3 ms·

Could not agree more. The candy bar format is probably as good as it can reasonably be expected to get given our current technology. One day, we may have the p

Could not agree more. The candy bar format is probably as good as it can reasonably be expected to get given our current technology. One day, we may have the phones from The Expanse, but for right now, an iPhone 15 or a Galaxy S23 or a Pixel 7 are as good as they need to be.

bhouston 3y ago
That most recent innovation in the smart phone market that was not just incremental improvements was foldable phones. It hasn't yet really taken off so it isn't clear it will become widespread. Other than that, most everything has been very incremental (faster, longer, light, high resolution, brighter, polish) since pretty much the mid 2000s.
- doubled112 3y ago
  Is the folding phone not just an incremental improvement on the flip phone? Touch screen instead of screen + physical keyboard. Some are even going so far as to call themselves flip phones.
- hakfoo 3y ago
  Is it an improvement? It seems like it adds a significant all-but-guaranteed-to-fail-over-time point, for the benefit of...?
usrusr 3y ago
I guess current technology does not allow the candy bar format of 2010? I can't think of any use case I have for my 168g >6" monstrosity that I did not also do on the <120g 3.7" Defy.
- doubled112 3y ago
  I have an iPhone 13 Mini. For reasons. I talk and text on it. Maybe a grocery list or looking up a price in a store. If I want to do more I have bigger devices.
giantrobot 3y ago
> The candy bar format is probably as good as it can reasonably be expected to get given our current technology. Technology and of course human eyes, hands, and heads. There's a lower limit to the length of a phone and still have the capability of a phone which is the mean distance between peoples' ears and mouths. You also can't make a phone too small or else the screen won't be readable. Even if you could get the iPhone 15's electronics to fit a chip the size of a grain of rice the body of the phone needs to fit a head and needs a screen for an interface. The antenna would still need to be sized such to be tuned for the right cellular frequencies. That's not to say candy bar phones are the perfect form factor. It's just ergonomics and physics will play a part in devices no matter how compact the technology.
slothtrop 3y ago
Meanwhile I can't even get a new querty phone that performs well. I get that it's more niche, but this was solved years ago. I guess patent hell is partly to blame.

bhouston 3y ago

That most recent innovation in the smart phone market that was not just incremental improvements was foldable phones. It hasn't yet really taken off so it isn't clear it will become widespread. Other than that, most everything has been very incremental (faster, longer, light, high resolution, brighter, polish) since pretty much the mid 2000s.

doubled112 3y ago
Is the folding phone not just an incremental improvement on the flip phone? Touch screen instead of screen + physical keyboard. Some are even going so far as to call themselves flip phones.
hakfoo 3y ago
Is it an improvement? It seems like it adds a significant all-but-guaranteed-to-fail-over-time point, for the benefit of...?

usrusr 3y ago

I guess current technology does not allow the candy bar format of 2010? I can't think of any use case I have for my 168g >6" monstrosity that I did not also do on the <120g 3.7" Defy.

doubled112 3y ago
I have an iPhone 13 Mini. For reasons. I talk and text on it. Maybe a grocery list or looking up a price in a store. If I want to do more I have bigger devices.

giantrobot 3y ago

> The candy bar format is probably as good as it can reasonably be expected to get given our current technology. Technology and of course human eyes, hands, and heads. There's a lower limit to the length of a phone and still have the capability of a phone which is the mean distance between peoples' ears and mouths. You also can't make a phone too small or else the screen won't be readable. Even if you could get the iPhone 15's electronics to fit a chip the size of a grain of rice the body of the phone needs to fit a head and needs a screen for an interface. The antenna would still need to be sized such to be tuned for the right cellular frequencies. That's not to say candy bar phones are the perfect form factor. It's just ergonomics and physics will play a part in devices no matter how compact the technology.

slothtrop 3y ago

Meanwhile I can't even get a new querty phone that performs well. I get that it's more niche, but this was solved years ago. I guess patent hell is partly to blame.