Evolving past the need for a smartphone

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For the last few years, I have used my phone so rarely that I often question why I bring it out with me in the first place. The main functions in use is the alarm, messaging, calling, and podcast function. I have broken out of the habit of using social media with any kind of regularity. With regards to work and the dreaded email, I use my computer and not my phone. As weird as it sounds, I think I have transformed myself away from the smartphone.

Now if there were only a device that would allow me to set alarms, send and receiving messages and calls, and let me listening to podcasts and music, I would happily pay any premium that might be associated. The obvious answer is the smartwatch. The unfortunate thing is that today’s smartwatches don’t last long enough for reliable daily use. It is technically possible, but that would require the non-use of the music streaming or podcast functions. That is a no-go for me at this stage.

The alternative is to run out without a smartphone. Practically, this is not feasible. I tried this to an extent when I uninstalled all messaging and social media apps on my phone, and it made making plans a nightmare. If things changed, I would be the last to know. On a couple of occasions, I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. While that’s not the end of the world, it certainly not ideal. The other option is to purposefully downgrade my phone to something more limited in functionality. This is probably the most realistic option for the next couple of years. Getting something like the brick Nokia phone would certainly be novel.

Given how omnipresent technology is, I imagine more and more people will share my mentality with regards to the need for smartphones. Living off the grid is perhaps too extreme, but living untethered certainly has its place.


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