Mudita Pure, feedback

Mudita Products
1

The Mudita Pure really speaks to me as a great way to cut down on notification noise. However, I look at the device and a few things seem baffling to me…

Pros:

  1. Ultra lightweight phone, open source os written in C/CPP - Awesome. I look at MuditaOS in github, and understand what’s going on. I feel like wanting to contribute back.
  2. eInk display, awesome. Keeps the ecosystem simple and text + data focused
  3. No web browser - great. Cuts down on the “stare at phone all day” syndrome.

Cons:

  1. Ultra low SAR - It’s a nice feature, but i’d rather have 5G LTE or a really strong 4G LTE signal.
  2. No T9 text prediction - There’s nothing wrong with a physical keyboard for texting, however without T9 or some other kind of predictive text input, text communication is going to be painful
  3. No Telegram, Signal, etc. The Punkt mp02 nailed this. Offering the ability to communicate via signal (voice and text) means you can keep up with modern messaging apps without compromising your communication ability.
  4. bugs. Almost all of the reviews mention lots of bugs using MuditaOS.
  5. Specs. I get it’s a lightweight OS… but 64MiB of RAM seems pretty small for over $300 USD. 128-256 MiB of RAM would help these devices have a longer life and cut down on eWaste.
  6. Navigation / GPS. This is a huge feature most people use on their phones. Partner with someone like here.com to provide basic navigation ability.
  7. Price. As the Mudita Pure exists today, it needs to be < $300 USD. Implement some of the above features and the mid-300 price is justified… however you’re just not feature-complete enough to ask over 300.

I think the Mudita Pure is an awesome idea. The “low bandwidth + secure communication device” market is extremely untapped with lots of potential. The Mudita just needs to focus more on being a “modern, well rounded + extremely refined communication device”.

3 Likes
2

Sunbeam Wireless has implemented #6 with its Orchid version of its F1 cellphone.

I prefer my Garmin DriveSmart 65 for GPS-based navigation. It requires no smartphone, requires no Garmin account, but hosts – with updates via turn-off-able Wi-Fi – not only maps but other data (e.g., addresses and phone #s) from HISTORY (TV channel), TripAdvisor, National Parks, and Foursquare – with no accounts required for any of these.

The inclusion of TripAdvisor and Foursquare means that I can search for the most obscure cafe in a small town and get not only the address and driving directions but also the cafe’s telephone number, Foursquare rating and/or TripAdvisor rating – no Internet connection required.

Given news about GPS-based tracking of cellphone positions, which is much more accurate than cell-tower-based tracking of cellphone positions, a functioning GPS module in a cellphone is a privacy invasion to me.

So, I love that the Pure lacks a functioning GPS module.

3

Thanks for pointing out the Sunbeam Wireless Orchid F1. That definitely scratches the feature itch a bit more.

I agree there’s plenty of room for omitting the GPS module for privacy reasons, but you can still be tracked via cell tower triangulation (which is common and automatic) so it’s kinda a moot point.

I look at the cost of the Mudita Pure, and it feels like you’re not getting much for the high price. IF this really is going to be a “bare minimum” device, it needs to sell for a bare minimum price.

Just look at Panic’s Play Date: https://shop.play.date black and white screen, similar hardware features to the Mudita Pure, much higher technical specifications… and less than half the price.

I love the idea of the Mudita Pure, I just feel like the product feature dials need adjusted a bit more to make it competitive with other devices like “normal cell phones”, or things like the Punkt, Lite phone 2, etc.

4

@kallisti5 : I recommend that you check out @Jose_Briones’ dumbphone finder. It lets you filter on many features, including whether you want GPS in your cellphone.

1 Like
5

Hi!
I live in the suburbs, close to the village. The signal strength in Mudita is so weak that it cannot be used, rendering it completely useless. I have no problems with the old NOKIA 6310, NOKIAE52, not to mention smartphones. The promised battery life is also poor, but I would still endure it.

2 Likes
6

This feedback makes so much sense for me. I would consider the purchase of Mudita Pure if at least some of the mentioned pain points were resolved. The lack of modern connectivity (4G LTE) and issues in low-signal areas are kinda deal-breaker on their own.

