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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

#161

Post by seam_carver »

drekipus wrote: post #155
moreofthis wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would guess that a phone designed with an eink display will have visual design and UX that is more thoughtfully designed for greyscale than iOS or Android. I was always taught that a design should be done first in greyscale to make sure that it works well using only alignment, hirearchy, balance etc, then you add colour; I still see that done frequently in print design, but less so in the digital world for whatever…

that is an interesting point; i didn't know that (about design in grayscale). the issue with "apps are designed with e-ink UX in mind" -- how many stock apps do you actually use? where the manufacturer has control over how it's implemented? Usually the apps that are used frequently are apps that are designed for big colourful phones. That's why i want to experiment with a "deglossed" or slightly desaturated version.

Typically apps from fdroid have really simple ui that look good on eink

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

#162

Post by smoldesu »

dangus wrote: post #118
AlecSchueler wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Seems like it's better to grab an iPhone 12, set the screen to greysfale in the accessibility settings, and then turn on screen time to block social media apps and other distractions. Better to use rsync than bother with Dropbox?

I mean, if you really think this thing is the next Dropbox…sure.

Even Dropbox didn't succeed at being the next Dropbox.

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

#163

Post by [deleted] »

pcchristie wrote: post #109
seam_carver wrote: post #32

I recorded a video of another e ink phone running many common Android apps really well (in direct sunlight)! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvO9ScTdwz8 It's the Hisense A9 with a beautiful and fast Carta 1200 e ink display. It's very capable, I would have preferred a phone more like that instead. It's biggest drawback is terrible USA cell reception. This company was initially going to make a phone like this but appa…

Thanks for this. I've been thinking about pulling my phone use right back. I was really wanting to use the Light Phone, as I like how small and minimal it is. The only problem is it doesn't run Telegram/Whatsapp which is kind of essential these days. This phone looks like it would be exactly what I'm after. How do you rate it overall? Ideally I'd like something half way in between this and the Light Phone - small, st…

[deleted]

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

#164

Post by CadmiumYellow »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #102
bookstore-romeo wrote: post #12

I'm the owner of a Light Phone II [0] and (other than battery life), the biggest downside to the Light Phone I can envision for most people is the absence of apps like Uber, Apple Pay and Spotify. I think 5G isn't that necessary on a phone like that, except maybe for future-proofing. This phone seems to have a camera, though, and access to Play Store (although it will likely be messy) really sets it apart from most "…

> the biggest downside to the Light Phone I can envision for most people is the absence of apps like Uber, Apple Pay and Spotify. You've hit it spot on. I got a light phone years ago to help cure my cell phone addiction, but it was too problematic. I still need to use the "tools" of my phone - things like Maps, Uber, authenticator apps, texting, etc., but I just wanted to block the "dopamine dealers" like social medi…

I tried a Light Phone as well and I found that it made texting so difficult it was basically useless to me as a phone. I then tried a basic flip phone which was more useful but ultimately still added too much friction to my life to be worth it. Now I'm back to my iPhone. It would be great if Apple created the equivalent of those minimalist Android launchers that allow you to remove distracting apps and simplify the UI. At the end of the day a phone is a tool and none of the minimalist phones currently in existence work well enough to be a useful tool for me.

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

#165

Post by CadmiumYellow »

qgin wrote: post #24

These types of phones keep getting made and people keep not buying them in any significant numbers. I think people want to want this kind of phone. But it ends up being a kind of performance art thing / statement about modern society thing more than filling an actual demand in the market.

I've tried a couple of them. The problem is that they add so much friction to the basic functionality you want from a phone that they eventually become too frustrating to be worth it. Using a Light Phone gave me an enormous amount of respect for the work Apple has put into making their touch screen keyboard feel so responsive and type so "accurately" (by which I mean gracefully handle the inaccuracies that inevitably arise when typing on a touch screen). I just don't see a small startup ever being able to deliver a user experience that even comes close to what we've all gotten used to thanks to Apple, Samsung and Google. At the time that I bought a Light Phone I was desperate to be free of digital distractions but eventually I decided I would rather be distracted if it meant that I could effectively communicate with family and friends and maintain a social life without so much hassle.

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

#166

Post by anotheruser13 »

seam_carver wrote: post #32

I recorded a video of another e ink phone running many common Android apps really well (in direct sunlight)! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvO9ScTdwz8 It's the Hisense A9 with a beautiful and fast Carta 1200 e ink display. It's very capable, I would have preferred a phone more like that instead. It's biggest drawback is terrible USA cell reception. This company was initially going to make a phone like this but appa…

It may not have all the required bands. International phones never worked well on T-Mobile US.

Source: Used to work in tech support there

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

#167

Post by airhangerf15 »

d--b wrote: post #40

Now that phones have turned into authentication devices for a lot of mainstream services, we’re screwed.

I never use my phone for authentication. You can get Okta to give you the OTP secret (you gotta use a stupid QR code reader, but the number is there and you can stick it into a script using any Python/Ruby/Node OTP library).

I don't have Google services on my phone and Okta will just puke and die without them, plus work has no right to ask me to use a personal device for anything.

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

#168

Post by daxfohl »

filleduchaos wrote: post #106
daxfohl wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, it could just be built into android, or maybe even an app with enough permissions. But agreed, even at that minimal level of friction, I'd probably turn it off most of the time, and deal with it via old fashioned self control. And for the times I'm out of control, just turn the phone off.

> I mean, it could just be built into android Isn't this literally already built into Android? Extreme Battery Saver effectively turns your phone into a feature phone, disabling every app except Clock, Phone, Messages, Settings, the Play Store, and your camera. And you can add other essential apps to the whitelist (e.g. I have my note taking, ride sharing, banking/wallet, calendar and TOTP apps enabled, and my music…

Probably. So given I haven't bothered to look up this feature yet, and I've established for myself I'd rather have this than a dumbphone, I don't think it makes real world sense to buy a dumbphone, even though it sounds pretty nice in principle, which aligns with what OP is saying.
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