I don't have a google account and don't want one and really prefer to not upload my contacts to someone else's server as a matter of principle. I have a personal nextcloud server so could use that if it helps, but it's not clear that it does.

I tried exporting the old contacts as a .vcf file and importing the .vcf to the new phone, and that MOSTLY worked, but it seems to have lost the labels on the phone numbers. E.g. my entry for XYZ Bank had separate phone numbers for payments, credit card, and so on. Those got transferred to the new phone as home, mobile, work. I.e. .vcf doesn't seem to handle custom labels.

Is there some kind of workaround? The vcf scheme seems like about the best, except for the issue of losing the contact labels.

To complicate matters a bit, I've been using the new phone for a couple weeks now, so I have added or edited some contacts on it. That means if I do another transfer, I'd prefer to not wipe out the contacts database on the new phone, though if that is unavoidable I guess I can survive.

Old phone is Android 7 and new phone is Android 13 if that matters. I haven't examined the .vcf file in an editor but I guess I should try that.

Thanks for any advice.

It's cheap and it's the only one of the G family that supports Boost Mobile (don't know why the other ones don't). It would be for a family member who may need to replace an Android 8 phone. For stupid reason I have a couple of prepaid Boost cards, so being able to use them is a plus, but the phone's low up front price is also a big attraction. I have the G Stylus 5g and like it a lot, so am imagining the Play as a less fancy version. Is that reasonable? Thanks.

Is it a rule imposed by the phone carriers, who want you to buy a different plan with no voice service if you have a tablet? It can't be the phone makers since the are so many. It can't be Android software licenses since Apple seems affected too. I'd be pretty interested in a tablet sized phone. But they seem to have maxed out in the current tall skinny format that is not really big enough for some things. Just wondering.

Edit: aha, I managed to get rid of the stupid photo. Thanks for the help.

I mean the functionality where it guesses what word you are trying to type, after seeing a few letters, or when you type by sliding your finger over the keyboard instead of pecking individual keys. I have all the custom dictionary and self-training stuff shut off on my old Android 7 phone (didn't want to upload data to Google) and it still worked pretty well. Is it my imagination or is Android 13 a lot worse?

Amusingly, Android 13 seems more willing to use NSFW words. I tried to type "furosemide" (a prescription drug that a family member uses) and the phone sas "fu" and suggested "fucking". Android 7 also had those words but wouldn't use them until it was out of alternatives. I'm not offended but I think that change is funny.

Ok it's 4G and Android 12, so a little bit behind the times, and weighs over a pound, but it has 65 watt fast charging and a built in 1200 lumen flashlight (I wonder if that doubles as a video light). I found out about it a few days ago and have been fascinated by it since then. The weight isn't so bad if you consider that it gets rid of the need to bring a power bank.

Not gonna buy real soon but wow. Maybe they will do a 5G version sometime. I posted in another community that I want to be able to pull it out and say "that's not a phone, THIS is a phone".

Any thoughts?

and it would also be nice to make the link symbol bigger. Also, at least on Android, the "share" icon should be the traditional 3-node graph thing rather than a download symbol. I don't know whether ios has different conventions. Thanks ;)

Wondering if anyone is here. I have a question about software decoding of Morse code. I keep being told that is harder than it sounds, so I'm wondering what the issues are. I have a use for it right now. Thanks.

The 60.4g one is here. It has a 2.45 inch screen, 1100mah removable battery, has been around for a while, and runs Android 8.1. By its dimensions it MIGHT fit into an Altoids tin (which would of course block RF signals from reaching it, good or bad depending). I emailed the company and they replied there are no plans to update it, unfortunately. They have a newer "Jelly Star" version that runs Android 13 and has more features, but is 2x as heavy. I suspect the lighter one didn't catch on because the battery was too small, but it might be ok if you don't actually use the phone much.

