Dumb Phones are a Smart Idea

While many desire the newest and most powerful cellphones that let you check your mail, browse facebook, tweet, make video calls, use a GPS, and talk on MSN – all while playing a game of Peggle – not everyone wants a phone smarter than they are.

For those people, there is John’s Phone – a very simple cellphone. The phone is incredibly stripped-down, yet it retains all the functions that are actually necessary in a phone: you can call people, talk to them, and hang up. For a change in pace, they can call you. It’s unlocked, so you can use it with whatever provider you’d like.

Simple Cell 1

It features: no clock (it’s called a “watch”), no music or fancy ringtones (MP3 players, anyone?), no wake-up calls (an alarm clock will suffice), no email (you have a PC, don’t you?), no GPS functions (use a map), and no texting (also on your PC).

I’m definitely a fan of simple phones; I’ve been using the same old Nokia brick for 7 or 8 years now, and it hasn’t let me down. I don’t think anything could convince me to upgrade, though the idea of “downgrading” intrigues me. Too many people are enslaved by mobile technology, thinking that a better phone will make everything more efficient, but it really just enables compulsive email checking, twitter tweeting, and Facebook stalking.
Simple Cell 4
The phone does feature a display for number recognitions as well as one-touch dialing, so your 10 closest friends are only a button away. As for everyone else, you can write their numbers down in the built-in address book and call them up the old fashioned way. And when I say “built-in”, I mean that it’s a pen-and-paper address book literally built into the back of the phone. This seems inconvenient until you find yourself stranded with a dead phone and the realization that you don’t know your best friend’s phone number – which probably won’t even happen anymore, given this phone’s 3-week battery life.
Simple Cell 3
With all good things, there must be a catch, and with this phone it’s the cost. I understand that for €69.95 you’re paying for simplicity and elegant design, but it’s still not exactly a bargain buy.

However, it could make a great mother’s day present or Christmas gift for grandparents. It would also do well as a starter cellphone for your kids, before they reach the age where they need a built-in camera and a Rihanna ringtone or they’ll absolutely DIE. John’s phone is obviously not meant for a business setting, but it has all the features that a casual user actually needs.

Some other low-tech phones you might enjoy: The Hello Kitty Stiletto Phone and the Cheeseburger Phone.

Via: Design Milk