Why I don't like smartphones • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I don't like smartphones

#291

Post by vlehto » Tue, Feb 16, 2016, 10:36 AM UTC

jschwartzi wrote: post #208

vlehto wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I don't own a smartphone, because it's a consumption device rather than both consumption and production, is just silly. So is a photoalbum, so is a book, so is a TV, so is a music player. I owned a smart-phone for a year. I didn't replace photo-album, book, TV, Music player or camera with it. I only replaced a dumb phone. So I gave it away. I do enjoy many consumption devices, I don't need one more, if it just means…

It can be a great tool too. I think anyone who discounts smartphones as just another "consumption device" are missing part of the usefulness of the network. I use my phone in place of paper logs for calorie counting and training. It's definitely been a solid replacement. It's probably shaved an hour a day off the odious task of counting calories, and having internet access means that I'm only a few touches away from…

I would not wan't to ban smartphones from people who find them useful.

But personally I don't track calories or training. I would not even with smartphone. I'm just way too incoherent person for that.

Re: Why I don't like smartphones

#292

Post by scott_s » Tue, Feb 16, 2016, 4:17 PM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #288

scott_s wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's one way of looking at it. Smartphones are portable computers! is another way. The portability and usability changes everything.

It changes everything for consumers . I don't know about people around you, but around me 99% of people just use their smartphone to either 1) play such silly games that they make 80's Pacman look like a piece of Art, 2) use Facebook messaging/email 3) use it as a (poor) camera 4) consulting news/weather 5) use it as GPS for maps/directions. I see about no productive work happening on smartphones. It's a leisure devi…

I see nothing wrong with having a consumer-mostly device in my pocket. In fact, I see a lot right with it, as I can use it to communicate with everyone I know in a variety of ways, navigate anywhere I want, and look up whatever information I need just about anywhere.

I don't understand when developers feel threatened by the existence of consumer devices.

Re: Why I don't like smartphones

#293

Post by koffiezet » Wed, Feb 17, 2016, 11:56 AM UTC

jdietrich wrote: post #148

IkmoIkmo wrote: post #24

I don't really see how some of his points support his position. e.g. I don't own a smartphone, because it's a consumption device rather than both consumption and production, is just silly. So is a photoalbum, so is a book, so is a TV, so is a music player. A smartphone is all in one and it's incredibly useful. Beyond that, it is in ways a production device. It's a messaging device, a photo and video taking device, it…

>Sure you can hardly build software or write books on a smartphone in a practical way Novels written on mobile phones are a popular literary subculture in Japan. http://www.ualberta.ca/~berban/cell/cellwho.html The Android SDK will run on Android, so apps can be written and built entirely on the device. Definitions of 'practical' vary, but I have done web development work on an Android tablet with a Bluetooth keyboar…

On iOS, I use Pythonista for running various python scripts. They also acts as an extension, on which you can run various python scripts. One of the examples provided is generating a QR code from an URL in Safari - but the sky is the limit. No idea how Apple ever allowed this on the AppStore, but it's there, and it's magnificent.

Re: Why I don't like smartphones

#294

Post by loup-vaillant » Thu, Feb 18, 2016, 9:54 PM UTC

jakobegger wrote: post #283

loup-vaillant wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because the experience is shit. And whose fault is it exactly? Those things have more than enough power to run a full GNU/Linux distribution, complete with IDE and all. There are a few easy (yet deal-breaking) problems. We don't have docking stations like laptops do, and I bet the driver support for GNU/Linux is crap. Then there's the mismatch between desktop peripherals and a tiny touch screen. The hard problem is…

I don't see the point. If your docking station needs a coprocessor, why not just use a desktop? I think that mobile use vs. desktop use cases are so different, that two devices make sense. > Don't everyone is supposed to pay something like 99$ a year for the privilege? Developer Program Membership is no longer required. As of XCode 7, all you need is a (free) Apple ID to sign software for your device. You do need a p…

> If your docking station needs a coprocessor, why not just use a desktop?

So I can carry my environment with me.

All with my OS, my custom keyboard, my own special vimacs… My email and favourite web pages are the same on the move and on the desk. I want to take quick notes while on the move, and organise them when I settle at home. I don't want to worry about synchronisation. I want backups of course, but that can be automated each time I have a fast connection.

Do do that, there are 2 problems to overcome: the first is storage: we need our phones to carry several terabytes of data. Thankfully with the new stacking flash memories, this should be achievable.

The second is processing power: it can be low while on the move, but we gotta achieve desktop performance at home. I don't see how we could avoid the need for co-processors in this case.