A question for the owners of large cell phones

[suicidal_orange]

Being a typical male I don't carry a bag at all times so my phone has to fit on my person somewhere.  As phones continue to get bigger while loose fitting trousers show no sign of making a return the tried and tested method of "put it in your pocket" is an increasingly bad option; the wear lines are visible on my trousers already and my next phone will be bigger whether I want it or not because designers say so.

The only other option I've seen is a case which clips over your belt.  Could put the phone at the front so it's easy to get to, but I'm guessing sitting down with one there is uncomfortable enough let alone bending further to cycle, so that's not going to work.  Clipping it on my side in landscape orientation makes it nearly as long as I am thick but I'm rounded so it will stick out and be annoying while putting the phone in portrait on my side will obstruct a pocket.  Putting the phone on my back means I can sit and use my pockets, but that looks like an invitation to thieves and it's not easy to attach something behind your back.


TLDR; How do you techy people who embraced huge phones long ago carry them?

[fohat.digs]

loose fitting trousers show no sign of making a return

my next phone will be bigger whether I want it or not

When I was young I wore my clothes very tight because I had a great skinny body and was an idiot. After studying martial arts and hitting my 30s, I came to realize that I only wanted to wear loose-fitting clothes from then on (and I am carrying about 3 stone more than I was then). I actually buy my pants at least one size too large and sew darts into the waist band at back. Goofy? probably Comfortable? definitely

My current Google phone is 6"/14cm tall and 3"/7cm wide. I really don't want a phone bigger than that, although my old eyes (I can count the days until my 70th birthday on my fingers and toes) already strain to read it sometimes.

[tp4tissue]

One day, fanny packs will be standard

[noisyturtle]

I hate phones with huge screens, they look so idiotic, and are so cumbersome for the small amount that actually matters in your daily life.
Looking forward to 'folding' phones. Half the size, twice the screen.

this is how you look with one of those huge phones 

[suicidal_orange]

My current Google phone is 6"/14cm tall and 3"/7cm wide. I really don't want a phone bigger than that,

That's about the same size as my current phone, it's already too big.

I actually buy my pants at least one size too large and sew darts into the waist band at back. Goofy? probably Comfortable? definitely

One size larger waist in "comfort" fit means I can put something in my pocket, buying the correct size looks like I'm wearing skinny jeans.  My sister bought me some skinny jeans in the right waist size for Christmas one year and I couldn't get the waist past my knee.  Maybe I just need to learn tailoring and buy bigger...

I hate phones with huge screens

Is that actually sold as a phone?!  I'd go back to T9 before trying to carry something that big.

[pixelpusher]

I keep my phone in my front pocket.  When I sit down anywhere I take it out and place it on the table or hold it in my hand.  When I'm in the car it's always in the center console

[fohat.digs]

After having had a "real" telephone handset on my shoulder for thousands of hours in my life, I can't even conceptualize a flat thin slick heavy rectangle as being a telephone.

Worse, it seems that the high point of my cheekbone occurs at the same point as the "hang up" point on many of the screens, and I have inadvertently hung up on many calls.

[Darthbaggins]

So far I have zero issues fitting my Pixel 6 Pro in front pockets and rear.

[phinix]

...my cheekbone occurs at the same point as the "hang up" point on many of the screens, and I have inadvertently hung up on many calls.

HAhahaha ) ) You made me laugh this morning, so funny

P.S.
I need to set it in my phone, in about 11 to 17 days make sure to send huge Happy Birthday to fohat

[sefixmm]

I got used to walking around with my smartphone in my hand, it's quite painful but I hate having things in my pockets, so a phone as big as my Nokia 5.3, out of the question.

Finally, I really miss my Motorola Razr V3i 

[funderburker]

I too am starting to find this annoying. Have been using front pockets for a phone & a card wallet forever but over the past year, I've started to store my wallet in my backpack or shirt pocket due to using Google Pay more. But I really have no solution for my phone, it's an essential item I don't leave my house without. I can't stash it in my backpack, it's just too cumbersome to get if there's a call or a message (who uses phone to call nowadays anyways lol). I also have no need for a smartwatch to answer phone calls, that seems unnecessary as well.
Maybe a weird armband like those iPod Nanos from 2010's? Still, phones are larger, it would probably be uncomfortable for smaller arms.

