Photo of a smartphone running the Signal app.

Reasons Not To Use Signal Anymore

Signal should probably no longer be included as a top choice for activist messaging, secure messaging, business and personal messaging for the following trust-worthiness red-flag reasons.

Signal’s server is no longer open source. In 2021, they announced a closed-source component for scanning and blocking certain users. You can see for yourself as the source code for the “spam-filter @ e73138e” folder in https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Server is private. As you know, if any part becomes closed source, that compromises the entire system.
Signal’s server is dependent on closed-source un-trusted proprietary services such as DynamoDB and Amazon SQS SAAS products.
Signal requires entering your personal phone number for identification (dependent on closed-source un-trusted external telephony systems). This can trace back to you if you paid for the phone service with a credit card or phone bills are sent to your address (the phone company can log SMS messages sent from Signal servers). Using a Google Voice number doesn’t help because that’s associated with your Google Account which also requires a phone number to create thus still identifying you.
Signal requires use of their centralized server and doesn’t allow federated servers from independent entities. This means one dictator has control over your communications and can change things whenever they want. It also means the service is easy to block on a locale-wide basis. It also means a governing body where Signal Servers are located can force them to change things without you knowing. It also means Signal can change their server software whenever they want while publishing different software in the public repository (as they have done in the past.)
If Signal has undergone any 3rd party security audits, they don’t publish the results(1). (Although the protocol was audited in 2019, there are no published audits for their servers.)
Signal accounts are easy to hijack with a SIM swap of your regular phone number since insecure SMS messaging is what’s used for authentication (though old messages won’t be visible, new ones will go to the new user).

The smarter thing is to base private communications on distributed or decentralized open protocols and technologies that “we the people” can take ownership of and modify as we see fit. Below are a few messaging systems that fall into that category. None of these collect any type of personal data and all use in-person QR code encryption key sharing to create contact connections for the upmost security. Onboarding is easier than Signal because there is no SMS text messaging requirement for creating accounts, however creating conversations is more difficult because they don’t scan your phone’s contact list in order to match other phone numbers to Signal’s database. The below apps require more secure contact relationships such as in-person QR code encryption key sharing.

Delta Chat. This is a client for the most widely-used electronic communications system ever created and it’s also completely open and decentralized (SMTP), thus making it the ideal system for self-agency. Not all SMTP systems are as secure as they could be, though things have improved a lot in recent years with the proliferation of better encryption & security capabilities and standards. Delta Chat is a SMTP messaging app that is leading the way in more security and privacy while maintaining the decentralized, open, and “for the people, by the people” nature and integrating modern chat features. The app also works with standard email accounts and servers, but there’s a new “chatmail” server that adds some good features and one is provided as the default “new profile” connection for new users. For info and a video about how to use it with Chatmail, see: Using Delta Chat with Chatmail servers for decentralized, open, secure, private messaging.. Delta Chat also publishes security audits which improves their trustworthiness and is completely open-source on both the server and client level (though the iPhone version must use Apple’s Notification Servers for push notifications as all apps are required to do that). ~~Delta Chat also integrates with Jitsi Meet so that you can run your own video conferencing server for real-time audio/video communications.~~
Cheogram. This one uses another open standard messaging protocol called XMPP. It’s similar to Delta Chat in that regard and also even shares the same webXDC app sharing programming structure.
Briar. This one can be completely serverless with only peer-to-peer connections. It can work with no internet at all as well since it has the direct WiFi and Bluetooth mesh network connection capabilities (but in those cases you need to be physically close to other Briar users). For info and video about how to use it see: How to keep communicating when your internet is disrupted. The big advantage here is that there are no servers that can be compromised and it doesn’t need internet access at all. A large mass of people within close proximity can communicate through Bluetooth/Wifi in their own mesh network even if the local cellular towers are shut down or the entire City/Country’s internet access is turned off. Messages/data can even be transferred via feathernet (data cards attached to pigeons). The disadvantages are that the app needs to be running in order to transfer and receive messages… and Apple does not allow this type of tech on iOS devices.
SimpleX. Similar to email in that it uses open-source federated servers for transferring messages, but it uses a new protocol that isn’t dependent on the domain name system. The website says that it doesn’t have any IDs, but it does (so that you can add contacts). It’s just that they are different for each conversation which makes figuring out which person is which much more difficult. Simple X also publishes security audits and is completely open-source on both the server and client levels (though again push notifications on iPhones are required to use Apple’s proprietary notification system as all apps are.)

Communications systems to avoid:

Anything that requires a phone number, separate email address, credit card, mailing address, etc.
Anything that cannot be run on your own server (in your house or on a rented virtual private server). Even if you don’t want to make your own server, the ability to make one means self-agency is attainable whereas with other systems you’re forced into someone else’s way of doing things. It’s a matter of transparency, sustainability, and freedom.
Anything controlled by a single entity. Centralized systems always become corrupt.

Also see:

Why Circular Camera Hump Arrays Are The Best

Most smartphones these days have an array of camera lenses and sensors on the back of the phone. It’s rare to see just one camera since we love having the flexibility of multiple focal lengths. However, there’s a lot of diversity in the layout of those camera lenses and sensors. Some companies put them all in a raised rectangular hump like the iPhones do. Some have each lens raised up individually like the Samsung Galaxy Ultra series. Some have a circular raised area on the back that contains all of the lenses and sensors. Which one is the best style? Well, I’ll tell you.

It’s the circular one and here’s why.

Lens caps

All smartphone cameras should have lens caps. I hate it when I or someone else touches the camera lenses and gets some finger grease smears on there that affect the photo quality. My model friends hate it too.

