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Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

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31–40 of 73 posts

Re: Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

#31

Honestly some great ideas (better antenna, e-ink display for basic SMSing, quick dial, probably huge battery life), but they can't be serious about the rotary dial. > Previously, phones with physical keys required a clamshell (flip) form-factor to prevent unintended dialing. Rotary dials are naturally resistant to butt dialing. You can solve butt dialing with a number of ways, like another hardware switch. This solut…

> basic SMSing

Aw man, typing an sms on a rotary dial would be fun :D It would take half an hour to respond, but still fun a first few times :)

Re: Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This particular kind of novelty is kind of appealing to people who want to be conspicuously, obstreperously Luddite, while still carrying a mobile phone. I admit I kind of want one of these novel bits of tech just to show off how Luddite I am.

I know this is off topic and it's not a criticism of your comment but I think it's a shame that Luddite has become so watered down. The real life Luddites put their lives on the line in the fight against industrial weaving. The didn't just avoid using a steam loom while drinking an almond latte.

I'm more bothered when "Luddite" is used as a slur against people who refuse certain technologies in a principled way. That is, when it's used in a historically-knowledgeable way, but still deployed as an insult.

Re: Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

#37

Honestly some great ideas (better antenna, e-ink display for basic SMSing, quick dial, probably huge battery life), but they can't be serious about the rotary dial. > Previously, phones with physical keys required a clamshell (flip) form-factor to prevent unintended dialing. Rotary dials are naturally resistant to butt dialing. You can solve butt dialing with a number of ways, like another hardware switch. This solut…

This particular kind of novelty is kind of appealing to people who want to be conspicuously, obstreperously Luddite, while still carrying a mobile phone. I admit I kind of want one of these novel bits of tech just to show off how Luddite I am.

Indeed... I want one too! Pocketable rotary dial phone? Just, $400 can cover a lot of other things.

I consider carrying something like this (I carry an AT&T Flip IV at the moment if I remember the thing) to serve as a reminder to other people that not everyone has, nor wants, smartphone-type capabilities. At the local farmer's market last weekend, a number of various political booths (on all sides of the spectrum) had "Sign our petition!" type signs - as QR codes only. My device doesn't decode QR codes easily, nor will the browser handle a standard website very well. I typically carry a laptop, but they don't print the URLs...

Of course, then there's the problem of being on the fringe and the absurdity of "And therefore follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and a bunch of other big tech platforms!" - I point that one out often enough too.

I'm at a position in my life where there's really no downside to carrying "the weird alternative" and showing people that, yes, I do in fact continue to exist, can have phone calls, SMS text, and basic maps, while not feeding into the horribly human-toxic ecosystem that modern smartphones have become. I mean, I can even use Bluetooth to the car for making phone calls, or play music from my SD card to a Bluetooth speaker! But I don't have email on it, I don't have any social medias, the games are crap and I don't bother with them, etc. It's a minimally functional device that I end up leaving home a lot because I just forget about it - and that, coming from the smartphone world, is a huge improvement.

I get a lot of positive reactions, too - most people simply haven't thought about the fact that the smartphone is really only 10-15 years old for most people. We lived before it. We will live after it. And life is objectively better without one now.

Re: Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

#38

For me, a minimalist alternative phone would need to be able to hotspot a more flexible device (tablet, laptop) for when other tasks are required. Else, I’d need a second mobile account.

"So you convince yourself that you only need to implement 20% of the features, and you can still sell 80% as many copies. Unfortunately, it’s never the same 20%." https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2001/03/23/strategy-letter-iv...

I'm too young to really remember how it was in 2001, so all I can say is that the article has at the very least aged poorly.

Hide your kids, check under the bed, in the closet, because bloatware is real and it's coming for you.

No thanks Microsoft, I really don't need ads in my task bar.

Re: Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

#39
With a physical alarm bell and everything!

Unfortunately having smartphone is kinda mandatory around here for internet banking and commute tickets. Signal is also important for me personally.

Re: Rotary Un-Smartphone Kit

#40

Honestly some great ideas (better antenna, e-ink display for basic SMSing, quick dial, probably huge battery life), but they can't be serious about the rotary dial. > Previously, phones with physical keys required a clamshell (flip) form-factor to prevent unintended dialing. Rotary dials are naturally resistant to butt dialing. You can solve butt dialing with a number of ways, like another hardware switch. This solut…

What's wrong with novelty? I agree with the next comment over, the rotary dialer is the best part. This is an interesting and beautiful creative project, not a mass market consumer product.
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