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    • Showing only topics in ~tech with the tag "minimalism". Back to normal view / Search all groups

    1. I have been using a neo-dumbphone for a week, here are my thoughts

      Text 834 words
      Overview I got the Minimal Phone by Minimal Company (it is a stupid name). Overall I quite like it. The hardware seems pretty solid, and for the most part the software is good. It is a first gen...

      Overview

      I got the Minimal Phone by Minimal Company (it is a stupid name). Overall I quite like it. The hardware seems pretty solid, and for the most part the software is good. It is a first gen device, and it does show in some spots, but they also are running relatively stock android for both good and bad.

      Background

      Two years ago, I stopped carrying my phone with me all the time, and moved over to carrying a small notebook to keep track of things. Instead of going into my phone calendar, I write stuff into this notebook. I also repaired my PSP around the same time, to handle entertainment. In the past two years, I have moved more tasks off of my phone and onto dedicated devices to do those tasks. This left my phone as primarily used for communication. I have more thoughts on using dedicated devices, but I am waiting until I finish switching over to the final dedicated device before I do a write up on that. When I needed to replace my phone, going with a neo-dumbphone felt like a good fit for me.

      Why I chose the Minimal Phone by Minimal Company

      So there were a few features that I liked about the minimal phone compared to others:
      • while more expensive than a cheap android that I do software limitations on, it felt like I was getting a device that worked for me, rather than doing a bunch of configuration to get one to work for me
      • Minimal phone was significantly cheaper than the Lite Phone, and had Google Playstore access to add some apps not included that I may need
      • RCS support (it is just running Google Messages)
      • eInk felt like a good fit for me
      • The physical keyboard intrigued me

      Experience ordering the phone

      I will say, that with it being a new company, there were several delays in receiving the phone. They had a manufacturing issue that pushed back my phone a month, and there was no communication about it until I reached out. It would have been nice if they notified me about this ahead of time, but being a new company, I will extend some grace. Shipping was handled by some no-name company, so tracking was sparse and it seemed to be delayed a few times and was quite slow (took 2 days from Hong Kong to Vancouver Canada, but then two weeks from Vancouver to the Canadian prairies).

      Software Impressions

      Overall, I have been pleased with the software. It is running stock android, with a custom app launcher, and another custom app to configure screen settings. They did not over commit on the software, and instead focused on just providing a few well polished apps. I think there is some room for future bug fixes and potentially some more first party apps, but overall I am glad they went in this direction. Since it is pretty stock Android, I feel that future OS updates should be easy (they did commit to 5 years support, but that also relies on the company lasting 5 years). The default Android settings out of the box did not render well on eInk display (scrolling is rough compared to pagination) but one I tweaked some screen settings it got better. Overall, some rough edges, and a noticeable negative difference when leaving first party apps (which is mandatory as first party is so small), but nothing deal breaking.

      Hardware

      The hardware has been quite good. The eInk screen puts less strain on performance, as nothing needs to be extremely snappy since the screen can't keep up. The physical keyboard has been good, although I do feel that the shift key and the alt key should be reversed. The battery was advertised as a four day battery, but in my use case, it has been a comfortable two day battery (ending the second day with about 25%). I feel that in the coming weeks I may get closer to a three day battery, as the novelty wears off and I use it less. The camera is pretty weak, but I have not liked taking pictures on my phone anyways, so I am not concerned about it. The display has been really nice. I have never really used eInk screens for an extended time before, but it just feels quiet if that makes sense. With it being eInk, it sometimes does not fully refresh the screen, but there is a screen refresh button if needed. Overall, I have been quite impressed with the hardware. There are a few layout decisions they made that I feel I would have chosen differently, but nothing deal breaking.

      Summary

      It is a first gen device and sometimes shows the rough edges, but no major issues and I have quite enjoyed it. We will see how I feel about it in a month or two, but I think this type of device is probably what I will continue using for several years.
      39 votes

    2. Is it time to get offline?

      Ask
      I like modern tech, but I'm slowly coming to hate the internet. I read Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism late last year and found it preaching to the choir, but noticed that most of the negative...

      I like modern tech, but I'm slowly coming to hate the internet.

      I read Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism late last year and found it preaching to the choir, but noticed that most of the negative effects of technology use were actually from internet use. The attention economy, privacy violations, enshittification, etc. are all mostly byproducts of the internet being so tightly integrated into our lives. When I heard about CVE potentially losing its funding (I know very litte about CS or anything related to software, so I'm unsure of how big a threat this really is to an end-user), the thought popped into my head... "is it time to get offline?".

      I am 20 years old, so my entire life has been spent in a world where devices are connected to the internet far more often than not, and I wonder if it's time to switch to an "offline first" mentality? I already embrace this philosophy when it comes to music, downloading the songs I want to my computer and syncing them to my phone through iTunes, but this would take that one step further: turn on my computer's wi-fi to check emails, read through the new posts here, check some other sites, etc. and then turn it off until I explicitly need to do something online.

      I'm lucky enough that most of the (important) things I do on my computer can be done 90% offline, but I wonder if it's even worth doing? I'm curious to hear thoughts on this from the people of Tildes, or any methods that you have implemented in your life.

      EDIT: I should clarify: I already have basically no social media, I use beeper to see my instagram DMs (I can't really get rid of this without abandoning any age-adjacent social life) and that's it. You could call Discord and Tildes social medias, but that's maybe pushing it. I'm more talking about the recent resurgence of physical media and reframing the internet as something that is accessed rather than omnipresent in my usage habits.

      56 votes

    6. Minimalist Android launcher recommendations

      Ask (recommendations)
      Currently, I'm using the Aero launcher, and I really like having all the names of my apps listed out, but if I could have something with a to do list and then swipe for apps, it would be kind of...

      Currently, I'm using the Aero launcher, and I really like having all the names of my apps listed out, but if I could have something with a to do list and then swipe for apps, it would be kind of neat.

      Other wish list functions:

      • Folders for Apps.
      • Able to add PWA or a URL to a list of apps.
      • Start a search from searching through all apps.
      • Corner widgets/shortcuts
      • A pony!

      Willing to poke around if there is an open source project I can add stuff too.

      24 votes

    7. The small web and minimalist websites - what are your thoughts and experiences?

      Ask
      I'm a supporter and believer in the small web and minimalist websites (i.e. NOT "minimal design" websites, which are not minimalist more often than not). Some examples: Tildes. Sourcehut....

      I'm a supporter and believer in the small web and minimalist websites (i.e. NOT "minimal design" websites, which are not minimalist more often than not).
      Some examples:

      What is your experience, if any, with the small web?
      Which steps have you taken (if at all) to ensure your website is not bloated?
      What do you think can be done better both individually as well as globally to make the web a nicer, faster place?

      Edit: So I don’t look like I don’t practice what I preach, this is my blog. I try and follow the minimalist principles.

      75 votes