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Ultraorthodox Jews buy dumbphones only because of religious considerations. These are known as Kosher phones. Here is a shop that sells them https://www.zipy.co.il/s/אליאקספרס/-/-/טלפון/?aspect=:::2000...
Is it just that you can use a dumb phone on friday night without violating the sabbath (can you?)?
Is there a religious doctrine that explicitly prohibits general purpose computing devices in the home?
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/light-phone-2
It's not as cheap as most "dumb" phones (~$300), but I for me its exactly what I wanted to reclaim my attention.
Ultraorthodox Jews buy dumbphones only because of religious considerations. These are known as Kosher phones. Here is a shop that sells them https://www.zipy.co.il/s/אליאקספרס/-/-/טלפון/?aspect=:::2000...
What exactly is the nature of those religious considerations? Is it just that you can use a dumb phone on friday night without violating the sabbath (can you?)? Is there a religious doctrine that explicitly prohibits general purpose computing devices in the home?
There's also the Lightphone and forthcoming Lightphone II.
That being said, these won't really address privacy concerns per se. They don't support signal or other encrypted messaging (the lightphone II may in the future???). So the only way they would be more 'private' would be due to the fact that you'll use your phone for less and in so doing, share less data. Your texts and calls will still be pretty visible if that's a concern.
Ultraorthodox Jews buy dumbphones only because of religious considerations. These are known as Kosher phones. Here is a shop that sells them https://www.zipy.co.il/s/אליאקספרס/-/-/טלפון/?aspect=:::2000...
What exactly is the nature of those religious considerations? Is it just that you can use a dumb phone on friday night without violating the sabbath (can you?)? Is there a religious doctrine that explicitly prohibits general purpose computing devices in the home?
For what it's worth, your location metadata probably uniquely identifies you (nearest cell tower to work + home), and Target probably knows who you are just from their security cameras, so this still isn't paranoid enough if "state actors are interested in me personally" is in your threat model. The "correct" thing to do in this case is to leave your phone at home and/or at work.
If your "dumbphone" doesn't support VoLTE you'll be frustrated with dropped calls and spotty service everywhere. I know this from experience.
I settled on T-Mobile's only "dumbphone" - the Alcatel GoFlip [1]. It supports LTE, the battery lasts for days and it even has a rudimentary IMAP and CalDAV client.
I tried turning my smartphone into a "dumbphone" and using it less, but I honestly lacked the self-control to put the stupid thing down. Having a kid made me realize how many moments I was pissing away just scrolling.
These things are designed to be addictive, and some people (like myself) can't compete with the entire teams of "engagement engineers" many tech companies employ to exploit your dopamine-reward cycles.
I had forgotten what it was like to be alone with my thoughts. I feel as though I am rediscovering a part of my brain that was suppressed by having a boredom-prevention device at my fingertips all these years. Also other humans now look like phone-zombies everywhere I look. It's kind of dystopian honestly.
Ultraorthodox Jews buy dumbphones only because of religious considerations. These are known as Kosher phones. Here is a shop that sells them https://www.zipy.co.il/s/אליאקספרס/-/-/טלפון/?aspect=:::2000...
What exactly is the nature of those religious considerations? Is it just that you can use a dumb phone on friday night without violating the sabbath (can you?)? Is there a religious doctrine that explicitly prohibits general purpose computing devices in the home?
More information here: https://www.quora.com/What-are-Kosher-cell-phones
I bought Alcatel Go Flip for $25, works fine. If you need to read web from 2.8" display via 4G or Wifi one-two times per year, this is good choice.