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For the humans that actually want to be alive yes. But most do not want to live, they want to be slaves because it's comfortable for them not to think for themselfs.
This should have both if they add Spotify to the tool drawer. I haven't asked the CEO yet, but I imagine Spotify would be totally acceptable... at least in some way shape or form. The tool drawer is what is going to make this device much different from other dumb phones out there.
Yes! Wiesphone II might just be the phone for you. It’s going to have Bluetooth capabilities and we are working on vetting various streaming apps for use within the Tool Drawer. We understand that music is a valuable feature to have on the phone, but we also want to maintain the privacy and distraction-free environment that so many crave.
This is what we need in a dumb phone: - Concert tickets (because a lot of these a-hole vendors don’t allow paper tickets anymore) - Uber/Lyft for transportation - Maps (just in case you get lost) - Text - Calls - Music/ Podcasts Basically a phone where you cant have social media or internet browsing…..
What I hate nowadays is that almost for every purchase or service I use, I need to download an app for. I have to have an app for my gym membership (and they cannot accomodate otherwise, I already asked), for getting coupons for the supermarket I go to (they went paperless years ago), bank app (I have to identify myself on the app, even if I wanna log in through my laptop) etc. It's not that I have issues with social media like others. I have issues with life changing to think that everyone has and need to use smartphones.
Weird. I am surrounded by gyms that don't have this requirement. My supermarket still has a physical card you can scan, and coupons that I can print out, if I bothered to. None of my banks requires a smartphone to use their website. You're ether very unlucky, or missing something.
@Oldasianguy - Exactly. The world is huge and varied. So if you have the perception that all the businesses near you require a smartphone, you should consider not giving them your business, and instead broaden your horizons to find those that are less elitist.
While I completely agree with you, I also think that when big changes happen in a society, like the invention of the car for example, it causes a stir in those who don't want to see that change coming. I personally think having apps for everything is ridiculous. I hate how I have to have a smartphone if I want to get a drink at Starbucks and earn stars for my purchase, when only a few years ago, I could use a physical card to do the same thing. Now, it's no more physical card. But at the end of the day, these changes are here, and are likely here to say, so it is what it is. I have a dumb phone and an iPod touch, which is my at home device, so I can have freedom from the smartphone everywhere else in my life. But if I want to earn rewards on an app or something, I'd have to bring my iPod with me, meaning, I won't have it on me all of the time, so that's my solution for now.
@@SpencerScottPugh Samsung Galaxy A series and S series phones parental controls are fairly easy to use, anyways the thing I would miss the most on the Wisephone is the S Pen.
@Oldasianguy that is BS. apps are LITERALLY spending millions on thinktanks to make apps as addictive as possible. tech addiction is a massive systemic and growing issue. it´s not an individual issue if it´s caused by systemic issues.
Same I loved my 5s. I had it for so long. When it was considered old I was on it and now I’m on the 8, which imo is good I probably will never upgrade or anything. It’s a used phone that I got for really cheap and I love it. If it breaks I’ll probably go for an android next, like literally the cheapest one available as long as I can have RU-vid and music 😂
I've been researching switching to a dumb phone for months, but ultimately, I think I'm going to have to keep my dumbed-down smartphone, because things like tickets, restaurant menus, etc are all digital now. I've found it just about as effective to turn my iPhone screen to black and white, DELETE all unnecessary apps, and that's it. The phone becomes so boring in black and white, I don't even want to look at it. But I still have my family's group chat, good quality photos for memories, and transportation and navigation, all of which I need.
Exactly!! I want to be able to do a bit more than the lightphone can do for when I need it, and have a larger battery to reap the benefit from an eink screen. Ultimately something like the Hisense a9 but with support for US bands would be my dream phone.
For some reason, as popular as it seems the mini iphones were, they just werent selling... I think mkbhd just made a video about the end of the small smart phones. I did love the 12 mini!! Knowing this company started with the idea of phones for kids, i would assume it's not out of the question in future iterations to make smaller form factors. We will see!
The only argument he makes, that I actually agree with is photos! Most Dumb phones have a stripped down camera and photo app, and if your kids are small and cute, they won't be that cute forever.. so take plenty of pics! No, you don't need video chat. No, you don't need a weather app. No, you don't need group chats, all group chats suck always. If you want to talk to someone call them and talk to them. Like a normal human being, it's better for your mental health.
I feel this way about my pets because they’re not going to be here as long as me and I want to save every cute moment with them, so having a camera is super important to me.
After doing much research personally I’m not a fan of most of these non smartphones that still looks like a smartphone. I think even though the light phone with its lack of features has set the tone for what a non smartphone should be in terms of design and functionality. I’m especially a fan of the e-ink display and can see that being the future of displays. I appreciate your reviews.
Yeahp. Gotta pay for one of their plans to use the phone. It has a lot to do with the maintenance more than the phone plan itself but I understand some folks don’t like that idea
I definitely don't want to subscribe to use an operating system...$7 a month to use the OS?... Good idea though... Headed in a bad direction... Thanks for the review and awareness...
