@irvinewade Would you mind telling us which exactly bluetooth keyboard you are using, so that everyone can be sure it works with a Librem 5?
I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that 
because, strangely, it does not have a model number on it! It’s definitely a Logitech. I think it’s the diNovo Mini (Y-RBG93). I bought it years and years ago. I doubt you can buy one new today.
It comes with a USB dongle for hosts that don’t have Bluetooth but I am using it without the dongle i.e. Bluetooth works direct and seamlessly between the phone and the keyboard. The keyboard even has a very small touchpad built-in that allows me to move the cursor on the Librem 5 screen.
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Maybe a “phone cover o’ shame”…? 
It would be so great if I can just get a cheap MVNO plan with my current phone, especially since I use no data so I just need unlimited/generous call/text. If I’m going to spend ~1k on the L5 (much more than I’d normally consider spending on a phone), then I definitely want to save money in the mean time.
I’ll tell you the phone I’m currently using… But no laughing!! 
…ok you can laugh a little.
LG Xpression (original… no Plus or anything): https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-C395-xpression
Despite being very old in tech-years, it does actually have some benefits (aside from some privacy and no risk of getting addicted to it) my favorite of which are: being able to text without looking thanks to the physical keyboard and the fact that I typically only have to charge it once per WEEK! Hyu hyu! But I’ve been holding back from joining the modern era a long time, so if I can do it without compromising my value for privacy, I’m overdue and ready 
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Looks very practical for someone who primarily calls and texts, and doesn’t need faster data than 3.5G. Presumably you do use a little data if you’re doing MMS, email, etc. Check out that list of AT&T MVNOs. I’ll bet you can find something ultra cheap. First figure out your average monthly usage: minutes used, messages sent and received, data used. Then match that up with a plan.
MVNO accounts are usually managed exclusively online, and by call or chat. So you won’t be able to get help from an AT&T shop. On the up side, you’ll never have to set foot in an AT&T shop.
P.S. The new carrier is usually responsible for porting your number in, so you can set that up when you order a new SIM card. I doubt you’ll have to get AT&T to unlock your phone if you’re just moving to an MVNO on AT&T’s network. The MVNO can advise, though.
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I looked through all the services on that page - unfortunately none of them list 3G as a network. I dont know if that means they actually dont use 3G at all, or if they just aren’t mentioning it because its not special. I reached out to Black Wireless and Freedom Pop asking if they offer 3G on the AT&T network… we’ll see.
One thing I just thought about is the sim card TYPE. My phone is still on an older sim card, I think its the “Standard” sim size… which if thats right, I think its two generations ago 
So I’m thinking that the sim that the MVNO sends probably wont even fit in my phone. Arg…
Yes, as long as 3G still exists, the MVNOs will provide the connection. All the major networks are winding down 3G, though, so by next year you’ll need a new VoLTE-capable (voice of 4G LTE) phone.
These days, SIM cards come on a “triple-cut” card that lets you punch out the size you need, including the large old-school size. Example: https://www.amazon.com/Prepaid-Red-Pocket-Mobile-Card/dp/B002C8KI7S
Edit: But, of course, confirm everything with them before you order the SIM.
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i’m pretty convinced that in my part of the world i’ll be happy using 2G for at least a couple more years. they don’t change these things too often … maybe in the larger cities …
Yes, he does.
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Thank so, so very very much for all the help. You’ve been very generous to help me get educated on all of this.
I spent 5 hours this morning wrestling with AT&T customer service (and getting shifted around to every department they have) and talking to Red Pocket. Thankfully I got some better AT&T reps this time who were able to explain the issue. Apparently, on Feb 19th, AT&T stop ACTIVATING 3G phones. If you had a 3G phone already activated on the line, then that phone can continue to be used until 3G signal goes out in your area. However, I tried to activate my new 3G phone right around that day, so I must’ve just missed this deadline no one knew about.
Apparently Red Pocket MVNO is also no longer activating 3G phones but suggested they may be able to make an exception for my phone. So I went ahead and got my phone unlocked by AT&T (turns out you can DIY on their website!) and will test out Red Pocket as soon as I can figure out why their website is telling me all my payment methods are “authentication failed” (I swear its like something REALLY wants to stop me from making any progress).
If it turns out that I can’t get my 3G phone to work on their network, I’m looking into other phones now. If I can find a 4G slider without too much suspicious tracking stuff, I may go for that. I’d love if I can settle into proper privacy phone now since I’m going to be putting money towards this anyway.
What do ya’ll think of this: Sirin Finney phone
Is blockchain good for privacy?
