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Why do you use jolla phone and not something else? [not relevant]

asked 2015-06-01 17:51:02 +0200

petRUShka gravatar image

I've just bought Jolla phone and I have had no chance to form my own Jolla user experience. I want help of community with it.

So my question is following. What is so unique in Jolla Phone (and in your day-to-day Jolla experience) that you are ready to tolerate day by day:

  • Outdated hardware
  • Immature (and sometimes buggy) basic software like browser, sms manager, mail client and etc.
  • Pretty average battery life for smartphone
  • Lack of native apps and therefore native experience
  • Lack of open-source components with accompanying troubles like absence of downloadable firmware images and etc
  • Lack of great features like Swype Keyboard and others
  • etc...

There is an essential list above. And I want to know what is achievable on Jolla Phone and isn't in any other phone so you stay with Jolla? Why exactly are you using Jolla instead of using some Android smartphone (for example some smartphone or firmware with improved privacy and secure) If you are so heavily using android apps? What will you miss in case of using Android/iOS phone?

From your answers I want to create my own style of using Jolla and I want to truly love this smartphone.

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The question has been closed for the following reason "question is not relevant or outdated" by BonoNL
close date 2019-09-03 23:13:23.267660

Comments

30

Freedom of choice, the only commercial account needed is Jolla's and that only if you want to upgrade the device software, does not come pre-filled with chunk (android feels like a handheld marketplace in the first second), liberty to live google, apple free. Even with the changes in 2.0 I guess it is the most sophisticated UI I have seen on touch devices so far. If you are only having a smartphone to be cool and have all social apps there can be, Jolla is probably not for you yet.

chemist ( 2015-06-01 17:59:54 +0200 )edit

@chemist, there are some google free version of Android like Replicant (they tell it is 100% Free Software). And as I know jolla phone firmware isn't 100% Free Software.

I'm not trying to offence anyone. I'm trying to find the seeds of true.

petRUShka ( 2015-06-01 18:07:21 +0200 )edit
4

From my android and iOS experiences I can only say that as long as I am not forced to use either one of them I won't - I will get rid of my android tablet as soon as I can (counting the days) as not even the most non-googleized android is still just android... I am not all about 100% free or open software as I know that one has to make a living, and to enlighten you about SFOS, most core OS parts are open-source (Mer).

chemist ( 2015-06-01 18:26:00 +0200 )edit
1

@petRUShka - Why did you buy a Jolla?

Spam Hunter ( 2015-06-01 18:44:26 +0200 )edit
13

@Markkyboy, I did buy Jolla for several reasons. I had nokia n810 tablet and saw n900 phone. I hoped that Jolla Phone is a mature n900 (it actually isn't). Also I'm using linux at my home pc and want to have same freedom on my phone. Also I'm fan of Open Source and of privacy and security. And at least I just wanted to try something new. My previous android phone was quite ok. And I see that in many ways Jolla is loosing to Android. And it is ok for now. But I believe that there is a reason (killer feature or set of them) why people use jolla and I want to find it.

petRUShka ( 2015-06-01 18:57:08 +0200 )edit

32 Answers

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8

answered 2015-06-03 09:36:41 +0200

imunar gravatar image

Well... long story ;) ok not that long but more then just a few words.

I've been always an android and Google Fan (not fanboy nor the metal one ;) ) from the start. I loved (and still like) Gmail and are a active G+ User. But time goes by and Google changes and I couldn't adapt that fast.. or more I wasn't eager to adapt to their new role as Data-Kraken Powerhouse. They became like the evil they where fighting once upon a time.

Then after some time I couldn't identify myself with my android system. I wrote some apps for personal use (no one was ever good enough for a market ;) ) and always fighting with java style coding (all these functions in functions on buttons in whatever ;) ) also the really annoying tcp connection (haven't heard of websockets ) So there was a time for a change after my Galaxy S3 got the typical (maybe hardware timer based) slowdown and I wasn't eager to buy a S6-Power Level Phone for a bunch of money

An iPhone wasn't a choice as I haven’t the infrastructure at home for such a device and the system doesn't fit into my lifestyle (and my will of spending money for to much geek stuff) So Windows Phone? Maybe, still a restrictive System but at least the new MFC is very usable as a developer. Mozilla/ubuntu os? Well for Ubuntu.. it's like andorid.. the path cannoncial wanders splits early from my... So Mozillas Firefox Os.. nopo not my style.. sorry Mozilla ;)

Over all these years I swallow all jolla and sailfish os news. I'm a developer and use Qt & C++ so even there is a big difference between Qt (Widgets) and Qt Quick it's more native then java to me. Plus the i2c bus When I've got some more spare time I will build my NFC TOH Chip is tested with libnfc so I "only" need to write my software G

So yeah the Jolla is a playboard for me as a developer with an unique style and all the gestures are so intuitive that I have problems with android devices now ;)

and after the S3 slowdown I asked My Other Half if I'm allowed to buy one ;)

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Comments

1

I have an S3 too which I use as a toy phone for games and some wardriving apps. Can't really agree about slowdown issues though. Maybe because I installec Cyanogenmod a long time ago.

Venty ( 2015-06-05 12:07:37 +0200 )edit
7

answered 2015-06-03 14:28:08 +0200

updated 2015-06-03 14:28:40 +0200

I bought my Jolla in December while waiting on Ubuntu Phone. Now, I am totally sold to Jolla.

  1. UI You will never find such fine UI which has true multitasking and completely controllable with gestures. If you don't like the colors of your UI, you can easily change them with another background.

  2. True Linux and Android support I use Xubuntu on my desktops and laptops so why not a Linux OS on my phone? It has a terminal like every Linux OS so you feel yourself at home. It's quiet easy to install the terminal by activating Developer mode. The Android support feature is handy if there isn't a native app for Jolla, however I only use it for Snapchat. For all my other tasks I already have found a native app.

  3. Battery and TOH Battery life is fantastic (2100 mAh is not very big), I use the Jolla daily for listing to music, browsing the web, reading e-mail, Snapchat, Jolla Togheter, ... I only need to charge him 2-3 times a week. At the moment I'm working on a TOH which automatically charge your Jolla when he runs out of juice.

  4. PRIVACY and SECURITY One of the killer features of the Jolla is his security and privacy which I couldn't find with another mobile OS.

  5. Support and community You get support trough Jolla Together and can I ask Jolla for new features. Where can you find that?

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6

answered 2015-06-01 22:39:58 +0200

Ghost gravatar image

its so fluid to use and doesnt lag.. its lagging is almost to the lowest. yeah it stops working sometimes, since its still in beta mode it is rather plausible.

the most striking feature i like this phone is about its true multitasking feature. No matter what mobile os's claim to have a multitasking feature, its not close to this os's multitasking feature. this is the most honest smartphone i've ever seen after nokia's S60 symbian os..

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6

answered 2015-06-02 04:38:33 +0200

1. The ease of programming for my purposes I create my first app in the first day after got my phone. And no fee for market.

2. The Other Half The ability to create hardware peripherals for phone

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Comments

1

Thanks for answer. How do you personally use The Other Half? Have you bought some? And please tell for which purposes did you write your own apps?

petRUShka ( 2015-06-02 10:14:55 +0200 )edit
6

answered 2015-06-02 23:39:44 +0200

AliN gravatar image

updated 2015-06-02 23:56:44 +0200

Well, my interest in Jolla started from an accident. I was much interested in Ubuntu for phones mainly because it was (and still is) gesture-based and a true Linux-based OS. By accident, I found Jolla in a comparison with Ubuntu.

1. Gesture-based. The first thing I like about Jolla was its fully gesture-besed UI. I like their design elements: pully menu, back/cancel, accept, home view, events view,… all and all. Even on the other gesture-based OS (i.e. Ubuntu) you need to do acrobatics to go back, or see the notifications.

2. Multitasking. Keeping an eye on opened apps along with the cover actions was astonishing for me at the very first look.

3. True Linux. As many other peoples mentioned, having the same packages on the phone as on the PC was a basic feature for me as a GNU/Linux user. I can change the codes as I wish. I can write my own keyboard layout and share it with others. It means many things to me.

4. Ambience. You may hardly believe, it was part of my dreams to have a UI wherein apps have a transparent background to show your wallpaper. The idea came in my mind after seeing Ubuntu Unity Dash, and I saw it in real on Jolla phone. Great!

5. TOH. A modular phone… endless. You can imagine everything with it.

6. Android support. It's not a main reason for me, but it helps me to have my Jolla as my primary phone, not a secondary or enthusiastic one.

If I want to summarize everything in one word, well, it's DESIGN. I like it, I bought it, I'm using it, and I'm still enjoying it. Now I can understand the statement on their ads “Design in Finland”.

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5

answered 2015-06-02 14:43:01 +0200

teemu gravatar image

I got an iPhone 3Gs and it was nice, albeit quite restrictive, for quite some years, until I failed to get the spare parts kick new life to it anymore last December. Not wanting to shell 800 euros for a new one at that point, and seeing that the specs of the old one would still have been good-ish enough for my usage, and looking at Jolla at that point (what with being a Finn and all) but the price tag being then a bit high for my comfort, I decided to get a Lumia 630. I lasted three monts with the crappy default apps, the non-existent ecosystem for other apps I'd like/need and Microsoft's insistence that Internet Explorer for a browser and Bing for the search machine is just as good as what anyone else is offering. THEN I went to get the Jolla.

So, yeah. Landing on Jolla for me was a game of elimination. The specs are not a problem for my kind of usage. The apk compatibility gives me all the third party apps I need, without having to go totally with Android, for I am a firm believer of the adage "If you're not the paying customer, you're the product who's being sold." The true multitasking is a killer feature for me, for I often find myself needing to look something up from one app while leaving another app waiting. Sweeping rather than pointing-pushing, especially when manoeuvering between apps also is really something else.