[sefixmm]

The fact is that more and more peoples use their phone for everything as surfing, chating, mailing, playing or watching movies and tv-shows, so it's logical that actual smartphone became bigger, they are just small tablets or big phones.

I do not say it's a good evolution or a bad one, it's just like that, personally I rarely use my phone and I still prefer doing stuffs on a real computer with a mouse and a keyboard. I just use it when I'm out of my house, as a simple phone or just to check my Whatsapp and my mails. If I'm out and i need to do something, I just share my data connection and use my Thinkpad.

[phinix]

My phones is also bigger than smaller - 15x7cm.
I managed to break rear glass panel - I keep my phone in front left pocket - when I sit in my car, I push my thigh against the wheel and it always pushes on the phone - after 3 years of having that phone I noticed I managed to crash rear panel after I took off phone cover

[suicidal_orange]

I do not say it's a good evolution or a bad one, it's just like that, personally I rarely use my phone and I still prefer doing stuffs on a real computer with a mouse and a keyboard. I just use it when I'm out of my house, as a simple phone or just to check my Whatsapp and my mails. If I'm out and i need to do something, I just share my data connection and use my Thinkpad.

That big phones exist is a good thing but for the many people like us the lack of a small option is bad.  I've considered getting a dumbphone and tethering something but typing the odd text on T9 (numberpad) is not something that was ever fun and having to remember to charge the phone as well as something bigger isn't appealing, plus as you say having a handy small internet device does have it's uses.

My phones is also bigger than smaller - 15x7cm.
I managed to break rear glass panel - I keep my phone in front left pocket - when I sit in my car, I push my thigh against the wheel and it always pushes on the phone - after 3 years of having that phone I noticed I managed to crash rear panel after I took off phone cover

Another example of a stupid forced "upgrade" - who wants a slippery, fragile phone back?  It's hard enough to keep the screen in one piece without worrying about the back too

I too am starting to find this annoying. Have been using front pockets for a phone & a card wallet forever but over the past year, I've started to store my wallet in my backpack or shirt pocket due to using Google Pay more. But I really have no solution for my phone, it's an essential item I don't leave my house without. I can't stash it in my backpack, it's just too cumbersome to get if there's a call or a message (who uses phone to call nowadays anyways lol). I also have no need for a smartwatch to answer phone calls, that seems unnecessary as well.
Maybe a weird armband like those iPod Nanos from 2010's? Still, phones are larger, it would probably be uncomfortable for smaller arms.

Show Image

ipod nanos were tiny and weighed nothing, there were phone sized armbands but pretty sure they gave up at around 4" screens.  Unless you have big arms it would just stick out too much and the weight would pull it down annoyingly.

And I still use my phone for calls - maybe it's due to my almost exclusively dyslexic contact list but getting the right answer to anything more complex than "Meet at 3 at mine?" in text can be a real challenge.  Thankfully we are not forced to go as extreme as noisy's pic, though give it a couple more years...

[phinix]

My phones is also bigger than smaller - 15x7cm.
I managed to break rear glass panel - I keep my phone in front left pocket - when I sit in my car, I push my thigh against the wheel and it always pushes on the phone - after 3 years of having that phone I noticed I managed to crash rear panel after I took off phone cover

Another example of a stupid forced "upgrade" - who wants a slippery, fragile phone back?  It's hard enough to keep the screen in one piece without worrying about the back too

Exactly, yes. I cannot hold stock phone in my hand, having glass on both sides, practically no frame around, its so slippery that I hate it.
Who the f*** makes rear glass panels? WHY?
I liked Samsung S2, which was small and big enough, was easier to hold in hand etc

[sefixmm]

Exactly, yes. I cannot hold stock phone in my hand, having glass on both sides, practically no frame around, its so slippery that I hate it.
Who the f*** makes rear glass panels? WHY?
I liked Samsung S2, which was small and big enough, was easier to hold in hand etc

Because today the "look" is more important the practicality. The tech industry should open a dictionary and review the definition of the word "design". because it is clear that they have absolutely not understood what it is.

There is tones of examples, if we compare a ThinkPad X230 and one of the latest models, we see that today, repairability, robustness and ergonomics are not important, what matters is that it's thin and shiny. It's quite pathetic.

