The Librem 5 is Purism’s re-envisioning what a smartphone could be and should be. It runs on Purism’s own Linux distribution, PureOS, which is certified by the Free Software Foundation to be free of non-transparent, proprietary code such as many commercial products use. Open source code has the potential to be less liable to sneak back doors in to what one’s computer is doing, if qualified people audit it regularly.
The “Evergreen” batch of Librem 5 phones is the first official production model, and possesses unique qualities not found in most smart phones:
* Hardware switches to turn on/off camera, microphone, WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular connection.
* Easily removable battery for easy replacement.
* Easy access to replace the cellular modem and the WiFi/Bluetooth circuitry
* Updates to the PureOS operating system for the long term, not just a few years.
* Connection via USB-C to an external monitor.
* Does not inherently track customers’ usage of the phone and apps.
As of December 2020, this Evergreen batch of phones does not have a sleep function, so battery life is very short. The microphone of this particular Librem 5 is described as sounding “muffled” and “under water” compared to other smart phones when I call someone on it. Purism promises continuous improvements to both the phone’s operating system and the Linux kernel that interacts with the hardware, so I’m hoping that improves with time. At this time, for this typical smart phone user, the phone is not usable as my “daily driver”. A future episode will focus on the software of the Librem 5 after I’ve used it more.
Links about the Librem 5 including video tours:
https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/
https://puri.sm/posts/why-fsf-endorsing-pureos-matters/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaRf8JBL7tE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aQp3twe7D4
Adam Curry on the No Agenda Show sometimes has his Off The Grid segment that discusses alternatives for secure personal communications. Give it a listen.
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