address to register with the app store. Android would be the cheapest bet. But I am not a security expert. Tracfone has a number of cheap options, (some require at least a one month service ($10-15) plan, but probably can even avoid activation, at least if bought online.
WaterGirl
@Baud: I prefer to think of it as them knowing that most people will be frustrated with 128 in the life of the device, so they substitute their decision rather than allowing you to make it.
trollhattan
@bjacques:
That a chunk of France are nazi-curious is deeply disturbing, but it seems the other candidates are now backing Macron, including Melenchon and Pecresse; hopefully that will stanch Le Pen’s recent rise.
I know she’s rebranded herself as “just dad’s good parts” but what parts are those, exactly? Suppose many of her votes are simply anti-Macron votes.
JaySinWa
@JaySinWa: I see Tracfone.com smart phones as low as $10-20 plus $15 (or maybe $10 with a little work finding it) plan required so for anywhere from 20-35 gets you a burner phone for a month. You can use wi-fi without service after the month (or keep it as a spare phone)
Sure Lurkalot
Another Scott
@WaterGirl: Nah, it’s as old as humanity.
The $1995 Pinto stripper (no radio, no heat, one for sale in the entire state). People who buy the $329 64 GB version are looking for the cheapest possible thing. A year later, they’ll buy another one because it’s full, or continue to live with it as they never intended to spend more than the minimum. Either way Apple get the sale this year and Samsung doesn’t, and Apple doesn’t cannibalize sales of their more expensive boxes. (“Oh, you need more storage? Well for just a little more you can get more storage and all this other stuff, also too!”)
Cheers,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: So you’re saying “the first one’s free, and then you’re hooked?”
NotMax
@trollhattan
(checks for evidence of breath on mirrored surface) Function quite dandily without one, thank you very much.
;)
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@trollhattan:
Didn’t Mélenchon and Fillon (sp?) refuse to endorse Macron last time around? in the second round?
Ken
On the one hand it’s much less feasible than my suggestion. On the other, it’s not actually illegal, unlike heavy amphetamine use.
lowtechcyclist
Another alternative would be to get a digital camera that’s only a digital camera, IOW isn’t part of a phone or other multi-use gizmo. Last I checked (admittedly, 2-3 years ago), you could buy one of these with 8x or thereabouts optical zoom for an amount in the upper two figures. I realize this is incredibly old-fashioned, practically reeks of 2008, but seriously, why not?
Sure, you’ve got to transfer the photos to your computer or tablet in order to edit them and share them with the world, but that’s no big deal.
Uncle Cosmo
Thanks to all who replied.
@Baud: Good suggestion, thanky kindly!
@John Barleycorn: FTR, unless the regs have changed in the last couple of years, we Auld Pharts (> 70 yr), even furriners, can ride all forms of Prague public transport (buses, trams, Metro) for free – simply show your passport if the Secret Police stop you. For those 65-70, a passport size photo (obtainable at the airport if necessary) and maybe a small fee (a couple of bucks max) gets you a wallet-size card that allows free rides. Definitely worth knowing!
@Another Scott: I have 2 good friends in Prague, one of whom I usually stay with. The Czech SIM allows me to run all over the country & easily work out where to rendezvous for supper etc. It’s convenient. But I will have to look into the Google Fi for the future… assuming (as we all devoutly hope) subsequent visits to Yerp do not require a dosimiter and/or gas mask… 8^O.
Slava Ukraïni! Пу́тін — хуйло́!
Ruckus
@NotMax:
He didn’t say exist, he said function…..
Exist – 1 have objective reality or being
2 live, especially under adverse conditions
Function – 1 an activity or purpose natural to or intended for a person or thing
2 work or operate in a proper or particular wa
I’ll stop being an ass now. OK at least for some length of time…..
bjacques
@trollhattan: I’ve still got an issue of Charlie Hebdo with Marine devouring her Papá and crapping out his glass eye.
Just finished watching the traditional rush to the Palais Elysée, like the Running Of The Bulls in Pamplona.
WaterGirl
@Ken: I didn’t see a comment from you. insert head-scratching emoji here.
The Pale Scot
@NotMax:
NotMax, ? about that mini stereo you bought. I can’t seen to find out how it hooks up, is it jack or BT. My soundbar died, I need something that works with a desktop. The dealbreaker is does it turn itself off when not playing, I hate that shit
Thnx
Ken
@WaterGirl: That was the comment. Perhaps I should have said “than my idea” rather than “my suggestion”, to better indicate I was introducing it.
NotMax
@Baud
If for knockabout use and don’t need/want bells and whistles, a basic Samsung Galaxy Tab A with 8 inch screen can still be had for around 150 clams. Have seen it as low as $105 on sale. Pop in a microSD to get more storage and Bob’s your uncle.
ema
@JaySinWa:
Thank you.
