dumb phone thread

I think I promised to make a thread here once I received this product. It's a Light Phone 3 and is supposed to be a dumb phone experience (it's actually running Android with an elaborate launcher) To give a short impression: It's well made but overpriced. It runs Android, but you get a whole different experience through the device's launcher which is akin to dumb phones - but a dumb phone with a good camera and GPS navigation (both things lacking in most dumb phones). I used minimal Android systems before, but this one really feels a bit different. No app icons and different app interfaces, for starters, are already a different experience from the usual Android system feel. It made me realize how crap the usual smartphone interface really is (actually it made me remember it because back in the early Google and iPhone smartphone days, I always found the interface really soykafty compared to Sony Ericsson or Nokia dumb phones, these silly app icons on smartphones became the standard though and people still gobble this crap up until today smh). I didn't expect the interface to have such an effect. It comes with it's own (limited) set of apps, so the experience is unified. Still some bugs though. The device's form factor is nice. It doesn't feel like the normal person slabs, it's more of a ~3:4 or ~4:5 aspect ratio. Real human being size. Anyway, this soykaf was so expensive, I'll sell it and probably buy a Pinephone (although they copied the smartphone form factor). I'm so damn tired of normal person smartphones and normal people in general. fuarrrking normal people, can't even use a desktop PC anymore, stupid consumer scum. Ask me anything. Post your dumb phones.

How usable was the map app? Because from what I remember about Light Phone it was pretty bad to use because of the slow refresh rate. Did they fix it?

>>86026 I have the Qin F21 Pro is amazing and help me a lot with my problems but the banks didn't work, my next phone will be an eink display

Why would you get a Light Phone? Just take any ordinary smartphone and use Olauncher or something. The aesthetics of that phone it just looks unpleasant to hold in the hand. I'd much rather have a flip phone form factor for comfort since smartphones these days are very unpleasant to hold causing hand cramps.

>>86027 Weirdly enough, the refresh rate is artificially throttling on this device as well. A comment from the manufacturers says it’s to limit overheating of the display during GPS usage, but I think that‘s bullshit. It’s probably to limit battery drain as the battery is pretty small with just 1800mAh Weirdly enough I have tested the navigation only once yet. I will test it later today again and give you an update.

>>86032 I love eink too. It makes a device much more of a natural object, like furniture or an (older) automobile. Using eink doesn’t feel like diving into a virtual dimension although you can use it to do all your digital things. That keeps you grounded on real life. The Light phone has a different approach. It’s made in such a way that you use the device very little. It’s just lying around most of the time and acts as a phone. But it’s good when you leave the house to have the camera and GPS too. And that’s really a problem for most people. You‘d use the device very little but pay a lot of money for that. It works though, at least for me it does.

>>86033 >Just take any ordinary smartphone and use Olauncher or something. It’s not the same really, I tried to explain it in the OP. You’d have to experience it, you can’t see it in review videos. I’ll try to explain again. With the light phone, you have no other options to install other apps by default (actually you do because it’s running Android underneath, people already access the underlying android layer to use their own normal apps). If you use the phone as it was made, you have this limited set of applications which also share the same design. It makes the experience really feel like more like a dumb phone. I installed olauncher on my tablet to mimic the experience, but it’s not the same because you use different apps and different apps have different designs. So what, you might say. But to really get a dumb phone experience, the apps should be similar and you must be unable to just install new apps. The system must be locked down and only then your mind will relax, knowing that this is what is possible and what you’ll have to live with. I can say for myself that if I have a system to tinker with, my mind always works in the background, trying to optimize. With a system that is set in stone, the mind accepts the tool as it is. It becomes pleasurable even if it doesn’t suck and just works like a simple tool. You can then always rely on the tool to do its function. >The aesthetics of that phone it just looks unpleasant to hold in the hand. Not at all. It’s just shorter than most smartphones. It’s SUPER nice for photography. You can hold it with one hand like a compact camera and take a picture. No risk of it falling down. I snapped pictures out of the car window while at the steering wheel. Would you do that with a smartphone? No fuarrrking way, there is always the risk of the smartphone falling because smartphones suck. You are speaking from a purely conditioned habit of what a smartphone is supposed to look like. I think a lot of people are like that. I’d say it is of the same conditioning that makes people think computer monitors should be wide format instead of 5:4 >I'd much rather have a flip phone form factor for comfort since smartphones these days are very unpleasant to hold causing hand cramps. Exactly. But consider foldables too. I really like the new format that the Huawei Pura X proposes. I’d love to try it. But other than that, I think the 1st gen pixel fold is also a nice size (pixel folds being the only foldables that you can install aftermarket OS on). Current smartphone formats are so crap, that’s also why I am so mad that the Pinephone and the other Linux phones try to be like that.

