Recommendations for dumb tech?
Recommendations for dumb tech?
Tired of my tvs no longer updating to the latest software, tired of my phone no longer connecting to my car, tired of my few years old tech being considered legacy and no longer supported. Can anyone suggest non-android, non-apple, non-AI, non-connected, non-smart 'dumb' tech you've bought that makes a difference in your life? Should be hardy enough to last maybe 20 years (my even older plasma tv is still going on strong with a beautiful tv and forward firing speakers, while my newer Samsung lcd stopped receiving updates) and just do it's job. I can live without mu ai enabled washer telling me how to wash my clothes.
No effin way that thing is 23 years old! Its got to be at least 60's!
It's a modern repro of a 1958 Philco Predicta. The tube and electronics are all Phillips. I spent a little extra to get Component and S-Video inputs on it. It's a full color television. :)
My plan had been to buy an original and fix it up, but the originals are FULL of paper capacitors and each one has to be replaced. :( It was actually cheaper ($2,500 counting freight) to buy the repro in 2001.
Same. Ps1-ps5, media box, PC. Well done! I don't get this era of disposable tech and planned obsolescence. I get new tech, but don't understand why I need to upgrade my phone every 2-3 years so I can WhatsApp faster.
Actually, forget planned. It's forced obsolescence - the hardware is perfectly fine, only they want you to update your netflix client so go and buy a new tv.
Have you tried hoop and a stick? That shit's wild.
Do a factory reset on your TV. Then do not let it ever connect to the internet again. Get a cheap laptop and play all your media on it through the TV.
I only use computer monitors for TVs.
That's my big one.
I don't want to wait anything, I don't want specialized menus, I don't want suggestions of any kind on my display, I simply want a larger display.
I can see no reason for getting a smart TV versus a monitor and an HDMI cable.
Just curious, but are the monitors more expensive? And do you mount them or have them sit in something?
I just feel like a 32" monitor would be a lot more expensive than a 32" tv, dumb or smart.
I did get dumb TVs also, but everything was free.
There are tons of free dumb TVs and monitors being given away online.
i guess people don't want to go to the trouble of driving to recycling centers.
I similarly look for a table, desk or cabinet being given away for free online, and plop the monitor on that.
at one point, I had one monitor in the bedroom, one monitor in the living room and two monitors hooked up in a game room, all free.
3 hooked up to used office laptops that were $30 or less for streaming and old emulated games, and the living room TV hooked up to my main computer for streaming/modern games.
There is basically no such thing as a working dumb mobile phone any more. All the old 2G and 3G ones are now bricked because the networks all cut over to 4G/5G. Otherwise what can I say, just avoid stuff with connectivity when you can help it. Also buy corded tools and appliances unless the convenience advantage of cordless is too great to do without. Otherwise you stuck trying to replace overpriced and sometimes hard to find batteries.
If something is completely FOSS then the software angle is less of a pain in my opinion. I'm still using a beat-up Thinkpad X220 that was made in 2011, but running Debian Bullseye on it. I'll update it to Bookworm or Trixie when I get around to it. Point is that I can do that, while any phone from 2011 is a hopeless dinosaur.
Also dumb phones are more spyware then you would think, there have been documented cases of dumb phones using sms for background communication to spy or scam
Yeah there are some dumbed down minimal function "grandma" phones that just make calls and maybe have a panic button that calls 911. I think one is called a "Cricket" or something similarly cute. But they have operating systems and I doubt that one would work for 20 years.
They are generally locked down to specific carriers too.
A 20 year cell phone isn't happening though. The networks change out too often. I still have perfectly solid 1g, 2g, and 3g phones that are useless because the networks they used are gone. 4g still works but for how long? 5g will be around for a while, but 20 years? Dubious.
For a phone with a minimal UI, there is Light Phone. I almost bought the Nokia “banana phone” because it was used in The Matrix and I love that film. If you want something that will last a long time, maybe Fairphone (tho it is Android)
Yes Fairphone is great. My parent is still using my old v3 and is still gets updates as well has having spare parts for fixes.
Been personally skeptical of fairphone after they removed the headphone jack, and started selling wireless earbuds for like 200$. That has ruined my trust with their good intentions. They are at least a step in the right direction, but just a step.
Fairphones due to having pretty long lasting hardware are common early targets for LineageOS and PostmaketOS devs, so yeah definitely a good choice for longevity.
Google pixels are the best mainstream longevity alternative due to developer adoption in the non-Google Android communities and mobile linux communities. Pixel 1s are still getting updates to latest Lineage Android, though I'm sure it has to be super slow. Graphene only runs on Pixels.
Librem 5 or the PinePhone would probably be your best bets if you want an out of the box mobile gnu/linux.
The Light Phone looks pretty neat and I like the idea of a more minimalistic device (especially with e-paper), but it's pretty unique hardware and a custom Android that needs jailbreaking to update if the company stops supporting it.