[phinix]

Exactly, yes. I cannot hold stock phone in my hand, having glass on both sides, practically no frame around, its so slippery that I hate it.
Who the f*** makes rear glass panels? WHY?
I liked Samsung S2, which was small and big enough, was easier to hold in hand etc

Because today the "look" is more important the practicality. The tech industry should open a dictionary and review the definition of the word "design". because it is clear that they have absolutely not understood what it is.

There is tones of examples, if we compare a ThinkPad X230 and one of the latest models, we see that today, repairability, robustness and ergonomics are not important, what matters is that it's thin and shiny. It's quite pathetic.

I agree, most things designed nowadays are pathetic...

[fohat.digs]

who wants a slippery, fragile phone back?

Enclosures are imperative for something that costs hundreds of dollars, in my opinion.

Early on, I tried a couple with hard rubber corners, which is great for protection, but makes getting it in and out of pockets ludicrously difficult. Thin and slick is the way to go for accessibility, and my kids with their skinny tight clothes can't stand extra thickness.

I have an excellent case now that only adds 2-3-4 mm in each dimension but seems to give quite a bit of protection.

[Leslieann]

Sooo many poor design decisions all in an attempt to woo moronic customers and (arguably more important) reviewers.

Phones are all "good enough" so the only real metric they can measure is size and vibrancy as a result manufacturers are stuck chasing both because they can't really do much to differentiate themselves otherwise, this is why they're in such a rush to get dual folding screens, first to market with a good one at a reasonable price is set to make a killing. Something none of them have done in years.

As for customers, if two phones are side by side most people will default to thinner and larger, even to their own detriment. Larger and thinner are not only seen as newer but often ARE newer and therefore better. That newer, thinner, larger screen probably sounds better and is more vibrant so people will gravitate towards it. They also carry a premium and since the sales people are on commission they will push people towards them.


How to fix it? Stop subsidizing cell phones.
If you're signing a contract it's actually in your best interest to pick the biggest, most top of the line if the prices are all similar. Those "free" phones get paid off in about 4 months but an high end phone can take 18 months, which do you think the carrier earns the most on and which could you resell later and recoup some money?  Note that stores are franchises, they make money from contract and phone sales, so more expensive is better for them.

Basically subsidized phones (particularly in the U.S.) make the entire phone market extremely compressed, instead of $100-$1600 the market gets squished into 0-$400, if people had to pay full price you'd see lower end phones be purchased FAR more often and allow the entire market to flourish. Instead everyone clamors for the high end and the rest are just filler which is why mid to low end get HORRIBLE software support and start running terrible later, they're just write offs for everyone involved, even the carrier who makes the most on it.

[suicidal_orange]

As for [moronic] customers, if two phones are side by side most people will default to thinner and larger, even to their own detriment.

I guess for half the population (females) size doesn't make much difference - most of you have a bag to throw it in.  I asked the same question on another unrelated forum with an older userbase and they were 90% against big phones, with most happily using their 5+ year old ones.  Do they have a shock in store when the time to "upgrade" comes...

[fohat.digs]

if two phones are side by side most people will default to thinner and larger

an older userbase and they were 90% against big phones

Fitting into a normal pocket is the #1 requirement for me.

[ddot]

I do not say it's a good evolution or a bad one, it's just like that, personally I rarely use my phone and I still prefer doing stuffs on a real computer with a mouse and a keyboard. I just use it when I'm out of my house, as a simple phone or just to check my Whatsapp and my mails. If I'm out and i need to do something, I just share my data connection and use my Thinkpad.

This.  There's basically nothing I do on my phone that I don't enjoy doing more on something else.  Email - give me my desktop with my mechanical keyboard.  Internet - give me a real browser with a full complement of extensions along with a mouse where move and click are different.  Movies - I'll take my home theatre.  Phone calls - I prefer my desk phone for both comfort and clarity.  Camera - give me my (mirrorless) SLR.  Gaming - I have so little time for it anymore I might as well play a decent game on my PC.  The only thing my phone has going for it is portability.  But because of that, it gets all kinds of use.  The best camera is the one you have with you and if something randomly comes up, my phone camera is better than nothing.