No idea what this stuff means but it sure sounds fancy: “The FINNEY™ is powered by SIRIN OS™ which includes an outstanding Security Suite Layer, Embedded Cold Storage Wallet, Token Conversion Center and the best of DApp nation featured on Sirin’s dCENTER.”
FYI I have no interest in crypocurrency at this time, so if those features hold no value for me.
Does anyone know if Black Phone from Silent Circle will sell to an individual consumer? And if its features outside of a Black-Phone-to-Black-Phone setting are good enough to be worth using that way? I reached out to their customer support and no one got back to me.
Thank you again for sharing your insights!
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I don’t recommend it. At $999, it is expensive, and it has never offered an upgrade for its SIRIN OS, which is based on Android 8.1, which was released in Dec. 2017. Standard Google practice is to stop offering security updates after 3 - 3.5 years. Google’s March security update indicates that it is still supporting Android 8.1, but that support will probably end in the next couple months if Google follows its standard practice.
When I go to the Sirin web site, I can’t find where to download SIRIN OS or instructions for how to install it on the phone. It appears that all the code that Sirin Labs added to Android 8.1 to make SIRIN OS is proprietary, and I expect Sirin Labs will never offer an upgrade, so you will have a totally unsupported phone by the end of this year. I doubt that Qualcomm with ever offer another firmware update for the Snapdragon 845 in the phone either.
Yes, you can buy the Silent Circle Blackphone 2 on Amazon for $839, but you should avoid it, because you need the North American variety and it is no longer being sold. The manufacturer is no longer producing phones and its web site says that it is no longer supporting the Blackphone 2. It was released in 2015, so it has an ancient version of Android that is no longer getting security updates.
In contrast, Purism is promising lifetime software updates, and that is credible, because its i.MX 8M Quad processor will be manufactured till Jan 2028, and all its drivers are free/open source, and Purism is working to get the phone supported by the mainline Linux kernel, so it will be able to upgrade to future kernel releases. See: https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Frequently-Asked-Questions#311-how-can-purism-provide-lifetime-software-updates-for-the-librem-5, https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Frequently-Asked-Questions#81-how-does-the-librem-5-avoid-planned-obsolescence
PINE64 isn’t promising lifetime software updates, but you are effectively going to get them, and PINE64 is also trying to get the phone fully supported by the mainline Linux kernel. One disadvantage of the PinePhone compared to the Librem 5 is that a lot of its components are old and I doubt that Allwinner and Realtek will keep providing firmware upgrades for the A64 and the WiFi/BT for very long in the future, but PINE64 promises to manufacture the phone until 2024, so maybe it got promises from Allwinner, Realtek, Quectel and the rest of the component manufacturers that they will keep producing their parts for that long.
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The pinephone (this is my experience) software isn’t ready yet. Once it enters deep sleep its pretty much dead to the world. There are text messages I never got because it was sleeping and were just lost to the ether (manjaro phosh, maybe mobian does better?). I think if you want a phone that’s reliable today, you’ll need to find an android variant that suits you.
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According to the Pine64 February update, this problem should be solved soon. See the work by Dylan in the “PinePhone Part 2” section.
However, I agree with your point that the Librem 5 and PinePhone probably aren’t ready for general users yet. For somebody like @Rae, an AOSP derivative is probably what he should buy, which is why I suggested Rob Braxman, since he can install it for him.
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This is very good to know. Thanks.
Hopefully Red Pocket can active your 3.5G slider and you can get by for a few months until you find a phone that syncs with your privacy needs. Before you throw lots of money at any new phone, make sure it has VoLTE-capability (AT&T calls it HD Voice) on the network you choose. Otherwise it will eventually be obsolete and incapable of phone calls. Let us know what you end up doing.
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I think that it’s very closed and proprietary.
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What does anyone think about this option to Rae’s dilemma of an interim phone to the L5? I’m basically in the same boat as Rae, wanting a fully-functioning interim device before the L5 will be fully-functioning, and before I can even acquire an L5 at this point.
If you go to eSolutions, click on “Buy an /e/ Smartphone!” and switch the country to USA, they are now offering the /e/ Galaxy S9 Refurbished for $380 and the /e/ Galaxy S9+ Refurbished for $430.
https://esolutions.shop/
I don’t really know anything about this Paris-based project, but it looks encouraging.
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I am thinking of getting one of their phones when I am in Italy in May.
I’M SO JEALOUS!
Not to hijack the thread, but there is also this option: https://doc.e.foundation/easy-installer
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I think that is a very good suggestion. I have one of his devices, both to play with and also to support him, while I wait for my L5 (which I expect late to receive in 2021).
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