Company Tries Selling a Screenless Smartphone (vice.com) 59
Vice reports:
Sure, you may be trying to cut down on screen time by tracking your minutes in an app on the very same smartphone you're trying to unplug from, but how about a smartphone that doesn't even have a screen to stare at in the first place? Enter MyManu's Titan screenless smartphone...
Titan is a set of eSim-enabled, voice controlled earbuds with embedded live voice translation.... So, what can you do with a "screenless smartphone, anyway? According to MyManu, you can make calls, send messages, listen to music or other streamed content, and even translate speech into over 30 languages using its built-in MyJune app — so basically, all of the "phone" parts of having a smartphone minus the hours of fucking around on apps, games, and social media.
Its web site promises the phone allows you to:
Titan is a set of eSim-enabled, voice controlled earbuds with embedded live voice translation.... So, what can you do with a "screenless smartphone, anyway? According to MyManu, you can make calls, send messages, listen to music or other streamed content, and even translate speech into over 30 languages using its built-in MyJune app — so basically, all of the "phone" parts of having a smartphone minus the hours of fucking around on apps, games, and social media.
Its web site promises the phone allows you to:
- Interact without constant screen glare
- Get better sleep, reduce eyestrain and headaches
- Reduce anxiety
- Avoid nasty bacteria or viruses [from constantly touching your screen]
The downside?
There's no screen....
Retro (Score:2)
So it's a phone that's mostly just a phone? How quaint.
Re:Retro (Score:4, Insightful)
"So it's a phone that's mostly just a phone?"
It's earbuds with Alexa.
Re: (Score:2)
Hi. Just a small correction here. "Alexa" was never in your earbuds or in your phone. All your voice goes up to the cloud and technically the Alexa model exists there. "She" might have some basic ability to speak out: "HELP. I HAVE NO INTERNET CONNECTION!" when not cloud connected, but that's about it.
So nothing with a firm or button or selection syst (Score:2)
Like say logging in and saying your username and password outloud.
Re:Retro (Score:4, Funny)
So it's a phone that's mostly just a phone? How quaint.
And far more expensive than a flip phone which is mostly just a phone.
Re: (Score:2)
A pocket internet hotspot sounds good. Then you can run a server at home that accepts calls and forwards them to you on some internet based voice app. All calls would be made to and from a server running in your basement. If you can buy network bandwidth with cash from something like tracfone then there is no way to track you. Maybe all your calls voice data could even be routed over tor. Being able to surf the net while in a waiting room is nice, but I also like flip phones because they fit in your
I Will Take 2 (Score:5, Informative)
Us old folks should love this. Can't see the little ass screen anyway. Folks with permanent vision loss will hopefully like it too.
Re:I Will Take 2 (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, this device would be great for the blind. By all means, let hipsters adopt it like they did gluten free stuff. The end result will be cheaper, more available accessible devices? Win-win.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, this device would be great for the blind. By all means, let hipsters adopt it like they did gluten free stuff. The end result will be cheaper, more available accessible devices? Win-win.
Hold the (um) phone! Are you saying this screen-less phone is *also* gluten-free! :-)
Re: (Score:2)
You must be fun at parties.
Re: (Score:2)
I've seen blind people using the latest smartphones. They know where to tap on the screen when needed (for things like email, web browsing using a screen reader, and authorization) and also they just use it in voice mode.
Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
I can't wait to be surrounded by old people shouting at their earbuds.
Re: (Score:2)
How much do YOU think this incredibly new and wonderful gadget is worth. $10,000, $20,000, $100,000? Well if you bought in stores yes. But we can sell it to you for only $399.99.
But wait, there is more! For the next 10 minutes we will reduce the price to $199.99. Just for those viewers who call in the next 10 minutes.
$99 shipping and handling will apply.
Re: (Score:1)
Us old folks should love this.
Dunno how it is for anyone else, but my boomer parents have difficulty with voice assistants and prefer not to use them. They don't have any trouble using iPhones in zoomed mode and the font size cranked up a bit.
Messages? (Score:2)
How do you send or receive texts without a screen?
Re: Messages? (Score:2)
Re:Messages? (Score:5, Insightful)
You dictate it in public so that all the twats who take calls on a loudspeaker instead of putting the handset against their ear can now reach a new level of annoying normal people every day.
