Beta testing Nothing OS 1.5.1.

I've been testing Nothing OS 1.5.1, which is based on Android 13, since it was released on December 2022. Since then, it has seen a couple of updates and only has improved.

To be honest, so far I haven't seen any bug that has been a deal breaker for me in my daily usage. So, I only expect to be better when the stable version is released, or at least stay as good as it has been so far.

I was somewhat hesitant to sign-up to the beta testing, but when I read what was expected from it when it rolled out I decided to jump in since there was nothing that would break the user experience in my daily use. So far, I've been proven right and it has been better that I was expecting.

Does that means that I'd recommend everyone to beta test? No, since beta testing might brake things for you that you need on the device you use. You need to read what is expected from the software release, and from that decide if you can help with the beta testing.

At this point, if you are looking for a good mid-range Android smartphone, the Nothing Phone (1) is one of the best options out there so far in 2023.

Linux Mint: my Linux distro of choice.

I've been using Linux Mint continuously since 2019, and it only has been getting better with time. Linux Mint was one of the Linux distros I tried when I was choosing a distro to jump to when I was making the jump to Linux back in 2012, which at the time I choose Ubuntu.

Yet, when Canonical decided to drop Unity as its user interface, I decided to make the jump to Linux Mint. I simply like Cinnamon as an user interface rather than GNOME, even if Ubuntu ships with a customized version of it.

To be honest, when GNOME 3 was released I was looking an alternative for it. At the time, I tried both Ubuntu's Unity and Linux Mint's Cinnamon. Unity won because at the time Cinnamon was a bit too buggy for my use, even though I preferred Cinnamon workflow.

As such, when Canonical dropped Unity for the main release of Ubuntu I made the jump to Linux Mint. The Linux Mint team had developed Cinnamon to the point on which all the bugs of the early versions of the user interface had been fixed, and added features that made it more useful for my use. Not only that, by the time I came back to Linux Mint, the decision to base it on the LTS version of Ubuntu made it all that much appealing to me. Specially since I've come to prefer stability over cutting edge technology on my daily driver.

Linux Mint has become my preferred OS by far, since its stable and just works for me.

Beta testing Nothing OS 1.5.

Nothing, company behind the Nothing Phone (1) asked for people to apply for beta testing for Nothing OS 1.5, the company's implementation of Android 13, to be pushed to selected participants on the December 15th of 2022.

After sleeping on it, I decided to jump on the chance to become a beta tester. Though I had the Nothing Phone (1) for a couple of weeks before that, the experience with it had been quite good. Though I know that testing a beta version of any software, specially on hardware you use as your daily driver, is quite risky the idea of getting Android 13 on my smartphone was quite hard to skip.

After a couple of day of using it, I'm happy to report that I've been one of those use case where I haven't seen no deal breaker bug. Actually, it seems that it works a bit better that it did with Nothing OS 1.1.7, which is based on Android 12. Though it's still early on the beta testing phase, it makes me hopeful that when the final version of Nothing OS 1.5 will be quite an improvement.

For what I gather from the communications of Nothing, I can expect several updates during the beta testing of the Nothing OS 1.5. So, the jury is still out on how much of an improvement it will be over Nothing OS 1.1, yet so far the signs are that it will be a solid one up.

Android still my favorite mobile OS.

Whit time, Android has proven to just work for me. While I tend to jump from one brand to another of Android smartphone as time goes by, Android itself keeps solidly as the mobile OS I prefer.

As newer Android versions come along, each has corrected things I disliked from previous versions and added new things that I actually like. For example, Android 12  has made the setting menu a lot better, and made it easier for me to manage notifications, and permissions, of the apps I've installed. Both have improved my user experience, and really made my user experience all that better.

Currently I've a Nothing Phone (1), which is expecting an upgrade to Android 13 in the coming months. Which is good news for me, since I'm looking toward to seeing how Google improved on Android. I don't really expect much on the side on improvements on the user experience, but the refinements promise to be worth the wait.

While I see iOS as something of a good mobile OS, and one that keeps Google pushing to make Android better, it still doesn't offer me what Android does. Mainly the user interface simply doesn't work for me, too cluttered for me.

So far, I rather keep on the Android side of thing.

There is no such thing as a perfect OS.

When people ask me why I prefer Android and Linux Mint, the answer is because they just work for me.

Would I recommend them to others? Well, that depends on their needs. Not everyone's use case fits either OS. While Android fit a wider set of users, Linux Mint doesn't. That's why I ask what do they need, even expect, to use their smartphone or computer for, since the answer depends on their user case.

