Check out this interesting conversation between Marielle Segarra and @Jose_Briones Briones where they discuss the positive impact of using a “boring phone” to reduce smartphone addiction and improve mental well-being.
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Love Jose. His journey I have followed quite closely and it has helped me a lot in my own pursuit of digital minimalism
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That was a good interview, the transcript of which one can read here.
This caught my eye:
SEGARRA: What about the apps that a lot of us have come to rely on - ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft? Those can be kind of a lifesaver if you can’t catch a cab or you’re in the middle of nowhere. Are there any more basic phones that have those apps on them, or what’s the workaround here?
BRIONES: Luckily, in the United States, there are a couple options. Yes, there are transition devices that you could buy that do have the ability to install Lyft, Uber, some of those tools, but there are also services. You can call an Uber. There’s actually a phone number, 1-833-USE-UBER. And if you call that number, you’re able to get an Uber via talking to a real person. There is another company called Tremp, and that one you can text and you can call, and they will get an Uber for you. And, of course, if you live in a bigger city, you can always use public transport at the same time.
My Addition: Add taxi-company telephone numbers to your contacts. Many people now forget that taxis still exist and that they can call a number to get a taxi.
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Agreed. The main issue is that Taxis don’t have an upfront fare. If more taxi services did that, it would be more competitive.
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That’s so important. Not even if you don’t want to use an app, but from a back-up perspective. Internet goes down, apps can have outages. You don’t want to be stranded somewhere where you can’t get a ride.
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lol so true this is exactly what I did on my light phone. I have local taxis in my area in case i ever need them also the LP2 actually has a directory tool where you can look things up
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