I've been looking into using my #smartwatch as a #dumbphone This is what I've learned so far – 1/9
Battery can definitely be an issue, which is why the Apple Watch Ultra seems to be the most popular choice with people who try this (after scouring countless Reddit threads).
However it really does depend on how you use it. I'm using an Apple Watch SE from 2021, and it easily lasts the entire day. Unless I'm actively streaming music while tracking a run, or using the gps for a long time.
2/9 – Reducing the time I spend scrolling my phone is what I'm aiming for.
I've been looking into a lot of dumb phones, like the Cat S22 flip, Punkt MP02, the Mudita, but for now I'm combining an Apple Watch SE with the #booxpalma and airpods.
Using the Palma as a mostly offline device seems to be key. Seeing that it's all Android-based you could download Reddit and browse to your heart's content, but limiting it to Kindle, #Readwise Reader and #Obsidian feels just right 👌
3/9 – One issue I can't seem to figure out though is texting, on an #applewatch. I typically write in #norwegian which Apple has very limited support for, to my surprise. Dictating texts works better than I'd expect, but having to say "comma/period/question mark" feels really weird. You can scribble though, but only in English.
Having the smallest watch (40mm) makes a "full size" qwerty keyboard pretty difficult though. Which might be easier on the bigger watches.
4/9 – Swipe typing on an #applewatch however is so good!
Flicktype is by far the best I've tried so far, with some really intuitive use of the crown for choosing autocorrect suggestions.
However – no Norwegian support + seems like the project was abandoned, after Apple made it difficult to integrate properly.
WatchType seems to be the only option for Norwegian typing, but no swiping or autocorrect, so you need to spell out one letter at a time, and hold the letter O to get to Ø for example.
5/9 — For now I’ll stick to scribbling out my texts whenever I’m in a situation where I don’t want to dictate. Even though I have to phrase my sentences to avoid ÆØÅ. But that’s really my biggest gripe with using an #applewatch as an #iPhone replacement, or a modern #dumbphone.
Heading out the door there’s more stuff to remember — watch, boox Palma, AirPods, transit card, maybe a camera, notebook and a pen, but I love how each “action” is more isolated. There’s less room for distraction.
6/9 – The watch still needs an iphone for updates unfortunately, but if I'm at home I'll keep it in a drawer, out of sight. And if I'm out and about it'll be in my backpack for most of the day.
When I do use it though I'm looking at a "dumbed down" iphone 13 mini with a matte screen protector, in grayscale. Using a minimalist launcher called "dumb phone". So it actually looks remarkably similar to the Boox Palma and other e-ink devices.
Link to the launcher: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dumb-phone-dp/id6504743503
Turn your iPhone into a Dumb Phone. Dumb Phone lets you create your very own minimalist-style phone on iOS. Replace colorful app icons, pesky notification badges, and anything that might give you a dopamine hit when you unlock your phone, with simple buttons to open your essential apps, and nothin…
7/9 – Customizing #Android settings on the #booxpalma has definitely been quite a learning curve, after only using Apple stuff for the past 15 years, but I'm getting there.
Why on earth do I need to "unfreeze" apps, and keep enabling them in the playstore for them to not dissapear?
Using the Niagara launcher removes a lot of clutter from the default apps lying around. And I was actually a bit surprised to see that I could connect the airpods without much hassle, for audiobooks with #librofm.
8/9 – I really like that I can get some shitty photos from the #booxpalma though. The memory is more important to me than the quality. And having photos with ridiculous file sizes only bloats my cloud storage.
I still haven't managed to transfer photos from the #booxpalma to my mac though. Someone on Reddit suggested OpenMTP, but why photos I've taken don't show up in the Pictures-folder is beyond me.
9/9 – If the battery on the #applewatch SE does turn out to be a bigger issue than I thought, after a month or so, I might look into a refurbished ultra, or series 9 or 10. Which would help a little bit with the typing issues, but that's probably just me justifying a new gadget 🤷♂️
What do you think would be your biggest issue with using a #smartwatch as a #dumbphone?
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