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I don't really agree with the premise that it's hard to forgo having a smartphone. Especially with the quarantine, most days I don't even know where my phone is

I don't really agree with the premise that it's hard to forgo having a smartphone. Especially with the quarantine, most days I don't even know where my phone is, even if I'm out and about. The attention hogging is real even if you turn most notifications off and day-to-day, I don't really use most of the features. An exception where a smartphone can make a huge difference is travelling — maps, translation, transportation etc all within your fingertips truly are priceless. I do understand that I'm not the standard model user though, I usually only get a new phone once the last one literally isn't usable anymore.

dheera 6y ago
It really depends on where you live. A lot of places and apps are moving to require smartphones, and I hate this trend. In China for example you can't even open a bank account without a smart phone, vending machines require smartphones, and even some robotic grocery and convenience stores are requiring a QR code scan to enter the store. I even saw a public restroom once that requires a QR code scan and SMS verification to dispense toilet paper. (That's right, no shitting at that toilet for foreign business professionals without a local +86 phone number and bank account.) The whole world tends to be moving in that direction now. Uh, welcome to the future? On the US side I've had meetings with clients using Microsoft (R) (SM) (C) (TM) Teams that require a smartphone to authenticate. I have to deposit checks to my bank with a smartphone because they refuse to implement a web version and they also don't have a lot of physical branches. Even Signal, probably the only trustable E2E encryption app, wants a smartphone to log in (ugh).
Radim 6y ago
Thank you for saying this. Most of the time I find my phone days later, behind a couch, out of battery, when I need it for navigation / translation. The phone fulfils almost no other function in my life. Replaced grudgingly every 5-8 years, when it falls apart. I'm on my 4th mobile phone. Not the "standard model user" either (thank god). BTW, I keep one separate "security" phone for authentication. Ancient (my 2nd), internet off, stays put.
yyyk 6y ago
Avoiding Whatsapp is not an option where I live and work. Whatsapp all but requires a smartphone* , so smartphone it is. * There are some feature phones that supposedly support it. These are hard to trust, and probably won't work once Whatsapp has an non-backward compatible update.
- jamesponddotco 6y ago
  Where I live[1], you either have WhatsApp or you do not exist to your social circle and to the world. Yet, I do not have WhatsApp and live just fine. [1] Brazil

dheera 6y ago

It really depends on where you live. A lot of places and apps are moving to require smartphones, and I hate this trend. In China for example you can't even open a bank account without a smart phone, vending machines require smartphones, and even some robotic grocery and convenience stores are requiring a QR code scan to enter the store. I even saw a public restroom once that requires a QR code scan and SMS verification to dispense toilet paper. (That's right, no shitting at that toilet for foreign business professionals without a local +86 phone number and bank account.) The whole world tends to be moving in that direction now. Uh, welcome to the future? On the US side I've had meetings with clients using Microsoft (R) (SM) (C) (TM) Teams that require a smartphone to authenticate. I have to deposit checks to my bank with a smartphone because they refuse to implement a web version and they also don't have a lot of physical branches. Even Signal, probably the only trustable E2E encryption app, wants a smartphone to log in (ugh).

Radim 6y ago

Thank you for saying this. Most of the time I find my phone days later, behind a couch, out of battery, when I need it for navigation / translation. The phone fulfils almost no other function in my life. Replaced grudgingly every 5-8 years, when it falls apart. I'm on my 4th mobile phone. Not the "standard model user" either (thank god). BTW, I keep one separate "security" phone for authentication. Ancient (my 2nd), internet off, stays put.

yyyk 6y ago

Avoiding Whatsapp is not an option where I live and work. Whatsapp all but requires a smartphone* , so smartphone it is. * There are some feature phones that supposedly support it. These are hard to trust, and probably won't work once Whatsapp has an non-backward compatible update.

jamesponddotco 6y ago
Where I live[1], you either have WhatsApp or you do not exist to your social circle and to the world. Yet, I do not have WhatsApp and live just fine. [1] Brazil