You can’t actually backup an eSIM. If you could, they would be easy to clone. I know Apple uses that terminology, but that isn’t what is happening in the background. Same with transferring an eSIM. A new one is issued each time.
Isn't that just semantics? It's tied to the same phone number, and I assume the generation of a new eSIM invalidates any old one (as happens with my carrier.) It's essentially backed up, even if it's just a (carrier, number) pair. If the Lyca account is trashed, the rest is just an implementation detail.
But it's not, because some carriers explicitly don't allow eSIM transfers, or reuse of the initial QR code, or even the forced generation of a new eSIM without either customer support manually revoking the previous one, or deleting it yourself from the old device.
I think the problem here is: there's no consistent regulation on how a replacement eSIM can be provisioned on a new device.
Is the fact that you don't actually own a game you bought on steam, or a movie you bought on itunes (eg. if either of them went under, or you got banned) also "just semantics" and "implementation detail"?
eSIM profiles are not backed up, as the key never leaves the Secure Element. What might be backed up is a token allowing the reissuance of a replacement eSIM by the carrier.
Would be awfully obvious to have a subscriber to whom you issued an eSIM profile to an eUICC with the Removable flag set to False later accessing your network with a different IMEI...
Yeah, but they're already gone, and you can only milk them for so much. Businesses and governments are a totally different matter: they're not going to switch to the alternatives no matter what, so MS could make a lot more profit by jacking up their prices massively. $10,000 per user per year is totally doable I think.
Don't underestimate the rage from citizens who receive important documents and sheets in formats they can't open. Or you can open them but with a warning that some functionality might be lost. (reads like: you might go to prison)
I can't think of any official documents I'd be getting in Office file formats. Forms are mostly web ones or in some cases PDF, read-only documents are PDF. Maybe you can submit some documents or attachments in the Word format as a citizen but I wouldn't be surprised if PDF is already required anyway, or an image format for scans.
I'd be more worried about document interoperability between government agencies and other organizations such as companies that do work for the government. The government could of course mandate contractors to use an open source office suite which would extend the need for training to those companies.
Also, I've seen some orgs make heavy use of Office formats in terms of e.g. surprisingly elaborate formatting, document history and comments, and although I haven't tried to use those in LibreOffice, I wouldn't be sure it supports all of those in the same extent some people have learned to use them in Office.
My gov is moving 100% of documents, forms, official stuff to web based without browser plugins. Of course unfortunately if you want to download/print (...) it will be pdf, but outside that, all filling in, editing, reading etc of all citizen facing materials must be possible with a modern web browser. If PDF is only the export for the final doc, I am ok with it; I can fill ut with whatever browser on whatever device. This should be the mandatory basics imho.
Things can be done in such ways that there is nothing visibly incompatible (ie scripting behind some forms), you can always just print and fill the document if needed, and anyway most documents are static pdfs with optional plus for filling some fields in computer.
For us it isn't a very big deal. We will dig out the data points with our bare hands if we have to. (in ways that would make a data analyst scream) For normal users the experience is more like ransomware.
I really hope that happens but I see those announcement as negotiating tactics. Switching will cost a lot (in training, unavoidable delays and mistakes etc.) and both parties will have incentives to go back to good old days.
I hope I am wrong on this. I hate that public infrastructure and bureaucracy runs on Microsoft.
FWIW, I use Fidesmo. Oversimplified, it allows you to copy your credit card's NFC chip into an accessory you wear. I use a ring but there are other options like bracelets or watch bands. No batteries, no devices, no wireless connectivity. It works anywhere an NFC card works, which here in Switzerland is more or less everywhere.
It requires that the card issuer support Fidesmo though. Many here do but I'm not sure what it's like elsewhere.
That's not how those NFC cards work. They are payment middlemen. They are full cards on their own and just pass on every charge to your other card. Just like Google Pay.
Sounds very likely. Perhaps if you are sufficiently big you could also get a small kickback from someone like VISA? Operational expenses must be fairly low.
The way I described it was oversimplified. Technically, it's more like your credit card issuer issues a new card with the same number and installs it on the chip in the accessory.
To be able to do it, you have to authenticate with your card issuer in a mobile app, similar to how you might when setting up Android Pay or Apple Pay. The mobile app then uses your phone as a bridge between the issuer and the NFC chip in the accessory so the relevant data can be written in a secure way.
NFC payments via Google Wallet running on my Pixel Watch 3 connected to a phone running GrapheneOS works just fine. I use this regularly. (It doesn't require Google Wallet to be installed on the phone.)
At least one of my cards required Google Play Services to have the location permission when initially adding the card though.
Google Wallet has supported passports for about a year now [1]. Works great at TSA. You scan it yourself. You never need to hand them your unlocked phone.
Lucky you! I pretty much can never send videos. I'm guessing it's something format / compression / transcoding related. Pictures are hit or miss; I think it's an infrastructure thing.
Has anybody actually been finding good deals on used Tesla's? Every time I see one that looks like a decent price, it has extremely high miles or serious issues.
Anytime I see one with low miles and in good condition, it is approaching the price of a new one.
Ah the good old junk-pricing model, advertise a price which has no relation to what the customer actually will pay, completely removing the customer's ability to compare prices across venues.
I agree with your sentiment. I've occasionally browsed them, and like you said, while many are cheap, you get what you pay for more so than with other models (higher mileage, worse condition). I usually end up finding that other makes and models are a better value.
Graphene is right if you're afraid someone is trying to hack your phone with an RCE in some form of drive-by exploit to hijack your browser.
While RCE attacks and Firefox 0days do exist, I think the privacy improvements outweighs the anti-exploit benefits provided extra layers of sandboxing.
That said, Firefox does seem to be rolling out Fission on Android, which brings hope that site isolation may come soon so that we can have both benefits at the same time.
You can’t actually backup an eSIM. If you could, they would be easy to clone. I know Apple uses that terminology, but that isn’t what is happening in the background. Same with transferring an eSIM. A new one is issued each time.
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