With MuditaOS K now at version 1.1.1, I am wondering whether anyone else has “workarounds fatigue” with the Kompakt and how they are handling it.
Now having my Kompakt for 32 days, I am tiring from working around the various defects and deficits.
What are you doing to minimize the fatigue?
For example, I tried two sideloaded launchers and decided to revert to the native launcher.
As another example, I have seen tips posted about how to change font size and audio volume, and I tweaked the Kompakt’s font once or twice, but I no longer try to keep up with all the changes possible.
I have come to peace with the fact that Mudita will take some time to address the defects and deficits. So, I live with a “patched-up” Kompakt until further notice.
Also, I hoped when I ordered last October to be able when I got it to promote the Kompakt immediately to friends and relatives. Now, though, I realize that I must wait patiently for at least two updates before I would be comfortable showing it with others.
This was me after day 1. I wanted a phone I could side load a few tools on to so I could leave my Motorola at home most of the time.But I have found I replace or added the following just to get around the software:
Davx5 to sync contacts. I am currently using Google for contacts and calendar, so I needed to install Brave to get a secure browser to complete the sync.
OneCalendar to sync the calendar
Textra to replace SMS and have group messaging
Here we go for the maps
Futo Keyboard to replace the keyboard
olauncher to replace the launcher
Spotify because the music app is so bad
Synology Photos to sync my picture off the Kompakt because the desktop companion has almost zero functionality.
CX File Explorer to uninstall apps as needed
Aurora Store and F-Droid to install the apps needed to fix the native apps
Plus enabling Dev tools, using ADB to disable the Mudita launcher, blah, blah, blah
This is a ton of compensation for the OS and app. Really Spotify is the only one I would not completely consider a replacement since it does so much more than an MP3 player.
I didn’t want to fuss with all this add on mess. I just wanted to set it up, transfer SIM, sync calendar and contacts, add my 5 or 6 apps and not think about modding, custom ROMs or using ADB again.
I’ve been one of the first persons to post a thread when recieving the compact more than a month ago and until now I don’t have made any bad experiences exept for the fact that you cannot use a custom ringtone and mute SMS tones. It does what it’s suppose to, at least for me.
Maybe the expectations were way too big?
Not really. I personally don’t see them as workarounds, so mush as customising the phone for my specific version of what “minimalist” means. I think everybody’s personal definition of a minimal phone is something slightly different. I think it’s unreasonable to expect that some company will perfectly match their product with my personal preferences. So it’s reasonable that I need to either (a) adapt myself to fit their minimalist phone, or (b) adapt their minimalist phone to fit me. I choose (b).
I abandoned my HMD device because it wasn’t able to fit it into my life day-to-day.
The Mudita Kompakt is much closer to what I need day-to-day, and has only really needed a couple of modifications to be ideal for me, plus a couple of extra “quality-of-life” improvements (e.g. like adding a short click notification tone)
I don’t have any fatigue. I sideloaded the apps I needed like local transit app, signal, apple music and discord and the only app I needed to change was the keyboard, in which I sideloaded a keyboard with nordic layout and characters. I’m used to products from smaller, e-ink companies like Supernote, Lightphone and Remarkable and I didn’t go into this with super high expectations. I figured I would have to do some workaround and that it would be bugs in the beginning. I’m sure Mudita will figure it out and in the meantime I’m happy with the Kompakt as it is.
I’m not happy with the UI/UX of some of the default apps that Mudita has provided, and I’m not happy with Sideloaded apps and their material design that doesn’t work in Eink, but I wouldn’t consider any of the shortcomings to cause fatigue to me personally.
I have always customized my Android devices to my liking, it doesn’t matter if they were a 50 usd keypad phone or a highend galaxy note flagship. I have always sideloaded open source apps even when the default apps were feature packed and bug free.
I bought the device for hardware mostly, and when I say hardware I mean the kompaktish size and the e-ink display.
What Kompakt has caused accidentally is to force me to learn some basic Android development so at least I can edit existing Open Source to my liking.
To be honest, I was thinking about sideloading some apps but in the last few weeks it turned out I don’t really need most of them.
At the same time, because of few things (Teams calls at work when I’m on the road, Revolut that’s only sensible as an app), I keep a smartphone in my car. That might be a bit of cheating on my end, I would love to get rid of that phone because it prevents me from fully stepping back towards using maps and not navigation systems.
But even then, I’d do all I can to avoid sideloading. Perhaps battery life became too precious to me but that’s the main thing that’s putting me off of sideloading.
I just managed to accept the current state of the device and working in an IT industry branch with hardware and software being sold, I am somewhat used to products that are not polished on day zero…
I have had the NA version (live in USA, on Verizon) for about two weeks now and am happy with the Kompakt. I am not a heavy user - so my needs were not that great. The only workaround I felt like was crucial was to replace the keyboard with SwiftKey. I don’t love the fact that I’m using a Microsoft keyboard with AI capabilities (because of the potential loss of privacy) but the Mudita keyboard was slow, unresponsive at times, and didn’t have great autocorrect. I’ve found SwiftKey to be much faster and has autocorrect.
The only “fixing” I’ve needed to do is using Quik instead of the SMS app, Gboard over the native keyboard and a podcast app.
The Maps app is pretty much useless but I don’t need it anyway. I would like to see turn by turn navigation and a directory function for POI like the Lightphone.
The music app is fine for me, I’m not adding a large library.
Ive also added NYT games, the AMC Theater app and the procare daycare app just for convenience.
With the help of knowledgeable users on this forum, my MK is more or less as I would like it to be. The fact that I’m using 3rd part apps over stock apps really doesn’t concern me. I’ve picked ones that have the features that MK might take years to implement and display well enough on e-Ink.
I’m still waiting for confirmation that Mudita will support voicemail notifications – shocker that that hasn’t been implemented at all – but as for the other commentary regarding the OS not being release-ready and stock apps falling short, well, ever since I pre-ordered my reMarkable in 2017, I’ve come to expect this when I buy a device on pre-order. It’s implicit that it’s a WIP.
From Mudita’s response regarding OS support, I also hear loud and clear that I should expect three years of OS support and 4 years of HW support and that’s all. So, this is a device for the next 3 years (or 4 max). The first year Mudita will need to finish the stock apps.
The learning curve to sideloading on MK, setting up NextCloud (for calDAV, contacts, webDAV etc.) and optimising has been steep, but now I’m here, I’m free of Apple’s tentacles, I feel a certain calm. Fingers crossed on VM notifications. Onwards from here.