Technology Apostrophy OS, the future of cellphone privacy?

[vtqhtr413]

Content source

https://stuff.co.za/2024/01/16/apostrophy-os-is-future-of-privacy/

Would you pay a monthly fee for your smartphone software? More specifically, would you pay $15 a month so Android doesn’t track you and send all of that data back to Google? Most of us would probably say no fairly immediately. Why pay R300/m when Android comes “free” on your phone, most might reply.

Except it isn’t “free” by any definition. Consumers are paying with their personal privacy and data. Google, which is the very definition of surveillance capitalism, makes money from tracking you and what you do on the internet.

Google is guilty of “deceiving and manipulating consumers to gain access to their location data, including making it nearly impossible for users to stop their location from being tracked”, according to a lawsuit by four US states, which I wrote about in 2022.

Since at least 2014, “Google has systematically deceived consumers about how their locations are tracked and used, and has misled consumers to believe that they can control what information Google collects about them.

Apostrophy OS Could Be The Future Of Privacy - Stuff South Africa

Would you pay a monthly fee for your smartphone software? More specifically, would you pay $15 a month for data privacy?

stuff.co.za

 

[Aleeyen]

We all need a really good alternative to Android. Most of the alternatives that are available at this point have not been able to reach the masses and taking on Google is one of the most difficult thing to do in this world. But some day some body will surely be able to do that.

 

[ZeroDay]

I'm an iPhone user. However, if I was using an Android phone I'd definitely pay the price not to be tracked.

 

[Ink]

About: Support — Apostrophy

Apostrophy OS is unique in that the User Experience is divided into partitioned segments prioritizing application integrity and personal data privacy. Users can access a dedicated application store, utilize over-the-air software updates anywhere in the world, customize their on-device Virtual Private Network (VPN), and take comfort knowing that their Email, Calendar, Contacts, and other personal information is securely stored within Switzerland.

AphyOS is based on GrapheneOS, based on AOSP 13

Product specs: Punkt. MC02 secure phone with Apostrophy OS

For $750 USD:

• MC02 Phone
• 1 year AphyOS subscription
  • Apostrophy Services: 5GB of cloud storage for Email, messaging and calendar, Vanadium browser, Data & Carbon Ledger, Digital Nomad VPN, and GMS Wizard.
  • Renew for CHF14.99/mo. (vary in your local currency)
• 2 years warranty and repair service

Can I use the MC02 without the subscription?
If you cancel your Apostrophy subscription, the Apostrophy services available on your MC02 phone will no longer function, and any additional services introduced in the future will also be inaccessible.

I'm an iPhone user. However, if I was using an Android phone I'd definitely pay the price not to be tracked.

AphyOS might not "track" you, but for any apps you want to install definitely will have trackers or sell anonymised data. Do you use any Google apps or services on iOS, or PC?


More info:

As for the phone itself, Punkt. says it was "designed in Europe, manufactured in China." It's a nondescript black slab with a "splatter paint" finish. The phone has a 6.7-inch screen with a resolution of 2,400 by 1,080 pixels, a pixel density off 394ppi, and a refresh rate of 60Hz. It pushes 400 nits of brightness with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and supports HDR color. There are stereo speakers, a headphone jack, USB-C (2.0), a fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button on the side, and a customizable action key.

The phone runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor with 6GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. It supports microSD memory cards up to 2TB. The 5,500mAh battery supports 18W wired and wireless charging.

Source: CES 2024: Punkt. Partners With Apostrophy for Privacy-First Phone

UFS storage speed comparison: Universal Flash Storage - Wikipedia
MediaTek Dimensity 900 released in May 2021 - MediaTek Dimensity 900: specs and benchmarks