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Android 11 on a Google Nexus 5 phone

I wrote about testing /e/OS on the older Google Nexus 5 device which we still have, and I like it a lot. The privacy aspect alone, using microG instead of the Google services, is wonderful. However, the latest official Android from Google is version 6 (codename ‘Marshmallow’), and the latest /e/OS is still based upon Android 7 (codename ‘Nougat’), so they’re both quite old even when the build on /e/OS is from October 2021.

But on the XDA developers’ forum, I found a much newer ‘unofficial’ version of LineageOS for the same device, based on Android 11. To install that, you need a bootloader which can repartition the device a bit, and then you can find links for the image and also for the ‘pico’ sized version of OpenGApps here. And together with the usual tools from Google and the howto from LineageOS, this is quite doable…

So by now my old phone looks a bit different again, in fact, *much* different from /e/OS:

LineageOS 18.1 on a Google Nexus 5

And, checking the OS version, it indeed shows Android 11 (the build is only a few days old):

LineageOS 18.1 means/is based upon Android 11

So *that* is interesting, isn’t it? Ok this is an unofficial build – thanks z3DD3r from XDA devs – but I’m very curios to check out this one…

This would have been a bit easier with the Pixel 3a which we just gave to my brother, because for that one you’ll still get official builds, even LineageOS for microG (that would be the ‘sargo’ image of LineageOS 19.1 (based on Android 12.1) from the LineageOS for microG pages…)

How cool… I’ll play around with the one a bit now, and keep an eye on the folks over at LineageOS – will they offer Android 13 for ‘sargo’? And next year, Android 14 for both ‘sargo’ and ‘sunfish’ (codename for my Pixel 4a)? I’ll keep you informed.

Edit, from 19:18 same day:

I rearranged the home screen a bit, and now that almost looks like my Pixel 4a phone with its original Android 13 from Google. Have a look:

LineageOS 18.1 (Android 11) on a 9 year old Google Nexus 5 device

As always, thanks for reading.

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Surprisingly good… so they stay

Zuleikha – or “Aki” as she prefers to have her called instead – has some original Google earbuds from the Pixel 3a phone. Yes, the ones with cables, and from a time when manufacturers still added those goodies (like power adaptors and headphones) to their expensive products.

Sadly, one of them is dead, so she can hear only one side when she’s out and about, time to get her new ones (or so we thought, more to that later).

First I wanted to get her the new Truthear Crinacle Zero for around 50 bucks (Euros/Dollars), but these were sold out immediately after being on the market for a few days. Out of further options, two stood out, the Moondrop Aria (~80€) and the Moondrop Chu (20€). So after a short brainstorming with Mitchie, I ordered the latter, and yesterday they arrived:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/52296383855/
Fancy IEMs, Mörfelden-Walldorf 2022

I’ve read and seen some tests about them, so I was very curious how these would sound. Turns out, very good – but these aren’t for Aki.

Further explanation: these are maybe *too* good for her – she immediately heard some “hissing” sounds from her phone (Pixel 4a 5G), and also from mine (Pixel 4a). Not so much from the older Nexus 5 or from a Huawei 8″ tablet we also have, but for her own phone she found them unbearable. Neither Mitchie nor me heard that, but then again, Aki’s ears are almost half a century younger than mine…

And why do these stay? Well, for me. I’m no big fan of in-ear monitors or headphones, my own Sennheiser CX 1.00 which I still have are terrible, *for me*. That must have to do with my ear canals, I’ve never had or heard anything which would have the most remote hint of bass, even not with the biggest rubber or silicon “plugs” mounted. Until the Chu, with their biggest “spring tips” (which cost 13€ alone). These still aren’t comparable to good over-ear headphones like the Sennheiser HD569 or HD560S, but at least they don’t sound “shrill”, or produce only treble. There’s a hint of bass even for me, and that’s why I decided to keep these for myself. Maybe those “Crinacle Zero” – with lots more bass under 200Hz – would be even better? I don’t know, but honestly, these kind of IEMs aren’t that important, I don’t use them often enough to justify further expenses for myself. Plus the Chu we ordered came with a microphone in their cables, so I could even take phone calls with these, with the phone in my jacket pocket – so I’m sold.

And Aki? Well she’s still not sure, she absolutely loves the sound of her old cable Pixel buds, so we don’t know, can’t replace these because they’re not made anymore… hints & tips anyone?

As always, thanks for reading.

Update from Saturday, 18:35:

I have to revise my first judgement about these Moondrop Chu IEMs: they are awesome! Get them if you need 20€ in-ears. Writing this from the old Nexus 5 phone on which I’m listening…

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A working bass player’s desk

Mitchie and Zuleikha are out, and I’m alone with one sleeping cat, my computer, and instrument(s). Waiting for a delivery, so I’m not always under my headphones… this is how it looks during a coffee break:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/52294218784/
A working bass player’s desk, Mörfelden-Walldorf 2022

As always, thanks for viewing.

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New camera app

Which won’t make me any prettier 😉

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/52288552127/
“Selfie” with Android 12
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wjlonien/52289798009/
“Selfie” with Android 13

After upgrading my phone to Android 13 I also got a new camera app. So I tried the b&w “Vogue” in portrait mode in both, don’t see many differences… both made with the front-facing camera which you’d also use for video calls. Both automatically sent to the PC using Syncthing.

As always, thanks for viewing and for reading.

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Probably the last one I’ll get…

… at least on the Pixel 4a device (and no, I’m not going to buy a newer one). Android 13 is out since yesterday, and in case that is of any interest to you (because you also own a Google Pixel device >=4), the media is full of it. So I checked, and mine is upgrading to it right now:

upgrading to Android 13

So in a year or so I’ll have to decide which other system to upgrade to, most probably it will be MicroG for LineageOS.

… and done for now:

finished for now

As always, thanks for reading.

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Counter measures

I’ve decided not to use some sites with my regular desktop anymore, both local sites in Germany and also some international ones. Here’s why:

heise.de
zeit.de
spiegel.de

Or, as an example of an international offender:

theverge.com

Basically, these are opt-in only – you either pay with money, or – in case you’re poor and can’t or don’t want to afford it – with your data.

And that is *not* acceptable, guys – this should be reported to the EU government because it is at the very least highly unethical to let the poorer ones pay with much more than money – with their privacy.

Why in the world should we have to allow 200+ third party advertisers and money-makers to track, spam, and follow us everywhere we go? To hell with you all!

I showed you these pages in a Tor browser from Tails (I wrote about that and can highly recommend it, search my blog for it) – but I’ll never visit them again from my normal environment. Plus I’ll report them to the EU myself. The GDPR or as we call it the DSGVO (Datenschutzgrundverordnung) should protect us against sharks like these.

So use this to browse morally questionable sites:

tails

Never forget – it is our human right to protect ourselves. You can do almost the same network-wide (in case all of your family members or room mates agree) using something like Pi-hole. Thank me later.

As always, thanks for reading.