Vodafone + Canonical Working On A "Cloud Smartphone"

[skeevy420]

Personal observation, sample size of one, etc, etc, etc, but this really doesn't hold up in my experience. In fact, those people I've worked/interacted with who can least afford shiny new kit every year or so seem to be the ones who have the latest iPhone Max Ultra Plus phone within weeks of release. Those who probably can afford it, usually keep the same device until there is no other choice (lost, broken, hardware failure or compromised software).

Part of that observation was about me. I'm the kind of person who spends $200-$300 every few years or so on new phones and screen repairs. That's it. My last bought phone has one or two months left before it goes off warranty so I can unlock the bootloader and, hopefully, continue receiving Android updates that way. Most everyone I know is the same way -- buys something good enough and uses it until it is no longer usable. I'm the only one who self-repairs, roots, and roms. Don't get me wrong, I know Latest and Greatest iFools, but they're the minority. Well, self-repair geeks like me are the real minority, but I digress...

It's not that I can't afford newer or better phones, it's simply that a Moto G Power 2020 was more phone than I needed in 2020. I guess if my phone was my only computing device I might be more into high-end phones...

Shafting-You-as-a-Service(TM).

Your point about using it as a way around privacy laws is scary, and is probably 100% correct, as well.

IMHO, that's the worst part about this. The implications that it can be used as a way to scrape user info. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the other fears posters here have are valid, but anything that isn't local literally means something that you have to send out personal data to achieve.

Everyone worried about banking apps on the Cloud Smartphone needs to be worried about banking apps now. Is your banking app hosted by the bank's server or is it on some random cloud provider's server? Exactly. Most of us probably don't know if we're using Cloud Bank now or not.

[Paradigm Shifter]

Another dystopian, hyper capitalist reason for this is because poor people can't afford a couple hundred dollars every few years for new hardware upgrades and vendors don't want to keep up with OS upgrades.

Personal observation, sample size of one, etc, etc, etc, but this really doesn't hold up in my experience. In fact, those people I've worked/interacted with who can least afford shiny new kit every year or so seem to be the ones who have the latest iPhone Max Ultra Plus phone within weeks of release. Those who probably can afford it, usually keep the same device until there is no other choice (lost, broken, hardware failure or compromised software).

Instead of paying people more to afford new hardware to subsidize the software they implement a nickel-and-dime service to take what little money people have left while simultaneously using that service to scrape the user's data as this service can be used to get around data privacy laws.

Shafting-You-as-a-Service(TM).

Your point about using it as a way around privacy laws is scary, and is probably 100% correct, as well.

[skeevy420]

The problem is, if the calls app runs in the cloud and the cloud is not available what to do now? And yeah, there are already situations, where you cant call anyone on some new phones. You firstly need to do the configuration, create an account and login before you can even try to call, if the app doesn't require an update first. Now imagine this, but not with a fresh phone, but everywhere where no internet is available.

I'm pretty sure that this would be an local app, as it's basic enough, but in a "everything is an app" world, calls is not the only critical app. And here is where the problem comes in.

2 years agi I was 2 month without internet, all my banking stuff is app driven, only app driven. I couldn't check my balance and so randomly some of my services I use where stopped. I couldn't check why, because guess what? They have send me an Email or an in-app-notification. And this shit grows strong. In some areas you're already screwed if you don't own a working smartphone.

They say the basic features are on the phone so this can be seen as Stadia Phone. Low CPU overhead stuff like phone calls stay on the phone while high overhead CPU tasks like PSX emulated games do the weird ass streaming bullshit.

Another dystopian, hyper capitalist reason for this is because poor people can't afford a couple hundred dollars every few years for new hardware upgrades and vendors don't want to keep up with OS upgrades. Instead of paying people more to afford new hardware to subsidize the software they implement a nickel-and-dime service to take what little money people have left while simultaneously using that service to scrape the user's data as this service can be used to get around data privacy laws. It gets around the laws because apps require that data to function correctly so in order to use the service you have to be willing to sign away your data rights somewhere in the fine print. That's why even though your banking app should be low overhead and on the phone locally it gets sent to the Stadia Phone cloud.

But the fact that we can host our own local stuff gives the tech itself a lot of good, ethical uses. It's like saying Linux is evil because Google and Roku and Tivo have bastardized it so much.

[andre30correia]

so much hate here, maybe this is a good thing for enterprise, people start working make a login and everything works and dont need fancy phone and the same phone always, everything is moving to cloud, I really dont understand the comments here

[themightyug]

So it's a glorified VNC client? Seems like a terrible idea

[Nuc!eoN]

A cloud smartphone and giving up even more of our sovereignty is exactly what the world needs today!

[Shiba]

Cloud and Vodafone, everything I would hate in a smartphone.

[lumks]

911 is the one of the few numbers that works from a disconnected phone. Don't even need a sim card to call 911.

The problem is, if the calls app runs in the cloud and the cloud is not available what to do now? And yeah, there are already situations, where you cant call anyone on some new phones. You firstly need to do the configuration, create an account and login before you can even try to call, if the app doesn't require an update first. Now imagine this, but not with a fresh phone, but everywhere where no internet is available.

I'm pretty sure that this would be an local app, as it's basic enough, but in a "everything is an app" world, calls is not the only critical app. And here is where the problem comes in.

2 years agi I was 2 month without internet, all my banking stuff is app driven, only app driven. I couldn't check my balance and so randomly some of my services I use where stopped. I couldn't check why, because guess what? They have send me an Email or an in-app-notification. And this shit grows strong. In some areas you're already screwed if you don't own a working smartphone.

[jacob]

This seems like such an absolutely horrible idea. A phone is a portable device. Streaming is best on a fast, wired connection.

Why the hell did Canonical agree to this.

Also a phone is where various private and personal data are stored. There is no way in hell I would ever want that to touch a cloud.

[Paradigm Shifter]

The joke here is more like "We're sorry, the call cannot connect using this slow network. To continue calling 911 please locate a wireless network with at least 49mbps down and 23mbps up. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

Me: But I'm on 5G.
Hacker: That's what you get for going with AT&T. Now give me the password or I'll use the $5 wrench again.

Obligatory XKCD. (You know which one before you even click...)

Any lag on a device is unacceptable. It's just painful.