The OS that better fits your needs, is dependent on things like what you are going to use your computer for, what software you need to use, among other things. Trying to say that any OS is the best, is depends on what the end user needs and not on the OS itself.

There is no OS that fits all user cases, so the best OS for a given user case depends on the details of each user case. Besides, there is no such thing as a perfect OS, since each OS is made to fit a certain set of needs.

Bluetooth headphones have won me over.

I freely admit that when wireless Bluetooth headphones began to become a mainstream, I was somewhat reluctant to make the jump. Mainly because all the bad press they got of bad audio quality for streaming music, and audio in general.

Until I got to try some Otium Beats that I got as a present some six years ago. They have a good audio quality, and a good battery life. The pretty much sold me to the Bluetooth headphones, mainly when I'm on the go. The main thing for me, was not having to worry about a cable snagging on something, or it getting tangled on my bag.

Yet, the fact that still has a cable paring the headphones was not optimal for me. Not a deal breaker for me, but I had the feeling that going for a pair of Bluetooth earbuds without the cable was the way to go for me. So when the time came to replace them, I went with the JLAB GO Air True Wireless earbuds.

So far, they have worked great for me. The sound is more than good enough for what I expect from the earbuds I use with my smartphone, with great battery life and not real issue for my use case. If anything, they have showed me that the sport variants of the Bluetooth earbuds could be a better fit for my use case.

A few days ago, my wired headphones that I use with my laptop died. Since my experience with Bluetooth earphones for my smartphone has been more than satisfactory, I decided to get some over the ear headphones for use with my laptop

After some shopping, I decided to go for some entry level headphones I got Mercado Libre(link in Spanish). What sold me, was it that it comes with a bag which is plus since I plan to bring them with me in my backpack where ever I go. After a week of use, they have been great. So much so, that when it comes time to replace them, I'll get a better set of headphones.

I should add that the laptop I use, runs my favorite Linux distro: Linux Mint. I'm using Linux Mint 21 Vanessa, and the headphones have been pairing without issues, and the sound quality has been much better than expected. May be not up to par for audiophiles, but much more that good enough for regular users that just want to listen to music, or podcasts, while they work to filter out distractions. So much so, that I'm writing this post at one of my favorite bars and I only hear the music that I'm playing.

So, if you had doubts about making the jump to Bluetooth headphones now is the time to make it. The options are wide, so you are sure to find one that fits you.

If companies can't make the right to repair happen, legislation should make it happen.

The existence of third-party repair shops for computers, smartphones, and home appliances so that people can repair them and extend their useful lives, should be something people can have easy access to. Not only so they can save money, but also to reduce the electronic waste.

Yet companies making their products harder to repair, not allowing third-parties having access to whats needed to conduct the repairs, and some repair shops malpractices, show that some level of government regulations should be put in place if companies and the people who run the repair shops don't clean-up their game. People have the right to repair things when they choose to do it, only replacing when they see fit to do so and not because its made artificially difficult by companies to do so.

The right to repair doesn't strife innovation, since to make repairs technicians don't need to know the internal workings of things, or access to the source code of the software that runs our devices. They just need to have the schematics needed to make the repair, or software tools to verify the repair leaves the device working as intended.

Most often than not stealing the intellectual property used to build modern appliances, and other consumer electronics, by third-party shops is almost impossible because of their complexity. Not only that, those third-party shops don't need access to all the schematics, or to the source code of the software used in them, to make repairs. They just need the specific schematics for the repairs they performed, or to software tools to verify the repair was successful.

People should be the ones making the decision of when to repair, or when to replace their things. Planned obsolescence should be made illegal, since it needlessly increases e-waste at the benefit of companies not of the people or our environment.

Short term economic gains of companies shouldn't come before the people interests, or the environment. As a society, we need to be playing on out long term interests.

The Nothing Phone 1 upgrade.

Each time I upgrade my Android smartphone, I get remained why Android has become my go to mobile operating system. While the iPhone and iOS are great, Apple fails to give what I expect from an smartphone at a price point that's good for me.

My Motorola One Fusion started to restart itself at random times, and getting stock on while booting, so I decided to upgrade my smartphone taking advantage of the discounts of the El Buen Fin here in Mexico. After a couple of weeks of shopping, and doing some research, I choose the Nothing Phone 1.