>>86026 >Pinephone Don't bother. They work fine doing the basic stuff - phone calls, sms, mms, alarms, etc. but some nice basic things, like automatic do-not-disturb or a working camera or using the headset for phone calls, just doesn't work well. I used one for 18 months and it was pretty painful. Switched to a Cat S22 android flip phone. It's worse, but better. I don't have to "take care of it" the way I did with the pinephone.

>>86026 Thanks for the info OP. I was interested in this for a while - but the cost is insane for what it is. For me, having a regular smartphone and some discipline is much cheaper. My phone sits in the drawer most of the day unless I specifically need to make a call or text. That's about all I use it for.

>>86044 Thanks for the info. The Pinephone apparently can be used as a PC when hooked up to a monitor though. That’s all I really want. Read my emails and do calls. Have an internet browser and a normal file system. I don’t use messengers, just calls and sms - so Pinephone doesn’t sound too bad to me.

>>86048 >but the cost is insane for what it is. It really is. Not gonna lie, I really like the phone. Despite some bugs, it feels like a very solid device. I can see myself using a Light Phone for years. It became an immediate EDC for me. The phone functionality just works, the camera works. No tinkering around, no installing apps, no fine tuning of Android settings. Just pick up and go. I love the simplicity so much. But is it worth so much money? For some people this might be a real treatment to smartphone addiction, then the price is okay. For me, who just likes a solid phone without clutter, it’s a bit much. They are doing firmware updates almost daily currently to fix bugs btw, which is nice to see. >For me, having a regular smartphone and some discipline is much cheaper. Discipline has a cost though. It basically wastes mana. The Light Phone never made me use discipline to stay off apps. That’s the immaterial difference when comparing to smartphones’ and what you get for the money. >My phone sits in the drawer most of the day unless I specifically need to make a call or text. That's about all I use it for. That’s very good. I used to be like that too in the past. That’s why I decided that I don’t really need the Light Phone after all and can use the money for something else. I can make it with any phone, contrary to smartphone addicts. Now I don’t want to go back to Android or iOS though, it would be a step back, the wrong direction. Since I quit WhatsApp and never really used social media, there is zero reason to use a smartphone for me. Smartphones were supposed to be mobile computers, only Linux Phones come close to this ideal now. Android and iOS phones developed into some pocket slop machine, I don’t see the computer aspect - if you don’t program your own Android apps for your own needs.

>>86041 Is the system really locked down or have you just not figured out how to install apps without an app store via sideloading and even simplifying it by sideloading an app store? Only thing that could hold you back is if having low ram and a crappy processor. You could use apps by the same people like Fossify has a whole line of them for example all same design aesthetics and anything open source someone could in theory modify to make everything look cohesive. >foldables Do you mean T9 phones with flip plates to cover the dial pad? Only thing holding me back from getting a flip phone is I text more than I talk on the phone and long messages at that which using a T9 is not ideal for me and I dont really like sliders much since it isnt comfy holding the phone horizontal and cant use one handed as easily. Been considering designing my own phone but I dont really have skills or resources for that at the moment

>>86058 You can use the phone as a normal Android phone if you disable the Light Phone launcher, as such it is not locked down. But it feels more locked down than running olauncher. I verified this for myself. Feels like a good dumb phone to me. Yeah, I know about Fossify. It’s okay but never perfect. Little details make the difference. I mentioned Android settings for example. You have so many options in the settings. On the Light phone it feels like you can set only 5 things which removes my obsession with optimizing a running system heh. But yeah, olauncher and Fossify on Android is as close as it gets. Removing the internet browser is crucial in my experience as well. Also remove any app store and only sideboard through apks. >foldables Sorry for the confusion, I mean foldable screen Android phones. Yeah, they are Google Android (except the Pixel Fold which you can modify with LineageOS or Graphene). Not dumb phones but at least the format of the devices is different from the usual slop slabs. This was referring to how people got so conditioned to the current smartphone format that they immediately reject other sizes. I had a friend try the Light Phone and he literally said it doesn’t feel like a phone due to its size, and here someone also comments that the size is weird. People are so conditioned to their daily consumer device to look a certain way, I felt like I had to mention that other sizes exists which pass as phones too. But even with foldables, the flip style foldables are more popular because they flip open to the size that people are used to. It’s horrible.

Sincerely not trying to be a jerk but I don't get this... "I have no will power so I need to buy another device that doesn't have internet access"

>>86076 Willpower uses energy. Fighting against a distraction is an energy drain.

>>86081 It doesnt when it involves inactivity over activity. You just have no control over your own body and brain.

>>86082 You’re just fooling yourself. It’s like living in a messy apartment where you have to keep watching your step vs. a clean apartment where you are not distracted. Sure you can try to live with the trash, it’s all a mindset. But it’s inefficient.

>>86086 You can train mental discipline.