The 560g version is here. It is that heavy because it has a 22000mah(!) non-removable battery. It also has a built-in 1200 lumen flashlight, 6.81" screen, accepts 65 watts USB PD fast charge, and generally looks like a capable modern (8gb ram, Android 12) phone, though it is 4g only. They do have some 5g models that are smaller.

Why is a 560g phone ultralight? Well on Reddit r/ultralight they always talk about power banks, and the lightest 20000mah power bank is around 300g and it is popular there. This thing combines the power bank and a phone, so saves the weight of a separate phone. They also like to spend days on the trail and then duck into a restaurant for a recharge, so they like fast charging. Most phones and power banks recharge at 15 watts so you don't get that much in an hour, even with separate chargers for your phone and PB (i.e. 30 watts using both at once). This thing supposedly takes an almost full charge in under 2 hours. Finally, it is good to get rid of the cable between the power bank and the phone. Not for weight (you still need to bring a cable) but because USB connectors are way too fiddly and they break all the time. So the less often you plug and unplug a phone, the better. Huge batteries from that perspective are good.

I should also mention, the above is supposedly a ruggedized phone. If that means you don't need an add-on protective case, that saves some more weight.

I have never used or seen either of these phones (just heard about them last night) and don't feel likely to buy one (especially the Tank), but both are interesting enough that I thought I'd post here.

Update: there is an even bigger (666g, 31mm thick) follow-on with Android 13, 5G radio, 16GB ram, and 120 watt charging: https://liliputing.com/unihertz-tank-3-smartphone-has-a-23800-mah-battery/

Yes they are terrible and enthusiasts should use rechargeables. But for others, there are sane reasons to want to have a few alkaleaks on long term standby. Is the fridge better for this than room temperature? What about the freezer? Related: Countycomm's 1C and 1D lights are on sale again. That is what prompted this question.

Battery Junction sells these for $1 each or sends you one for free with any $20 order:

https://batteryjunction.com/titanium-keylight-colors

They look like generic and slightly crappy 2xCR2016 keychain lights of the type pioneered by LRI/Photonlight and its users. The intriguing thing about them is the mention of a microcontroller. Its purpose is to give click-on click-off functionality that I guess is more convenient, or maybe lower costs by using less precise plastic molding than the Photon II and its mechanical switch requires. But of course it makes me think of running Anduril in the light ;).

The product page has decent pictures of the assembled light, so I have posted a crappy photo of the disassembled light and its PCB. The MCU is the little potted chip-on-board thing. It might be possible to replace it and painstakingly rewire the PCB traces, or else possibly make a new PCB. The pushbutton itself is a little spring contact in the center of the board, going to an MCU pin. I haven't tried to measure the idle current drain. There is another SMT component on the board that I don't recognize. It's about 2mm*3mm and is thicker than I'm used to for SMT resistors, and it's marked "W4". A capacitor? Inductor? Hmm.

There is no PWM and no multiple modes, just on-off. I haven't yet disassembled a Photon Freedom to see if that has more parts inside.

Changing or reprogramming the MCU in this thing is probably not practical, but the electronic switching is interesting in its own right. Another idea that I had is to replace the led with one with full length leads that could be bent to 90 degrees, making a right angle light that could be used as a tiny headlamp. That is not really possible with a Photon II or clone ("Fauxton"), because those use the flexing LED lead as the on-off switch.

In fact I got about 3 feet of sticky-back Velcro at Daiso for something like $1.50. So that suggests a truly tiny headlamp with no strap. Just stick a velcro dot on the back of the right-angle light, and a bigger velcro dot of opposite "polarity" on your forehead, and plop the light there or remove it as needed. The idea is for the velcro to stay on your forehead like a band-aid through an outing of up to a few days, while not causing too much skin irritation. But, I have not tried this crazy scheme ;).

About using ultraviolet LEDs instead of fluorescent tubes in a bug zapper. PWM'ing them saves power and catches more bugs. I figured it could be of interest here.

Deleted, I got confused, this was about a problem I was having on lemmy.ml rather than here.