You know, I did a thing awhile ago, (not sure how easy it is to do now).
I has a specific ring tone for different people.
I could choose ahead of time whether it was important enough.
Like say, your sons school/teacher. Or your husband. And you can decide to answer or text back. Now or later.
I ditched the watch. It was way too intrusive. I hated wearing it.
It was a safety thing my kids decided I needed. I did not.
I have 2 cel phones. A tablet. A laptop. And a PC.
I have no problem ignoring any or all. Or using them in an emergency.
I don’t have a job, either. That’s a thing that seems to need devices and accessibility.
I can definitely see how some would find a watch intrusive. For me it makes sure I don’t forget anything, from laundry to getting my husband a Father’s Day gift. And it allows me to get those reminders without the distraction of my phone. It was a total game changer for me and my ADHD.
I can mute the dumb messages and stick to the more important ones. But even if they are unimportant I can usually swipe and forget them without feeling too distracted.
Plus I like the prompts to move throughout the day.
Many threads this could go in, but I’m going to put it here as a sort of “hard to stop drinking with all the liquor ads” type response.
A friend just moved into a new apartment. The only way to lock or unlock the apartment door is with a smartphone app and Bluetooth. No key, no fob, no card, no other options.
Don’t have a phone, too bad, the rental application fee is non-refundable, but is good for two years if you change your mind.
Lost your phone, battery died, or it’s otherwise not working? Better hope the office is open, or pay for an after hours emergency call (and you can find a neighbor to borrow their phone).
Just live someplace else? We’re in a housing crisis. Nice, affordable apartments in a good location are hard to come by. Is this policy a deal-breaker? Plenty of other qualified applications to take your place.
So sorry for the diversion, but bringing it back around to where it relates to this thread. It can be impossible to completely give up a smartphone. It’s like weight loss. You can’t quit all food cold turkey, you have to cut back, which is really, really hard.
That goes right with my earlier rant… it’s all part of the overall “you will own nothing and be happy” trend that we’re sliding into, in no small part enabled by corporate-controlled smartphones that put giant companies and their partners ahead of the people who supposedly “own” the phones.
The phone isn’t a device you have any real “ownership” over (unless and even if you root it)… it’s mostly just a kiosk to other companies’ paid subscriptions and ads and influence algorithms.
It’s an even worse incarnation of the boob tube; not only is it a device you pay for just to have it advertise to you all day, it does so with hyper-personalization that’s aware of every single minute you spend on every piece of marketed content and propaganda. It’s designed to feed addiction and consumer spending. Just another tiny dystopia we take for granted.
Every year, Black Mirror feels less like speculative fiction and more like a step-by-step guide for corporate execs…
Is that disclosed before you apply? I don’t run, or walk the dog w/ my phone.
* I don’t know where this complex is, I’m not looking to move into an apartment, nor do I even know if they allow pets so this is purely hypothetical but I’d have an issue with unacceptable terms only disclosed after I gave them money.
You could probably use a tablet since you need Bluetooth but (probably) not cellular connectivity. Even if internet connectivity was needed you would probably within wifi range of your home router.
Granted a carrying one would be a pain but technically possible.
Depending on the complexities of the signal, I wonder if an ardruino or esp32 solution could be MacGyvered.
It’s probably NFC between the phone & the lock. The place I lived previously was going to install something similar just after I moved out for unrelated reasons.
I think most of this just hinges on your personal phone usage.
My phone mostly texts people and plays music, sometimes it summons an Uber or Lyft if I’m in an unfamiliar town, lets me check my accounts, lets me check my work email if I’m on the road and away from a PC–and very rarely I might actually place a telephone call.
That’s it. I don’t use any social media on the phone… I don’t doomscroll the news. I abandoned FB back in 2015 when people started getting shitty. I do occasionally use Discord and regularly browse Reddit–but only at home on the laptop or desktop, never on the phone.
Maybe uninstall the apps that have caused you to develop (potentially) unhealthy usage patterns and see how things go from there?
I agree that it’s terrible. IMO I should be able to uninstall any app I want to.
See also: Kindle’s move to end book ownership. You now get a message you are only licensing the material. I used to use Kindle all the time but now I’m limiting it to stuff I will read on Scribe. I’ve mostly moved over to Bookshop.org which lets you buy e-books from local booksellers. My chief reading device is now a Boox Palma. I may seriously ditch the Scribe when I can afford it so I don’t have to buy anything on Kindle. I’m not usually a boycotter, but I’m so disgusted by it. Art should not be owned solely by corporations. It’s such an obvious bad faith move.
That I do not know. My guess is no, because who would think to ask if the locks are Schlage or Yale before signing a lease? If you pay attention during a showing you might notice.
It needs an app, so probably not. Using a tablet is a good idea, but probably less likely to carry that than a phone. Hopefully it is secure enough to resist a flipper zero canned attack. The only sane design is that it requires an internet connection for initial activation, but then works offline. How much do you trust the design is sane?
The one at my friend’s is Bluetooth, because there as an aggravating 15 second delay for the phone to connect to the lock before you can lock or unlock it. NFC would be good. Fast to tap in or out, and easy to use a card.
Perhaps the best use of the 15 second wait is to scroll Zillow and leave a review of the complex. Just avoid getting sucked in for an hour scrolling photos of houses you can never afford.
You’re relaying third-party info for a place that I am only hypothetically interested in. I get it, you don’t have all of the details; don’t think I’m arguing with the messenger.
(Old fashioned) Schlage or Yale don’t matter because they are both a metal key; while they can be lost or rarely-but-possibly damaged; they are small, lightweight & don’t need to worry about a battery dying.
The only electronic locks that I’ve seen have been fob-only or fob or phone (user’s choice). I haven’t seen a phone only one. A fob on a keyring goes over my finger; no need to ‘hold’ it. I could see this being an issue running out to bring in the rest of the groceries or something else big/heavy from the car or just to take the trash out; especially for women who have less pockets then men; especially in a complex with outer doors that automatically lock behind you.
Yes, my point with that, was why would anyone even think to ask? You might ask the leasing office about parking, club house rules, quiet hours, laundry, but how the locks work?
And my greater point in this hijack is that there exist people and institutions that just assume you have a smartphone, and have access to it at all times. It is a laudable goal to keep screen usage to whatever level is healthy for each of us, and there are forces out there that make that difficult (beyond just the apps and websites that have been A/B tested to maximize engagement).