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Shiftphone and Vivaldi, we want to do something good for society, we want to offer our users an alternative to big tech giants. Because we believe in the importance of alternatives to Big Tech giants. Companies that want to do things differently. That care for data protection. Companies that want to do good and give something back to society instead of just chasing big profits.
Doing good for society
The founders of Shiftphone, Carsten and Samuel Waldeck, want to do things differently, their products should not only convince on a technical level, they also want to ensure the fairest and most sustainable production possible.
“Shift stands for change. We want to build smartphones that are sustainable. To avoid waste, the Shiftphone is modular: Users can disassemble the smartphone and replace individual parts using a simple plug-in system.”, the founders explain. Defective or outdated parts, such as a camera, can thus be easily removed and replaced by the users themselves.
We wanted to change something about the working conditions on the technology market, even if only in a small way that was feasible for us.
Carsten and Samuel Waldeck, founders of Shiftphone
As to how they came up with the idea of designing a smartphone themselves, the brothers replied “We wanted to change something about the working conditions on the technology market, even if only in a small way that was feasible for us.” The two brothers are currently planning another unusual project: they have bought a neighboring historic half-timbered house to save it from decay and open a café and a small grocery store, in addition to more offices. They will finance this project through their Shiftphone activities. “We don’t want to make a profit with our smartphones, we want to do something good for society.”, say the founders of Shiftphone.
We don’t want to make a profit with our smartphones, we want to do something good for society.
Carsten and Samuel Waldeck, founders of Shiftphone
Vivaldi is also committed to doing good, we want to make our contribution to an honest and transparent society by providing you with a browser that takes privacy seriously. While today the business model of many companies is based on data collection, it is hard to imagine that companies can survive without selling personal data to advertisers. But at Vivaldi, we don’t track you or profile you. Nor do we collect usage data. In fact, we believe that unnecessary data collection is dangerous and has no place in your browser. That’s why we see it as our job to protect your data.
Just a normal browser? Nope, there is more to discover
But what actually makes our Vivaldi browser stand out in the eyes of the Shiftphone founders? On their blog, they recently published an article explaining why they recommend our Vivaldi browser to their customers. Samuel also added that he was pleasantly surprised to get not just a “normal” browser, but a whole lot more: Mail, Calendar, Feed Reader (beta) all in one:
When I downloaded Vivaldi, I assumed to just get an alternative browser. However, after the installation I discovered that I could also use an entire office environment and get an alternative to Outlook! What a surprise!
Samuel Waldeck, co-founder of Shiftphone
Did someone say features?
Our Vivaldi browser also has a lot to offer for Android users. Anyone who loves tabs, flexibility and productivity in addition to security will get their money’s worth. From a movable address bar and tab bar, Two-Level Tab Stacks, to page actions, Dark Mode, Ad Blocker and Cookie Crumbler, and so much more.
As you probably know, it’s very important to us that you can customize your browser exactly the way you want. Vivaldi browser adapts to you and not the other way around. Samuel Waldeck also found this customizability very comfortable “The interface can be adapted to your own needs and so you can quickly create the perfect working environment.” By the way, this is not only true for Android, but also for anyone who wants to use Vivaldi under Windows, Linux or Mac.
Do you use alternative services to Big Tech giants? If so, which ones? Let us know in the comments!