>>86086 >It’s like living in a messy apartment where you have to keep watching your step vs. a clean apartment where you are not distracted. Sure you can try to live with the trash That's a stupid analogy. It's like saying keeping your own apartment clean takes too much energy so you bought a smaller, soykaftier apartment to live in instead. This type of "minimalist tech" is bizarre. A second hand unlocked pixel 8a is cheap as fuarrrk, well built, supported until May 2031, and with GrapheneOS it's private, secure, and by default comes with no google services whatsoever. There are downsides, like the size, lack of e-ink, and soykaf repairability, but its not like these "minimalist" gimmick phones are good in the latter respect either. Oh, and with the pKVM based AVF and DisplayPort Alt mode, linux VM support is getting better by the month. Shit, you could even root the thing if you wanted >>86026 >I'm so damn tired of normal person smartphones and normal people in general. fuarrrking normal people, can't even use a desktop PC anymore, stupid consumer scum. If you were advocating for supply chain ethics or something meaningful that would be one thing, but no you're just a hipster

>>86087 You are too inexperienced

>>86088 >It's like saying keeping your own apartment clean takes too much energy so you bought a smaller, soykaftier apartment to live in instead. It’s a perfectly valid strategy. I actually experienced this as I moved in a small apartment lately. I can only laugh about how easy it is to keep it clean. But you are just baiting so this discussion is closed. >This type of "minimalist tech" is bizarre. A second hand unlocked pixel 8a is cheap as fuarrrk, If you value just materialism, then truly there are better other options like Pixels. >If you were advocating for supply chain ethics or something meaningful that would be one thing, but no you're just a hipster Yes, I am a hipster. I’m actually a proto-hipster, been a hipster before people invented the word. Some people would use the word excentric instead, so for me it makes little sense that you are defending normal people on the internet. Supply chains? Really? We are discussing everyday objects (phones) here. fuarrrking supply chains? Don’t be an autist.

>>86090 >"you're a materialist" >spent $800 on a $50 phone

>>86093 I bet you never pay for trains or airplanes because you can get there for free on foot. All it takes is some mental discipline, right?

>>86081 I simply cannot imagine being this weak, so I guess these devices aren’t for me. It’s like putting yourself in a chastity belt.

>>86104 You're just a stubborn fool, what can I say? You're the type who'd live in a supermax prison like Ted and say >this is comfortable, just takes some willpower lmao don't be so weak

>>86026 TCL Flip 2 over this overpriced soy latte siping shiet

>>86108 soy late sipping soykafs cannot live without their messenger apps, you are prejudiced The TCL Flip is the only okay dumb phone compared to the Light Phone. 99% of the dumb phone market is crap. TCL Flip availabilty outside of the USA is questionable, the camera is worse. But basically it's fine for it has GPS and a basic camera.

>>86026 this new "dumb"phone concept doesn't make any sense, those things are still running android, they are still filled to the brim with proprietary malware/backdoors/spyware/etc, and they are overpriced. you effectively pay for more freedom restriction, its the same concept as apple. the only good thing i can think of would be the form factor, non-garbage aspect ratio, good build quality (?), and the fact that some of them have keyboards/keypads. i hate cellphones because every single one of them (including the pinephone/librem5) relies on proprietary software somewhere (ARM SOCs, proprietary firmware for the modem, for wifi, and for BT; or weird read-only bootloaders that don't work correctly and don't adhere to any real standard because ARM doesn't have one) think about it though, do you actually NEED a mobile cellphone? or can you get away with a landline phone + a thinkpad/mini computer?

>>86116 I think it's an (overpriced) step in the right direction. If someone finally recognizes that his smartphone was designed as a social media consumption machine, not a communication device, then that is a good thing. Especially if he take steps to unplug from social media. Uou are right though, a cellphone can never be free from spyware. Patents for phone modems are the real killer. If you ever tried to build a truly open platform you would be destroyed by lawfare. Cell carriers also deprecate old wireless technologies before the patents expire so that's not an option either. You also need regulatory approvals for each country you want to distribute your device in. I can see a government refusing to approve an open modem, with the justification that it is "insecure" to allow users to directly interface with and reprogram it.

>>86026 What's the usecase? Often these are more expensive that regular smartphones because they offer... less? Why not just get a budget smartphone and turn it into a dumbphone manually?

>>86118 when it comes to these pricy minimal phones I find the extremely poorly named Minimal phone more appealing for it's e ink display and qwertyy keyboard. I also find it an interesting feature the Mudita Pure is made to favor lower frequency bands like if there is 1G service it will do that, unless there isnt any it goes to 2g, then 3g, then 4g, an 5g and also an eink display and their Mudita Kompakt also is eink but more a smartphone design. >>86123 It is more expensive because they are made by small companies really but there is some artificial price inflation involved too since even bigger companies like Nokia do not put out particularly cheap feature phones anymore. You used to be able to get a phone for like $30 easily now you cant do that as easily.