Makes sense to me. It made them able to lower the price of the phone itself. You could look at it as a payment plan if you want, which most phones come with anyway through various carrier options.
We recognize that our model may not align with everyone's preferences, and that's perfectly fine. We believe it's the most suitable approach to ensure continuous maintenance and development while also prioritizing the security of your data and attention.
A wallet function for bank cards would be good. I think i want Spotify and whatsapp as i use them daily but can see the argument for against these as they are distractions.
The problem with this is: sometimes some "social media" are genuinely necessary for communication. Mainly, discord and whatsapp, especially for people in LDRs. Also, sometimes its genuinely necessary to look up random information in day to day life. And, I dont think its a completely terrible idea to include SOME limited version of the app store for some additional customization. most likely through sideloading.
Does it let you share your location to friends or family for safety reasons? Also, I live in NYC, busses can come early or late. How accurate are their real time predictions for bus schedules?
I don't know about the bus schedules... might be something they include in their tool drawer. I can say there is location sharing. Though I dont know how closely it will be to Apple's find my in terms of usability. It is mostly geared toward seeing where your kids are in the parent portal!
I would love a dumb phone not only with Spotify because that is a necessity for me but also be able to use wifi to call and text like most newer Samsungs and iphones especially if your somewhere with no signal and my job requires me to deliver 5-10 stops at a time so id need to be able to add multiple stops at once to the maps and it would have to be as accurate as google or apple maps if not better but other than that this phone would be absolutely perfect
So interested in this! Thanks for the review! Truly a “distraction free” phone! Wouldn’t change a thing. Can help remove A TON of anxiety and help us to realize we don’t really need a lot of the things we use on smart phones.
Hope I’m not too late to this video so I can get a response but does this phone allow apps like signal? I’m in the military and I have to be in group chats with my leadership. The only way I’d be able to get a phone like this is if it can download the signal app
I dont understand why a phone that is deaogned to so so little is larger than an iPhone pro. Part of the reason i want a minimalist phone is to not have a big behemoth of a phone. Off the bat, my main/biggest gripe with this is its size. Also, why cant peolle who want a minimalist phone just get a flip phone or something like a traditional candybar style phone?
My biggest question is why is it so big? Without RU-vid, browser, or games, why shouldn't it then be more compact? That's sortve a deal breaker for me.
I wish they would include spotify. But I realize that they market this phone like other "dumb phones", which is "no ads". If they incorporate spotify, you'll experience ads as the consumer, even if you're a premium user or on a family plan. You'll experience ads from podcasts for sure. And non paying Spotify users would experience ads regularly throughout their session. So I'm not sure how they would please the consumer without compromising their purpose with this product.
When I first discovered dumb phones this wise phone 2 is exactly what I was dreaming a proper minimalist phone should be except it should have a blackberry keyboard or atleast a 2cnd version that does. The whole tool/app thing is perfect, so u can still request productivity apps, or something like a light control app like philips hue or wiz, whatsapp, waze, google maps. If I could just request from them exactly what apps I want n they custom make it with those apps, n if I need more they can access the device n add it in or remove.
Can't put the burden of willpower on the device, it is too easy to go buy a device that can do all the bad stuff. You gotta just delete your accounts on the social media that are negatively affecting you and stop using them. You gotta suffer the itch for a couple weeks to make internal progress and actually get over it. I quit facebook many years ago and kept auto-pressing "f" on my laptop for weeks to open it up. I just had to decide not to go there over and over and for a couple weeks and then was all good. Couldn't imagine going back to facebook now. RU-vid comments are my only social media, this site is much harder to quit because it has valuable info, not just social fluff. Been reading more and using a breathing app to chill out and use youtube less. Moderation is harder than abstinence for sure, but worth it sometimes.
I love this idea, but problem is when I need to order bolt / uber, buy ticket to bus, find open hairdresser, split bill with friend in restaurant on revolt or add contact to google or receive email.
Some of these I wouldn't think would be necessary like email! Personally! But, the second phone will have the tool drawer of apps the company vets. Some of these might be included!
Sounds quite interesting but you didn't consider in the mix the 399 price for the phone AND the carrier cost... Because this phone works ONLY with their carrier service. In theory it is a great cause... Minimalism. In practice it is yet another company that is literally making money over people that can't put a lock on their devices and use a phone as a phone. Which I find borderline insulting because taking advantage of people that have no self control and go for "distraction free" devices (which are crippled devices on purpose...) is like to go after people with a gambling addiction with something that is aimed at taking advantage of their addiction. If the phone was just 399, I would say it is an interesting portable e-reader and a phone; but if you have to pay a fee just to use it as phone; then do yourself a favor, put your phone in silent mode and offline and start gaining control over your tech yourself, instead of give money to a company for a product you don't really need.
