Mobile phones for minimalists
Dear John's phone
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
John's Phone, from the designer firm John Doe Amsterdam, could be the greatest grandparent phone of all time. It is certainly an interesting minimalist experiment in usability.
Ten centimetres tall and weighing 95g, John's Phone cuts the crap so pretty much all that remains is a basic box with a standard keypad.
A screen along the top displays incoming and outgoing phone numbers, as well as battery status. But how useful is a screen you can't see while dialling and where's the address book?

Built into the back is a removable pen and pad, so numbers can be stored old-school style, ideal for grumbling "it's not as good as it used to be" fogeys. It is possible to set up ten speed-dials though, one for each number.
There's no choice of ring tone, but a switch sets the volume between loud, normal and quiet. A vibration setting is also included, which according to the Dutch website, "works in all positions" - Don't you just love translation software?
With barely any functions and a 1200mAh battery, standby lasts longer than three weeks.
John's Phone is quad-band and comes with hands-free earphones. Available in several colours, prices start at €70 (£58). ®
A tip of the hat to Tim Russell, who brought this to our attention.
COMMENTS
Has the internet completely killed your attention span?
Yes. Yes it....oh look, a kitten.
GJC
What parents need ...
is a hand-phone into which up to 5 numbers could pre-programmed, with a graphic capability for each number, so children could be given a phone which permits them only to call trusted people without the risk of dialing any other number without cost control. The graphic along each number could be of the person whose number is programmed.
Since some jurisdictions require GPS be fitted, this data could be transmitted so the called party would know where the child user was located.
Where's the old fogey icon
You need to see a screen while dialing?
Has the internet completely killed your attention span?

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