As for suicidal_orange's question though, I don't have an answer for you other than desperately try to find the few slightly smaller phones that are out there.  I'm currently using a Samsung S10e and hopefully I can keep it going for a while.

I have to say the Cat S22 Flip is weirdly intriguing.  A bit on the heavy side, T9 was such a pain in the ass to type on (although I think you could awkwardly type on the screen too) and it would be a little harder to get with its T-Mobile exclusivity, but it's interesting.

[fohat.digs]

I have to say the Cat S22 Flip is weirdly intriguing.  A bit on the heavy side,

with its T-Mobile exclusivity

That IS interesting, I didn't know it was out there. The only 2 cons I can see are no 3.5mm jack and no 5G, but those are not insurmountable.

Beyond that, it doesn't weigh any more than my Google Pixel 3 (in its shell) and I have been with T-Mobile for 20 years with no complaints.

[suicidal_orange]

The only 2 cons I can see are no 3.5mm jack and no 5G, but those are not insurmountable.

Interesting list, 5G is absolutely useless to this non city dweller but a 3.5mm jack is essential.  My other con aside from the obvious T9 texting would be that's it's not modder friendly - no way am I carrying a google tracker in my pocket.

[Leslieann]

I guess for half the population (females) size doesn't make much difference - most of you have a bag to throw it in.

Women bend more Iphones (and phones in general) than men because we don't carry a purse around at work and due to the stupid small pockets on our pants we have to put them in our back pocket. Front pockets can put stress on it but it's nothing compared to the stress of sitting on it. So yeah, it matters to us.

You'd be surprised how many women buy men's pants because of this (and because they last longer).

[Leslieann]

I do not say it's a good evolution or a bad one, it's just like that, personally I rarely use my phone and I still prefer doing stuffs on a real computer with a mouse and a keyboard. I just use it when I'm out of my house, as a simple phone or just to check my Whatsapp and my mails. If I'm out and i need to do something, I just share my data connection and use my Thinkpad.

This.  There's basically nothing I do on my phone that I don't enjoy doing more on something else.

Most tech people are over it.

We passed peak cell phone pretty fast to be honest, it's just a limited platform due to size and lack of input.

That IS interesting, I didn't know it was out there. The only 2 cons I can see are no 3.5mm jack and no 5G, but those are not insurmountable.

5G is not a replacement for 4G, don't be in a rush for it.

The more bandwidth the shorter the range.
4G range has a fraction of 3G range, LTE somewhat helped with this but 5G makes 4G look good and cannot be fixed without doubling or tripling the number of towers.

5G is little more than your 5.8ghz home router on steroids, if you can't see the tower (one maybe two walls if you're lucky) you're barely going to get anything from it.  Where 5G will help is in very dense places, downtown, apartment complexes, etc... These areas need the bandwidth.  Out in the boonies, people close to the tower will benefit directly and because it takes the load off 4G, those further out will see a benefit, but not 5G.

This also means that as 5G becomes more popular and flooded out, 4G can actually rebound and be your faster option. This happened on 3G once 4G became dominant, those of us with the right phones and knowledge could flip between them and find the best for the area.

[sefixmm]

Fitting into a normal pocket is the #1 requirement for me.

Price is for me the #1 argument. I can't accept to spend more than $200 in a phone.

Battery is also important, I want to have a phone that last at least 3 or 4 days on battery without charge.

Finally, big size is not a problem anymore, at the beginning yes but now, not really, I just keep it in my hand and not in my pocket.

[suicidal_orange]

Women bend more Iphones (and phones in general) than men because we don't carry a purse around at work and due to the stupid small pockets on our pants we have to put them in our back pocket.

Oh, it makes even less sense then.  I've only worked in offices with women where phones went from bag to desk and in entirely male jobs where you're not bound to a desk so hadn't noticed.

Price is for me the #1 argument. I can't accept to spend more than $200 in a phone.

Battery is also important, I want to have a phone that last at least 3 or 4 days on battery without charge.

Finally, big size is not a problem anymore, at the beginning yes but now, not really, I just keep it in my hand and not in my pocket.

Is that $200 up front or across your 1 or 2 year contract?  Unless you're willing to pretend to not have a smartphone as I do by putting it in 2G only mode and barely touching it I don't think you have a hope of getting the battery life at any cost, let alone on a budget.  My 6 year old Sony will go a working week spending 9 hours a day trying to find a signal which barely exists but screen on time can be measured in seconds rather than hours a day which wouldn't be acceptable to most people.

