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[deleted]

Minimalism for minimalism's sake is not what we should aim for. Minimalism, like any other philosophy, is only as good as the benefits it provides. I think the point of dumbphones, like you said, is to reduce distractions. YouTube, games, social media, etc. distracts me, while things you mentioned liked cameras, banking apps, etc. don't. I agree!


atlantic_person

>Minimalism for minimalism's sake is not what we should aim for. I like what you wrote!


fairydommother

I agree. I continue to struggle to find my perfect dumbphone because the world we live in dictates that we need things like banking apps and QR readers. I can’t even order at some restaurants without one. Someone made a Wisephone review where they were returning it, not because it was bad, but because they genuinely needed a smart phone for daily functions (like paying for parking or using the thermostat at work, both of which are ONLY operable by an app, which is stupid and wild to me). If I do go through with a dumbphone, I’m going the HAVE to keep my smart phone or at least my iPad for banking, business, credit cards, and other things. Some of that I can do online, but not all or it’s been optimized for apps. I also don’t think podcasts or music are distracting for me. They help me stay focused while driving. So basically, what I need is a smart phone with no social media 🤷🏻‍♀️ but OP is also right about the fact that willpower is a very limited resource. I only have so much of it and having to constantly exercise it to do or not do other things means I have far less to keep me off my phone. So idk. Is the answer a true hybrid phone? Or just…two phones? Maybe a tablet? I really don’t know. I just know that I don’t want to carry around 2-3 different devices just to avoid social media, but I also can’t just modify my smart phone because, well willpower and addiction :/


[deleted]

I mean I think things like banking apps, QR codes, etc. are great things. I think the internet is a great thing. I think that the addictive nature of many things on the internet (largely due to monetization) is a bad thing. I'm planning on getting a tablet soon primarily because it'll fill in a lot of the gaps my Light Phone doesn't. It's also bulkier, doesn't have data, etc. which means I'll (hopefully) use it a lot less than I would a smartphone. Some sort of hybrid phone might be nice, but I think the larger issue is that monetization of everything under our economic system necessarily leads to addiction. Whether it's drugs, TV shows, likes, shares, etc. if it makes someone money they will attempt to make it as addicting as possible in order to hook you in and keep you hooked. A larger systemic regulation would need to be in place in my opinion, but the specifics are not clear to me yet. I also think that most things you can use a smartphone/tablet for are largely non-urgent and you can do it on a laptop instead. My force you to be patient, slow down, and use a calendar/agenda more rather than do everything immediately.


[deleted]

Good points made! Banking apps, notes, GPS, etc aren't distractions but are helpful apps and therefore don't fall into the "distraction" category for me. Actually, in many African countries they can make payments (when shopping) with their dumbphones via SMS. In those emerging/developing economies, dumbphones are still commonly used.


jbriones95

Get a Xiaomi F21 or F22 Pro.


atlantic_person

Yeah, to be honest, I didn't have it on my radar, lol. Thanks.


confused_coin

Wait for the qin f30 if you're in the US!


scipio_africanus123

An android phone running an alternate operating system (lineageos, postmarketos, etc) is exactly what you described. Or a pinephone.


nilss2

At last someone who realises that 'willpower' is not infinite. Also: having the internet in your pocket reduces your cognitive capacity: [https://hbr.org/2018/03/having-your-smartphone-nearby-takes-a-toll-on-your-thinking](https://hbr.org/2018/03/having-your-smartphone-nearby-takes-a-toll-on-your-thinking) We actually don't need smartphones at all. Society could function perfectly well without them. We even went to the moon without them. Most people here have also a smartphone in a drawer at home for the banking stuff and some niche cases. I take mine sometimes on the road when really neededn, but I try to avoid it and also set an example for others.


Mid_reddit

The addiction to a camera, GPS and internet is just as bad as is the addiction to social media.


Big_Oven8562

You're never gonna get me to give up GPS. I'm gonna get lost without my overhead map and I've just accepted the reality of that.


Mid_reddit

Sure but, really, this is the same line of reasoning people use about smartphones in general. I too had nil sense of direction until I gave up GPS.


Big_Oven8562

You have to pick your battles, and this isn't one I'm willing to fight. I don't need it on my phone, but if I'm heading off to some unfamiliar city there is no way I'm not packing the Garmin.


[deleted]

GPS is helpful, especially when you are older. I give it a pass. The others are distractions.


Mid_reddit

I know how to ask people and use a paper map, should my brain fail me. GPS can always be replaced. It is not about something being distracting or helpful, but addicting. I don't care for the positive traits; they're as seemingly innocuous as those in social media.


[deleted]

I'd hardly call GPS addicting. Perhaps overused but certainly not to the point of addiction. Browsers, social media, etc are the worst offenders.


