Light Phone II

jamescarruthers

New member
Hey everyone. I switched to iOS after BB10 but am finding it too distracting (read lack of self control!). I have ordered a Light Phone II and should be switching over second week of December. I'll let you know how I get on with my hopefully new found serenity!

 

Dunt Dunt Dunt

New member
I guess that goes along with Kevin's usage of MP02...

I'm not tied to my phone, or big on social media. But I do need certain smart features that these dumb phone just can't do. So do you end up dual carrying - which defeats everything? Or just don't bother with mapping, tracking your finances, paying for things using your phone, doing mobile orders at restaurants, interacting with smart features of your car or home?
 

jamescarruthers

New member
I chose the Light Phone II over the Punkt MP02 as the Light Phone does indeed do limited mapping via Here maps plus I've hard Punkt is buggy and has awful support. Mapping is important for me to have as I have a dreadful sense of direction and often do just need to work out how to get somewhere quickly or how to get home from wherever I have ended up!

I really hope to never dual carry again. I have done that with a work and personal phone in the past. Now a work phone is unnecessary. I think I would have an iPad if necessary and could hotspot it to the Light Phone.

It certainly isn't for everyone... it might not even be for me. But I DO want my time and my attention span back! I'm not on any social media apart from LinkedIn but I do find that when I go to check my phone for "acceptable" things that I then end up checking a few website forums, eBay saved searches, the news, etc. on some sort of loop and basically I'm pissing myself off!

Finances, I have a spreadsheet for. Paying via Apple Pay I have used, but only as a novelty as I always have my cards in my wallet. I wont tolerate going to restaurants with online ordering or no paper menus to be honest-- I really dislike this already but hopefully the person I'm with will order for me if this becomes more common. Smart Features of the car or home-- at home I have none and want none; the car, they are all old (1987 Volvo 480ES and 2006 Citroen C6) but I admit I will miss streaming music via the Bluetooth thingie I've added to the C6. I have a TomTom in the Volvo and ancient, stuck in 2016, built-in SatNav in the C6.

The LightPhone does do music, but it will be new to me to upload actual files, rather than streaming Deezer; not sure I will use this, nor its Podcast function. It also had a notes tool-- voice and text. It also will do calendars soon I'm told. For now, I'm dusting off my old Filofax and seeing how that goes-- the Psion was considered but its just too big and the screen has not aged well. I used to manage very well with the old Filofax before BB10 and a PKB was proven to be perfect for organising my life; sadly thats all over and I've never really gelled with the F(x)tec Pro 1 and the iPhone 12 I've had since the Passport cooked its cellular modem. The Passport is going to get framed and put on the wall it was so bloody good!

I'm not completely disconnecting from the world, just the immediate one in my pocket. I still want to call and get SMS from family and friends-- in fact I want more real interactions with them. I never want my son to think I am looking at my phone for something trivial over him-- this has happened and I was really disappointed in myself. I also want to be able to tolerate boredom without whipping my phone out.

The plan is to see how it goes with just my laptop at home but would be happy to have an iPad for the apps that I do recognise are useful. I think this makes me a semi-Luddite, not a full one!
 

jamescarruthers

New member
I guess that goes along with Kevin's usage of MP02...
Thanks, I hadn't looked on the new Crackberry homepage and seen that there were articles again! Thanks for pointing this out. I just read CBK's piece on the MP02 and that is what I aspire to. The Signal integration is nice for data based messaging and I do hope that that could come to the LP2 in time; for now, not a deal breaker for me now-- it would have been in the past with working abroad and finding BBM and then WhatsApp essential to avoid phone network roaming charges.
 

Dunt Dunt Dunt

New member
The Light Phone II does look more usable than the MP02 that Kevin reviewed. Thanks for sharing, its neat to learn about these things existing

I think Signal was the main advantage that the MP02 had, but that hasn't been a perfect solution based on the reviews I've read....

