Ask HN: Who has ditched their phone and what is your replacement?

40 points by assemblylang 4 years ago | 38 comments

Hello HN, who here doesn't use a phone and what do you use as a replacement?

I've been using my phone less and less these days, and it feels like a chore to use a modern phone now. Touch interface is slow and imprecise, apps and webapps are slow, bloated, and keep removing useful features, adblock on some systems are clunky or non-existent, VoIP and SMS are basically dead, the interface changes nearly every year (on android at least), and many other small grievances. I can get things done so much quicker on a computer with a keyboard compared to the touch interface on a phone, using a keyboard and a full desktop environment is so precise, quick, and just enjoyable to use.

However, I am still hanging onto my phone for a few legacy uses, what are some good replacements for these:

* Mobile wifi * VoIP * SMS

Also, I am still interested in mobile computing as a concept, I've looked into the pinephone and that may be a good replacement for me in the future (keyboard attachment, linux apps), but am fine completely ditching mobile computing and just carrying around a small, light laptop if I can't find an ergonomic mobile replacement.

Anyone ditch their phone, how do you get by without it?

Gnarl 4 years ago |

I have no cellphone. Not since ~2003 when I finally cancelled my cellphone subscription altogether. That was GSM/flip-phone. Never got a smartphone. I have a fancy business landline phone on my desk with an address book, different ringtones (VIP/client, friends etc.) and an answering machine.

I am a freelance consultant for 20 years. I never lost a client or a job over not being reachable by cellphone 24/7. I return emails and calls asap when I get home. When I make appointments to meet someone, I always arrange a plan-b. No phone-call-micro-managing needed, like "where are you standing..?". I arrange beforehand a main meeting spot and an alternate spot. I am patient and can wait 15 minutes, no problem. I print out bus & train time tables, maps of the area with routes marked and have an offline map viewer (Cruiser) on my laptop if needed. That, and a sense of direction is all I need to get around.

The main reason for dropping cellphones is that they give me headaches and other neurological symptoms. Yes, its the RF and I don't care what people think of that. Its the RF.

The other reason for never getting a smartphone is that I had a PalmPilot once (a non-wireless handheld computer), and I would load websites onto it for offline browsing while commuting. Soon I realized that the constant context-switching had fragmented my attention so by the time I reached the office, I could hardly concentrate. Now I carry books and a notepad in my backpack. Much better for my brain.

Boltgolt 4 years ago | |

I just want to note here: There is no evidence that there is such a thing as electromagnetic hypersensitivity. In double blind trials people would experience the same symptoms (headaches etc.) independent of if a router in the room was turned on or not.

Gnarl 4 years ago | | |

The issue was settled in 1991 in a series of double-blind session where participants could detect exposure with 100% accuracy (link below). What you are quoting is a widespread myth perpetuated through particularly bad science where shrinks (!) exposed different participants to the same frequency/modulation for short periods and expected them to all react in the same way. And when not all reacted equally, they wrote it off as non-significant. Electromagnetic sensitivity doesn't work like that. Reactions are highly individual. In one famously bad study (Rubin et al. 2006), participants had a GSM phone transmitter strapped to their heads and the "sham" exposure was the transmitter signal diverted to a resistor load instead of the antenna - so "sham" was ALSO emitting EMR, although probably less, but apparently detectable by participants. Again, it was written off as participants being unable to distinguish exposure from sham, when both were actual exposure! That's the level of "scientific" idiocy we're up against.

See "Electromagnetic Field Sensitivity", Rea W. et al. 1991: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/1536837910903141...

user_7832 4 years ago | | |

Counterpoint: phones have been shown to warm up brains (1), and it is hardly surprising that amongst the billions of phone users some experience pain/headache from heat (perhaps also indirectly from blood vessel dilation?). So it is hardly surprising for OP to have such an experience.

1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5952570/#:~:tex.... (Quickly googled result, I'm sure there are better results)

FooBarBizBazz 4 years ago | | |

Seems like a useful belief anyway. Even if the RF itself doesn't do anything to his brain, the phone does cause all kinds of attention and addiction problems, so staying away from it is probably good. Say you had some kind of conditioned/psychosomatic thing where you'd throw up whenever you'd drink alcohol. Maybe it's "all in your head" and it could be cured? But it'll keep you from becoming an alcoholic, so why fight it.

b20000 4 years ago | | |

ThERe iS nO EvidEnCe… my wife has the same problem

hn_version_0023 4 years ago | | |

What’s that saying? Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence?

b20000 4 years ago | |

this man is a fucking legend. learn from him kids.

prash_ant 4 years ago | |

I am interested in knowing more about your fancy business landline phone.

