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Ask HN: Would you pay 500 USD for a "Deep Work" phone?
2 points by mann99 6 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 8 comments
An Android phone with the following specs: 5.5 inch IPS Display ( 5.4" 12/13 mini as inspiration) 2G/3G/4G/5G ( we need all four for global compatibility) Decent Mediatek processor ( that could handle daily apps for the next 5 - 6 years),5 years android version updates, A decent front and back camera, 4000 mAh battery 15W charging (the intention is to keep it lightweight, slimmer, and for longevity)

Now here we do the magic:

Creating a time-tested intelligent (not AI-driven) software to make sure that the phone helps you to achieve your goals and not become a hindrance—ranging from WORK MODE, DUMBPHONE MODE to default content safety filters, it would have everything one can have to do "deep work".

Suggestions welcome.




No. I can get this for $100 second hand, install LineageOS and be done with it.

Sounds like a great app/alternative OS though, maybe explore that. Hardware is hard anyways and people want more than just enough CPU and display - camera, for example.


I can already do that with a $200 refurbished iPhone (sales tax included) and some discipline. That would actually be better because I can keep my discipline skills even when I don't use my phone.


No, sounds like the kind of device that would be hyped for two weeks, sell like three units, and then be abandoned after a few months.


For phones I guess the extremes are some sweet spots.

* The ones that want their phone to be a more portable laptop get a flagship.

* The ones that through clumsiness or hard work destroy their phones want rugged ones.

* The ones that travel a lot want their phones to last.

* The ones who play music on the subway want the speakers to be loud so you can also hear it.

* The ones that don't want distractions get a dumbphone.

...

If you have several needs then you try to maximise in all the directions that you need. And this is why not everyone needs the same phone.

Work, what is work? Answering emails/messages from clients? Going into pages to enter some shipment data? Trying apps while being tied to a desk? Having it for emergencies while breaking rocks with a sledgehammer? Taking pictures for insurance claims? All of these have different needs.

Choose a target, one that is well defined, then sell them the phone. Otherwise people who are not the target will not like the phone, and people that are the target might not know that they are.


I agree.

The existing market has a flaw: there are dumbphones, but most apps user needs don’t work on them, and the phones on which the apps do work aren’t exactly “calm technology.”

I intend to target these people.


The whole notion of "calm technology" is so stupid. It sounds good to a tiny echo chamber of twee technologists but no one else cares.


I see your point, but I think "calm technology" is important. It aims to make technology fit more smoothly into our lives, being less attention demanding.

This isn't just for tech experts; it helps anyone who feels overwhelmed by technology, seeking balance in how we use devices.


No. Not going to buy any phone with an OS controlled by Apple or Google.




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