>>86116 >this new "dumb"phone concept doesn't make any sense, those things are still running android, As I have already tried to explain, the interface of this particular product does indeed give it a very close feeling to a dumbphone. >they are still filled to the brim with proprietary malware/backdoors/spyware/etc, Well, by using the telephone network, your calls are basically public anyway. Using calls is the main operation of dumb phones though. If you want encryption, you'll have to use a smarter device, in which case you are basically ruling out dumb phones as a communication device. This device isn't too bad from what I saw. For example, they currently use the Sherpa TTS, you won't find such efforts in 99% of phone manufacturers. For whatever fuarrrking reason, Google Chrome was preinstalled though (which you can uninstall). I assume it was for development purposes. Another drawback is the use of Google Maps API(?) for searching addresses and store opening times. The Maps themselves are Here Maps, which is not Google but also not an offline solution. >you effectively pay for more freedom restriction, its the same concept as apple. Last time I checked, you pay more for apparent freedom devices. That Pinephone/Librem5 pricing is a pain in the ass and is the only factor for why I don't have one yet. Libreboot laptops? You better be rich bro. >good build quality (?) yes it is >think about it though, do you actually NEED a mobile cellphone? or can you get away with a landline phone + a thinkpad/mini computer? I actually though about this as I am using a desktop computer. I also thought about using VOIP over a tablet or compact laptop to replace my mobile phone. It's not that simple unfortunately due to carrier restrictions for laptops and basically due to size - the cell phone is supposed to make you connected on the go. You can limit your movement or just keep a laptop/tablet in the car, but there are a few situations where you want to reach people or them reach you, like meeting up with people at a location without playing seek and hide.

>>86123 >What's the usecase? Often these are more expensive that regular smartphones because they offer... less? The most impactful factor is how it saves your time. I am aware this expression is used in the marketing too, but it actually works. You pick this phone up, there's f'ckall to do on it. You can scroll your photos, listen to a podcast or some music, and that's it. You cannot soykafpost on lain or scroll porn. For normal people there is no social media as an option either. You basically pick this phone up and put it down. You can downplay this fact as "just be disciplined bro", but if you'd actually try such a dumb phone irl, you'd see that there is definitely such a mechanism at play. And you save yourself the effort of being discipline as you put the phone away automatically. >Why not just get a budget smartphone and turn it into a dumbphone manually? Because, basically, tinkering is like kicking dead whales down the beach and leads to half-assed solutions in most cases.I tried to explain it in this thread. Just think of running different applications on a linux-OS computer. Every fuarrrking applications looks different and acts differently. What this phone offers is a more unified design, it's similar to doing all your stuff from the terminal (it all looks similar at least). You shouldn't underestimate the efficiency that comes from removing mental friction. You cannot value it though if all you do on your devices is recreation. When you start actually working with a smartphone, or a computer or computer applications, it happens really fast that you get annoyed with poor UI. Dumbify your smartphone to save money is okay but to get the same dumb phone feeling, you basically have to configure it and then never change the running system again.

>>86129 >>86151 Thanks for clearing it up for me, anons. I get the appeal now, sounds good, I waste a lot of time on my smartphone and often we don't have the discipline we wish we had, I can see why this helps a lot of people.

>>86154 thank you, AI, for appreciating my post without understanding what it's like to micromanage the biological brain's capacity for best efficiency.

>>86076 A lot of people say "just be mentally disciplined" but if humans were good at that we'd be in a vastly different world. Sure, I can just set my phone up like a dumbphone, but since I set it up that way, I can just as easily set it back to normal. I can install a site blocking extension with a timer (I've done this many times) only to bypass it so much it becomes muscle memory, and I can put junk food in a slightly more inconvenient place in my kitchen and end up grabbing it anyway. I've had more success accepting that the brain is terrible at resisting temptation and will always want to do what gets it the most reward chemicals from the least effort. So the best way to discourage yourself is to add as much friction between you and the thing you want to avoid as possible. Atomic Habits words it well with "make it invisible, make it unattractive, make it difficult, make it unsatisfying". It takes much less consistent mental discipline to browse social media on a tiny low-spec flip phone browser than on my smartphone, like it takes much less effort to not eat junk food that isn't in my house. Any bit of friction contributes to hitting the point where the brain goes "okay, this isn't worth the effort". Keep in mind that you are competing with multi-billion dollar industries fighting for your attention and studying human psychology specifically to manipulate you into interacting with their product as much as possible. Nobody has the discipline to hold against that all the time. All that aside, the new industry of "minimalist single use devices" knows they can charge more for less so you get lots of products like OPs phone. You get things like the reMarkable and the Daylight Computer that overcharge like crazy and have the same tech-bro startup subscription service thing going on, charging way more because they can sell it as a "wellness experience". They are expensive because they are small companies producing with new technology at low scale, but also because there's a small market of desperate people willing to pay that price. And being small companies trying to catch a new market, privacy really isn't a concern.

