Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Dumb Phone?

Posted by timothy on from the how-about-a-dumberer-phone? dept.

An anonymous reader writes: For those of us who don't need or want a smartphone, what would be the best dumb phone around? Do you have a preference over flip or candy bar ones? What about ones that have FM radio? Do any of you still use dumb phones in this smart phone era? Related question: What smart phones out now are (or can be reasonably outfitted to be) closest to a dumb phone, considering reliability, simplicity, and battery life? I don't especially want to give up a swiping keyboard, a decent camera, or podcast playback, but I do miss being able to go 5 or more days on a single charge. Have a question for Slashdot's readers? Take a look at other recent questions first to see if someone else has had a similar question. And if not, ask away! The more details and context you include, the more likely your question will be selected.

4 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. What is it you want again? by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Related question: What smart phones out now are (or can be reasonably outfitted to be) closest to a dumb phone, considering reliability, simplicity, and battery life? I don't especially want to give up a swiping keyboard, a decent camera, or podcast playback, but I do miss being able to go 5 or more days on a single charge.

    So, you want a dumb phone, but you want it to have smart phone features, and a huge battery charge, and lots of doo-dads and stuff ... just like a smart phone?

    Well, good luck with that.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  2. NOKIA by Tyrannosaur · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Those things really are indestructible. I would hop on Amazon or ebay and pick up a used one. Definitely worth it.

    If that is not an option, then I would go something candybar. Every phone I have seen broken that had moving parts broke at the moving parts.

  3. I want the same question answered clearly by MillerHighLife21 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What's the best dumb phone? I want calls, voice mail, text message and battery life. That's it.

    --
    "Don't teach a man to fish, feed yourself. He's a grown man. Fishing's not that hard." - Ron Swanson
  4. Blackberry bold by netsavior · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you want a smartphone that isn't a smartphone, I am assuming you want to avoid the app infrastructure of apple and google? I have no idea what your actual goal is, but blackberry solved this ages ago. What you really seem to want is a smartphone from before iPhones ruined the market for practical smartphones.

    I submit to you: Blackberry Bold
    insane battery life (remember BB was competing with dumb phones not smartphones, so the charge every 8 hours thing hadn't started yet) - 12 days standby 6 hours talk, 50 hours audio playback
    camera, sure it has a decent camera
    Insanely good Keyboard that openly laughs at "swipe" keyboards.
    Podcasts, sure
    costs about 80 dollars now.