Re: (Score:2)
next time just shout out anything and garble their text. that'll show them!
Meanwhile in the grocery checkout lineRe:Messages? (Score:2)
"I fucked your mom and I will fuck your sister next! [SEND]"
Yeah the spiteful possibilities are endless with text-aloud!
Re: (Score:1)
let's just call confer them "honorary glasshole" status and punch them
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe we could exploit the microphone being on to issue commands like "Transfer amount of money X to the guy standing next to me." Ref: https://xkcd.com/1807/ [xkcd.com]
Re: (Score:1)
You dictate it in public so that all the twats who take calls on a loudspeaker instead of putting the handset against their ear can now reach a new level of annoying normal people every day.
That's assuming this dumb gadget actually caught on. The unwashed masses aren't going to give up their Twatter and Instasnap any time soon. You can't share selfies with goofy filters and pictures of your food from a screenless phone.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
How do you send or receive texts without a screen?
Indeed, this idea is just evil. A phone needs a screen. That's why you will only take my new generation Nokia 3310 from my cold, dead hands.
That's ok... (Score:2)
"tracking your minuteson the very same smartphone" (Score:1)
Or is he just bad at writing ?
Seems like a good phone for kids (Score:2)
Every parent claims to get a phone for their kids, for safety...now they can do so, without buying them a glorified pacifier. (not that they couldn't have done so previously)
Re: (Score:1)
Every parent claims to get a phone for their kids, for safety...now they can do so, without buying them a glorified pacifier. (not that they couldn't have done so previously)
Nothing stopping a parent from just using the parental controls that are present on literally every modern smartphone. The reason why parents don't is typically because their kid(s) will pitch a fit if all their friends have uncensored access to the interwebz and tell you how you're a terrible, horrible monster of a parent for limiting them only to voice calls to family.
Anyone who thinks a kid would be satisfied with this crap clearly doesn't remember being a kid.
Re: (Score:1)
One thing I clearly remember about being a kid...is not having a smartphone.
That's because no other kids had 'em at that time, either. But you probably do remember wanting a "cool" brand of clothing or shoes.. oh wait, this is Slashdot, never mind.
While I don't personally have kids, I know enough of my peers who are parents that briefly labored under the delusion that they'd raise their kids without the distraction of too much technology. In the end, the kids won. Children can be quite relentless, and sometimes it's just easier to say "here's your damn smartphone, now shut up."
I was going to try one (Score:2)
Expensive (Score:2)
It costs $207 (actually $400-something off-promotion). For way less than $200 you can buy a cheap android phone and cover the screen by putting it face-down in a $5 phone case, or, just disconnect/smash the screen. All current smartphones are voice operable anyway.
Re: (Score:2)
Or just buy a smartphone, some Nokia 3110 clone for much less.
"Smart" Phone? (Score:2)
A phone with a few fixed functions doesn't deserve the moniker "smart phone".
Feature subtraction is not a feature (Score:2)
Anyone wanting a permanently blank screen for any phone can buy a screen protector then spray paint (automotive interior plastic paints were an effective classic method to de-beige PCs in the Cretaceous era when I rocked Slot 1 CPUs) the inside of a screen protector.
When the crazy wears off or if you need a feature you can remove the protector.
Just convert your existing phone. (Score:3)
Company that's about to file for bankruptcy (Score:1)
I too want this new Nokia 3310 (Score:2)
Ugh (Score:3)
My car is from just a couple of years before the whole infotainment center thing, but it does have a few voice commands for making hands free calls, and god is it terrible. I can't imagine people wanting to PAY to listen to what is essentially a phone message tree. "Press 1 for Customer Service" "Press 2 for Grocery" "Press 3 if Your Floor Had the Gas Leak" "Press 8 for More Options"
This phone might be great for blind or vision impaired people, but for everyone else, I expect the charm will wear thin very quickly.
Re: (Score:2)
My car is from just a couple of years before the whole infotainment center thing, but it does have a few voice commands for making hands free calls, and god is it terrible. I can't imagine people wanting to PAY to listen to what is essentially a phone message tree. "Press 1 for Customer Service" "Press 2 for Grocery" "Press 3 if Your Floor Had the Gas Leak" "Press 8 for More Options"
This phone might be great for blind or vision impaired people, but for everyone else, I expect the charm will wear thin very quickly.
