Oddbean new post about login | logout Should we start using "dumbphones"? Has anyone done it?
No secure way to text without Internet
I think its such a big miss that devices like the lightphone 3 dont have a signal app or a encrypted chat app. I'd use it as a daily driver if it did https://i.nostr.build/eMf2pfmFLIZ8uARA.jpg
Graphene with heavy app restrictions is better in my opinion. Dumb down the phone and remove all the google/apple software but still on nice hardware.
yes, worst choice of my life, theres nothing a smartphone can really do to harm you; you and your use of it are the problem, you can change it by software, good behaviour ant touching grass.
Yeah, I pay cash for burners. Have the store update the track phone on their wifi, using a fake email. Charging somewhere. Then leaving in various places. (Never at home) Google has hardware level control on their phones. As do most/all. Graphene is not enough for nsa. Easier to just be a ghost with cheap burner phones.
I’m ready
I bought one for weekends
Dumb down the smartphone. No need for a new gadget.
Dumb phones are considerably cheaper and the battery life can last a week. They are lighter in weight and take up less space in your pocket. Great conversation starter, too.
I've met some people here in the US who are doing this. They're using call and text phones.
I would love to, but unless it was a mass movement in this direction, my work would still demand me to have a smartphone.
Self control and a Faraday bag will fix 99% of problems. Phones that actually turn off when turned off would help too.
Faraday pockets - someone who sells stuff like that, we need pants that look totally normal, but block signals. Good for balls, too.
i wonder if anyone makes radio-blocking underpants
I'd buy
Time to start wearing panties https://boncharge.com/products/emf-underwear-female
How would it handle the wash? Would it not be easier to just have a faraday pocket insert?
No idea. Might have to use clothes pins and a line. I kinda want to do that anyways
I don’t have experience with this product, but something like this? https://boncharge.com/products/emf-radiation-blocking-phone-pouch
Looks like an excellent product. I wouldn't try wearing it as pants, though
I enjoyed a dumb phone for the 6 months I used the Punkt MP02 (minus no group text) I now also better know how to navigate my area thanks to forcing myself to use physical maps in the absence of GPS. It’s the same detoxification feeling of when I quit playing video games. Withdrawals are noticeable first week, then mental clarity starts to fill the hole that addiction left.
YES I just spent time in Central America after making a move to a phone that doesn’t use goog location services. There really aren’t any great alternatives to goog/appl maps Felt good blowing the old cobwebs off and using a paper map again.
Openstreetmaps on organic maps from f-droid and GMaps WV (google maps web version) from fdroid are good options.
We’re talking about Dumb Phones, we like the paper maps.
I have it. Its great. Just like a paper map. Navigation is not a feature though? Unless im missing something
Navigation does work for me Just TTS audio directions are more difficult to set up
There's no secure messaging
Privacy is a spectrum
Carrier-based calls/texts that lack end-to-end encryption is at the wrong end of the spectrum.
I agree. I use an unplugged phone btw If the other party isnt using one, Im back to the wrong end of the spectrum. Can I trust signal? Can I trust telegram? I dunno. Fortunately my privacy concerns are trivial and I just dont want big tech marketing me so not a huge deal to me but I hear ya unplugged.com
Unplugged are scammers: https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/1808161048194671006
Signal is end-to-end encrypted by default, Telegram only has optional secret chats for 1:1 chats. They can access most of the messages.
#GrapheneOS will allow you to configure your phone to eliminate any services you'd like (i.e., make your phone "dumb") if you so choose... Or you can enable any features you'd like... You could also create a "smart" user profile, and a "dumb" user profile, and only use the smart features when you choose. Amazing flexibility... https://grapheneos.org/
Thoughts on Eric Prince’s unplugged phone?
Well--it's a proprietary OS (which I'm not a fan of--would much prefer open source). It's also $989 Pixel 8a is $399 Pixel 9 is $799 Graphene is free So...I'm not quite sure why I'd pay more money for a UP proprietary OS phone, rather than running Graphene...?