It also looks like the third iteration won't have an e-paper display, so I'm not sure the beneft of that version will be against a ultra power-saving mode / locked down Android or a mobile Linux on much cheaper hardware.
For your car het yourself a cassette player dock and a Sony walkman. Don't worry about the skipping, scratched CDs, limited data storage, shaky connection, inability to change the library at will, it's much easier and more convenient than keeping a Bluetooth connection from your phone to your player working.
Alternative, get one with a USB port and load a USB stick with MP3.
I just keep my radio off and instead listen to the worrying noises from the engine and suspension.
I rebought my old Walkman for nostalgia WM-FX415, which, according to current reviews, was a decent model.
A little more techy, I'm currently looking at this portable CD player that has Bluetooth and FM transmit. It's showing as sold out though.
I used to have one of those cassette adapters to use with mp3 players. They'd work great with headphone jacks. Pity few phones still have those these days.
I use a Sony NWZ A15 which is an older player so can probably be had for not much money. Headphone jack and micro SD card.
If your car is newer with one of those integrated head units then you can get a 3.5mm Bluetooth sender for hardly any money.
Yeah you'd probably have to rig something with a usbc to 3.5mm to cassette adapter if you want corded, though someone with better skills than me could slice and solder the two adapters together to make one adapter.
Wired headphones. I like that they just plug into whatever without syncing, are cheap, light, and last basically forever. Of course I need a dongle for the vast majority of modern phones, but I a have a sturdy solid dongle and other than the annoyance of having to carry it with me (and using the word "dongle" to describe it) it works quite nicely. A wire clip is also a necessity.
Bluetooth speaker? No! Homemade PVC pipe passive amp? Yes!
Why does TV need software updates? Mine has software from 2013 and I have never even connected it to the internet. It showed me tv-shows then and it shows me tv-shows now.
My mum's Samsung lost Netflix access because the app was too old, and Samsung considers it legacy and therefore won't support it any more. There was also an article where the author lamented his phone no longer connecting to his older Android auto version. Essentially, we are being forced to replace perfectly functional hardware due to software, essentially the consumer electronics version of 'you are out of cyan, replace the entire printer cartridge please'.
They update when someone come up with a new way to spy on you, or fix an non functioning one.
Let's start this off. I looked at some business displays as a replacement for a tv. They do the job, but generally don't have great sound, so I need to buy soundbars as well. My old Panasonic 50' is great, and I don't mind the power draw. Will miss it when it's gone.
My Panasonic Lumix S5 camera, it has been a huge upgrade from my old GX80.
A proper digital camera has had a huge impact on my life, they have made me go and see places just because I wanted a photo.
They have really improved my quallity of life.
The cardboard paper towel megaphone should be anyones first choice for both announcements and updates.
Unfortunately, anything modern is designed to be cheap and throwaway in design, as inflation would easily push the price of the devices today up to 4 times that of the old stuff it it were designed with the same durability. Anything old enough to be the kind of device that lasts decades is incompat as technology has marched on, and old stock "new" still has an age issue - yes, electronics still go bad just by age.
Best I can say is, for your phone, a modern old people flip phone will still connect to the cell net, but it has a stripped down Android - this is because designing a one of a kind OS for a phone that has to use VoLTE VoIP and RCS messaging would be absurdly expensive, and slapping a bottom barrel SoC with Android already made for it is way cheaper. Phones all come with web browsers because the data net is now they do voice these days, so why not include a basic feature that can be useful to some? My first cell phone was a flip phone with 1.5MB RAM that didn't even have bluetooth and it had a web browser... which was hot garbage, barely able to show me a paragraph on the tiny screen and slower than dialup but I did on occason try to use it.
You can try the Lightphone or Lightphone 2, which is an "anti-feature" phone that specifically does not come with any features.
Samsung washing machines have been a PITA due to Samsung making them with sketchy quality. I'd say a cheap front loader from the hardware store would be good enough, if they have a non-smart appliance.
The smart TV thing is getting annoying, especially since everyone is doing it at all price points, but a computer monitor ($~100 for 21") does not have smart anything, has hdmi, and probably you will use your own stuff to connect to it. Only problem is if the monitor lacks an HDMI ARC port, which is an HDMI that can send audio data back thru the link for sound systems, which you will need because monitors have trash speakers, unless you have a god tier set of 2.1 speakers with a 3.5mm jack.
As for the car and bluetooth, it's always a hassle - the older the car the less likely bluetooth will work reliably if at all, but if you take calls on the road, you have to keep this working, as it is a safety issue. As for car spying, research the car and find out how to disconnect the telemetry modem. Until very recently, a lot of older cars with telemetry run just fine with the modem disconnected, or an aftermarket head unit installed with the telemetry unit disconnected.
Awesome response, thanks! I actually have an unopened ipod mini from way back. It has a headphone jack and should still be supported by modern mac's (I hope).
