Recyclable phone gets open source OS
Wednesday, May 11, 2016 - 13:37:18
The Fairphone 2 has been available in the UK for a few months now, offering conscientious buyers the opportunity to invest in a device which is not only sustainably built but also constructed using ethically sourced materials. And now the Dutch firm behind it has opened up the unique operating system it runs for all to alter, according to The Verge.
The Fairphone OS is a platform which finds its roots in Google’s Android ecosystem although, crucially, it is designed to avoid offering any Google-branded apps and services as standard. This is all in the name of openness, both in terms of the software’s flexibility and in order to stimulate competition without the fear of censorship.
The Fairphone 2 itself is noteworthy because of its modular design, which makes it both easy to repair and replace damaged components, as well as far easier to recycle than comparable devices from Apple and other mainstream manufacturers.
Whether or not the resale value of the Fairphone 2 will hold up as well as the iPhone in the long term remains to be seen, with the lack of brand recognition likely to be an issue for owners further down the line. But then the target audience for this handset will be more interested in owning a device which gives them a clear conscience rather than taking steps to get a cost-effective smartphone which can be sold in the future.
When it comes to the open source Fairphone OS, the appeal may be similarly limited. But the fact that a specialised niche of tech-savvy, socially conscious consumers has finally been granted a handset and software package to meet their needs is heartening, while the modular design hints at what more smartphones might offer if this approach manages to catch on elsewhere.
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