• Mwalimu@baraza.africa
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    2 years ago

    I am at a point where I am contemplating a feature phone for calls and text. Then get a non-phone gadget for my other needs like camera and audio feeds. Everything you can do on a phone is something you can do at home on your computer so why this whole urge that I must respond to an email on phone 2 minutes after it in my inbox?

    • FuckBigTech347
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      2 years ago

      I’ve been practicing this exact lifestyle for many years now. Except, I don’t even have any kind of cellular device at all! So what if I can’t immediately respond within 2 seconds? I always tell people that if I don’t respond, then that means I’m either busy or away somewhere.

      • Mwalimu@baraza.africa
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        2 years ago

        Fascinating. Question – do you have a phone number? It sounds to me that a phone number linked to your legal ID is a MUST in most societies to allow you participate in everyday life (banking, taxation, schools etc)

            • FuckBigTech347
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              2 years ago

              Multiple reasons. For one I don’t feel comfortable having a device in my pocket that keeps pinging cell towers. The thought of it just makes me somewhat paranoid, especially in the current imperial sphere. But my main reason was I find it really irritating when I’m outside and suddenly my phone rings or vibrates, whatever. Also the knowledge that I have my phone in my pocket makes me want to check it all the time. Honestly I’d say it didn’t have that much of an impact. Sure it was change which may not be fun at first, but I still feel like it was the right decision, at least for me. I’m way less stressed and distracted now while going grocery shopping for example or even just taking a walk. Because I know full well that I have peace for the moment and I can fully focus on what I want to do.

              Also as a personal sidenote; I’m probably a minority but I just can’t stand using touch screens.

              • sparkingcircuit
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                2 years ago

                Interesting! P.S. I thought I was the only one who was annoyed by touch touch screens.

          • Mwalimu@baraza.africa
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            2 years ago

            Aha. Never thought of landlines that accept text messages (some MFAs require a text setup) but if this was to work, it would be a practical solution to this cellular leash.

            • panic
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              2 years ago

              There are hardware keys for 2fa. I know there’s one called YubiKey and you can use it for OTPs.

              • Mwalimu@baraza.africa
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                2 years ago

                The issue is largely the authentication source – a bank may not support hardware keys, even when you have one, insisting on SMS.

                • panic
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                  2 years ago

                  Which is insane because SMS for 2fa isn’t the better choice

    • HiddenLayer5@lemmy.mlOP
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      2 years ago

      I’d just get an old Samsung Galaxy or something (back when they had removable batteries) and flash Postmarket OS on it. Probably cheaper than a new feature phone, and you can still have smartphone functionality in case you absolutely need it.

      • Mwalimu@baraza.africa
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        2 years ago

        That makes sense. Infact I found Graphene on handmedown PIxel4 a very practical option. However, it is the update creep that worries me. Every few weeks you have to update PostmarketOS and the fatigue may lead you to give in and join the mainstream Android stuff. So, instead of going the route of minimizing software surface, I think it makes sense to reduce phone dependency by adopting a more practical hardware option.