The very day I can use my existing android phone instead of a Google Pixel I'll be GrapheneOS's biggest fan.
GrapheneOS, the pinnacle of mobile phone freedom that only works on Google devices.
The argument against supporting other devices always seems to be because of the Google Titan secure chip. Kinda surprised GrapheneOS hasn't been forked to support more hardware and an app like Obtainium as the "App Store".
I'd love it if I could buy pieces of a phone and snap it together and mix and match parts, upgrade a piece at a time. Customizable hardware, might be a future big thing
Yes, I use one fairly frequently. Lack of secure comms is an issue. Flip phones ftw.
My mother still does... When she actually turns it on. I haven't since '08. This isn't a phone for me. It's a pocket computer that can make phone calls. Remember when Skype came out and we were excited our laptops/desktops could make calls back in 2000? I run most of my business off this pocket computer, including making phone calls to customers land lines. So, no, I won't be going back.
what is it? sorry never heard of it 😔
There's a trend poping out from time to time where people change their smartphones to old school mobile phones like Ericson GA628 for the sake of being in the moment. It's a trend I support but everyone come back to smartphones sooner than later. #askNostr How do you even Nostr with an old mobile phone? Is there a project signing and sending messages via SMS?
@dtonon did one. But who said you should be using Nostr on a phone anyway?
Other stuff needs nostr on the phone :)
i'm thinking about switching to Galaxy Xcover Pro series - which is fairly basic phone with removable battery ( "cover" in the name refers to removable back cover ) it's a dumb phone compared to something like Galaxy Ultra or iPhone Pro Max but after replacing the battery THREE TIMES on my current phone i am getting tired of being a sucker this way i would also not need a case ( Xcover is semi-rugged ) and not have to worry about getting my phone broken or stolen because it would be cheap then i could just get a separate tablet and interchangeable lens mirrorless camera for when i need more screen real estate or higher image quality that said there may be legislation coming down the line mandating phones have removable batteries in which case i would rather have one superphone than three separate devices
note1twetudphdaqepaxmps8n2c097pujzq76w3d472vsspjl4kkqzx9qddlxh9
today we discovered that pagers are not a good option nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqwlsccluhy6xxsr6l9a9uhhxf75g85g8a709tprjcn4e42h053vaqqsqqq8xxgr3vl35l48tunegvvnm5rl6ah485a0nwv7rltrz9anpx9scgpmte
punkt.mp02 https://m.primal.net/KPPn.jpg
I use a dumb phone on a daily basis. I do not like that giant square in my pocket so I see my company issue smartphone as a tablet of sorts. The dumb phone has 2 SIMs, one for online 2FA or to receive confirmation of online purchases via SMS and the second number to get SMS confirmations or contacts from any services or purchases acquired inc the street from brick and mortar shops. Both SIMs redirect calls to my smartphone. So when I’m at the office or at home with the smartphone either I get a call labeled internet or street to more or less warn me where the attempted contact is coming from. My SIM # is not shared with anyone but my family ever and I have rules to discard any attempted contacts if not from them. It works flawlessly for about 8 years already.
Probably a dumb phone is too brutal, and insecure. A better option would be a smartphone installing only a few essential apps and an anti-addiction launcher. I find that https://github.com/tanujnotes/Olauncher is really good in this respect. But as always, it depends first on the person's needs. Another problem is to minimize the physical presence of the phone, it is quite difficult to find a good compact/light phone nowadays.
I have taken to having a phone with text and voice and data hotspot function. All games, apps and other time wasting is on a tablet. Bringing a tablet out is an intentional act and isn't as easy as a 1-handed phone.