>>86150 > by using the telephone network, your calls are basically public anyway Not necessarily. The calls are encrypted from phone to tower, only decrypted once they reach the towers. But since the shutdown of 3G in many countries there only is 4G now which uses VoLTE as in it uses an internet connection to make calls. So if networks wanted they could actually make phones end to end encrypted, they don't because it wouldn't work for when calling landlines unless someone made a standard that could be used in landline phones to decrypt signals that are degraded from the poor quality provided by old landlines. Also since the internet is required on any phone now they technically all are smart phones, this is why they usually run Android based systems. So even if using a more minimal phone there is nothing stopping you from using apps for making securely encrypted calls even on such a pseudo dumbphone, at least with friends and acquaintances who agree to do same. > Another drawback is the use of Google Maps API(?) for searching addresses and store opening times. The Maps themselves are Here Maps, which is not Google but also not an offline solution. Weird they would use Google Maps. I have been using Organic Maps and it has store hours and runs offline. I haven't even turned on GPS to use it you can manually input a location. > I actually though about this as I am using a desktop computer. I also thought about using VOIP over a tablet or compact laptop to replace my mobile phone. It's not that simple unfortunately due to carrier restrictions for laptops and basically due to size - the cell phone is supposed to make you connected on the go. You can limit your movement or just keep a laptop/tablet in the car, but there are a few situations where you want to reach people or them reach you, like meeting up with people at a location without playing seek and hide. You can use a mobile hotspot and wire tether any phone or tablet to it to use for VOIP services. Otherwise you can just directly use VOIP service on a phone either via Wifi or have a plan that is data only and set up a VPN on the phone.

>>86168 >Not necessarily. The calls are encrypted from phone to tower, only decrypted once they reach the towers. But since the shutdown of 3G in many countries there only is 4G now which uses VoLTE as in it uses an internet connection to make calls. So if networks wanted they could actually make phones end to end encrypted, they don't because it wouldn't work for when calling landlines unless someone made a standard that could be used in landline phones to decrypt signals that are degraded from the poor quality provided by old landlines. Also since the internet is required on any phone now they technically all are smart phones, this is why they usually run Android based systems. So even if using a more minimal phone there is nothing stopping you from using apps for making securely encrypted calls even on such a pseudo dumbphone, at least with friends and acquaintances who agree to do same. Interesting take. I never thought about it this way as cell connections are non-internet in my mind. >Weird they would use Google Maps. I have been using Organic Maps and it has store hours and runs offline. Not weird at all. Google has the most reliable opening times information. Bing maps and Apple maps can't keep up despite their data resources. >You can use a mobile hotspot and wire tether any phone or tablet to it to use for VOIP services. Otherwise you can just directly use VOIP service on a phone either via Wifi or have a plan that is data only and set up a VPN on the phone. You forget one thing - I'd have pay for a data plan and a VOIP plan(many VOIP services require a subscription too). It is cheaper to just pay for a mobile phone plan with data connection. So I'd end up with a (smart)phone one way or another, which is not in alignment with the idea to replace a phone with a laptop completely. I wish I could fuarrrking do it. Yesterday, I set up my tablet to be a dumb phone. Fortunately, this tablet can make cell calls. I'll try to get used to the larger (than a phone) form factor, see whether I can get by without a smaller phone. Maybe I'll switch to a laptop then at some point, even though it costs slightly more money monthly. Also, almost ended up buying a Pinephone Pro yesterday, but then got mixed feelings as I found out about the Jolla phone. I guess I'll stick to the tablet for now.

>>86176 Unless I am mistaken in the US Calyx has mobile hotspots they give away to people who donate a few hundred dollars and as far as I am aware don't charge to use so you basically get free phone service. This is why I mentioned the hotspot setup. How they are able to do this is because they operate off some program to provide free service to certain individuals and groups. I believe it goes through T mobile if I recall right. You can connect the phone or tablet or laptop to it wirelessly just using a physical cable is advised for security and privacy reasons since you could potentially be tracked secondary to network triangulation if you had a wifi hotspot signal going out all the time. It has been a while since I looked into it though. The problem with using a laptop though is the trouble of if you ever use apps for special discounts and ordering youd have to find a way to run something Android based in a virtual machine to run those apps which is doable.

>>86204 Thanks for the information, but I'm not from the USA. >The problem with using a laptop though is the trouble of if you ever use apps for special discounts and ordering youd have to find a way to run something Android based in a virtual machine to run those apps which is doable. Using apps for shopping is peak decadence. I try to minimize this behavior.

>>86228 There is one other option which is use a lora communicator instead of a phone but that presumes everyone you know uses one and you are in range.

>>86032 Do you really need banking on your phone or can you just wait to be at home to use the website instead? That's what I do. Also, what country are you in? I'm thinking of getting the same phone.

>>86393 some financial applicaitons explicitly require phone usage because they want to do verification of your identity via the camera

>>86394 What a poor verification process. Privacy invasive and easy to spoof the camera with the right application or you can just take a photo of a photo.

>>86395 You're wrong. Since photo can't do what it's told this is a solid method until AI can actually copy your mimics.