But they are getting better and quickly. After early disasters with voice recognition, my 2019 Jeep with CarPlay has converted me. I use it 100 percent TWD, and it's been perfect so far. It's funny to hear Siri speak when my wife calls me an asshole. Esp in the australian female voice. I also make calls when needed, and the mic (there are two one for driver, one for front passenger) has no issues.
When a call or text comes in, it automatically mutes the radio and Siri takes over, or of course the caller
Re: Ugh (Score:2)
I don't think blind or vision impaired people will enjoy this either. Smartphones have touchscreens that they can use to navigate applications and menus, but with these things apparently all commands need to be voice-activated.
Useful (Score:2)
Solution that aren't "get rid of the screen" (Score:2)
Here are my solutions that aren't "get rid of the screen":
Interact without constant screen glare = Get a freaking anti-reflective screen protector for your screen... (duh!)
Get better sleep, reduce eyestrain and headaches = Get some self control over your life.
Reduce anxiety = Same as above, self control.
Avoid nasty bacteria or viruses [from constantly touching your screen] = Clean your screen, or understand that viruses die in a few hours on surfaces, so don't be too paranoid with your life.
No nags? (Score:2)
Oh! This thing doesn't nag you with push notifications. I get it. Oh. Unless you get it to speak out all of your facebook notifications, texts, 20-something and 30-something apps out there like tiktok videos, etc. Basically, you're not going to be able to hear anything else in the world, because you'll have a constant stream of push notifications being read to you.... (Or you could not have them being read to you. But then, why not just uninstall those apps on your non-fancy-screen-yes phone?)
Stupid (Score:2)
What people want and what people claim to want are frequently two different things. Lots of people say they want to spend less time on the phone. But they don't buy a flip phone or uninstall distracting apps. No one actually wants a materially worse phone to avoid doing things they enjoy.
Apple Siri (Score:2)
I long ago said that Apple should have made a screenless iPhone. Of course, they shouldn't sell it, but they should have made all their Siri developers use it. Then they would have really solved all the issues to make it as useful as possible. Google should have done the same for their Google Assistant team.
Profanity in the Summary? (Score:4, Insightful)
I guess it doesn't really matter, but does anyone else think it's weird that the summary uses the word "fucking" in it? I don't recall ever seeing any uncensored profanity, in a summary, on /. before.
Re: (Score:1)
I guess it doesn't really matter, but does anyone else think it's weird that the summary uses the word "fucking" in it? I don't recall ever seeing any uncensored profanity, in a summary, on /. before.
If you've been following American politics at all, it's clear we're living in the Idiocracy timeline. Now if you don't mind, I've got to go put my fucking dinner in the fucking oven, because I'm fucking hungry. Shit.
Re: (Score:2)
Brilliant tie in to the most prophetic movie about society and politics ever made! No sarcasm, every election season my profile pic becomes either Not Sure flicking off the camera or President Camacho
Re: (Score:2)
The main downside (Score:2)
Constant radio-emitter next to your head. And with beamforming implemented in modern cell towers, a second constant radio beam focused on you.
Basically (Score:2)
An Alexa with a cellular connection.
Re: (Score:2)
Listening to everyone - everything - around it.
eSIEM? (Score:2)
I like that the aÌdÌvÌeÌrÌtÌiÌsÌeÌmÌeÌnÌtÌ article author used the definition for SIEM when describing a Subscriber Identity Module. Itâ(TM)s this kind of quality tech writing that always brings me back for more from VICE.
Avoid nasty bacteria or viruses (Score:2)
Where do I sign up! /s
That one got me, it's like they were trying to find another compelling reason for the product, ran out of ideas and then some "bright" spark thought of a covid type link.
Yep, this would absolutely be "a thing" if hundreds of other people were also touching the screen on your phone, but, you know, just people watch for a little while and count how many times someone touches their face - eyes, nose, mouth.
Maybe if you are in the habit of _licking_ your smartphone, it could be an issue...
There is an app for that (Score:2)
or if you don't want to buy it, insert a cutting knife just below your charging port also disables the screen.
Don't forget to remove the lockscreen password before you attempt this.
Screen-less phone (Score:1)
Does it have a rotary dial?