I have a question about the physical switch: does it actually physically disconnect you from networks (4/5G, WiFi, Bluetooth) or is it just an extra button that you can use to bulk change settings in the software/OS?
I read the specs and it says:”It’s a physical switch that you set up in BraxOS. You choose which privacy features and permissions it controls, and one flip puts them in place. Flip it back to return to your usual settings.”
So the way I read this is that although the switch is a physical switch, it’s basically just a button that changes settings in the software/OS (which you can pre-set) which technically makes it a “soft” switch. It doesn’t look like it actually physically disconnects the e.g. sim card from the motherboard.
Of course I could be completely wrong about this but I would appreciate an explanation.
Personally I would prefer the button to actually physical disconnect like what the Librem has as opposed an OS setting. We all know that even with for example the airplane mode setting you’re technically still connected.
Anyway looking forward to you reply.
(A happy Brax3 user)
The Privacy switch will disconnect sensors / services on a software or lower level. Some of the items, are disabled on lower level (at boot), for example sensors, data only mode - features not available on standard android. We will share more technical details about how it works soon.
hi there. I’m interested to know more about this as well.
As we know, linux and android drivers don’t usually turn the devices like wifi and BT off, they just disable the communication of them by not responding to connection requests. This means that carrier signal is still active, hence wasting power for no good reason (it’s a crap historical design!). Some devices also reduce the power of the receiver, but again don’t turn the carrier off.
Does the OS:
load the drivers and then turn the sensors/wifi/BT… actually off (as it should), or
does it do the same as standard android and linux (leaving the carrier on, but ignoring connection requests), or
does it ‘not’ load the drivers and essentially leave the sensors at a ‘floating’ state, but without any s/w means of accessing them?
Hi there. The answer to these questions will differentiate between the component being disabled (sensors, wifi/bluetooth, voice/text, etc.). We’re validating these as we speak, with the objective being at disabling these at the lowest level.
We will be using BraX3 as the hardware platform to build and test the BraxOS on. We expect ot have these specs finalized by the end of this year, including possibly a beta build of BraxOS that can be tested on the BraX3.