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Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

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Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#51

Post by electroly »

steelframe wrote: post #25

We need to reverse the trend of most people having a phone that's wired in with Google or Apple. I don't, and I can't tell you how often I try to do something only to be told, "Okay, now download our app and..." It happened just last week when I was buying a car. The sales rep kept insisting that I install the car company's app while I was trying to just write a check, grab the keys, and drive off the lot. "You can u…

I think car salesmen are particularly pushy about it because car manufacturers are starting to sell monthly subscriptions for things in the app. They can't sell it to you if you won't install the app. For instance, my Toyota came with some kind of trial subscription for a remote unlock/lock and GPS location service. Served, of course, through the Toyota app. They have an incentive to get you to install the app that goes beyond just not thinking it's a big deal.

Email I got today:

> Your access to Safety Connect and Remote Connect services will expire unless you access your Toyota app or call 1-833-914-0992 to extend your subscription. For as low as $8.00 per month, you can enjoy the convenience of Safety Connect or Remote Connect. For further savings, you can choose an annual plan.

I won't be doing that, but it makes the reason for the push to install their app starkly clear.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#53

Post by pentaphobe »

bengale wrote: post #46

You can do a lot of this on an iPhone if you use focus modes and automations. I have a deep work mode that sets a blank Home Screen, turns off always on display, sets the phone to greyscale and only allows notifications from my wife. It feels like something like this gets you most of the way there and you can then have different focus levels that ramp up potential distractions. All without carrying two devices or giv…

This sounds pretty great, how do you achieve it?

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#54

Post by Muromec »

steelframe wrote: post #25

We need to reverse the trend of most people having a phone that's wired in with Google or Apple. I don't, and I can't tell you how often I try to do something only to be told, "Okay, now download our app and..." It happened just last week when I was buying a car. The sales rep kept insisting that I install the car company's app while I was trying to just write a check, grab the keys, and drive off the lot. "You can u…

Well, I’m just using a flip phone and keep the iPhone in a cupboard at home without a sim, so I can use that one app once in a blue moon instead of dancing around the problem for half a day.

Works like a charm.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#55

Post by fragmede »

dorchadas wrote: post #33
ipv6ipv4 wrote: post #27

The best minimal phone is a cellular smart watch.

I'm leaning more and more towards this myself, except for the fact I hate the look of most of them, and love my traditional watches. Maybe I could just keep it in my pocket. But it's ideal for what I want - GPS, WhatsApp, telegram, Spotify.

Yeah. Something like https://a.co/d/a7wV4U7 instead of wearing it on your wrist.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#56

Post by fragmede »

mckn1ght wrote: post #49
dorchadas wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm leaning more and more towards this myself, except for the fact I hate the look of most of them, and love my traditional watches. Maybe I could just keep it in my pocket. But it's ideal for what I want - GPS, WhatsApp, telegram, Spotify.

I’m waiting for the day I can have an Apple Watch without ever needing an iPhone to manage it, and an iPad to do real dev work (ie, Xcode for iPad) without ever having to fall back on a Mac/Book. I’ve been waiting for years already so now I’m not sure those days will ever actually arrive.

Depends on your particular flavor of 'real' dev. https://vscode.dev/ and an SSH app and a web browser.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#57

Post by xrd »

noah91734 wrote: post #42

> Can I use apps on Minimal? > Yes, Minimal runs on Android, allowing you to download and use essential apps. However, the e-ink display and device optimization are geared towards minimizing unnecessary distractions. That answers the only question I had about this. You still get full access to every app you need, it just increases the friction (via the low refresh rate and the lack of colors) so you can't doomscroll.…

The article mentioned Android Auto. I assume it must have Bluetooth.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#58

Post by fragmede »

nonethewiser wrote: post #22

I appreciate these basic phones but what I need is something different. I would prefer 2 phones: a regular smartphone and a basic feature phone. Then I’d take the one I need when I leave the house. The problem is you either need two lines with your carrier or swap physical sims. Swapping physical sims is inconvenient and means you cant use an esim.

Use a service like Google voice to multiplex across phone numbers. Configure it so hitting the Google voice number hits both of your devices, so it rings whichever you have with you at the time.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#59

Post by jcul »

nonethewiser wrote: post #22

I appreciate these basic phones but what I need is something different. I would prefer 2 phones: a regular smartphone and a basic feature phone. Then I’d take the one I need when I leave the house. The problem is you either need two lines with your carrier or swap physical sims. Swapping physical sims is inconvenient and means you cant use an esim.

This is what I do.

I have a agm m8 flip that I have at all times for calls and text. And I have a pixel running grapheneos that I use more like a laptop / when needed.

Living without a smartphone isn't possible. But not using one for two or three days is.

Most banking apps require a smartphone.

If I'm out an about I will generally not have a smart phone unless I'm making an unfamiliar journey or something like that.

I've got through quite a few dumbphones, including the nokie 8110 (banana phone, but rooted with app store removed), Nokia 2660, cat s22 flip, agm m6 But all were sub par in some way. The m8 is the first that has ticked all the boxes for me. I love it.

Re: Minimal phone gets back to basics with E Ink display and real keyboard

#60

Post by [deleted] »

Y_Y wrote: post #38
UberFly wrote: post #35

These phones remind me (a bit) of the Windows vs Linux arguments. There are a lot of appealing aspects to these phones but switching to them is really impractical for most of the population.

"The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation" -Thoreau I understand caring about the huddled masses if you're trying to mass-market something. Here, as with so many other threads on hn, I feel like it's fine to acknowledge that most people won't be interested.ñ and then move on to discussing the subject at hand which invariably is going to be interesting to more significant portion of hackers. I love this product…

[deleted]
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