Why You Should Downgrade to a "Dumb" Phone

April 26, 2022

Okay, take a moment and just picture your old flip phone. Remember how its battery lasted seemingly forever, or how it didn’t cost you an arm and a leg to purchase? Remember how it didn’t let you spend four hours a day on Instagram at work and another four scrolling TikTok after work like your fancy new smartphone does?

To be completely honest, those old-fashioned “dumb” phones were pretty cool. They offered us basic connectivity in our pocket, and they didn’t distract us from life. In fact, maybe we should all downgrade to a “dumb” phone. We discuss why everyone should make the downgrade in today’s top story, so be sure to give it a click.

Other Highlights: 

• A Google employee left a Pixel Watch prototype in a restaurant, and looks like the watch may have larger bezels than we expected!
• So, Elon Musk bought Twitter for real, making him the new crypto bro in town, I guess.
• GM just confirmed that a hybrid electric Corvette is coming in 2023, and we’re excited!
• …and so much more!

-Suzanne

Smartphones have become more than just a minor distraction. Swiping through social media all day is mentally and physically exhausting, yet it’s almost unavoidable, as we’re all addicted to our phones. And while certain apps can help you curb your phone usage, it may be time to just ditch the smartphone and use an old-fashioned “dumb” phone. Read More »

I bought a MagSafe Charger from Apple when it was first announced and was quickly disappointed because it wasn’t all that effective as a standalone product. Pair it with Nomad’s MagSafe Mount Stand, though, and suddenly it becomes an extremely useful accessory. Read More »

One crypto bro steps down; another comes to take his place. Just a few weeks after announcing his bid for Twitter, Elon Musk has entered a “definitive agreement” to purchase full ownership of the company. The deal is valued at around $44 billion, and upon its completion, Twitter will exit the stock market and become a private company. Read More »

Quick Response (QR) codes are everywhere these days. You’ll find these two-dimensional barcodes in restaurants for the menu, and everyone probably remembers that Coinbase QR code Super Bowl commercial. Most people have used a QR code at some point, but have you ever seen an animated QR code? Read More »

Apple’s array of accessories are almost as exciting as its terrific smartphones and laptops. The two latest additions to the company’s line of accessories are smart water bottles, and they sport some super cool functionality to help you get (and stay) hydrated. Read More »

We love clean, minimal desks as much as the next guy, but if you’re at your desk all day every day, you should probably be using a mouse pad. Why? Moving your mouse around directly on your desk can wear down the finish on your desk and potentially damage your mouse. An extra-large mouse pad is the perfect solution, though, as it protects your desk and looks stylish. This one has a cool cosmic design and measures 35.4 x 15.7 x 0.08 inches, so it’s big enough to set your keyboard and wrist rests on it as well.

Get it at Amazon →

It’s hard to use Photoshop without running into some annoyance or inconvenience. But the file exporting process is an especially big pain point, and it’s only gotten worse with Adobe’s new “Save to Creative Cloud” popup. Thankfully, you can disable this popup to save a step in the exporting process. Read More »

It seems that a Google employee left their Pixel Watch prototype in a Chicago restaurant. Photos of the purported prototype were published by Android Police, and these images seem to verify previous leaks about the smartwatch’s design. Unfortunately, the new pictures also reveal the Pixel Watch’s thick bezels. Read More »

Following years of rumors and speculation, today, General Motors finally confirmed an “electrified” Chevy Corvette is coming next year. This is big news for the automotive world, but that’s not all the company had to say. Read More »

So you’re all set to join your video meeting, but you’ve finally realized—your camera angle isn’t very flattering, is it? Like most people, you probably just placed your camera on your desk without much thought, but the camera angle that produces isn’t the most pleasant to look at. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to fix the dreaded up the nose camera angle. Read More »

Chrome hit the big 100 in March 2022, but the celebration is over now. We’re back already with another release in April. Chrome 101 includes more improvements to the new download UI, saving Tab Groups, and the password manager. Let’s take a look. Read More »

We all love our air fryers, but you might want to double-check your model number—it might be part of the recall recently issued by Best Buy in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Read More »

Laptops are expensive and fragile objects, so it’s important to take care of them in transit. The right bag can keep your laptop safe, whether you’re commuting to work on a train or bicycling in the rain. Read More »

This week, not only did Netflix save some of its biggest April debuts for last, but the first day of May also falls this week. That means there’s a plethora of content coming your way. Read More »