RIP your smartphone
Just over two years ago, Light Phone debuted on Product Hunt to become “your second phone.” The idea was a phone for “going light” — aka leaving the house without the distractions of an app-filled device.
“We intentionally designed it to be used as little as possible. You can make and receive phone calls (keeps your same number!) while maintaining the peace of mind that you are reachable and still able to called your loved ones,” co-founder Joe Hollier wrote on Product Hunt at the time.
Joe, who is an artist and designer, met his co-founder Kaiwei Tang, another designer, in 2014 at Google’s “30 Weeks“ incubator. When they first launched the Light Phone, it was intended as more of an experiment than an actual product.
Some initial reactions:
“This is the ultimate "zen" phone. Be present. Be more aware of your surrounding. Showing up by slowing down." - Kendrick
“Maybe this is secretly the iPhone 8. They got rid of the headphone jack last year, so maybe Jony Ive decided to just get rid of everything else. Except the price of course.” - Evan
“The price is right and the concept is spot on. I would love to use this on weekends or when traveling...in other words, moments when I really want to check out.” - Amy
Now, Light Phone has come out with a new version of its minimalist phone and it aims to eclipse your smartphone entirely. 📱
While the original Light Phone only let you store nine contacts in its address book, the latest version has an unlimited address book, texting, directions and faster connectivity speeds. For $350, it’s an escape from the never-ending cycle of mindless scrolling, posting and liking that goes on in your smartphone. You can actually be offline when you want to be, without losing connectivity altogether.
In Light Phone’s own words, the team is looking to fix how our phones have become so addictive that they’re now a form of glorified procrastination.
“There’s is no way for us to appreciate anything, and appreciation gives our lives meaning and purpose,” they wrote on Medium.
Would you get this? 🤔
P.S. The Light Phone isn’t the only app-less phone available. The Fox Mini 1 is another “dumb” phone and only $30.
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