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Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

pam-moore.com

1–10 of 274 posts

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#3
funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!" but I've realized :-

1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm super connected via computers for most of the day except when commuting

2) It is a security blanket that feels a bit odd to be without, but I did live most of my life without one

3) Now that I'm forced to look at my fellow train commuters I can see that everyone is looking down at their phones and I have to look at the scenery :)

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#5
post #3

funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!" but I've realized :- 1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm super connected via computers for most of the day except when commuting 2) It is a security blanket that feels a bit odd to be without, but I did live most of my life without one 3) Now that I'm forced to look at my fellow train commuters I can see that everyon…

Not sure if this is different based on the culture, but I feel like commuting on a train is the time when having a phone to keep your mind occupied might actually have some of its highest usefulness. In a lot of other social situations you can hope to strike up a conversation with someone you actually might interact with again instead of constantly staring at your phone, but when commuting, people just want to work or sleep or chat or otherwise just be left alone, and the one that tries to strike up a conversation with strangers ends up looking like a weirdo way too frequently, if not being outright bothersome to those around them trying to sleep or focus.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#6
post #3

funny thing, I forgot to bring my phone today, at first I was a bit "Oh Crap!" but I've realized :- 1) I don't actually need it for anything important and I'm super connected via computers for most of the day except when commuting 2) It is a security blanket that feels a bit odd to be without, but I did live most of my life without one 3) Now that I'm forced to look at my fellow train commuters I can see that everyon…

Flip phones are also generally limiting in terms of accessibility though (unless they've changed??). Using the phone as a magnifier, or text to speech comes to mind.

I think at the end of the day it comes down to the sheer willpower of using the smartphone when you need it the most.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#7
I think as more and more people find that they need or want to take back control over gheir time, more people will follow her in this direction.

Main question will be whether small screen flip phones will be made with modern modems to connect to modern infra wich may not support older Gen wireless nets for too long.

An old flip phone would work if it supported mainstream authenticators.

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#8
post #7

I think as more and more people find that they need or want to take back control over gheir time, more people will follow her in this direction. Main question will be whether small screen flip phones will be made with modern modems to connect to modern infra wich may not support older Gen wireless nets for too long. An old flip phone would work if it supported mainstream authenticators.

Lots of scaled-back phones are being made with LTE. E.g.

https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv-lte/

https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3310_4g-9046.php

https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_8110_4g-9089.php

Re: Why I’m Using a Flip Phone

#10
Life with a smart phone is so much better than life before a smart phone. It's hard to realise how recently they came around. I've probably only had the internet on my phone for five years (I've had a smart phone for longer, but I couldn't get the data to work and data was expensive enough at the time I didn't care).

I can communicate with my fiancee even when she's in another country (international sms = fail). I can have a fiancee who's in another country. When I'm on the train I can do something meaningful to me. When I'm not on the train, I can know when it's actually going to arrive so I can do something fun instead of waiting on the platform. If I'm having a discussion with friends I can call up the information I'm missing. I can listen to music and podcasts while I go for a walk or a ride. I can plan my trips instead of listening to the boring parts of conversations. I can take nice photos when I didn't expect it.

I'm not going back to life without a phone. If you're not valuing your priorities with a phone, you won't value them without it. It might make a difference for a few weeks, but then you'll work out how to waste your time without your phone and you'll be back to square one.

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