I guess if you work from home or go on a train to the office you can hold your phone in your hand but it's definitely not an option that would work for me cycling to work and walking round using my hands all day.

Most tech people are over it.

We passed peak cell phone pretty fast to be honest, it's just a limited platform due to size and lack of input.

Is this the real source of the problem?  Tech people gave up so now they just make stuff for the mindless masses who will buy whatever is readily available however poorly it suits them, so just make it big and expensive to maximise profits?

Makes me think about finding a phone with strange form factor and making a new housing for it - like that CAT flip phone.  Effectively turn the screen inside out and remove the keypad and casing bulk between them and it would be a small normal touchscreen phone.  It's even 4:3 so you could see a bit of what you're writing despite the low res.

[tp4tissue]

I guess for half the population (females) size doesn't make much difference - most of you have a bag to throw it in.

Women bend more Iphones (and phones in general) than men because we don't carry a purse around at work and due to the stupid small pockets on our pants we have to put them in our back pocket. Front pockets can put stress on it but it's nothing compared to the stress of sitting on it. So yeah, it matters to us.

You'd be surprised how many women buy men's pants because of this (and because they last longer).

Tp4 recommends Cargo Pants.

[phinix]

I guess for half the population (females) size doesn't make much difference - most of you have a bag to throw it in.

Women bend more Iphones (and phones in general) than men because we don't carry a purse around at work and due to the stupid small pockets on our pants we have to put them in our back pocket. Front pockets can put stress on it but it's nothing compared to the stress of sitting on it. So yeah, it matters to us.

You'd be surprised how many women buy men's pants because of this (and because they last longer).

Tp4 recommends Cargo Pants.

Show Image

Yeah, but then you will be hitting it passing by desks, door frames etc. Was there done that...  :)

[tp4tissue]

Yeah, but then you will be hitting it passing by desks, door frames etc. Was there done that... 

Tp4 uses dat' fone case.

[Leslieann]

Yeah, but then you will be hitting it passing by desks, door frames etc. Was there done that... 

Screen always faces your body.

Is that $200 up front or across your 1 or 2 year contract?  Unless you're willing to pretend to not have a smartphone as I do by putting it in 2G only mode and barely touching it I don't think you have a hope of getting the battery life at any cost, let alone on a budget.  My 6 year old Sony will go a working week spending 9 hours a day trying to find a signal which barely exists but screen on time can be measured in seconds rather than hours a day which wouldn't be acceptable to most people.

I guess if you work from home or go on a train to the office you can hold your phone in your hand but it's definitely not an option that would work for me cycling to work and walking round using my hands all day.

That's up front and it is changing.
Until recently, in general the phone you pick didn't alter the contract price, more and more now are pushing towards financing it over the life of the contract. While it sounds better, they didn't lower the plan cost, they just offloaded the phone so people now pay more than they did and it's all profit.

How it used to work is
You would get a free phone and pay $80 per month or you could pay $200 up front and get a high end phone and then pay $80 per month.

So a crap phone over the life of the contract was $1920 while an Iphone contract cost you $2100, at the end of the contract the free phone was worth pennies while you could sell the Iphone for $600, making your contract actually only cost $1500. From the carrier side, they made 3x more money on the free phone user just on fees, add in how much more data the high end phone user consumed and it's even more (more expensive phones tend to use more data due to how users use them and the more frequent updates).

Is this the real source of the problem?  Tech people gave up so now they just make stuff for the mindless masses who will buy whatever is readily available however poorly it suits them, so just make it big and expensive to maximise profits?

Not the source of the problem but it's the canary in the coal mine.
They got bored of it because a lack of innovation (except in locking down the bootloader) and the fact that it's become a spy riddled mess.

[suicidal_orange]

Until recently, in general the phone you pick didn't alter the contract price, more and more now are pushing towards financing it over the life of the contract. While it sounds better, they didn't lower the plan cost, they just offloaded the phone so people now pay more than they did and it's all profit.

How it used to work is
You would get a free phone and pay $80 per month or you could pay $200 up front and get a high end phone and then pay $80 per month.