JaneE
@ema: Whew! For me, that type of coercion is a giant red flag. “We will let you think you are buying our product, but if you want to use it you have to let us ….” doesn’t sit well with my idea of good business ethics.
ema
@lowtechcyclist:
It’s not that, it’s the stabilization. I shoot walking videos so anything I use must involve a gimbal. DJI Pocket 2 is palm size, with a camera + gimbal in one. Compare that with a 12.2 x 6.6 x 2″ gimbal + a phone on top of it.
Baud
@NotMax:
Those look good, but they don’t support the S-pen.
ema
@JaneE:
Exactly!
Steve in the ATL
@Uncle Cosmo: may be going to Prague for Memorial Day and would love any ideas for fun!
NotMax
@The Pale Scot
You mean the upgrade to my PC speakers from a while back when I moved to a set-up with a subwoofer?
Wired and doesn’t turn off when not in use but PC is on. Power switch if ever needed is on the back of the subwoofer.
Manufacturer site (also sold at Amazon). Contrary to the way it looks in the pix, the blue accent is dark, subtle and (thankfully) is not illuminated anyplace other than on the puck. Random review (but with maybe outdated pricing).
Uncle Cosmo
@Steve in the ATL: I just lost a long reply (detailing the well-worn tourist track downtown) when I accidentally clicked the wrong tab, dammitall. Basically start at the castle (Metro A: Hradcany) & walk down through Mala strana to Charles Bridge, cross, to Old Town Square, on to Republic Square, from there to Wenceslas Square. Czech ;^D out the galleries on the SW side of the latter & track down any sculpture by David Cerny, he’s a hoot.
Unfortunately for you, Mucha’s Slav Epic is now in Moravsky Krumlov until 2026. If you have any doubts as to whether you want to spring for the Mucha Museum in Prague, browse the gift shop (before the ticket counter) & if nothing much moves you, pass.
If glassware is an interest, be sure to visit the Moser crystal shop. Pricey as hell but some gorgeous stuff, and browsing is free. For less expensive items, visit the Bohemia shop not far from the foot of W. Square to get an idea what you like – then return to N. republiky and walk to the Kotva department store. Ascend to the penultimate floor, where you will find most of Bohemia’s trove at 30-40% off retail.
Beer halls are TNTC and the beer is all good – no mediocre beer lasts longer than a Prague picosecond in the country that inspired the West Germans to invent (and the Brits to perfect) Alkotourismus.
Prague In Your Pocket is not a bad place to start. Way too “football” intensive for me, but…
Define your concept of “fun” and I might be able to help more.
Carlo Graziani
I’m very comfortable in the Linux/Unix world, and very uncomfortable in the phone software ecosystem, which I find just too closed and opaque. The empire really did strike back in the transition from PCs to mobile.
But phones are unfortunately too difficult to escape from. One application that I’ve found rather useful is Paranoid Android (nice HitchHiker’s Guide reference), which scans all apps on your phone and provides informative summaries of permission-related risks. Ad-free, too.
Steve in the ATL
@Uncle Cosmo: this is a good start—thank you!
Not sure about “In recent years Prague has become something of a Mecca for tourist-friendly shooting ranges”….
dnfree
@NotMax: I have a relative who quite proudly doesn’t own a mobile phone. (I know he won’t see this because he’s very right-wing.). He thinks he’s functioning in society. In reality he’s a vast inconvenience to other people. Like if plans have to be changed at the last minute, there’s no way to reach him. Once we wandered around O’Hare airport for more than two hours looking for him because he didn’t stay where we had said we’d pick him up. It can be done if one is a hermit, maybe?
NotMax
@dnfree
Pretty sure O’Hare is big enough by now to have a paging system.
;)
dnfree
@NotMax: This happened about 20 years ago, and where he had gone I’m not sure he would have heard a page, but I get your point. We’d said we would meet him by baggage claim, and he somehow decided to go outside and wait by one of the car pickup lines. Because this was for a family gathering, we weren’t even sure if he was still at the airport or if he had gotten a ride with someone else. Meanwhile we were missing the gathering looking for him.
There are other examples involving other people, including a wedding he was supposed to be part of. He had lost his way and no one knew where he was or could reach him to give him directions.
Or there’s the time my dad forgot his passport. He owned a cellphone, but he only turned it on if he wanted to use it, so we couldn’t reach him to tell him. You can’t imagine the convoluted way we got it to where he was, whereas if he’d just had his phone turned on, the people who found the passport could have let him know.
PaulB
@Baud:
Not necessarily. On my Android phone, the Android system and the T-Mobile overlay both include apps that can neither be uninstalled nor disabled, not without rooting the phone.
For the original question, it sounds like disabling wouldn’t work, anyway, since presumably there is some sort of “phone home” action their app does every day.
ema
@Carlo Graziani:
Thank you.
BigJimSlade
@Carlo Graziani: “Paranoid Android (nice Hitchhiker’s Guide reference)”
Well, and Radiohead :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHiGbolFFGw