4 ms·

I would like to have an old Nokia style phone that provides a voice activated GPS. No Facebook, no Messenger, no email.

woodrowbarlow 7y ago
i hear this often. if you want a stripped-down phone and GPS, why not purchase a standalone GPS? do you use the GPS often outside of your car? honest questions.
- plants 7y ago
  Good handheld GPS units are expensive. Plus, you look eccentric - to say the least - carrying a handheld GPS unit in addition to your phone.
  - cr0sh 7y ago
    Have you considered building your own phone? Sure it won't be very stylish - nor will it be slim - but all the parts are out there with more than enough example code to hack together exactly the phone you want. I'm seriously considering going this route for my next phone, since 4G modules recently became more widely available and much lower in price. But even 3G would suffice for my needs. I'm just wanting a "smart phone" which I have complete control over - or close to it. I understand not everyone has the option or skills to build such a phone, but if you do (or are interested) - google around for DIY phones based on the Raspberry Pi (especially the Zero W), or the Arduino (using a variety of processors, though the original Arduino Phone was made with an ATMega328P iirc). For your use-case, either one of the more powerful "standard" cores could be used (ATMega2560, ATMega644, SAM3X8E) - or maybe something based off the ESP line (ESP-12 or 32 would be my choice). A small 3G GSM module, plus a GPS and maybe an IMU, some kind of keypad, and a small OLED screen or something - keep everything at a 3.7 volt level and run it off a LiPo cell(s). With a bit of luck, you could probably fit everything into something about the size of an Altoids tin.
plants 7y ago
Ugh... I check online for exactly this every 6 months to no avail. I see the same things turn up - lightphone, punkt MP01/MP02, Nokia phones with KaiOS. I have tried using a "dumb phone", which works for 90% of what I want to do with it, but it's inconvenient when meeting a friend at a new place or exploring a new city. Similarly, I have tried using a smartphone, but I find myself in cycles where I am inevitably checking it every 5 minutes to see what new stimulus there is to hold my attention.

i hear this often. if you want a stripped-down phone and GPS, why not purchase a standalone GPS? do you use the GPS often outside of your car? honest questions.

plants 7y ago
Good handheld GPS units are expensive. Plus, you look eccentric - to say the least - carrying a handheld GPS unit in addition to your phone.
- cr0sh 7y ago
  Have you considered building your own phone? Sure it won't be very stylish - nor will it be slim - but all the parts are out there with more than enough example code to hack together exactly the phone you want. I'm seriously considering going this route for my next phone, since 4G modules recently became more widely available and much lower in price. But even 3G would suffice for my needs. I'm just wanting a "smart phone" which I have complete control over - or close to it. I understand not everyone has the option or skills to build such a phone, but if you do (or are interested) - google around for DIY phones based on the Raspberry Pi (especially the Zero W), or the Arduino (using a variety of processors, though the original Arduino Phone was made with an ATMega328P iirc). For your use-case, either one of the more powerful "standard" cores could be used (ATMega2560, ATMega644, SAM3X8E) - or maybe something based off the ESP line (ESP-12 or 32 would be my choice). A small 3G GSM module, plus a GPS and maybe an IMU, some kind of keypad, and a small OLED screen or something - keep everything at a 3.7 volt level and run it off a LiPo cell(s). With a bit of luck, you could probably fit everything into something about the size of an Altoids tin.

plants 7y ago

Ugh... I check online for exactly this every 6 months to no avail. I see the same things turn up - lightphone, punkt MP01/MP02, Nokia phones with KaiOS. I have tried using a "dumb phone", which works for 90% of what I want to do with it, but it's inconvenient when meeting a friend at a new place or exploring a new city. Similarly, I have tried using a smartphone, but I find myself in cycles where I am inevitably checking it every 5 minutes to see what new stimulus there is to hold my attention.