Another point release of one of the few – maybe even only – alternative mobile operating systems still being actively updated.
This update, 2.1.3 alias Kymijoki brings Sailfish X for Sony Xperia X. All Sailfish devices get fixes for some recent well-known security vulnerabilities, including WPA issues and Bluetooth Blueborne. Kymijoki contains connectivity improvements made for Qt and Android apps and fixes dozens of other issues, too.
It’s a relatively minor update, but still – it’s good to see Sailfish progressing.
At this point in time, do we count Windows 10 Mobile as an alternative mobile operating system?
[ducks]
[preventive]Yes, Windows 10 Mobile is still being actively updated, both for security fixes as for new features, although barely[/preventive]
At this stage I am seriously considering Experia X with Sailfish.
I have Google Services switched off on my Android phone but it is shocking how many apps still find it necessary to make a connection to some Amazon cloud server or Facebook server (I don’t use Facebook).
But 200 euro Ebay 2nd hand for the phone + 50 euro for the OS is a bit steep for an experiment
Maybe I will wait another 6 months and hopefully the Experia X will drop in price.
From this update though it is clear that there is still some life in this animal.
It’s dangerous to try to translate experiences from one person to another. Nevertheless, I’m now running Sailfish on an Xperia X, and am really pleased. Having been a Sailfish user for years (Jolla, Jolla C), the X is much nicer hardware and the OS runs well on it.
Thanks for the heads up! May I ask a question about apps? I don’t use Facebook or Twitter but wonder if these apps are available:
– Whatsapp
– Podcast listener
– Map/Directions
– Telegram
– Skype
Sure!
– Whatsapp. There used to be a couple of native clients but Whatsapp blocked them. I use the Android Whatsapp client (no need for Google Services). I find it works fine (including notifications).
– Podcasts. I see four native podcast apps but don’t use any myself. Here’s one of them in action: https://youtu.be/XXAgOS_DKjg
– Directions. No good native navigation apps as far as I’m aware. I use Navmii Android app (no need for Google Services).
– Telegram. There are several native clients, such as SailorGram, but I’ve not used any myself: https://openrepos.net/content/dax/sailorgram
– Skype: Nothing native as far as I’m aware. I used to use the Android app and it worked just fine.
As you can see, native support is very patchy. Alien Dalvik is generally solid, but if you avoid Google Services your choices are obviously restricted as you’ll know already. Hope that helps.
Thank you, I think I am going to do this.