Tag: Android

Following the Fair path

As a potential phone buyer, you’re never short of negative articles about the iPhone. Apple is a company that people in general love to hate. Even though I’m sure many of the articles are true, I’m just as sure that the articles could just as well have been about other phones. After all, most phones, regardless of brands, are made in the same factories.

And until now, you haven’t been able to buy a phone that doesn’t come with many negative issues regarding how it’s produced, the material used and how the workers are treated. No phone owner (until now) has had a completely clear conscience. It doesn’t matter if you’re using iOS or Android. The producers are using the same materials, the same suppliers and are treating their workers the same.

Since it hasn’t been possible to buy a fair phone, I’ve used iPhones (and a HTC) because it came down to two choices. Either living off grid with no phone or using “the best one” available. I have to admit, I love iPhones (and HTCs 😉 ). So until now, I’ve had a HTC Desire C and an iPhone 4s and I’ve been really happy with them. There’s just been one problem – a big one. I didn’t like how they were produced.

So my latest phone is a Fairphone, this wonderful little gadget that “has everything” you can wish for. The company is treating the workers better than any other phone company. The materials used for producing it are the best available for the environment. I’m starting to get used to the Android OS. It’s actually pretty cool. Of course I still miss my iPhone and the iOS. There are still things I can’t do with my Fairphone, but what I can do is pretty awesome. The best thing about it (apart from the obvious) is that because of the dual sim, I can actually manage with only one phone.

Many thanks to the Fairphone team for helping me keep my conscience clear and still get some of the “good stuff” in life.

My first impressions of HTC Desire C

This isn’t going to be one of those comparisons iOS/Android that focuses on pushing buttons and counting tenths of seconds. If you expect such a post, you might be a little disappointed. This is just going to be a description of my first impression of a fun toy.

On first sight, the box tells you this is a budget phone you’re dealing with. The box is made of styrofoam and there’s just a printed paper banner around the box to show which phone it is. Despite that, I’m as happy as a kid on Christmas, as always when I’m facing a new gadget. This time is no exeption.

The phone itself is surprisingly small and light. It almost seems as if the phone has been delivered without a battery. Obviously that’s not the case. The battery is there and the phone quickly begins to charge. 30 % from the start, the 40, 50 and so on. Impressively fast.

The phone is cute and the back has a silky smooth rubber-like surface. When you open it to remove the protective film from the battery, you’ll notice that it’s red, just like the inside of the phone. Cool idea. The protective film covering the battery, confused me at first. I’m not used to that. I even had to go find an online manual about how to start using the phone. There I also learned how to insert my fingernail to pry off the back cover and how to insert the sim card.

Once I’d managed to open up the phone, I was able to adjust the settings. Some I simply had to ignore, because I didn’t know where and how they’d be used, such as place settings. I wouldn’t want my photos to have info about where they’ve been taken. The phone is easy to use and doesn’t feel too strange to me.†

All in all, my first contact with HTC Desire C and also Android phones is a positive one.