With the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, I realized I could just measure that camera hump circle (It’s 55mm) and then go down to the camera store and get a push-on style lens cap that covers all of those lenses for cheap. No need to buy a special case with sliding doors or flaps like I did with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra or like I see friends doing with their iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices.

A lens cap for my newest Xiaomi 17 Ultra is only $16 and doesn’t affect the thickness or look of the rest of the phone: Kaiser 57mm Push-On Lens Cap 206957 B&H Photo Video. Meanwhile an iPhone case with a camera lens cap is twice the price and makes the whole thing super ugly. See: Amazon.com: SURITCH for iPhone 17 Pro Case with Camera Control Cover, Camera Cover and Adjustable Kickstand. Having to use a case with a camera cover door with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra was the most annoying since it covered that gorgeous transparent glass body.

You can tell what to look at

Another thing I like about the big circular camera humps on smartphones is that it’s easier for models to figure out where their eyes should go especially when under other bright lights. The big black circular camera hump looks a lot more like a professional camera than the little circles and rectangular arrays on other camera phones.

Conclusion

Ok, in reality the shape of the camera array’s protrusion doesn’t really matter that much. It’s a design and stylistic choice. Maybe it’s the only actual differentiating design feature on all smatphones these days since the other side is always only going to be a rectangular glass touch screen. The only interesting things you can do anymore are change the colors and camera array layout on the back. Maybe someday smartphone designers can get more creative like the Clicks Communicator or the Unihertz Jelly Star.

CES: Lenovo’s New ThinkPad Rollable XD Concept Extends the Screen in a New Way

Lenovo’s got a new rollable display concept to show off at CES 2026 and this one is a bit different from the previous one. The previous concept had the screen rolling out from the base of the laptop where the keyboard and motherboard are. This one has the extra display real-estate actually rolled into the back of the display and when extending, the external part has a clear panel that lets you see a very cool pattern along with the gears and motors that move inside as the display extends. So with this one, you can have the extra screen also display other stuff on the back of the laptop’s screen panel when closed or collapsed.

As above, when the laptop is closed, you can still have a variety of widgets displaying information without having to open the computer.

This model is still a proof-of-concept though, so Lenovo isn’t ready to be selling this just yet.

CES: Motorola finally makes a vertically folding RAZR Fold

While Motorola has been making folding screen smartphones for a while now, all of the previous RAZRs have been of the “flip” folding style where it’s very compact when folded and unfolds to be a taller more-conventionally-sized smartphone touch screen. Today, Motorola also has the new RAZR Fold which is already a tall smartphone sized touch screen layout but unfolds to the side like a book or like the Samsung Galaxy Fold series to reveal a larger mini-tablet sized screen.

The RAZR Fold will have a 6.6″ external display when folded, and an 8.1″ 2K LTPO display on the inside when unfolded. It also has 5 cameras! On the back there are 3 main cameras: 50MP Sony LYTIA sensor, 50MP ultra-wide/macro, and a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto camera. On the external front screen there’s a 32Mp camera, and on the internal folding screen there’s a 20Mp camera. Those last two are meant for selfies and video calls of course. By the way, it will also have Moto pen ultra stylus support so that you can use handwriting recognition.

Keep an eye out for more details in 2026 as that’s about all we know for now.

CES: The 2026 Lenovo Legion Go Powered by SteamOS

In 2026, Lenovo is releasing another Legion Go portable gaming console that runs SteamOS instead of Windows 11 and that could be a really good thing. As you know, when announcing the original Legion Go with Windows 11, one of my first questions for Lenovo at the press briefing was, “Did you try SteamOS on it?” At the time, they hadn’t, but in 2026, this will be their second Legion Go running SteamOS which is a Linux-based operating system designed especially for gaming and especially for buying/playing games using your Steam account.

The Legion Go, powered by SteamOS, is Lenovo Legion’s most powerful handheld to natively run SteamOS—combining desktop-class performance with console-like simplicity. The Legion Go 2026 will include up to an AMD Ryzen™ Z2 Extreme processor, 32GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 2TB PCIe SSD (expandable by another 2TB via microSD). It will deliver AAA gaming on its 8.8-inch PureSight OLED display.

Like the original Lenovo Legion Go, the 2026 model includes a kickstand in the back and the controllers on the side are removable again while one can still be converted into a flight-deck style mouse if you’ve got a flat desk or table to set it on and want to play games with mouse-like controls. That’s an upgrade from Lenovo’s previous SteamOS based Legion Go which did not have the removable controllers or kickstand and was certainly less powerful than this one.

The SteamOS Legion Go will compete with Steam’s own Steamdeck portable game console which has been quite popular. In my opinion, that’s a good thing, since Lenovo is really helping expand the ecosystem for SteamOS devices. Their Legion Go consoles bring more variety, performance levels, and diversity to the Linux gaming experience.

CES: Lenovo’s auto-rotating laptop AI bot follows you around

Shown off at CES 2026, the new Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist is a laptop computer with its own motorized 360 degree hinge between the screen and the keyboard. The ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist has a a 14-inch 2.8 K OLED display (120 Hz, 500 nits, Dolby Vision® support) along with front-facing Dolby Atmos® speakers that rotate in sync with the screen for consistent audio direction. A 75Wh battery provides power, while the chassis is only 1.4 kg/3.09 pounds.

The motorized rotating screen can be activated with voice commands to open and close, and it can be combined with artificial intelligence assistant software to act like a little robot. The motor can also be used along with the web camera to follow you around during video conference calls so that you can stand and move around the room while remaining in view on the video call. I loved that feature from the old Xbox 360 Video Kinect days, so I’m glad to see that return.

The Auto-Twist capability was originally just a concept design, but this year it’s coming to an actually consumer-available device, so it will be very interesting to see how it does in real world productivity.