Comment by bprieto | Hacker News Reader

Comment by bprieto | Hacker News Reader

I like the idea of a non-intrusive phone, but this wouldn't be enough for me. So here is my wish list for a non-intrusive phone

- e-ink - phone calls - SMS (I don't send them, but I need them for 2FA) - contact book synced with Google - calendar synced with Google - clock with alarms, timer and stopwatch - weather - music, it would be nice to use Spotify because I've invested a lot of time creating playlists but local files would do - bluetooth to send music to speakers - flashlight - sound recording (for calls recording and voice notes) - Whatsapp, it's my most used form of communication with family, friends and colleagues. But only text, no videos or images

Optional but nice: - tethering - QR codes store for things like tickets that I could send from another device

It would be enough for most of my day. I would have a second device for web browsing, maps and navigation, email, banking, QR reading, documents, gaming, etc., that I would only use when I really want to do those things.

Sounds to me like you want a regular phone.

I think this is the paradox that distraction-free phones always run into. Everyone including myself wants the useful or convenient niceties of a modern smartphone like maps, Spotify, various messaging tools, notes etc. without the dreck of social media. At this point, a stripped-down android launcher makes more sense than trying to bring back the candybar phone or some weird hardware middle ground. There are a bunch of minimalist launchers out there, but I haven't found anything really great. I was using "A Decluttered Launcher" until an update screwed up its handling of soft keys and have moved to Niagra.

The balance I think I'd want is... basically an equivalent to old slider-style phones but with modern messaging/communication apps. Give me a slider phone with Matrix/XMPP/SIP support for messaging and calls and I would be very happy.

Ideally FOSS too, so I don't have to worry about it being unpatchable in 3 years and can keep using it as long as it's useful.

Try 'LessPhone' launcher for Android.

> without the dreck of social media

It's pretty easy to not install those. Buying a product isn't a good solution to a lack of willpower.

I swear I'm not trying to get the last word in, but my phone life hack was to get a spare Android phone to keep in my office where I install only a minimal set of apps. It's worked pretty well and I might even try putting on a VOIP app so I can use it for calls. I don't care about getting distracted when I'm stuck in a long line at the grocery store.

I just need the basics: phone, maps, contacts, banking, Uber, spotify, etc. But I don't want the dopamine slot machines on my phone: facebook, twitter, snapchat, etc. I struggled to find a solution that could address this. Then I followed some suggestions from others on here to enable parental controls. So far it's worked great for me! Only my wife knows the password to unlock. I wish the industry could provide a better solution, but so far this has been working out well. I get to enjoy being out more without having that itch go waste time on my phone.

No, I really like the idea of e-Ink and little or no notifications. What I really want is a phone that I can control, not a device that asks for more attention than a toddler.

I'm with you here. I think your list is pretty close to mine. The only exception is whatsapp and maps. I want to be able to navigate and I'm fine with just a list of directions. I'd add podcasts as a must have as well.

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