The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[DNSB]

One friend of mine has a low end Android phone ~2 years old. The battery is not holding it's charge any more and so he took it in to see if the battery could be replaced. Turns out that the battery and electronics are covered with what looks like epoxy and wrapped in a thin plastic film. No way to replace the battery without dissolving the epoxy. For a $70 Cdn phone, not worth the cost.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by DNSB

One friend of mine has a low end Android phone ~2 years old. The battery is not holding it's charge any more and so he took it in to see if the battery could be replaced. Turns out that the battery and electronics are covered with what looks like epoxy and wrapped in a thin plastic film. No way to replace the battery without dissolving the epoxy. For a $70 Cdn phone, not worth the cost.

Think most phones now non-replaceable batteries. Why I'm still using a 2019 LG K9 with Android 8.1.0 until it breaks. Batteries cheaper than replacing phone.

Hate ewaste this makes too.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by issybird

Sometimes I think AI is getting dumber all the time.

Wanting to know about traffic in town, I asked Alexa where the local college team is playing today. Her answer was that the local team has no games this week and its next game is this afternoon. I don’t know why I talk to her.

But, but, but .... it's technology so it must be wonderful and embraced

If you were prone to the odd 'conspiracy' you may even say AI's been designed to make people dumber and to accept what they are fed - not that I'm saying that mind you

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Think most phones now non-replaceable batteries. Why I'm still using a 2019 LG K9 with Android 8.1.0 until it breaks. Batteries cheaper than replacing phone.

Hate ewaste this makes too.

Thats why I like my Caterpillar phone (yes it's branded the makers of earth moving equipment), it's a dumb phone that's built to withstand being dropped, submerged etc and it has an easily replaceable battery, just pop the back off and voila there's the removal battery!

Best of all (for here in the UK) it's an older phone thats 2g, so while people that bought a 3g phone a few years ago will be s*** out of luck this year as 3g is switched of 2g will continue to be used and possibly up to 2033

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Think most phones now non-replaceable batteries. Why I'm still using a 2019 LG K9 with Android 8.1.0 until it breaks. Batteries cheaper than replacing phone.

Hate ewaste this makes too.

2027 will be the year the EU law comes into effect that says portable electronics such as a phone will have to be made with replaceable batteries.

I look forward to seeing the design of the iPhone 19.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

2027 will be the year the EU law comes into effect that says portable electronics such as a phone will have to be made with replaceable batteries.

I look forward to seeing the design of the iPhone 19.

iPhones have had replaceable batteries since iPhone 6 or 7. I expect iPhone 18 and 19 will closely resemble the past 10 years of designs.

[BetterRed]

AI is useful for telling me things that I know, but can't bring to front of mind.

The other day I forgot who wrote Mansfield Park, the name was entangled with Katherine Mansfield (which I 'get') and Lillian Hellman (which I don't 'get' at all).

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

2027 will be the year the EU law comes into effect that says portable electronics such as a phone will have to be made with replaceable batteries.

I look forward to seeing the design of the iPhone 19.

The EU has become the world leader in regulating tech, but considering its size and wealth, it's now stone-cold motherless last in innovating tech… but it was not ever-thus.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by ratinox

iPhones have had replaceable batteries since iPhone 6 or 7. I expect iPhone 18 and 19 will closely resemble the past 10 years of designs.

Based on this, and what I've heard about the iPhone, I've taken to calling each new iPhone a sidegrade rather than an upgrade since it seems that each iPhone is very similar to the previous ones, small changes but nothing really significant.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Think most phones now non-replaceable batteries. Why I'm still using a 2019 LG K9 with Android 8.1.0 until it breaks. Batteries cheaper than replacing phone.

Hate ewaste this makes too.

Fortunately, I was able to get the battery on my smartphone replaced. While it cost about $70 total, it was cheaper than buying a new phone.

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

AI is useful for telling me things that I know, but can't bring to front of mind.

The other day I forgot who wrote Mansfield Park, the name was entangled with Katherine Mansfield (which I 'get') and Lillian Hellman (which I don't 'get' at all).

I truly don't understand how AI is better than a regular search engine for stuff like that? It took about three seconds to plug that in to Startpage and get an answer (Jane Austen) with the added bonus of having lots of extra web hits to dive deeper if I wished, how does AI better that?

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

AI is useful for telling me things that I know, but can't bring to front of mind.

The other day I forgot who wrote Mansfield Park, the name was entangled with Katherine Mansfield (which I 'get') and Lillian Hellman (which I don't 'get' at all).

Ordinary search works better than AI most of the time.
Joan Aiken wrote a sequel.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ratinox

iPhones have had replaceable batteries since iPhone 6 or 7. I expect iPhone 18 and 19 will closely resemble the past 10 years of designs.

The EU law says portable electronics have to have an easily user replaceable battery. The iPhone 19 which is going to be a 2027 model will have to have an easily user replaceable battery.

No iPhone has ever had an easily user replaceable battery.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Fortunately, I was able to get the battery on my smartphone replaced. While it cost about $70 total, it was cheaper than buying a new phone.

In 2027 when the iPhone and other phones are released in the EU, you'll just have to buy a new battery and replace it yourself.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Graham44

I truly don't understand how AI is better than a regular search engine for stuff like that? It took about three seconds to plug that in to Startpage and get an answer (Jane Austen) with the added bonus of having lots of extra web hits to dive deeper if I wished, how does AI better that?

The 'clue' was in my paste buffer, so for me it was ⊞8, Ctrl/C… if MS hadn't clobbered Research in Word I could have done it in situ.

BR