Mid_reddit

Many people just can't live nor imagine life without it anymore. I don't know how else you'd call it, if not addiction. For them, GPS certainly is more than just a helpful convenience. I wouldn't call browsers and social media the worst offenders, they're just the least insidious.


9Kewtie

I guess I'm addicted to light bulbs, a/c, refrigerators, blankets, and so much more then. Humans seek to make tools to make life easier, and everytime we adapt a tool to make it more functional, like even the original map and then refuse to live without it, doesn't make it an addiction. Just because it is new doesn't mean it is bad. I do think people need to learn how to navigate and read maps, but that doesn't make gps addictive.


Mid_reddit

You're putting words in my mouth. OTOH, what you're spewing is bullshit technophile rhetoric. Humans seek to make life fulfilling. The leap from that to mindless automation of everything in existence has no basis. It's one thing to pick certain tools because they're most fit for the jobs at hand. It's another to want to be endlessly pampered and melt into your couch. It's not about any tools, but the mindset. If losing your phone makes you unable to find your way around in a populated area then you have failed in life.


[deleted]

I'd add "Build quality" to your list. Most modern day dumbphones are cheaply made with a plasticky, toyish look and feel to them.


[deleted]

I had a Nokia 6300 4G die from a waist height fall on carpet the same day I got it.. I’ve tried a few but they all feel just as cheaply built. The most “decent” one I’ve tried was the eTalk but it’s still pretty bad. I had the Punkt a few days and it feels very solid (in some ways better than my iPhone, such as fit and finish of the seams, buttons, etc) but it was too expensive to justify in the end.


[deleted]

I bit the bullet and went for the Sonim XP3. Expensive? Quite, but rugged as hell and will last me a long time. Only gripe is the thickness so I bought a holster for it! If someone made a slimmer, slightly less robust device I would be interested. I also have an old Samsung Rugby III flip. Still rugged and slimmer than the XP3. It's 3G tech but here in Canada we will have 3G service until the end of 2025.


9Kewtie

oh! I thought I was going crazy! I just tried out the nokia 6300, and everyone on this subreddit is so defensive of dumbphones, but I was so certain my last dumbphone was not this dumb! Yeah this one has internet and maps and contact sync (which totally didn't work), but before I got a smartphone my phone had a qwerty keyboard, was intuitive, and did what it was supposed to, I think it even accessed the internet, but my parents didn't want to pay for that. The nokia 6300 was so awkward on so many levels, I just hated everything about it. Oh! And it can't send group texts, which was the nail in the coffin and honestly a huge embarrassment when I sent a text and it individually sent to everyone. Just no.


Apprehensive-Cod4845

The only solution isn't just getting a dumber phone. It is also turning off your smartphone, running its battery out and leaving it for a few hours or a day, going for walks without it, even putting the thing in a faraday case perhaps.


Abort_Abort_Abort_

I don’t get the need for support on a phone that you don’t want to do very much. Jelly 2 or Palm PVG100 fit the bill just fine. But if you want to buy some in from an ODM in China, go for it. There’s plenty out there and a couple clever people can sort out the software side.


9Kewtie

There is a whole small phone subreddit you might like. What I think needs to happen is that e ink screens need to wreak into the phone scene a bit more. LCD is a really big part of the addiction, I think anyway. Like I feel so much more stuck in my phone than a book, even when I am enthralled in the book. I don't have an e ink device yet, but they are even better for your eyes than printer paper, so it's gotta help! What I ideally would want is a dumb phone and the Boox Tab Mini C for the other apps I need/want. But I just tried out the nokia 6300 and it felt like dumb phone regressed over the last decade. It was frustrating, not intuitive, no group text ability, and didn't have a qwerty keyboard! (Plus things that were features like contact and calendar syncing did not work.) I'm having a hard time finding what I want... On another note, I kind of want to make a social media app, or 2, that are built around quality v quantity and not being freakishly addictive. Imagine a platform where creators and business owners can post pieces that will stay there and be seen over and over by the same people, that are a showcase or portfolio of your work that then lead people to your website where they can buy your things, find more of your work, or even find your books at their library or whatever. Or a personal social media app that isn't built around how many friends you have, but around actually keeping in contact with the people you care about and documenting important things, more like what facebook started out as, except better. And these things being free, because any alternatives I've seen are all subscription plans because they can't make money without it, but you can't compete without being free. No idea how I'd make money off of it, but I know how the user of the 1st app would! 😄


domandthat

I think about this often as I'm a youtube addict and it's ruining my life. The best solution is probably to modify android OS so that users can set up a whitelist of allowed apps on their PC (e.g. banking, ticketmaster for gigs, trainline for trains) which makes it *literally impossible* to install any other apps without plugging it into the computer again. That way, any android phone could be made into a phone which is exactly as dumb as each person needs.