What's the problem in your example of choosing a phone? I think those low end phones can be found aplenty. (i think they fit in the category marked by 1 of 10

What's the problem in your example of choosing a phone? I think those low end phones can be found aplenty. (i think they fit in the category marked by 1 of 10 bundles of money on http://gsmarena.com http://gsmarena.com) At least Nokia is not going to stop making them anytime soon. My previous favourite was Nokia 1202 (RRP 25 Euros). Now there's a new offering in this market segment: Nokia 1280 which features FM radio(that's for me, I don't have one!), 3.5mm audio jack(can connect my favourite headphones!) and RRP of 20 Euros. However, take note that the production of this model is in India, and the construction and feel of the parts is different, so take a thorough look to see if you still like it. I also specifically wanted monochrome screen (check), snappy interface (check), and if possible display of clock with nice large digits in sleep mode (check). Interestingly, many feature phones lag like hell, display time in tiny font (what are they saving space for?!) and try to squeeze color displays even in ultra-cheap phones. I agree with your general point, but cannot agree with the specific example of cell phones. I think in this area we are being served well with the abundance of models for many demands, including the frugal ones. Or, did you mean to say that you don't want any extra features beyond those? i.e. does it hurt you that there's a calculator in that phone somewhere? (I think it doesn't, if it in no way impedes the ease of use of the needed features)