The dumb phone is great. I had a tablet too, but without a sim in it. if I needed the internet on the move I’d find WiFi and use the tablet. I would always listen too stuff with the smartphone. Great to have one’s own thoughts. The other thing I’d find is that I would break the smartphone chain. One person takes up the phone, which leads to another taking it up, and so on, stopping with me. I’d just sit there staring into space all phoneless. One of the phonelost would notice me sitting there and put the phone down, and consequently, one after the other people re-enter meat space. It’s worth trying out.
Although using an iPhone Mini, I have been getting it "dumber" and "dumber" having less apps, using grayscale on display and so on. My main issue has always been, that I need a way to synchronize my contacts to the phone I use. After that, it can be the dumbest ever!
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Never had a smartphone, I leave my digital-heroin at home! And I'm not that old. I like that @fiatjaf put this question, because I am playing with an idea of creating value as I am one a rare ones, it seems, when it come to never having owned a Smartphone. I get all kinds of reactions of people wishing they could stop or wondering how I manage. So if your curious to know how? Read on. I find it funny & sad to see the world change with this tech. I am especially sad for the kids. I see teenagers growing flamingo necks and (some)parents not looking up at their kids play. I remember -more that a decade ago- seeing a little one of a couple of years do a simple trick (probably for the first time) and then looking up if daddy saw… but dad was head down in his phone. That child's reaction I still see, her smile and shoulders just dropped. It’s becoming more and more normal on to see parents not looking. So much addiction in the open. Some people are just so lost when they have no signal or run out of power. Here are some TIPS when going out without a smartphone: • Just read a map -online if you wish- before you leave the house. • Get a navigation device. It's not like you have to reject some of these awesome tools. Although knowing how to read a paper map helps you remember the way better the next time. • Make some notes or just remember them. Perhaps bring some pen and paper along. • Have an old-school digital camera if you like taking pictures and film. • Have a mp3 player if you want to listen to music. • Look up at the sky, smell the air, feel the weather on your skin if you wish to know what to wear today, and when you're out all day, just leave prepared if you think it might rain. Or just check the weather online before you go if it's all a bit risky for you ;) This All-In-One "comfort" is what keeps people hooked I feel. And no worries if you do get lost or need some help to find some info, because most will never stop having one I 'm guessing.. Society has become my secretary for when I do need help. Most people are very kind to look it up when I ask. Every years does seem to bring some more challenges for me to be able to join certain things, but I'll see how it goes. It’s not like I will reject these phones all my life if I am unable to joint (or spend btc whenever it becomes more mainstream). SO YES, please learn to cut back and go back to a dumb phones. I do hope some devs work on making btc payments easy without me ever needing to buy one of those black mirrors. This tech is cool and all, but many are to stupid to use it wisely imo. It's like letting a child play with a loaded gun before it has any awareness about the dangers. Anyway, that's my two cents.
There is Machankura, a Bitcoin and Lightning wallet using SMS. Unfortunately it's only available in a few African states. https://8333.mobi/
yeah, I hear about it. Thanks. Might just move to Africa. 😎 I heard there are exchanges that have cards. Maybe bybit it is. You but some btc on the exchange and spend with card but I thinks it exchanges to fiat. I'd like to see that in Lightning somehow. And it need to be user friendly. Bolz, a ring i saw, but looks to me like some nerd quality is needed.
Wifi only phone with open OS. Or use a data only cell service (e.g. jmp.chat).
Dumbing launchers have a neat aesthetic, and I like the way e-ink looks in the sun, but they don't facilitate my professional objectives. 📓 https://image.nostr.build/9175177a6153b74a077be759148567003c8e76c66fda4c67bae887bbe3dfbf84.jpg https://image.nostr.build/0f51e9481a74d5ce47a89fb5d3aca4fab53549948b433fc76c4c5003a9fd9edb.jpg https://image.nostr.build/8e68419e8886d1bcd263bed7d16906954d32e871a4fa5fc71282179bd1d42a3d.jpg
the thing is that radio waves are really not a big problem to DNA
True that. But shielding against gamma requires serious bulk and mass, unless there's only one specific frequency you need to stop
