The Sony Iode demonstrator phone has been up now for almost two weeks and so far has had 81 views, 2 Likes but no takers for the 14 day trial. Most if not all of them probably just looking out of curiosity but either way it’s another 80+ people that now know of the OS and getting the message out there is what it’s all about. So I’ve been trying to find some recent reviews in the English language, but I’m fast coming to the conclusion that iode is one of the internet’s best kept secrets. Could be different for continental users of course.
The most recent was a January 2024 G.Hacks review which focused upon the problems norm’s have in giving up their addiction to Goolag services and to be fair iode came out of it rather well I thought so I’m going to attach a link to it I’m thinking. Also I recently bought an XA2 with unlocked BL that had LOS installed. So rather than expose it to Sony’s Schmoogle OS reinstaller I am going to load iode up and see if I can switch anyone on to buying it. So more of an experiment than anything else just to see if people are open to the idea but the phone is in good condition and I found that the change to a less bloated OS really quickened up the XA3, so I’m hoping for a similar improvement.
You can see the XA3 here
The Xp 10 is currently counting 110 views but still no takers. Very disappointing! One thing is for sure is that short of the Chinese/Russian hacking community taking the big G down for a week or two, there’s no hope for privacy to prevail here in the West. I might try putting a phone up along side it at a very attractive price just as another experiment with which to guage the interest (if any), but despite all the effort to make FOSS accessible, convenient, user friendly, etc etc, other than diehard techies, I’m not sure I see much if any future for mainstream users.
‘Brain washed’ just doesn’t describe it.
Just updated the pitch on the demonstrator ad’ but trying to make OSS software sexier than it already is, is a tough gig for sure!
The link is broken, did you take the article offline?
No… I have been busted by ebay! They removed the listing as they say it violated their rules. They are not objecting to the idea of using their returns policy for promoting products/services, but they claimed that the references I made to my offer to upgrade other sony models was a violation of their no links to ‘off ebay’ trading policy. So… I’ve had to revise the demo’ listing by removing any references other than those that relate to the demonstrator phone itself. It should be back up before the end of the week but I’m waiting on them now to approve my revision.
Finally got the listing back up. Ebay don’t like it for sure as it doesn’t generate any commission but they accept it doesn’t violate their ‘selling off site’ rule. In the end I had to make a case based upon the fact that almost every ebayer has most likely never heard of open source software and doesn’t understand what it’s all about. So trying to sell FOSS phones on ebay is a tough gig and the demonstrator phone is an attempt on my part to overcome this lack of knowledge. I also said that I plan to put some older model preinstalled iode Sony’s up which is kind of true as I have a few phones here that I need to shift, but for now I only want to put iode supported devices up for obvious reasons, which narrows it down to just two or three.
Here’s a new link to the listing… Sony iode, Demonstrator Phone, Android 14.0 (Ungoogle or degoogle you decide) | eBay
The Sony-Iode demonstrator phone gets its first trip out to a guy that as strange as it would seem, recently bought a Sony XZ1 off me on ebay. One thing I’ve decided to do is to put a small questionaire together to ask the trialers what they did, and probably more importantly what they didn’t like about the OS. I will post the results on here as it gives a different perspective through the eyes of norm’s which is something most all open source OS’s (inc’ PC’s), have yet to really get their head around.
Ubuntu/Mint is possibly the only exception I can think of most likely due to the clicky, clicky mousey, mousey user friendly nature of the product I’m thinking.
Just added an XA2 to the demonstrator listing whilst the X 10 is out on trial. There’s no reason as to why any one that wants a hands on experience of using iodeOS before making a commitment needs to be a paid up ebay member, although TBF it makes my life a lot easier to use ebay as far as the admin’ side of it goes. So if anyone on here needs an iode phone for similar purposes just give me a knock.
This thread reads like a diary.
And I have to be honest, I don’t know what the thread is supposed to say, what they want to tell us, or what this Iode demonstrator actually does…
maybe he has no one else he can talk to…but he’s talking to himself anyway…but there are supposed to be hotlines 
… and I ask myself, why am I not surprised?
If you are trying to insult me, truth is I don’t give a sh1t. If you guys don’t see the point in trying to put a few phones together so as folks can get some hands on experience of trying a dedicated privacy OS, then I really am wasting my time. TBH I was hoping that others on here would be more pro-active when it comes to attracting new users cos without them the project is almost certain to fail. For example, when I first installed Parrot Security OS it was 23rd on the Distrowatch list of most downloaded Linux distro’s, now, four years later, it’s not even on the list.