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Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Iphone to Android Migration


I am in the midst of moving from Iphone (IOS) to Android.  Why?

I like my Iphone 6+ but it is getting old and cranky - the charging connector is intermittent, app performance is slow, and it is running out of memory.  On top of that, I have two SIMs, one from a Canadian operator and one from the US.  Iphones don't handle dual SIMs, but I found a clumsy workaround.

So I looked at getting a new Iphone.  The Iphone X is expensive, and I don't like the facial recognition thing.  The Iphone 8 is expensive, has the same screen as my 3 year old Iphone, and just adds wireless charging.  The Iphone 7 is the exact same as my Iphone 6 except it has a faster processor, it is also expensive.

So I looked at Android and found an unlocked dual SIM phone from a reputable manufacturer (ASUS) that supports two SIM cards.  Check out the comparison between my current phone, the IPhone 7+, and the Zenfone 4 here.  It is almost the same hardware as the Iphone 7, but half the price, and it supports dual SIMs.

I managed to find a way to sync photos and music using software called "Doubletwist" and reloaded all my favorite apps onto the Zenfone.

So far, so good.  The dual SIM performance is much better on the Zenfone compared to my Iphone workaround, the screen is nice, size and weight are good, battery performance is excellent.

Apple needs to up its game to stay competitive in the Smartphone space, in my opinion.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Facebook is Evil Part 2


Reference my previous blog post about Facebook and how it distorts the news to keep you coming back to their site.

The latest information is that Facebook allowed your private information to be sold without your consent to political operatives who used it to influence the 2016 US election.  This info, combined with Facebook algorithms that promote biassed and false news, allowed the Republican party to target people with ads and news stories to influence their votes.  It also allowed Republicans to avoid wasting money targeting people who would never vote for lying sexual predators like Trump.

So I have given up on Facebook.  I have not looked at it for 45 days and they bombard me with messages saying that I am missing out on cat videos and pictures from distant acquaintances.  I will stay away.

photo credit: Flickr