Why Do I Have A Feature Phone?

Summary

The author explains their decision to use a feature phone for setting alarms and tracking time during the night, as they find it less distracting than their smartphone.

Abstract

The article discusses the author's use of a feature phone, which is often met with confusion from others. The author explains that a feature phone is a basic phone with numeric keypads and no internet connectivity. They use the feature phone as an alarm clock and to track time during the night, as they find smartphones to be a distraction. The author acknowledges that some people might wonder why they don't just buy a regular alarm clock, but notes that a feature phone can also serve as a backup phone.

Opinions

The author believes that a feature phone is less distracting than a smartphone.
The author finds value in using a feature phone as a backup phone.
The author suggests that using a feature phone can give one a glimpse into a simpler life before smartphones.
The author promotes an AI service as a cost-effective alternative to ChatGPT Plus.

No smartphone

Pic credit: author

I have a feature phone and a smartphone; people who see the former squint at it as if I am not supposed to have it. The usual words I hear when they see my feature phone are, “ Why do you have that phone?” Does that do any good? What use is that?

For those who don’t know what a feature phone is, it’s a phone with numeric keypads or push buttons and has a 0 button flanked by a star and hash key in the last row. The screen is small, 1.8 inches, unlike smartphones with a 6.0–6.5 inch screen size, and yes, that’s a big size.

It retains the basic function of calling and texting, not WhatsApp, and for entertainment, the phone offers a radio, but some don’t have a radio.

It doesn’t have internet connectivity to open websites or web browsers like Chrome or apps like YouTube or Spotify. You can’t do a Google search, so now you understand why people are bewildered to see a feature phone. They wonder what good it is.

So, I use a feature phone exclusively for setting alarms and tracking time when I wake up in the middle of the night. I can use my smartphone to do that, but the problem is the smartphone is a trap.

The Google search, WhatsApp, YouTube, or a Chrome browser can draw me into scrolling or staring at the screen for several hours, probably until my feature phone reminds me to get up.

So when I sleep, the smartphone is kept away from my reach, and I don’t owe a clock. Now people can ask why I don’t buy it, but a clock can’t act as a backup phone, which you may need if your smartphone is dead.

Second, I am staying in rented accommodation; it’s not a proper flat with bedrooms and a kitchen. It’s a small room, so it doesn’t have a full-fledged setup that you will find in homes.

Probably, using a feature phone as a primary phone can give you a glimpse into or make you realize how simple life was when there were no smartphones or laptops around.