I had read up a little on both... as they both have been around for a few years now. Poor software and limitations seem to plague both, and many users had admitted that they use them most as secondary devices (and that was way back when... I wonder how many even use them at all now).

Feature phones with email would likly meet the needs of some of the BlackBerry users of old that are still able to use BBOS or BB10, I had hoped that KaiOS would make a bigger splash in western markets than it did. Even hoped for something beyond a T9 keyboard.... something like the GHIA GOWERTY.
 
I have a Light Phone II and used it for a while, but ended up going back to a smartphone. That was about a year ago but I think it might be time to go back. I'm considering getting an iPad for stuff I need while I'm at home, then the Light Phone for while I'm out. I like it because it has directions when I do need it but doesn't have all the extra stuff.

I will say the thing that annoyed me the most was that I am a fast typer and the e-ink screen was quite slow for me but I'm hoping I could train myself to get used to it lol.
Hey everyone. I switched to iOS after BB10 but am finding it too distracting (read lack of self control!). I have ordered a Light Phone II and should be switching over second week of December. I'll let you know how I get on with my hopefully new found serenity!

 

jamescarruthers

New member
I have a Light Phone II and used it for a while, but ended up going back to a smartphone. That was about a year ago but I think it might be time to go back. I'm considering getting an iPad for stuff I need while I'm at home, then the Light Phone for while I'm out. I like it because it has directions when I do need it but doesn't have all the extra stuff.

I will say the thing that annoyed me the most was that I am a fast typer and the e-ink screen was quite slow for me but I'm hoping I could train myself to get used to it lol.
I’m thinking a Light Phone for my pocket but an iPad for home might be a good combo too.

I now have it but a waiting for my eSIM to be transferred to a physical SIM before I start using it fully.

First impressions are that it is small (credit card sized) but is heavier (feels the same as my iPhone 12 Mini) and thicker than I was expecting. Still impressed with it!
 
I’m thinking a Light Phone for my pocket but an iPad for home might be a good combo too.

I now have it but a waiting for my eSIM to be transferred to a physical SIM before I start using it fully.

First impressions are that it is small (credit card sized) but is heavier (feels the same as my iPhone 12 Mini) and thicker than I was expecting. Still impressed with it!
Awesome! Yeah I'd love to hear how it works out for you.

It feels really great in the hand to me. I think the weight is solid and keeps it in my hand well and the curved back is a nice tough. Again for me the biggest issue is typing on the e-ink display lol. Not much they can do about that though.
 

givechanceachance

New member
I am still undecided between the Punkt and the Light-phone II; I am more or less leaning towards the light phone because of the touch keyboard and E-ink screen vs the T9 setup of the Punkt. Will start saving and by the time I save to $400 the Punkt with full physical keyboard may become my alter-choice if ever released. For now I am happy with the Titan OG using icon and distraction free T-UI launcher. Although I have dreamed of an E-Ink smartphone. Though would have to hold a long and deep breath waiting for that.
 
I will say the e-ink display on the Light Phone II is nice, but for me I struggle with the half second delay when typing and tapping the screen. As someone who writes fairly fast, it's a tad annoying lol. I think if I really just committed myself to it fully I could retrain my brain but I'm not looking for that kind of stress right now lol.
 

givechanceachance

New member
I will say the e-ink display on the Light Phone II is nice, but for me I struggle with the half second delay when typing and tapping the screen. As someone who writes fairly fast, it's a tad annoying lol. I think if I really just committed myself to it fully I could retrain my brain but I'm not looking for that kind of stress right now lol.
I have the Freewrite writing device and as long as it has a sizable keboard buffer the E-ink delay has never delayed my thoughts to writ.

Does the Lightphone have a sufficient buffer?
 

SteinwayTransitCorp

Well-known member
Hey everyone. I switched to iOS after BB10 but am finding it too distracting (read lack of self control!). I have ordered a Light Phone II and should be switching over second week of December. I'll let you know how I get on with my hopefully new found serenity!

It is an interesting and nice looking phone, but 300 bucks for just 4G maybe not
 
Top