I got my dad a Doro HandleEasy last Christmas. He is actually using it (which is amazing in itself). http://www.techpin.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/doro-handl...
John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
71–80 of 165 posts
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Once your friends know you don't text, they stop texting you. I really really tried, but apparently your friends respect you better than mine do me :) I don't mind being known as a Luddite ;)
On UK landlines now you can receive texts, they have a service that does text-to-speech and reads the text to you. With this then you would only lack a way to send texts, people wanting a simple phone probably don't want that.
In Canada it's the same thing. Text a landline and they get a call with a TTS of the text and a message indicating what phone number it came from.
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#73This is a very good idea executed poorly. SMS has become a way of life and you'll be receiving messages that you can not read, also a paper phonebook requires that you carry a pen with you. Play it again, John, this time with a pager sized (text) display and I'll buy one. edit: added the (text), it does have a display but can't display text messages.
If you want simple SMS, albeit with a retarded UI, check out Motorola F3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE_F3
That is a fricking awesome phone. Dirt cheap, indestructible, and a battery that lasts for 2 weeks between charges. Unfortunately, it has the worst UI ever, and is completely unsuitable for Grandma duty.
It does have an excuse for being so bad -- it's designed to be used by people who cannot read.
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#74Slashdot effect in progress. Anyone have a mirror?
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#75Is there a mirror? Page seems to be down :(
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's also very expensive. Basic Nokia phones that don't do much more than calls and SMS and that are very simple to operate and very sturdy, can be found (new) for around EUR 20.
Where do you find them for that money?
Here's a Motorola for $20 US: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875209...
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#77This is a very good idea executed poorly. SMS has become a way of life and you'll be receiving messages that you can not read, also a paper phonebook requires that you carry a pen with you. Play it again, John, this time with a pager sized (text) display and I'll buy one. edit: added the (text), it does have a display but can't display text messages.
If you want simple SMS, albeit with a retarded UI, check out Motorola F3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE_F3
This is the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline "minimalist phone". The wikipedia page confirms it's not available from Motorola in the US. I'm curious if anyone has had luck using an unlocked one?
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where do you find them for that money?
Here's a Motorola for $20 US: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875209...
The "Motofone" is simpler and would cost less if they sold it in the US. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2143197
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's also very expensive. Basic Nokia phones that don't do much more than calls and SMS and that are very simple to operate and very sturdy, can be found (new) for around EUR 20.
SMS-lifestyle or not, I'd take the Nokia (at 2/3 the price or less) for the 10+ years of industrial design that went into it. To be honest, this doesn't seem to be a phone for children or the elderly (neither of which have some sort of cognitive short circuit that keeps them from grasping a simple Nokia while allowing them to embrace the idioms of this particular phone) -- but rather a phone for hipsters who need to…
I like the hipster angle. It affords a better tagline:
"John's Phone: It's not an iPhone or anything. You've probably never heard of it."
Re: John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone
#80This is a very good idea executed poorly. SMS has become a way of life and you'll be receiving messages that you can not read, also a paper phonebook requires that you carry a pen with you. Play it again, John, this time with a pager sized (text) display and I'll buy one. edit: added the (text), it does have a display but can't display text messages.
Yeah. I think what you (and I) really want is a phone with a two-color LCD screen from seven years ago.
Actually, I think those are called tracfones, but they have a stigma of being used by only elderly people. Dang it.