3 ms·

This. I have thought a lot about switching to a "dumb phone" recently. There were two things that I use regularly that would make this switch tough though: 1)

This. I have thought a lot about switching to a "dumb phone" recently. There were two things that I use regularly that would make this switch tough though: 1) Google maps. This is so much better than using a built-in or dashboard-mount GPS that it would be hard to go back. 2) Podcasts. I listen to these in the car and having a good app for them is nice. Ultimately, I decided to delete the apps on my phone that were sucking up my time, but it takes a good amount of self control not to install some of the new ones, and I still succumb to checking my notifications more than I'd like. I would love the product you are describing though. In particular, I remember my old Nokia had like a week of battery life and I'd be willing to give up a bunch of functionality for that alone.

graeme 9y ago
I'm just coming back from a couple of weeks working disconnected in Cuba. What I'm going to try is: 1. Have phone forget home and office wifi 2. Turn cellular off for some distracting apps. (Including stuff like email which doesn't require a fast response) 3. Put those apps on their own internet app page Then, go somewhere with wifi and only use those apps there. I have enough data that my regular use of other apps won't be an issue. In Cuba, I could only get internet at wifi parks. Apart from that my phone was a wonderful non distracting device which let me set timers, take notes, voice recordings, photos, view offline maps, translate things, played saved podcasts etc It felt good to have my phone with me at all times, like it augmented things. At home it feels like something I have to keep away. This may not work, as I can just flip on cell data for those apps. If it doesn't work I'll search for a different solution. But I'm hoping the physical segregation of apps will be enough as a cue.
jmgregory 9y ago
I made the switch a few years ago. (Got disgusted with myself for neglecting my kids to check work emails). It was much easier than I thought it would be. To your points: 1) Maps - I try to look at an online map before I leave for a place. If the directions are just too complicated I'll print the last leg or so. This has gotten me temporarily lost before, but figuring it out on my own makes for an adventure (definitely not for everybody) and significantly increases my retention of the geography of the area. I do miss real-time traffic-informed routing, though (i.e., Waze). 2) Podcasts - My dumb-phone has an MP3 player, but the UI was so bad (especially for longer tracks like podcasts) that I ended up buying a used iPod Nano. Works great for me. Downside is the phone is thick ("is that a flip-phone in your pocket, or...") and the UI is clunky, and sometimes it crashes when family send me large files over MMS. I'm seriously considering that Light Phone 2 someone linked above. Seems about perfect.

graeme 9y ago

I'm just coming back from a couple of weeks working disconnected in Cuba. What I'm going to try is: 1. Have phone forget home and office wifi 2. Turn cellular off for some distracting apps. (Including stuff like email which doesn't require a fast response) 3. Put those apps on their own internet app page Then, go somewhere with wifi and only use those apps there. I have enough data that my regular use of other apps won't be an issue. In Cuba, I could only get internet at wifi parks. Apart from that my phone was a wonderful non distracting device which let me set timers, take notes, voice recordings, photos, view offline maps, translate things, played saved podcasts etc It felt good to have my phone with me at all times, like it augmented things. At home it feels like something I have to keep away. This may not work, as I can just flip on cell data for those apps. If it doesn't work I'll search for a different solution. But I'm hoping the physical segregation of apps will be enough as a cue.

jmgregory 9y ago

I made the switch a few years ago. (Got disgusted with myself for neglecting my kids to check work emails). It was much easier than I thought it would be. To your points: 1) Maps - I try to look at an online map before I leave for a place. If the directions are just too complicated I'll print the last leg or so. This has gotten me temporarily lost before, but figuring it out on my own makes for an adventure (definitely not for everybody) and significantly increases my retention of the geography of the area. I do miss real-time traffic-informed routing, though (i.e., Waze). 2) Podcasts - My dumb-phone has an MP3 player, but the UI was so bad (especially for longer tracks like podcasts) that I ended up buying a used iPod Nano. Works great for me. Downside is the phone is thick ("is that a flip-phone in your pocket, or...") and the UI is clunky, and sometimes it crashes when family send me large files over MMS. I'm seriously considering that Light Phone 2 someone linked above. Seems about perfect.