1 Like
7

I’ll leave this thread with one final thought. Why would I buy a $369.99 Mudita Pure (as it exists today) when I could get a $49 Nokia 225 which checks a lot of the same boxes.

The Mudita Pure needs a well defined + clear user story. “Open-Source, Simple, USB tethering, and fills all of my basic cell phone communication needs”.

You can expect users to change (oh, we don’t support Telegram, just signal), but you can only shrink the “bare minimum daily requirements” so much. I think adding a few enhancements to MuditaOS could solve a lot of these issues without any hardware changes.

8

Some interesting mentions of other devices in this thread…

I e-mailed Sunbeam about their range of phones, and whether they ship to Europe. I quite like the look of the Daisy and Dandelion, although I think the addition of a simple offline music player (available on the Orchid) would have been nice. Unfortunately, Sunbeam said that their handsets aren’t compatible with the majority of bands available in Europe, which I guess means it they probably won’t connect to most networks and therefore Sunbeam don’t want to risk attempting to sell them here.

I also saw the Panic Play.Date mentioned in this thread. It looks a cool device, but @kallisti5 compares this to the Pure. I’m not sure how that’s possible, unless I’m missing something. The Play.Date is a retro gaming device with no communication features, whereas the Pure is a phone with no gaming features. Isn’t it like comparing a tractor to a hi-fi?

To the best of my knowledge, the Pure supports calls and texts over the 4G/LTE network, but maybe many users never see it connect because the reception isn’t good enough and the phone falls back to 3G or even 2G.

That shouldn’t be a problem in parts of Europe in the short term at least, but will gradually become a big issue throughout the world, in the medium-term (unless the 4G signal or the Pure’s ability to receive it is improved). As I understand it, many parts of the world have already phased-out 2G and are phasing-out 3G. I think much of Europe is included in this. I’m quite fortunate where I live, in that the 3G signal is switched-off next year, but the 2G signal is to be retained until at least 2033, to ensure people in rural areas aren’t cut-off completely, and also to allow 2G-only embedded systems, IoT devices, security systems etc., to keep on working for longer.

1 Like
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I also saw the Panic Play.Date mentioned in this thread. It looks a cool device, but @kallisti5 compares this to the Pure. I’m not sure how that’s possible, unless I’m missing something. The Play.Date is a retro gaming device with no communication features, whereas the Pure is a phone with no gaming features. Isn’t it like comparing a tractor to a hi-fi?

It was mostly the comparison of a “small, highly refined monochrome screened device” vs the Mudita Pure. The technical specs are actually pretty similar. Throw an LTE 4G modem into the Play Date, and it’s just about the same hardware. LTE 4G modem modules do not cost $190. Obviously the Play Date is not a cell phone… just something with a similar BOM.

2 Likes
11

U.S. carriers (AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA, and Verizon Wireless) already phased out 2G. AT&T Mobility phased out 3G in February of this year, and Verizon Wireless will be the last U.S. carrier to phase out 3G – by 31 December 2022. So, the Mudita Pure’s 4G LTE functionality is necessary for U.S.-based owners.

1 Like
12

Then I recommend the Nokia 225 for you.

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13

@jammindaar What service provider are you using? What’s your location?

14

Hi, Ursula!
Location: Sosnówka near Jelenia Góra, providers: Orange or Play (both checked with the same result).

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15

@jammindaar Thanks for the feedback. How’s the service with other phones in the area? I have PLAY in my Mudita Pure & I’ve been to pretty remote places in Poland- sometimes in the middle of nowhere- with minimal disruption to service. Yes, sometimes the 1 or 2 bars & sometimes full bars, but I always have a connection.

16

As i said, there’s no problem with old Nokia 6310, E51, E52, iphone, huawei, i’ve tried many devices. They always pointed 4-5 bars. Mudita at the same time and at the same place in the building or outside, points 1 bar or no connection. I’ve missed many calls, sms came after day or two, so i’ve decided to gave Mudita away.

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17

Ah, I see what you mean now!! :smiley:

1 Like