The Kompakt was ruining my life

Mudita Products
63

I actually think the Mudita is pretty good value. If you base value on the specification rather than the intent, and the effect it has on the user then maybe. But do we actually need 4k screens, 5 cameras on the back, glass body panels etc. What I actually want from a phone now is privacy, no data harvesting, the ability to customise, which I think the Kompakt provides fairly well.

whilst I dont agree that using a dumb phone is a form of social distancing, as people who genuinly want to be in your life will use the appropriate means to stay in contact, and those who dont obviously did’nt, and are no great loss. I do however see where you are coming from with the MK in stock setup, but that is easily remidied anyone using a MK doesnt HAVE to cut any communication apps out, if they really want them, most can be sideloaded. many people have Whatsapp installed, which happens to be the most popular messaging app out there.

I think many of the technologies that have merged into daily life need to be challenged, employers assuming that employees use thier own devices for various corporate tasks, parking apps, electronic menu & booking systems apps for every kind of company you buy from and task you undertake, all serve one purpose telemetry / data capture and advertising. It is quite useful to be able to say “sorry my phone cant do that, can you print me out the form”

I do think the MK has the right mix of minimalism, and ability to relax the minimal set up, to accomodate what you want from your handset with a little effort. whilst still maintaining privacy. Others like the light phone, who lock down their os so you only get access to apps they allow are a different story, not sure how you can compare the two, and say they are the same. light phone lock down their phone intentionally to stop access to the android layer, with ongoing firmware updates. Mudita publish how to sideload and encourage users who want to to do so.

the one challenge I have found, with my Kompakt, is a couple of my friends always like to video call me, and the lack of selfie camera makes this difficult. My solution is to stand my phone in front of a mirror, “where theres a will, theres a way” :winking_face_with_tongue:

3 Likes
64

I recently bought the Kompakt second hand, and so far I’m happy with it, but I wouldn’t be if I intended it to be my only device (especially stock, without sideloading).
It works great as a primary communication device, while my iPhone remains in my backpack (with no SIM, relying on hotspots) for “bigger” tasks, and audio/video content.

It decreased my iPhone usage from an already-sorta-reasonable 2h (compared to some) to ~45 min a day.

I squeezed my credit card behind the case and made it hold my public transit ID. I’m OK with having occasional access to my banking app through other devices.
Email is, indeed, not necessary to have access to 24/7.
I installed Todoist to keep track of things to do.

I am tempted to install the inkOS launcher to feel more confident about managing messages as they come.
Sure, one might say “if something is urgent, they’ll call you”. But I’d rather not make my life harder by coming home empty-handed after my fiancee wrote me via Signal to buy milk.
I don’t want her to worry about having to call me afterwards, or call me instead of writing. She may not be comfortable with having a call in the moment.

It’s interesting how a device choice can affect your relationships with others… :slight_smile: Though one could say it doesn’t have to, or plain shouldn’t. If you just tell everyone it’s either call/SMS or nothing… :smiley:

2 Likes
65

I mean this title has got a B+ for amateur dramatics - your girlfriend kicking off cos you didn’t see a couple of texts? Red flag..

That aside, it’s clear you want something the Kompakt isn’t and I think you’ll strugle to find an eInk display phone thats any better / / harvests your data.

If you’re running a business or a solopreneur then I don’t think having a basic phone is the right fit anyway - I found this the first time around. It’s better as a hybrid device that allows you to step away from the businesses constant nagging. which is what I use it for.

I haven’t sideloaded anything as I don’t think theres a need - if you genuinely want to have a dump phone, then use it as one.

Me personally, a few weeks in hasn’t suffered with call volume, missed calls or texts etc, and I have given the number to a very select bunch of friends and family who are aware it’s SMS or calls only.

I think you’re also under the impression that Mudita is Google or Apple and not a very small team trying to change the mindset of smartphone users. Updates can’t be delivered on a whim every time you ask for one.

Good luck with the flip phone or anything else out there, but I feel pretty safe and confident in Muditas journey and I love supporting an independent company with a mission as important as this.

5 Likes