Murena

The Murena 2, a “deGoogled” smartphone with a kill switch, has finally launched in Europe. Billed as a privacy-centric disruptor to the Apple-Google mobile duopoly, the device is the second handset from French startup Murena.  One new addition to the Murena 2 is a physical privacy button, which instantly disables the microphone and camera. To reactivate them for a video call, users just need to flick the switch again. On the other side of the handset is another button — a disconnection switch.…

My ancient Samsung Galaxy is ready for retirement. Cracks expand across the screen, photos are hazy blurs, and the battery barely survives a day. It’s time to buy a replacement. The initial contenders for my cash were the usual mix: Androids and iPhones with old names, incremental upgrades, and eye-watering price tags. While mulling over the options, a serendipitous email arrived in my inbox. A budding phonemaker called Murena was building a new handset with a bullish promise: “the ultimate…

Fairphone After nearly two years of wondering if it’ll ever be sold officially in the U.S., the Fairphone 4 — a smartphone that hangs its hat on its repairable design — has finally launched in North America. With the evergrowing issue of e-waste, it’s nice to see a company that’s focused on following sustainable practices that allow users to fix their phones themselves instead of the all-too-common problem of having to throw out your iPhone and buy a new one when small issues occur. Take note that the U.S. release of…

A small company called Murena broke into the news this week thansk to its latest Android phone release. Known for preloading old Android phones with a custom version of Android, this Murena One phone is the company’s first phone. A typical $400 phone, it’s a flat-screen slab with solid specs including a MediaTek processor, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, a 48-megapixel rear camera, and a 25MP selfie shooter. More important than the specs, Murena is using the privacy-focused, iOS-inspired /e/OS to power its…

There’s a new Google-free smartphone in town. Murena, the team behind the privacy-focused /e/OS operating system that de-Googles Android smartphones, has launched its own device. Called the Murena One, this new smartphone is expectedly powered by the company’s in-house operating system. The firm has also released /e/OS V1.Murena One specifications and featuresThe Murena One is a mid-range smartphone. It sports a 6.53-inch IPS LCD screen with a 1080 x 2242 resolution. The handset runs on MediaTek’s Helio P60 processor…

Murena One, the privacy-first phone based on Android sans Google's participation, has been unveiled. The new smartphone carries basic specifications that include an IPS full-HD+ display, triple rear cameras, and an octa-core MediaTek SoC. However, it is the software side of things that is making the Murena One a distinct option in the market. The phone runs on an operating system called /e/OS that is touted to be "deGoogled" Android. It is, though, claimed to support most Android apps out-of-the-box.Murena One priceMurena…

David Pierce / The Verge: Hands-on with Murena One, a privacy-focused $369 Android smartphone, which dumps all Google apps and services with its own custom apps — /e/OS does a lot, but it can't fix the ecosystem — An Android phone without Google. No Google apps, no Google Play Services, no peppy Google Assistant. David Pierce / The Verge: Hands-on with Murena One, a privacy-focused $369 Android smartphone, which dumps all Google apps and services with its own custom…

MurenaIf you value privacy and you use a smartphone, you've got a problem. Both Apple and Google constantly collect data on you. A Vanderbilt University study found, for example, that Android sends data to Google even if your phone is sitting idle with Chrome running in the background at a rate of 340 times a day.  Murena and Mandrake Linux founder Gael Duval was sick of it by 2017. He wanted his data to be his data, and he wanted open-source software. Almost five years later, Duval and his co-developers launched the…

An Android phone without Google. No Google apps, no Google Play Services, no peppy Google Assistant. No Google surveillance and data snooping, no incessant ad targeting, no feeling like privacy is a pointless exercise. Some companies, like Huawei, have been forced to figure out how to build this kind of device. A few others have tried for the sake of maintaining your privacy and as a way to fight back against the tyranny of Big Tech. None of it has ever really worked. The team at Murena has been working on de-Googling…