For android: Vela Maps, basically newpipe but for google maps. It anonymises your requests to google maps and functions essentially the same way. It also works offline assuming you downloaded the maps you need (including search results).

As someone who’s used one before. I can see the benefit. But in order to be useful, it would need to replace something. Right now, the main thing it replaces is tablets. Me personally, I dont care for tablets and its also why i dont like folding phones. Either I do whatever I need to do on my phone or my laptop.

But the more interesting idea is it replacing the laptop. The idea of a singular device being able to run both desktop and mobile apps, makes it a little more intriguing. The closest you can get to this right now is Samsung dex (and I think android 17?). Hopefully in the future though, Linux phones will become more stable and useable. That’d genuinely be amazing.

Same reason NVIDIA finally started prioritising open source drivers for linux all of a sudden… Its AI :/. The laptops are even called copilot+ PCs. They wanna make AI dev for those data centers that keep popping up as easy as possible. Thats literally the only reason.

No. A good example is phones. They are intentionally designed to be breakable and difficult to repair. Even ignoring the repairabilty standpoint: the glass backs for wireless charging (a feature that a minority use), not giving consumers a phone case, the lack of innovation for “water proofing” the phone; just using glue everywhere (more annoying to recycle existing phones).

That is unethical. The sheer amount of human life wasted needlessly spent repairing and paying to fix these phones, and polluting the environment is unethical. The default should be more repairable, if not more durable, but no.

Companies are not people. They need people, sure. And it isnt automatically a good thing when they lose. But they are NOT people. 1000s of companies could crumble tommorow with no loss significant loss to anyone. They can find new jobs, create new companies. A company failing because they prioritised the consumer isn’t “good”, but it isnt “bad” either. However, if a company relies on the pollution of people’s time, money, and environment? That is unethical.

I like drawdb.app.

Shoutout to that guy who complained about people not answering your question, only to not answer the question!

Anyways, to answer your question. NO, you cannot install another OS onto your smart TV, much like a PlayStation and XBOX will always use a proprietary launcher (unless you know what you’re doing and are very willing to tinker).

The solutions you have are as follows:

1. Keep using your smart TV, but forget and disconnect all WiFi. If possible, remove the WiFi hardware. Then connect a computer running Linux to the display input of the TV. Use this for all WiFi related stuff. (Or get an old, non-smartTV, but good luck!)

2. If you truly want to go full schizo and avoid any and all potential telemetry. Based on ur usecase, you do not use TV functionality; you only need a big display. You can get a large monitor or “Commercial Signage Display”. These often dont come with WiFi hardware at all. Then simply connect ur Linux computer like you would an android TV.

I’d recommend KDE plasma “big picture mode” as your desktop env. But Its still in development so YMMV.

probably “OLARPY”. a play on words with:

“omarchy”: the distro criticised for just being arch linux with someones dotfiles

“larp”: stands for Live Action Role Playing. Usually used to mean a poser or someone pretending/convinced they are something they’re not.