>>86395 It is indeed clearly flawed. it is a cat and mouse game. May not be as easy as you think, though. If you think you can do it, then you should make a lot of accounts and sell them, and there are a lot of ways to make money using said accounts yourself. It's too much for me, personally. Even the soykaftiest padlock provides some useful barrier

>>86420 >It is indeed clearly flawed. care to elaborate, glitterboy?

I've already talked about this, but what's the real point of buying these expensive hipstersiht devices when normal flipphones exist? Is it the techie "I need new soykaf constantly" mindset clashing with the pop-privacy one?

>>86869 Because it really is like kicking dead whales down the beach typing on a T9 keypad. I guess some people just think it's easier for them than installing a custom rom or using a minimalist launcher and self control. Also many cheaper phones lack a GPS which some people need.

>>86871 >Because it really is like kicking dead whales down the beach typing on a T9 keypad I got used to it in about a week, then got used to XT9 in two >Also many cheaper phones lack a GPS which some people need If no one needed constant GPS twenty years ago they don't need it today. It isn't like roads got any more complicated, and even if they did that'd be a soykaf excuse.

>>86032 I'm this boy, it's over bros, i come back to a smartphone and social media, it's just not only hard life using that type of phones (bank didn't work, uber not work, didi was hard to use, typing is not fast) i think i'm gonna go with a eink phone or a pixel one >>86393 No bank soykaf work on website and i need to check out my money, i'm mostly outside my house, i'm from Mexico

>>86881 Then what is your idea of a good phone that actually exists? Many cheaper ones have poor build quality and reliability or arent even compatible with 4G or "5G" networks which are needed to be operational in many places now. It isnt about T9 being something to learn it is how it isn't exactly that intuitively convenient if you write decent length messages. As far no GPS, most people before it was common couldnt read a map well and often Mapquest directions were unreliable and they wind up lost for a while and asking for directions is out of the question youd get different people telling you opposite things and today if you asked directions many people will look at you like you are crazy for not having a GPS or ability to look up directions. I like the form factor in ergonomic sense of older phones and them having physical buttons but you have to admit they have their down sides that wont be suitable for everyone.

>>86885 > i think i'm gonna go with a eink phone or a pixel one Just use a normal phone ffs. You don't need to be cool. >No bank soykaf work on website and i need to check out my money, Do you not have ATM cards in Mexico? Can you not call the bank's service line and use that? I swear you people don't even try. >>86888 >Then what is your idea of a good phone that actually exists? First off, know that whatever you use will become what you like as long as you use it long enough. With that being said, my favorite has been the kyocera DuraXEs. They have a nice browser, nice camera, loud speakers, and they are tough things. I work construction and I've dropped that thing from 2+ stories off a ladder multiple times, climbed down, picked it up, and turned my music back on like nothing happened. They're technocally smart devices since they do internet, but I can disable the browser when I'm not looking for work If I rack disceprine. >most people before it was common couldnt read a map well It would take a bit of practice (like everything else in the world) but people generally got the hang of it. My dumbass sister used to memorize maps and can still navigate most of our entire state without one. >Mapquest directions were unreliable and they wind up lost for a while Mapquest worked fine. It never gave me issues. >asking for directions is out of the question youd get different people telling you opposite things I do that all the time. Rarely I get a bad answer, but if I do I ask someone else. I don't know why you think it's "out of the question". Aer you one of those people who say he has one of those fake "social anxiety" issues because he doesn't talk to people on a regular basis? >and today if you asked directions many people will look at you like you are crazy That's only been the case for me if I'm asking some slackjawed zoomster. Most people get a kick out of giving directions. Either way, why do you mention other peoples' opinions? They don't matter, especially if you're talking to strangers and ESPECIALLY if you're doing the right thing. You talk about people pre smartphones as if they aren't all around you. Like they're some lost civilization. Talk to anyone over age 35 and they can most likely give you some pointers.

>>86204 >if you ever use apps for special discounts and ordering youd have to find a way to run something Android based in a virtual machine to run those apps I spend the little extra money to not feel like a total phaglord, and most of the places I shop don't use the Internet anyways

>>86881 Dumb phones are dead in the USA, they don't work on the right band frequencies or are expensive novelties with reduced features if you can even find one that's network compatible. Some are marketed towards the elderly for simplicity, buut those often have botnet safety features for old people who live alone. There are only around 3 options and dwindling because developers are discontinuing software updates. SIM/IMEIs can be tracked anyway so lack of GPS location services isn't real, it's just a further inconvenience. The most promising phone was a now discontinued Nokia afaik that ran KaiOs which also supported maps and Whatsapp without any kind of account, but those apps are no longer updated which eliminates the main reason for it's creation, unless you just want removable batteries on a 4G device that can make calls and text with T9. Don't even mention that there are no reasonable non-phablet sized phones, where the average screen today is bigger than the largest screens from 10 years ago.