Plus I massively love the OS provider's attitude of "cool, bro, you do just that, we left the tools laying there for you", rather than "No! I mean, no, we can't allow that, mumble mumble security issues mumble user experience mumble BUT we are totally wiling to sell you an app that SORT OF does what you want, in our business model way."

Oh, and UI's pretty.

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Comments

2

Forgot to comment on the bit about lack of features: I strongly disagree with that assessment. When you can boot up a computer from your phone with pretty much any Linux distro that comes with a hybrid ISO and do that with the OS that the phone shipped with and one tiny app (ISODrive, from Warehouse)... that's a Feature.

Some smaller things like "holding" the screen when turning the phone to prevent the dynamic landscape/portrait orientation change are nice too. Done Right.

teemu ( 2015-06-03 06:50:52 +0200 )edit
5

answered 2015-06-02 15:26:21 +0200

Kim gravatar image

First of all: I do not like those monolithic companies, no matter what they sell; when the company become large enough, the customer is of less importance as long as they pay!

I loved my N900, and was very unhappy when Nokia killed it, I had high hopes to the N9, which it didn't live up to (even though it was a fairly decent phone).

Then I heard about the Jolla, and after some deliberation (wait for Ubuntu / Firefox or try try something entirely new) I bought my Jolla in February last year.

From the start I was blown away by the UI, followed shortly by "What the heck, can't it ..." (That was primarily the missing MMS).

After my first visit to TJC my confidence in the Jolla was back up; the Maemo community was great, but here both the community AND the backing company (Jolla) has been great!

Jolla is my only phone, and even though I do miss some apps those are not something I cannot live without.

Ok, it's not perfect, but after some 10/11 updates it is becoming fairly decent, and we (the users) have had our say in the development!

/Kim

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5

answered 2015-06-02 19:12:38 +0200

Giacomo Di Giacomo gravatar image

updated 2015-06-02 19:13:12 +0200

  1. No crippling: You don't have a crippled iPhone where you can only do what Apple wants, or Android where you have to run your software in a virtual machine cutting performance by a factor 5 or more. In short, speed and power, although with old hardware (but new hardware will come eventually).
  2. Frequent updates: Bugs have been fixed and new features implemented, and this goes ever on. We have had 13 updates in one and a half year. Buy and Android phone and, unless you can use CyanogenMod, you are stuck with what you buy forever.
  3. Community: Jolla actually asks us what to do and does what we ask. You won't get this anywhere else.
  4. Android compatibility: You can run Android apps (that is essentially every app in the world) without having to run the Android OS. They are not as smooth as native apps but at least they work, no worse than they do in an Android phone. In addition, they actually multitask.
  5. No Google/Apple interference with your data.
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4

answered 2015-06-10 22:24:14 +0200

OKstnr gravatar image

updated 2015-06-10 22:59:34 +0200

Keeping curious. Exploring behind the paved road. Being fed off pre-masticated life style stuff. Never creating a style by asking others. Ah, yes, and because you can compile emacs on it. Ctr-x-s Ctr-x-c, got it? ;)

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Comments

1

I'm sorry, I'm playing for another team (:wq) :) And yes jolla terminal is awesome.

petRUShka ( 2015-06-10 23:09:01 +0200 )edit
3

answered 2015-06-02 19:15:12 +0200

Lutwolf gravatar image

Being a Nokia-only user (though my first mobile was a Sagem, followed by Nokia's freaky but nice phones like 3650, 6630, N95, N97) I was drawn towards the great N9 (got two of them at the moment, both used simultaneously but not as main) when I began my quest for privacy and electronic self-control, switching from MS Windows to different Linuxes on my home PC. The N9 had many things I loved on those distributions, especially after INCEPTING it. Apps were few, and some needed Repositories thst were far from system-friendly, but the ability to save, flash and recover the phone (and tinker with its SW innards) was an astonishing experience. When I heard of Jolla (through TMO), I couldn't help but preorder immediately, a step I never regretted. 400 € sounds much, but compared to other phones of those specs it is already around 200-250 € less than those.

Also, once I obtained the Jolla, there was no more space for any other phone as a main device. In the beginning, there was nothing (a handful of apps, so to say), but right now both Jolla store and Warehouse are overflowing with useful gadgets. The apk-compatibility helped me a lot app-wise, but at the moment there is only one more left that I need that is not already replaced by a native one. I tried both Android and iOS devices (and had a quick but disappointed look on WP), but no UI felt nearly as smooth as SFOS. I often find myself trying Sailfish gestures on my N9 automatically, although only a few are working ;)

That being said: I truly miss Swype on Jolla, as typing text is the only exhausting thing on that device...

I like the community, the root access, the just-hack-it-way of improving flaws, and the short update intervals.

Thank you, JOLLA, sail on pls!

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Asked: 2015-06-01 17:51:02 +0200

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Last updated: Nov 03 '15