Ordered an MP back in June for the July batch and finally received it today. Loving it so far even though it’s got a few quirks.
(The Minimal is the e-ink phone with the QWERTY keyboard).
I’ve been using a dumb phone for a while now and didn’t want to go back to a full smartphone, so this seemed like a decent compromise.
Probably the biggest annoyance I’ve noticed is the Alt and Shift buttons being in illogical places and wishing those were reversed.
And yes I made this post on it and am aware of the irony 😆
I’ve had my Lightphone 3 for about a month now, and I have been really enjoying it. (I pre-ordered it wayyyy back when it was $399, I wouldn’t have paid any more than that)
I’ve been on my “dumbphone” journey for almost 3 years now. It’s been the best change I’ve made in my life in a LONG time.
I met someone this weekend who was carrying a pager… I immediately went to go investigate (well, immediately when I got home, because I can’t search anything on my phone), spurred on by exciting visions of becoming even LESS connected… but was disappointed at how expensive it was (Like $10-20 per month, which isn’t a TON, but I only pay $15/mo for my cell service).
I was originally wanting something like the minimal, able to do some smart-stuff… But the more I lived without the smart-stuff, the more I realized I didn’t really need it. The only thing that’s really inconvenient is the lack of the commuter rail app to buy train tickets (they introduced a $3 fee on top of a $12 ticket for not using the app, the bastards), and the lack of a ticket wallet for concerts that don’t have printable tickets… But considering one of the only times I take the train is to go to concerts in the city, and also I wouldn’t want to take my fancy Lightphone to a concert anyway (I’m a mosher), I will just hold onto my beat-up old smartphone (scuffed and dented from being flung from pockets in many-a-pit) and swap the SIM whenever I’m headed to throw down.
Do you find yourself tempted to go back to doomscrolling? Even years into my journey, I’d find myself re-enabling chrome to go scroll Reddit or something if I was in a bad mood… Not having that option has been really nice, forcing myself to deal with the moment in (probably healthier) different ways.
Same but only about a year myself and took a good 2 or 3 months to wean off having stupid apps for everything.
My flip phone did have a decent browser so i could look up random stuff when needed, though mostly it was calls, texts, and hotspot for my laptop.
I got this one for $399 too and like you said that’s about the most I would pay for it. Haven’t moved my SIM card over yet but will as soon as I finish setting it up to my liking.
At first, yeah, but not after I weaned off my old smartphone. Using a flip phone for a year kind of forced my hand. On the few occasions I put my SIM back in my smartphone, it was for a specific mission (almost always for work), and I didn’t have time or inclination to doom scroll. When I was finished, the SIM went back into the flip.
Glad I’m not the only one digging the low tech lifestyle lol.
I tried for a while to dumb down my existing smartphone, but I just didn’t have the drive at first.
It was actually the Cat S22 flip that I found and instantly latched onto that really helped me wean off instagram, reddit, etc. It ran full Android, so you COULD do those things, but the experience on the tiny-ass screen and slow processor made the experience piss poor. I rocked that brick for almost 2 years. I eventually got to the point where I was no longer using the apps on it, just calling, texting, using the calendar, etc. I was tired of having such a thick device in my pocket, so tested going back to a dumbed-down smartphone, and had no problem (most of the time).
My other big hurdle at the moment is listening to music. I’ve been a spotify premium member for a long time, and my music library has continued to exist, but my music taste has changed and evolved over the last half a decade, so it’s missing a lot of what I want to listen to. I’ve been meaning to get away from Spotify, but it was just so convenient! Not having it has forced my hand, and now I need to do something about it, so hopefully soon I can get my jam on.
Low-tech is the way to go. I’ve gotten really into digital cameras from the 90’s, and carry at least one (of the many that I now have) around with me for taking photos. I’ve got a pile of old beige desktop computers to support the ones that need proprietary software, and also have a nice stash of old “offline” softwares like MS word, photoshop, CAD, etc. that I have access to if the internet ever implodes lol
Cat S22 Flip you say?
That’s what I’ve been rocking the last year. Absolutely love this thing. That was me watching DS9 on it, not because it’s the best way to watch DS9, but simply because I could lol
But yeah, exactly like you said, it was mostly calling, text, calendar, maps/navigation (Organic Maps), music player, bank app, Matrix, and email. The chat and email I could have gone without, but as my daily driver, they were pretty handy to have without being too intrusive. Bank app was a necessary “evil” since I bank with a small credit union and the nearest branch is 50 miles away - the only reason I needed it was to authorize the random payment that was out of the ordinary or remote deposit the odd check someone sends me (can’t do either of those through the web).
The main thing about it, for me, was that it could do all of my basics/necessities without being good at any of the time sinks (doom scrolling, endlessly browsing the web, etc). It could do those things, but it was not a good experience and naturally limited the time spent staring at it.
It really is. The only thing I’ve found limiting is that I do not have anything, Minimal Phone included, that can take a picture worth a damn. Thankfully my friends are shutterbugs and usually capture the good moments and share those. I should look into dedicated digital cameras like you said.
I’ve had a really really REALLY fun time using “shitty” old cameras.
Just grab a cheap early 2000’s digital point-and-shoot. (Or in my case, over 100 of them)
My instagram is linked on my profile, I have almost 2500 photos posted from my entire collection.
Oh man I love this haha thanks for sharing. You should get a pixelfed account!
Thanks! It’s on my (very long) list of things to do lol.
Ideally I’d love to host it, too, I’ve been building up a small network rack with some fancy equipment, but I never seem to have the time to sit down and actually figure it all out… One of these days!