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New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

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Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#101

Post by robbrown451 »

new_guy wrote: post #37
Raed667 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have better self-control than me.

This is the ultimate problem. It's a human issue, not a technology issue.

It's a human issue that technology can exploit to your detriment, or it can help with.

Here is an example from my life. I enjoy cannabis. I love the creative mode I get into when I use it, I love how periodic use can allow me to reexamine things from a different perspective, and so on. Great stuff. (and yes, it is legal here and sold in about 4 stores within a ten minute walk)

What I don't like is how, if I have it sitting around my house, I am tempted to use it when I need to get work done, and it will get in the way of that and cause me to waste time. I would become an unproductive stoner if it was always around.

Enter technology. I bought a lockbox with a timer. Pull out a little bit, then lock it up for 4-5 days. Works perfectly for me.

Some people could say "why not just learn some discipline?" (easier said than done) Others will say "if you have an addiction, just don't buy the stuff."

I say, why can't I have the best of both?

Same goes for things like phone and web addiction. Technology can help. I don't like this solution (too all-or-nothing.... it's like the "just don't buy the stuff" solution), but I do like the idea of technology helping with what is otherwise a human issue.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#102

Post by smabie »

dehrmann wrote: post #89
ergot_vacation wrote: post #13

New? Can't you buy this for $80 at any CVS or Walgreens? "Companies including Nokia Corp. still manufacture “feature phones,” devices that look, feel and operate like the cellphones of the ’00s. But most feature phones still follow a design philosophy of abundance, cramming all the features they can into a limited operating system, said Petter Neby..." Bullshit. They can't get on the Internet, that's what matters. Yo…

> Is it really worth $250+ to strip out the shitty version of Snake or whatever the Feature phone comes with? Juicero makes me say "yes."

juicero didn't end so well...

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#103

Post by kart23 »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #13

New? Can't you buy this for $80 at any CVS or Walgreens? "Companies including Nokia Corp. still manufacture “feature phones,” devices that look, feel and operate like the cellphones of the ’00s. But most feature phones still follow a design philosophy of abundance, cramming all the features they can into a limited operating system, said Petter Neby..." Bullshit. They can't get on the Internet, that's what matters. Yo…

> Don't reward this nonsense.

Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean others can't. It's design, and design is subjective. People bemoan that Jackson Pollocks go for $20 Million, why are these stupid people buying that when a two year old can make 'the same thing'?

I think most people buying this are well aware, they aren't buying it for the features or something that is exclusive to these phones. They're buying because they like how it looks and for the novel user experience.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#104

Post by somehnacct3757 »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #97
somehnacct3757 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The USP of dumbphones is that they provide internet access to a curated subset of apps. There's no easy way to tell an Android that you do want data going to maps and chat apps, but not to your web browser or social media app. You have to jiggle dozens of permissions sliders every time you switch 'modes'. Dumbphones are that toggle. Is it going to find a $200-$300 enthusiast market? Not sure... I could see myself buy…

But dumb phones don't toggle. If you want those apps to never be on your phone, you don't have to mess with a bunch of sliders to switch modes.

The toggle is whether you leave the house with your dumbphone or your smartphone.

I don't think there's a market at all for people who only want a dumbphone as their primary phone. Then you're just building a bougie feature phone as many other commenters have said.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#105

Post by windowsrookie »

fasthandle wrote: post #84

I might be missing something here. Can I not pick up a Nokia, Sony or other phone for an order of magnitude less than this price? It might even get some kudos. Or, as stated in the article, an alarm clock for a similar order of magnitude less. This might belay a greater stagnation, and not a bad one. The laptop I'm typing this comment on, a ThinkPad manufactured in 2012, works just fine. It has an upgrade to a SSD an…

"I might be missing something here. Can I not pick up a Nokia, Sony or other phone for an order of magnitude less than this price?"

In the United States all networks are switching to VoLTE. They will no longer activate devices that do not have 4g. So no, the old Nokias will no longer work.

Unfortunately all new "Dumb Phones" will have to have a 4g modem and be compatible with the VoLTE networks.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#107

Post by ajsnigrutin »

ergot_vacation wrote: post #13

New? Can't you buy this for $80 at any CVS or Walgreens? "Companies including Nokia Corp. still manufacture “feature phones,” devices that look, feel and operate like the cellphones of the ’00s. But most feature phones still follow a design philosophy of abundance, cramming all the features they can into a limited operating system, said Petter Neby..." Bullshit. They can't get on the Internet, that's what matters. Yo…

I really like the (new) nokia 3310... works great, fast, does minimalistic stuff you actually need, and the battery lasts a long time.... also has snake, a camera, fm radio and a headphone hack.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#108

Post by planet-and-halo »

raman162 wrote: post #87

Hmm, like others here I seem to really be missing the point of these minimalist phones besides the straight branding behind them. I think the dumb Nokia feature phones satisfy most of these cases. Personally I've taken a few steps to minimize time on my phone 1) use a long text password to unlock my phone (I also change the password every few weeks) 2) don't use any apps with endless scrolling 3) turn off notificatio…

I think the general problem we're trying to correct for is the malfunction of the human mind in the presence of general purpose parallel computing as well as social technology. We're (largely) wired to attend to things sequentially, and we are highly susceptible to social signals. Our minds have parallel processing capabilities, but it's mostly the subconscious parts of our minds that work that way. With constant access to general-purpose computers, we try to start operating more and more in a consciously parallel mode, and this causes a significant amount of stress.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#109

Post by psim1 »

bamboozled wrote: post #44
Raed667 wrote: post #20

I need a connected phone that isn't built for addiction. For example, I need Uber for the rare cases where I'm in a jam at 3 AM and need to get back home. I need maps for when I'm looking for directions. I need a web browser to access my bank and the occasional Google search. I can live with or without Whatsapp or Signal, that depends on how much you use it I guess. However, I don't need Facebook, Twitter or TikTok o…

What would be cool is if voice assistants get to the point where you can just talk to the phone to get an Uber etc.

You used to do this by calling the cab company and telling dispatch where you wanted to be picked up.

Re: New phone can make calls and send texts, but it cannot access social media

#110

Post by Olshansky »

I wish for this in a tweet last week and just got it.

``` After realizing how much anxiety having a phone nearby that is on all day long has caused, I have a feature request for a future version of iOS: Dumb & Dumber.

Dumb: Voice and text mode. Dumber: Voice only mode. ```

https://twitter.com/olshansky/status/1426266177261686793

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