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I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

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Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#121

Post by bee_rider »

b112 wrote: post #68
cfeduke wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The example could be hyperbole, but Home Depot and Lowes both offer a wide selection of "smart toilets" and if we think "oh this is just a weird niche thing that will never catch on" let's remember how difficult it is to not purchase a Smart TV when television shopping these days.

I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do. By traditional, not Japanese or anything of the sort. I'm sure it's also not taking medical samples. So what on earth could it do?! Report the flushes!?! Why? Are you going to magically decide not to crap as much? Just baffling.

It is kinda funny that “smart” is the branding we’ve converged on for these devices that have unnecessary computer features. Most engineers would, I guess, call it pretty stupid to add a computer to the BoM of your toilet.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#122

Post by lanfeust6 »

Animats wrote: post #116

I have no business-based "apps". If it's not on F-Droid, I don't have it. Google Play Store is turned off. So far, the only thing I've found that absolutely requires a Google account is Waymo. This is probably a violation of common carrier rules, since Waymo is legally a common carrier. That forces Google's terms of service, including the binding arbitration and no class action terms, on Waymo riders.

That's how I roll, but I also have a couple of sandboxed apps like MS Auth that I sideloaded. I learned last year that, not shockingly, major sports venues now require showing digital tickets for entry, but thus far it's been possible to access them with a browser.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#123

Post by coldtea »

thesdev wrote: post #72
stronglikedan wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The word "requirements" is doing a lot of work there. I've never met a QR code where scanning it was required of me.

So you'd leave the restaurant if it has a QR menu?

If they can't be bothered to bring a printed menu when asked, yes.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#124

Post by steelframe »

b112 wrote: post #68
cfeduke wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The example could be hyperbole, but Home Depot and Lowes both offer a wide selection of "smart toilets" and if we think "oh this is just a weird niche thing that will never catch on" let's remember how difficult it is to not purchase a Smart TV when television shopping these days.

I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do. By traditional, not Japanese or anything of the sort. I'm sure it's also not taking medical samples. So what on earth could it do?! Report the flushes!?! Why? Are you going to magically decide not to crap as much? Just baffling.

Gastroenterologists generally categorize feces into ~7 categories. They can be indicators of a variety of dietary deficencies, including dehydration or insufficient fiber intake. Others can be indicators of a variety of medical issues, up to an including colon cancer. Ubiquitous smart toilets scanning and categorizing our feces would move the needle of overall public health and well-being.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#125

Post by EagleEdge »

It has been about six years for me without any phone, even a "dumb" flip phone. I started a new business recently and it has been really difficult to engage in external outreach without a phone, but I am still managing it. Maybe one day, I have to get a flip phone, but I will try to stay away from smartphone as long as I can.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#126

Post by rtkwe »

gib444 wrote: post #15

> "I don’t have a smartphone," is what I tell people and professionals nowadays I did this today too. I happened to walk past a branch of my bank, and remembered my debit card is playing up due to wear-and-tear, so I popped in to order a replacement. I made the request and the first response was "do you have our banking app, you can do it on there?". "No". It wasn't even busy. (I also happen to have my mortgage with…

Did you consider if they were trying maybe just to save you the trip/inconvenience in the future by informing you of something most people would be able to use?

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#127

Post by b112 »

steelframe wrote: post #124
b112 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I cannot envision what a traditional, but smart toilet may do. By traditional, not Japanese or anything of the sort. I'm sure it's also not taking medical samples. So what on earth could it do?! Report the flushes!?! Why? Are you going to magically decide not to crap as much? Just baffling.

Gastroenterologists generally categorize feces into ~7 categories. They can be indicators of a variety of dietary deficencies, including dehydration or insufficient fiber intake. Others can be indicators of a variety of medical issues, up to an including colon cancer. Ubiquitous smart toilets scanning and categorizing our feces would move the needle of overall public health and well-being.

Yes indeed they would, all the issues with sensor longevity aside.

But, that's not now. So why the app now?

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#128

Post by spogbiper »

9cb14c1ec0 wrote: post #17

This is why Google's war on sideloading is so terrible. It does very little to make people safer, and it restricts user's ability to make a free market choice about which companies they transact with.

calling it "Google's war" is an interesting take. No doubt they have added some hoops to jump through and reduced freedoms, but Apple has been leading the charge against installing arbitrary software for decades.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#129

Post by specproc »

People are misreading the author's case as annoyance, that they simply don't like apps or the way society is foisting apps on them.

What I read was what they really hate is being forced to have an account with a handful of American companies to engage with the world.

I totally agree, this situation is intolerable. Your average user should not have to be forced to have a phone managed by one of two American companies to get by in the world. I should not be forced to use Facebook to receive updates from my European embassy whilst abroad. I should not be forced, through the network effect, to have WhatsApp installed on my phone.

America is going nowhere good, fast, and we -- as individuals -- are chiefly tied to this deranged shitshow through our spyware-enabled tech.

I'd ban every American tech company from every device in my country if I had the chance.

Re: I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't

#130

Post by hawaiianbrah »

arximboldi wrote: post #87
bufordsharkley wrote: post #56

I've still never had a smartphone (technically my flip phone, a Kyocera Dura, is an android device, but it can't install apps so I'll consider it suitably "dumb") Occasionally I need to tote along a tablet because several places (some MLB venues, for one thing) will either require a smartphone, or impose a severe surcharge for the convenience of not using it. Anyway, I really regret that we didn't impose dumbphone pr…

i bought my first smartphone this year. when traveling I was carrying the android tablet half of the time in my backpack, and even at home more and more you need apps for everything (e.g. lockersat club, gym entry, supermarket loyalty card, etc). i just gave up. grapheneos + olauncher give me a minimal and open source enough experience to make it somewhat tolerable, but it makes me sad that as a society we've come to…

Supermarket loyalty card surprises me there. It isn’t just a physical card? Or a phone number? That’s all I ever use at any of our supermarkets.
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