The last time I bought a phone on contract this is how I remember it, that was in 2010.  Today for unlimited data it's 24x£25 for sim only or £30 up front and 24x£62 for the 128GB iphone 13 mini, so £918 for the phone, which is available from Apple for £679.  Alternately the Fairphone 4 is £499 direct or 24x£48 on the unlimited data contract, which works out at £552 for the phone.  Interestingly to me as someone who's used no data so far this year the 1GB/month option on the Fairphone is £30 up front plus 24x£31 while sim only is 24x£14 which means the phone is a bargain at £438, and the iphone with 4GB/month is £80 plus 24x£47 while 3GB/month sim only is 24x£17 which is £800 for the phone.  So yes, they're definitely making more money on the expensive contracts whether on a "high end" phone or not (though perhaps the fairphone is still a premium model...)  The most basic option is a Doro at 24x£27 for 4GB/month so £240 for the phone, it's RRP on Amazon is only £178.

Seems sim only is once again the right choice but do I commit to a low-data lifestyle long term?

[fohat.digs]

The last time I bought a phone on contract

I did this until about 6-8 years ago. When cell phones came around (as telephones) it was not much of an issue for me since phones were quite cheap (people who wanted bells and whistles paid the big bucks for a Blackberry).

My kids "came of age" - ie got to the age when they and their peers were getting cell phones - at about the time that "smart" phones were coming out, so they really wanted the new things and with each 2-year contract cycle I traded in their previous phones and got them something shiny (and I got something near the lower end for myself), since the earlier versions were evolving rapidly.

After a very few cycles of that, and with phones getting stupid expensive, I went on ebay and bought good used or NOS "last year's model" for half their original price and then had to pay for cell service only.

Several years ago I got "last year's" Google Pixel 3s for both of them and for me, and we are still using them to this day. Even though they have gotten rather long in the tooth, they are still good enough even for them (and since they will have to buy their own now, they aren't as demanding as they were when they were in their teens!).

[Leslieann]

The last time I bought a phone on contract this is how I remember it, that was in 2010. 

Today for unlimited data it's 24x£25 for sim only or £30 up front and 24x£62 for the 128GB iphone 13 mini, so £918 for the phone, which is available from Apple for £679. 
{cut}
Seems sim only is once again the right choice but do I commit to a low-data lifestyle long term?

We've started heading that same direction but only in the last year or two.
It really distorted out phone market and it's why you saw so many Boomers complaining about kids and their brand new Iphones (which wasn't always the newest but you expect boomers to know that?)... Why would you not have the latest Iphone when it's effectively free on your plan?

I hope it brings back competition and diversity in the market.



As for low data... It takes dedication, a bit of cash and some self control,  I rarely go much over a gig and I stream a lot of music, without that I could often get by with a few hundred megs.

First, stop using social media, stop using widgets and feeds. These DESTROY your data.
Obviously switch to wifi whenever possible (duh), beware, wifi uses more battery than cell data.
Stop watching/reading news on your phone or be very selective and use RSS feeds when possible. News video will also DESTROY your data and they like to sneak it into pages.
Set all of this stuff to have no data while running in background and/or only wifi. Including Google/Apple update.
If you use a weather app set it to only update every 30 minutes or when active.
If you use navigation, you can get 90% of the way there without navigation, wait until you get close to enable it. Do a quick check prior to leaving to get a general idea if needed.

Next run ad blocker DNS, run an adblocking browser, disable ALL of the garbage.
Use paid software when you can as opposed to free junk, and make sure it's actually paid without tracking.
Lastly, get ahold of Classyshark, it lets you see what has tracking and even strip the trackers from the app, though this can break apps.

If you stream music, this is a BIG one.
Ditch the provider's app, I.E. Iheartradio, Spotify, etc... Get an app that uses Shoutcast, without adds and find the raw audio streams. many places even offer higher and lower bandwidth streams, find the lowest that sounds decent. "But ____ doesn't offer a raw stream.." Sure it does, you just have to find it. VideoDownloadHelper, a browser plugin, specifically the Firefox version will let you capture a stream URL if played in the browser. Then you use an app that allows you to import stream URLS, I use XIAA Pro for this.