Gnarl 4 years ago | | |

Siemens Gigaset DL500A. Has DECT & bluetooth, but that can be disabled. Has ethernet also.

rg111 4 years ago |

Maybe, not the answer you are you are looking for, but I replaced the phone, with a... phone, but without a SIM card.

So much peace now. I use VOIP through Telegram and Signal. I use email.

I get extremely fine-grained control over who can reach me, and when can I be reached.

I made this switch since February, 2020, and my life became better by 10-15% better automatically.

My phone hasn’t rang and I hadn't answered in the last 2.5 years. I love this.

So much better for mental health and wellbeing.

Now, I talk, but only with prior notice.

runjake 4 years ago |

I haven't ditched my iPhone, it's too useful and it's more secure than any dumb phone I've peeked under the hood at.

Instead, I've just invested in my own willpower and worked on not spending all my time on it -- albeit sometimes this involves deleting apps.

PaulHoule 4 years ago |

For years I've used Skype on a PC. With Skype you can create and fund an account with a credit card than it takes to wait in line to wait in line at the AT&T store. Microsoft looks positively customer-centric compared to the wireless industry.

The minus is that some services will accept and send SMS to Skype and others won't. If you want to register on, say, OkCupid, Skype won't work.

I have looked into services you can connect a SIP phone to and the story is depressing. There are numerous vendors who are beyond sketchy who are priced similarly to Skype, but the reputable vendors are $20 a month or more.

I’ve also used Skype on numerous tablets, both android and iOS. The experience is a lot like using a phone but better. For one thing upstate NY has cell phone dead spots bigger than some European countries, my farm is in one of them. Since every gas station has free WiFi I get better phone coverage with my tablet than with a cell phone.

Dracophoenix 4 years ago | |

What about Twilio?

simonblack 4 years ago |

While I haven't ditched my smartphone, I rarely use it as a smartphone. I generally use it as a plain old phone (audio only) and a camera. You could probably remove everything else from my phone and I wouldn't notice it.

For everything else I use a desktop computer. That has a resolution of 1920x1080 on a 27" screen, which will be upgraded in a week or so to 2840x2160 on a 43" screen.

I dislike intensely using those tiny little phone screens for anything serious. I liken those as being the same as restricting yourself to performing "keyhole surgery". Sure you can do it, but why would you put yourself through the hassle?

occam54 4 years ago | |

I wish what you say were true - a voice only phone, and nothing else. Over the years I have been gently kettled ('coerced') into using it more and more. If you do any online banking you will know that the mobile phone has become and indispensable part of online proof of ID. Yes, I do the banking on my desktop, but the only way I can login now is via an SMS message sent to my smartphone. No verification code, no login.

simonblack 4 years ago | | |

I have several electronic banking security tokens. These produce a random number that has to match a random number generated at the bank for your account at the same time. I have used used these very successfully when travelling overseas. They obviate the need for an SMS code to be sent to the phone.

http://myanmargazette.net/167029/commonwealth-bank-3-net-cod...

muzani 4 years ago |

A smart watch actually works quite well for communication - urgent messages and calls. It's not a full replacement, but I've been able to keep my phone away without worrying that I'm missing out on anything important.

sjtindell 4 years ago |

Google maps is hard to replace for me, being out with friends and someone says “here’s my address” and we just map it, too easy.

onceiwasthere 4 years ago | |

I can do this on my cellular Apple Watch. Not quite as easy to fiddle with, but for straight forward stuff in my own city it's quite nice.

d--b 4 years ago |

2-factor-authentication is the biggest hurdle. I need the smartphone to do anything bank related and work related

alexklarjr 4 years ago |

idk but ios is much better ui than any desktop os.

I used ipod touch for ditching mobile surveillance for good since 2012, about 6 years ago i started using ipad mini. At some point I thought about getting iphone max modded to remove lte modem, but I heard they might not activate, and ipad mini is even better for video calls and actual work.

The good thing is apple does no want your phone or card for services if you not buying anything and top notch privacy browser is just enough to have access to any app possible, if built in/free apps are not enough.

I still have phone number registered to my flat and have voip redirection / recordings sent to my self hosted mail.

ggktk 4 years ago |

I haven't ditched my phone, but ever since I started using a Macbook, I have been only using my iPhone maybe 10 minutes a day (mostly in the bathroom). I read/write SMS, browse photos, toggle hotspot etc. from the Macbook.

digisign 4 years ago |

I got a nice Casio PRO-TREK watch with all the fixins (sans wireless) for hiking.

Am in the market for an enthusiast mirrorless camera, but haven't yet pulled the trigger. Some of them have wifi, which I'm trying to avoid.

daly 4 years ago |

Ditched my cell phone over a year ago. I have a landline hanging on the wall.

I "get by without a cell phone" just fine. People who want / need to speak to me call.