The Nothing Phone 1 is a really solid mid-range Android smartphone, that comes with a near vanilla Android. The biggest change it has from stock Android, is the Nothing OS user interface. While Nothing OS is quite nice, I changed to Discreet launcher, which has become my go to Android launcher.

The Nothing Phone 1 has proven to be an upgrade from the Motorola One Fusion in every aspect. While the Motorola One Fusion was a solid smartphone while I had it, the Nothing Phone 1 is a better smartphone for me as a daily driver. Not only that, it proves that a solid mid-range Android smartphone gives covers all my needs for my everyday carry smartphone.

As an Android fan, the Nothing Phone 1 is a great mid-range smartphone that delivers a great user experience. It come with Android 12 out of the box, and so far I've find it an improvement over Android 11 that the Motorola One Fusion use.

Free speech is a two-way street.

Elon Musk take-over of Twitter, has made it a lot more toxic than it already was before. While there was toxic behavior before hand, as in many other social media sites, it was kept at somewhat acceptable levels.

Yet, since Elon Musk took over there has been a increased level of toxicity from people who believe that free speech means they shouldn't face the consequences of its use. Seems like those people believe that any kind of moderation on what they post is censorship, when in reality good moderation is there for people being able to have a base level of respect and security.

The fact that people seem to believe that they should be able to say whatever push back is something to be expected. The irony is that they don't really expect it in reality, since they are conscious that you can't say all you think all the time.

There is always some level of moderation, even censorship, in our everyday interactions. Not saying all we have in our mind is something we have to do in order to have an orderly society, knowing what to say is an skill we have to learn from a young age.

Most importantly, free speech doesn't shield you from other people reactions or answers. While there are limits on how people can react to what is being said, it doesn't mean that they can't react to it in positive or negative ways. People can't express their thoughts on what it's said, exercising their own free speech.

What seems to be the problem, is that some people can't take other people expressing that they find what they said as offensive, or with any negative feeling, openly. It seems like there is still an expectation that people can't voice any negative feeling openly, and should just take it without saying anything.

The idea that people can call them out seems to be something they can't deal with, they really expect other just not doing so.

Calling people out for what they say should be normalized. Free speech is meant to enable debate, give people the to express they mind, and the exchange of ideas. Free speech is a two-way street, and the response won't always be one you like or agree with.

The Internet needs to be built, and remain on, open standards.

Since Monday I couldn't stream Disney+ on the Linux Mint laptop I use to stream media, and it turns out that its a bug that prevents the service to stream on Linux.

To be honest it was quite confusing, since I've been able to stream Disney+ for more a year now without any issues. What's more, that Netflix, and Prime Video, continue to work as usual only added to the frustration. Hope the issue on Disney+ gets resolved soon, since it should be an issue since they have official support for Linux for quite a while now.

Users should be able to use any OS they like on their computer, and should be able to access any service they like on the Internet. This specially true for payed sites, like streaming services.

The Internet has to be built on open standards, since it has become the one of the most important public forums, and repository of knowledge humanity has seen so far in history. The Internet has become a piece of infrastructure vital for the world as we know it.

All modern services depend on the Internet working correctly, not to mention being able to accessing it with as little restrictions as possible. The walls should be kept to a reasonable level, since there are certain things that shouldn't be accessed by everyone.

Yet, the standards used to build the Internet shouldn't be those walls. Any browser, or app, meant to be used to access the Internet should be built on open standards, as not to stifle the users access to it.

At the end, the Internet should be free like free speech not like free beer.

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of the consequence of its use.

Afer Elon Musk took over Twitter, there has been a lot of talk about how freedom of speech will be restored to the platform and such. The thing is that, those claiming that their freedom of speech was breached by being banned from Twitter forget a couple of things.

To begin with, freedom of speech doesn't mean one is free from the consequences of exercising it. People can answer you back, stop talking to you, or sue you for defamation. There are some other consequences you could face, both positive or negative, but there you can't escape from them.

Secondly, Twitter is private company. As such, it can ban of using its platform to spread speech that goes against the user agreement. When you open an account on any social media platform, everyone agrees to a set of rules to follow. If a user breach the user agreement, the platform can ban the user.

Who can't take away your freedom of speech is the government, and you can't be banned from used public forums. Yet, that doesn't mean other people can't use the same public forums to answer your speech, and you aren't immune from the consequences of your speech.

Yes, there are limits on what can be included on user agreements, or at least it should be clear set of rules on the matter. But, that doesn't mean consequences of using your freedom of speech shouldn't exist.

There are consequences of using your freedom of speech, and everyone should expect them to be.