Gotta remember the company started with the goal of making safer phones for kids - those who should require supervision and can’t make those kinds of decisions for themselves, yet would like to have a great communication tool with modern tools. I hear you, but it’s not just for social media addicts or something.
It helps lower the cost of what would probably be another $1000 device. I see it as a built in payment plan. That and it helps the small team of developers continue their work on making it a great device and software over the coming years.
@@SpencerScottPugh Nah. The CHEAPEST plan, which comes with minimal data, is $25/month which adds up to $300/year. That means in two years time you've paid $600 for a plan that sucks compared to what you could get from Mint Mobile. You have to pay $70/month for mobile hotspot, an essential feature for many, which means you're paying more than $800 the first year alone. No matter how you slice it, this is a raw deal for most people. If they wanted to give people the OPTION of using their plan, like Light Phone does, that would be fine. But forcing people into it is scammy. Hell, if it really is to keep the cost of the phone down (which I sincerely doubt), give people the option to pay more to not be locked into these bad phone plans!
@@SpencerScottPugh A payment plan eventually gets paid off; this plan forces you to pay in perpetuity. Plus, the cheapest plan is $24, and it's $70 to get mobile hotspot which many people, especially digital minimalists, would consider a necessity and that means you're paying almost $1,000 in the first year alone. Light Phone has a phone plan, but it's optional. That would have been fine, but forcing people into it is an atrociously bad deal. Only way I could see this being justified is if the phone were free.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. We understand that our approach may not suit everyone's preferences, and that's absolutely fine. Our goal is to ensure ongoing maintenance and development while prioritizing the security of your data and attention.
Subscriptions help providers kick the can forever... seen it in video games seen it in services... Netflix has been increasing the costs but shittyfiying the service... Subscriptions end up being a ponzi of sorts... or vaporware.
Great phone obviously but why don't they offer a smaller phone. I hate big phones. I have tried most of the minimalist phones out there including the wisephone 1 and this includes flip phones. Why would I want a phone this large if I were wanting to NOT use games, movies and Inernet searches?
since in the US iphone 14 and beyond went to the digital sim card, I guess you can't get beyond an iphone 13 if you wanted to switch back and forth? (I previously used to just pop the sim card out of my iphone xs max and put it in my light phone and I loved that) but now in the US with e-sim cards, guess we can't do that any more? curious your thoughts as I noticed you did have an iphone 13 which I know stil has a sim card and tray
Why not? Is size what makes it dumb or smart? What if I wanna look at photos or videos of my kids on it? Don’t want it to have a 2 inch screen for that!
It’s not really about the size of the phone but what the phone is capable of doing that is what matters to minimalist users and I’m happy I found this video about this phone! Thanks RU-vidr!
@@SpencerScottPugh thanks couldn't find it on the website and that's the bare minimum for a sim dumb phone, so you can cast to your computer etc if you really need to use apps
@@SpencerScottPugh I am too much disturbed from internet activities, now I want to take a break from internet. Which dumb phone should I buy, I mean best simple(buttons) mobile with no internet?
See ive been looking for a dumb phone, my problem is im so invested in spotify, i have thousands of songs built up now. I just want like a nomia 3310 or so with spotify and wifi and ill switch from my iphone in a heartbeat
So, WPII will have something called the tool drawer which will be a list of downloadable apps that consumers can suggest be added to the phone - techless will vet them and potentially put them on the phone as optional downloads. I would assume music streaming services will be in there, but we will have to see
Does this phone have FaceTime? I love all of the simple and non addictive features. I want one for myself. I also want to buy one for my kid and a wondering if there’s a video call FaceTime feature so that I can check on them. Also is there a phone tracker feature parents can use for their kids?
I definitely think this Wisephone is a huge improvement over the lite phone. It seems to be an easier transition to the non-smart devices rather than a painful experience that will take weeks to get used to. I'll be interested to hear your review when the Wisephone II comes out, I think the idea of switching numbers for a weekend is great, and I wonder if there's a cost effective option to have that SIM card and not pay a monthly price for it and just get a "use it when you need it" type of card? Either way, I really like the concept of the phone and the company behind it, might not be a bad first phone for my son when he gets much older lol!
This is like my garmin instinct smart watch, everything you need without the pretty colors and stuff you'll never use, lol.. in settings is there a about phone or what its running? You could always unlock developer settings for more settings 😂
iknow a lot of these questions have already been answered by you guys in the comment section, but general question to you guys; What would be the biggest reason for you personally to buy or be interested in a dumb phone, if there would be nothing holding you back? And if there are things holding you back from buying one, what are these things?
My list: Cellular Phone Text Working maps Spotify Offline music/audiobook player ChatGPT Sony Camera only on back with physical cover Eink display with high refresh Bluetooth Obsidian Signal Small size and lightweight Chi charging
Me gustaria tener un dumbphone con acceso a las apps de streaming de musica y whatsapp. No se si soy el unico pero creo que el enfoque negativo de los celulares comunes en las redes sociales y stream de películas y series principalmente.