>>86960 Carriers are technically required to have a feature phones because blind people can use them easier > FCC rules under Section 255 of the Communications Act require telecommunications equipment manufacturers and service providers to make their products and services accessible to people with disabilities, if such access is readily achievable. Where access is not readily achievable, manufacturers and service providers must make their devices and services compatible with peripheral devices and specialized customer premises equipment that are commonly used by people with disabilities, if such compatibility is readily achievable. > Accessible: A product or service is deemed accessible if it provides accessible input, control and mechanical functions, as well as accessible output, display and control functions. For example, a pager that has both audio and visual controls for inputting information, as well as both audio and visual methods for retrieving messages, would be accessible to a person who is blind or deaf. >Usable: For a product or service to be usable, people with disabilities must be able to learn about and operate the product's or service's features effectively. This requirement includes providing access to information and documentation for the product or service, including instructions and user guides. In addition, companies must provide functionally equivalent access to support services, such as technical support hotlines and databases, call centers, service centers, repair services and billing services. > Manufacturers and service providers must evaluate the accessibility, usability and compatibility of their equipment and services as early and consistently as possible throughout their design, development and manufacture. In addition, companies must review their products for accessibility at every "natural opportunity," including when they re-design products, upgrade services, or significantly change the way they group together product and service packages. Cosmetic changes that do not change the product's actual design may not trigger the need to reevaluate access. > You may want to contact the equipment manufacturer or service provider to let them know about your accessibility concerns. You can find company contact information on the FCC website, by sending an email to dro@fcc.gov, or by calling 202-418-2517 (voice) or 844-432-2275 (videophone). >Whether or not you decide to first contact a company, you can request assistance from the FCC’s Disability Rights Office (DRO) to resolve an accessibility problem with telecommunications services by submitting a “Request for Dispute Assistance (RDA).” RDAs can be filled at the fcc.gov/rdaform for any accessibility problem with advanced communications services and equipment, telephone services and equipment, and for internet browsers built into mobile phones. During an RDA, the FCC will DRO must work with you and the company for at least 30 days to resolve the accessibility problem. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-access-people-disabilities

>>86961 This does not dispute the fact that those feature phones are still either botnet, or they are comically inconvenient like being huge "so old people can see the keys" If you want a ruggedized phone with laggy functions (some of which only work on certain carriers by design) or a flip phone with a 2mp camera that's slow, made out of cheap plastic, and cost's +100-800 USD because it's a specialty product, then those are the only alternatives to cheap smart phones, which are still sold with "mobility features" because you can just use the botnetted AI to assist you with everything. Technically, as long as someone can talk, they can tell their phone to do everything for them which arguably meets all the FCC requirements and does not require additional hardware implementation and can be done with a few software updates, which is a manufacturing benefit that eliminates re-tooling and means they can sell more flagship models to the public.

>>86962 I meant it might be possible to put pressure on a specific design if you can argue for disability reasons.

>>86394 that's beyond fuarrrked, is it really that hard to switch banks? Surely there are some that don't do that >>86869 normal ones don't exist anymore because a normal flip phone 1) is built to a decent standard and 2) actually works. Out of the phones that are built well, zero of them work, because none of them have 4G, and all the ones that do are newly manufactured, which means they are huge for senile retards to use, and they're also built extremely poorly, not to mention having terrible software, so bad they're almost unusable. >>86871 Actual predictive T9 can be good, it's just software, and I'm sure it doesn't take powerful hardware to do basic predictive text and store a decent dictionary and also have sane defaults. For example, pressing 4 should autosuggest "I", and not "i", or a fuarrrking standalone "g", but new flip phones do really stupid soykaf like that and often don't even let you add words to the dictionary, so you're stuck with it guessing insane nonsensical words that don't even actually exist when you were trying to type a common word that should be in the dictionary, but isn't. >>86881 >If no one needed constant GPS twenty years ago they don't need it today. It isn't like roads got any more complicated, and even if they did that'd be a soykaf excuse. GPS is nice to have but yeah, people just became dumb because they stopped using the part of their brain responsible for navigation >>86885 >No bank soykaf work on website and i need to check out my money, i'm mostly outside my house, i'm from Mexico That's insane, banks don't have websites in Mexico? I would switch banks >>86896 can you tell me more about your experience with the DuraXE?

>>87119 > Actual predictive T9 can be good, it's just software, and I'm sure it doesn't take powerful hardware to do basic predictive text and store a decent dictionary and also have sane defaults. For example, pressing 4 should autosuggest "I", and not "i", or a fuarrrking standalone "g", but new flip phones do really stupid soykaf like that and often don't even let you add words to the dictionary, so you're stuck with it guessing insane nonsensical words that don't even actually exist when you were trying to type a common word that should be in the dictionary, but isn't. When I had a feature phone in the late 2000s it didnt even do predictive properly so Id be manually clicking each button multiple times to get a single character and the next and the next and the next. I am not a fan of word prediction either I dont even use that on a smartphone.

>>87119 >can you tell me more about your experience with the DuraXE? I don't know what to tell you. It's a good phone. If you have anything specific to ask about I could probably say.

