off.
In that dream world, there are no constant pings, no group texts that make you feel trapped, no emails from clients or angry bosses, and no updates that render your phone slower than it was before. Instead, there s just silence.
It sounds idyllic â and completely impossible.
But that s the idea behind The Light Phone, a dumb phone that only allows the user to text and make phone calls.
The most updated model, the Light Phone 2, is about the size of a credit card and looks like a miniature Kindle Paperwhite. It comes in two colors and costs about $300, and its functions are basic: It rings when someone calls and has a little touch screen where you can (arduously) type out texts. The phone s battery allows it to last for three or four days with normal use.
Called Dis/Connect, the light features ten radio-jamming antennae where the candles would traditionally sit.
These interfere with the wireless communication of devices brought within a five-foot (1.5-metre) radius below the chandelier so people are unable to browse the internet or make calls.
The chandelier was designed by Eric Forman
Forman created Dis/Connect in collaboration with artist Ben Luzzatto and engineer Daniel Gross to help people get off their phones. To be wholly present with ourselves and each other, we must design new tools to create spaces of digital quiet in our homes, Forman told Dezeen. It s not that we can t turn our phones off, it s that we don t – they are too addictive, he said.
You don’t have to use an Apple or Android phone. You don’t even have to use Windows on your computer. Spoiler alert: You might not like the options.
Alternatives to the mainstream smartphone
Smartphones are arguably the most used pieces of consumer technology today. There are more mobile devices on Earth than there are people, so that should give you an idea of how prevalent they are.
What if you’re ready to ditch Apple and Google-owned Android? The Light Phone and Blackphone are two mobile devices focused on privacy.
The Light Phone, created by Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang, is a no-frills experience. Without skimping on an aesthetically pleasing design and commonly used features, the Light Phone is crafted to be used as little as possible.
You don’t have to use an Apple or Android phone. You don’t even have to use Windows on your computer. Spoiler alert: You might not like the options.
Alternatives to the mainstream smartphone
Smartphones are arguably the most used pieces of consumer technology today. There are more mobile devices on Earth than there are people, so that should give you an idea of how prevalent they are.
What if you’re ready to ditch Apple and Google-owned Android? The Light Phone and Blackphone are two mobile devices focused on privacy.
The Light Phone, created by Joe Hollier and Kaiwei Tang, is a no-frills experience. Without skimping on an aesthetically pleasing design and commonly used features, the Light Phone is crafted to be used as little as possible.