never say never
Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
11–20 of 89 posts
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#12I let my phone’s battery ‘die’ and may not recharge for several hours to a day. I have thought about porting my number to Twilio or similar, and having a stationary phonebooth that can send and receive mms messages, as well.
It's very bad for the lifetime of a lithium battery to let it drop all the way to 0% charge
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#13I grew up without one, but came in fully to the working world of 'always on'.
It took me 6 months of 'non corporate work' to get used to the idea of not receiving emails all the time.
It becomes part of your identity and you feel lost without it.
But then you regain something lost - peace of mind.
I can't even imagine what it means to grow up 'fully connected' - sometimes I think that young people must be excessively neurotic, and would be afraid of 'quiet' and think that what was normal for all of human history is now, in one generation - 'bizarre'.
I recommend getting an Android and not using apps. Don't have notifications, but if you want to check something you can.
And it will take 6 months to get used to, but afterwards, you might not be able to fathom going back to the noise.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#14Never had one, never will. My wife has, my kids too, I don't. Clients get hold of me via e-mail or IM, family through landline. If I am unavailable immediately then tough luck, I love not be at anybody's finger tips if I go for a stroll in a park, for example.
Eh. I own a phone and am also not available immediately as often as I want.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#15I let my phone’s battery ‘die’ and may not recharge for several hours to a day. I have thought about porting my number to Twilio or similar, and having a stationary phonebooth that can send and receive mms messages, as well.
It's very bad for the lifetime of a lithium battery to let it drop all the way to 0% charge
Do most devices wait until 0% to turn off?
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#16Yes, by living in the 80s and 90s (and even in the 2000s where the phones were "not smart")
It sucked.
Not being communicable where you were and having to depend on fixed places for communication (phone booths, etc) sucked.
Not being able to access some information quickly (maps, etc) sucked. Ok maybe sometimes it was fun, but it overall sucked.
So thanks but no thanks
You can always set your phone to "Do Not Disturb" or "Airplane Mode" if needed. Or, you know, not look at it immediately after getting a notification
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#17Never had one, never will. My wife has, my kids too, I don't. Clients get hold of me via e-mail or IM, family through landline. If I am unavailable immediately then tough luck, I love not be at anybody's finger tips if I go for a stroll in a park, for example.
Its not like you are obligatory to answer.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#18Depends on your lifecycle. I honestly couldn't imagine living in a big city without map/taxi/metro apps. I love getting lost, but not on a daily basis.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#19Yes, by living in the 80s and 90s (and even in the 2000s where the phones were "not smart") It sucked. Not being communicable where you were and having to depend on fixed places for communication (phone booths, etc) sucked. Not being able to access some information quickly (maps, etc) sucked. Ok maybe sometimes it was fun, but it overall sucked. So thanks but no thanks You can always set your phone to "Do Not Disturb…
Totally this.
You are now given more options regarding daily activity + safety which aren't obligatory.
I was recently thinking what was in my parents heads when I was lost in the mountain storm during regular ski period in 90s.
Re: Ask HN: Have you ever tried to live without a phone?
#20The all first part of my life :)