Agree with everything you said re the smart tv it sucks bdig ones. Wonder why they don't make large format 50+' monitors, I'd be happy with that and use my phone for Netflix/ YouTube etc. The way it is now is I'll have the tv with a non functional set of apps and still have to use my phone any way.
The car? I'd hate for my car to stop getting updates for apple / android suites after x number of years. Most head end units are now integrated with car functions, so not even sure how to replace those when the time inevitably comes. Happily using basic connectivity with Bluetooth and no android/ apple suite.
I was interested in these "light" phones for a bit, but they seem a bit gimmicky and expensive. I understand not having a browser on purpose, but for communication, none of them (AFAIK) support Matrix or even XMPP (even some old feature phones had a Java Jabber client). Punkt MP02 supports Signal though.
Android phone with custom ROM (Lineage, /e/, Graphene, DivestOS...) is a possibility, and would be usable until hardware is incompatible with the phone/wifi networks.
If you have a patience of a saint, PinePhone and Librem5 are Linux phones, both in fairly early stages.
Problem is these aftermarket roms have way more frequent updates. OP is tired of constant updating, complicated interfaces, and wants something that "just works". Good luck with that.
It's a huge problem. Software engineers need to step up and say no to creating artificial barriers between the user and the device. Electronic and mechanical engineers should be making devices that are repairable.
In my workshop I have switched to buying old industrial tools that don't have embedded software. These machines were built in a time when people expected to repair their own stuff and keep it working.
It's difficult to imagine a corporation whose ethics are more toxic than Apple but everyone seems to be following their lead and jumping on this mendacious bandwagon.
Ive actually heard of internet connected soldering irons. I feel your pain.
Learned a new word: mendacious
Please stop making smart TVs!!! They were never needed to start with! I just want to turn in my tv and have it start showing what I have hooked up to it.
That's what the thread was meant to be about. Seems to have turned into a beat up on the luddites thing, with a few notable and rather helpful exceptions. Maybe I should have marked it [serious]. Oh well.
Lol! To be fair those dirty technology deficient luddits had coming! /S
Routers: anything supported by OpenWRT.
Apparently the ISP modem-routers being supplied these days have virtual assistants embedded (you vill use our spyware and you vill be happy!).
I have an old iPod that I got from eBay. I'm running Rockbox on it which allows me to put music on it with almost any format. Ive used it for about 4 or more years now and it's working fine.
I can connect it easily to other old "dumb" tech. It just works.
Edit: it's an old iPod classic of the last generation. There's a bunch of mods/upgrades you can get online like HDD replacements with microsd-cards. You can increase the capacity that way. The battery even lasts longer then. Or you can get a bigger battery with a bigger metal case to fit.
I have an unopened ipod mini somewhere. Figure I'd use it as a media player as you said. Now where to find a clean S2000 for the car part? Lol
I will be devil's advocate in terms of Apple devices. I have an old iPad (5th gen), three years old iPhone and M1 iMac. All work perfectly fine. Apart from some latest features I can do anything I need/want.
As for the "smart" TVs, buy a store brand (most are dumb enough) or get a business display. In most cases is as dumb as is gets.
But if you want to "get off the grid" you will need to explore the Linux/FOSS world and spend a lot of time dealing with the usual drama - unusable laptop due to broken update/drivers, dealing with syncing data across devices, figuring out how to do things that work for everyone else.
Thanks man. I'm not interested in getting off the grid. These things are essential to daily life for me. I just don't understand why my washer needs AI or something dumb like that. The tv should take a signal and display it. Anything outside of that can be done with an external device. So yeah, I've been researching the business displays and large monitors.
Before I got privacy focused I have purchased few always online devices. While I try to replace those I still relay on few. To get my more private and secure I have setup additional network that has no access to my home network and I have blocked all outgoing traffic that wasn't essential to the device.
I'm curious about something.
I fully understand your sentiment of things that don't need to be smart, being "smart". I have never connected my TV to the internet, because fuck that. I think there's a bunch of things that are getting crap they don't need layered on, all to mine more data
That said, what's the issue with the TV not updating to the latest software? Isn't that basically the same as a TV that never needed updates? No chance of a new feature, ever?
The key difference is the spyware, but that wasn't what frustrated you, specifically.
Because I lose features I bought the tv for? I mean, if the selling point is a YouTube/ netflix/ spotify client, then 3 years down the line when the Netflix client is no longer compatible with the current service, and can't be updated because the TV's OS isn't being updated by the manufacturer any more, it means I have to buy another device, which I could have done in the beginning. So now I want a dumb tv so I can pair it with anything I want for years (HDMI will be around a lot longer than Netflix v3.x.xxxx), instead of having a tv filled with zombie apps I can't delete.
The spyware is there as long as I'm using the services. So it's not what is bothering me, though it's the common bogeyman. It's the forced obsolescence and waste.