[suicidal_orange]

As for low data... It takes dedication, a bit of cash and some self control,  I rarely go much over a gig and I stream a lot of music, without that I could often get by with a few hundred megs.

Here's my data usage, this would go back to September if they let it.


No social media, dedicated Ogg/WAV playing device so phone stays charged, no reception at work so can't browse on breaks and no social life/need for navigation makes this easy, but is it worth saying my life sucks and wont change to save $100 over the next year and switch to 250MB/month?  I've been saying this for 9 months so money has been wasted and I should nearly be in a position to switch back when required, but I'm not.  Should probably drop to 1GB/month but <$100 a year isn't much saving and I'm still averaging 750MB/month and this isn't the first long no usage period, so at my old job which involved hours sat at the train station I must have been well over 1GB/month thanks to the excessive number of pics in GB threads reported for approval here (moderator woes!)

Currently running Sailfish and my next phone will be Ubuntu Touch (assuming I work out a way to carry its bulk...) so no dodgy apps to worry about but I really should look into an adblocking DNS.

Your guide looks great for anyone who is happy carrying a google tracker and use it as intended though

[phinix]

I guess I dont use data so much, as I usually use around 2-3GB per month.

[Leslieann]

Your guide looks great for anyone who is happy carrying a google tracker and use it as intended though

I averaged well under 250Mb per month if I didn't stream music and running Cyanogenmod/Lineage roms.
This is actually the first phone I've owned that wasn't hacked to death within a few days, some of that was curiosity to see where things stood (it's MUCH better since you can disable things) but some is just how over the whole thing I am, especially as Samsung and others have made it really difficult to do it these days.



I forgot one thing in my little guide...
Go into Google settings and disable all of the tracking you can, if you look at the data Google has on me, it's very, very little. Do I trust that, hell no, but at least it's not obvious they're doing it now and I did see a difference in the ads I was being served (when I saw them).

[ideus]

This is very entertaining reading, so thank you to the OP for thinking about it and sharing it. I also should thank the designers who believe that we want a laptop in our pockets, so we should go back to the times when a cellular phone was the size of a backpack, like those tactics phones used during WW2. My phone is about 2 3/4 x 6 inches, and it still fits nicely in my standard Zara slim trousers. Of course, it can be seen in front of my pants, but everybody is carrying a phone nowadays. I have tried some cases that fit on the belt, but I have never gotten accustomed to those. I take care of my current phone because it is a discontinued LG with an OLED screen that works very well for everything I have thrown at it. So I do not have any reason to buy a newer one that would come in a larger size. In the style of some cargo pants, I think that a side pocket would be required for the upcoming phablets that the designers believe we need; or the flip phones would come to rescue us from the enlarging phone trend.

[noisyturtle]

I'd be super into something like this, but unsure how you actually use it as a phone. As long as you don't need to unfold it to use it as utility.

[sefixmm]

I guess I dont use data so much, as I usually use around 2-3GB per month.

Same, less than 1Gb usually, I work at home, it's probably why

[suicidal_orange]

I'd be super into something like this, but unsure how you actually use it as a phone. As long as you don't need to unfold it to use it as utility.

Impressive technically but looks like there's a gap inside the hinge when it's folded.  Add that to the screen being exposed on both sides so you can't protect it with your leg and I think it would be unusable after a week in my pocket

[phinix]

I'd be super into something like this, but unsure how you actually use it as a phone. As long as you don't need to unfold it to use it as utility.

Impressive technically but looks like there's a gap inside the hinge when it's folded.  Add that to the screen being exposed on both sides so you can't protect it with your leg and I think it would be unusable after a week in my pocket

Show Image

I'm sure you could fold it other way, so screen would be inside.

[suicidal_orange]

^ That would make the bend radius much tighter and repeatedly bending something through nearly 360 degrees is a good way to make it snap.  Even if it somehow could survive the bending there would have to be a gap at the hinge otherwise it's definitely too tight, and in a tight pocket (because there is no other kind) there would be a crushing force trying to squash the hinge flat.  It would be a death sentence.

[Leslieann]

Minimum bend radius is an issue with it reversed (same for internal wiring).

Frankly, I'd prefer a split screen with glass and a minimal gap than the method shown.
Makes for a smaller phone and for how often you'd cross the gap dragging and dropping, it would probably be a only a minor inconvenience.