>>87119 >>86394 >banks Go with credit unions or bancs. Less bullshittery >>87119 >normal ones don't exist anymore because a normal flip phone 1) is built to a decent standard and 2) actually works. There are a ton that do that. You have to adjust your standards to be more pragmatic but it isn't impossible like people make it out to be

I don't get why these threads are so much tech planning rather than discussing use. Why are the users of a tech and (to a lesser extent) privacy-oriented imageboard on the tech board of said website waffling over using a piece of tech? With all the consideration going into the planning of buying a dumbphone you'd think these people are trying to find a new pacemaker. Try something for a bit and see if it works; the worst thing is that can happen is that you're inconvenienced for a week or so. You don't need to buy the latest and greatest thing because you're all supposed to be tech people that can make it work for yourselves, not jerk-off yuppies who read about some jerk-off CEO buying a Punkt phone and copying him thinking it will be a genie's lamp of "productivity". Christ almighty, it's just a cell phone! And if you're going to bitch about cost, go to a e-waste reseller and pick up something for five dollars.

>>87132 Ive never heard of a banc. What the fuarrrk is a banc? Sure this isnt just an alternate spelling of bank? Ive also seen banq.

>>87134 >What the fuarrrk is a banc? STFW

>>87133 Because tech costs money and we are broke. Also if you dont like it you are stuck returning it, selling it or being a wasteful consumerist.

>>87136 >we are broke See above post, blind retard. Read entire posts before responding. >Also if you dont like it you are stuck returning it Oh no! Returning something you dont want?! Unimaginable!!! >selling it Not a bad place to be in >or being a wasteful consumerist You're consuming a lot of soykaf as it is, so buying a couple of phones isn't going to make you any less of a sh!teating hipster than you are right now

>>87137 > See above post, blind retard. Read between the lines. Parts also are products that cost money and time on top of it. You only get people making their own capacitors and all that when making old styled audio equipment. Also not like all of the site is siy and programming which is why there is a separate tech board. Making a phone is unfortunately not so easy especially since network carriers only let on white listed phones into their network in some places. >You're consuming a lot of soykaf as it is, so buying a couple of phones isn't going to make you any less of a sh!teating hipster than you are right now Who do you even think you're talking to?

>>87138 >Read between the lines. Parts also are products that cost money and time on top of it. Everything costs money and you can get most of it cheap. >Who do you even think you're talking to? A guy who uses the word "consumerist". A guy who saw a couple of "video essays" and now thinks that buying slightly less items off the tip of the iceberg that is "consumables" makes him worthy of calling other people "consumerists". Yes, I'm sure you're amish and don't use chain stores, tap water, electricity, or have gotten anywhere using GPS. And being "self aware" about it doesn't do a thing.

>>87141 >Everything costs money and you can get most of it cheap. Depends on what you have available >A guy who uses the word "consumerist". A guy who saw a couple of "video essays" and now thinks that buying slightly less items off the tip of the iceberg that is "consumables" makes him worthy of calling other people "consumerists". Yes, I'm sure you're amish and don't use chain stores, tap water, electricity, or have gotten anywhere using GPS. And being "self aware" about it doesn't do a thing. Is English not your native language? Consumerist just suggests someone who buys things because they are new not because they actually need them. I have no idea what your problem is about people doing research before making a purchase of anything. I can't imagine you living long if you apply this to every aspect of your life.

>>87143 >I have no idea what your problem is about people doing research before making a purchase of anything All these threads are are people doing "research". So much "research" into something so trivial.

>>87144 > All these threads are are people doing "research". So much "research" into something so trivial. If it is so trivial you would have ignored it instead of dedicating your time to repeatedly posting in the thread.

>>87131 I do have a few questions what carrier do you use? how is the call quality? can you install any android applications? does group texting work well on it?

>>87183 > can you install any android applications? Not that Lain but it runs AOSP so you have to sideload individual apps or an app store on there.

>>87183 >what carrier do you use? Verizon >how is the call quality? LTE. It's great >can you install any android applications? Well that would defeat the purpose of having a dumb phone so no. It has enough tools on it. >does group texting work well on it? Yes. You need to allow it in settings, but it works fine afterwards. However, you cannot silence a specific text thread.

>>86960 I've been thinking about a Nokia 2780 flip personally, but there are xiaomi qin phones that run android and work on US bands. I haven't used one but I've seen people use custom firmware to gut the mandatory crap, check out the f21 pro. Also for Kai OS there's bananahackers which I crawled through to find a phone that >ran KaiOS >is usable in USA >can have custom apps put onto it because all I need is text, calls, hotspot, and an mp3 player. Bananahackers have their own apps you can load and it includes map software but I haven't gotten to try it yet. Check the store link. https://bananahackers.net/ https://store.bananahackers.net/ https://wiki.bananahackers.net/devices Also if you end up running an alcatel you might have this as a fun bonus option https://github.com/chin123/archlinux-4044C

flip phones 4 the banana wins