Just googled to see if I was misremembering because I definitely browsed the regular web on my Nokia N73. It also came out in 2006, and back in the day it was not called a smartphone.
I would say your statement is factually incorrect.
I’ll say I’m correct on a technicality. 2006 is not “long before smartphones” only a year or so. The N73 is a sort of proto-smartphone, even if the term wasn’t in use yet.
Not impossible to get by, but a lot more difficult in the modern world. I used a dumb phone for a little while a few years ago and I just ended up carrying a smartphone w/o a SIM to tether when needed bc of how much infrastructure assumes you have a smartphone nowadays (in the US at least). It’s infuriating - not impossible, but a lot more difficult than it used to be.
I’m not saying it’s unmanageable, I’m saying it’s useful to have one.
A web browser is not the problem in most people’s cases, social media is. The point of a dumb smartphone is to keep all the useful tools while banning the harmful ones.
No, if people can receive emails, it defeats the entire purpose. Just don’t install those apps then? Lol. A browser allows access to most social media anyways, so providing one is counter to its purpose.
Good idea, it depends on the implementation though - sometimes having a browser on demand is important.
Some feature phones had browsers
I’m aware. Browsers have been in phones long before smartphones.
WAP/WML browsers, not web browsers.
Just googled to see if I was misremembering because I definitely browsed the regular web on my Nokia N73. It also came out in 2006, and back in the day it was not called a smartphone.
I would say your statement is factually incorrect.
I’ll say I’m correct on a technicality. 2006 is not “long before smartphones” only a year or so. The N73 is a sort of proto-smartphone, even if the term wasn’t in use yet.
How do you think people managed before smart phones?
Nothing’s that important it can’t wait to get home or to a library, or call someone and get them to check if it is THAT important.
Not impossible to get by, but a lot more difficult in the modern world. I used a dumb phone for a little while a few years ago and I just ended up carrying a smartphone w/o a SIM to tether when needed bc of how much infrastructure assumes you have a smartphone nowadays (in the US at least). It’s infuriating - not impossible, but a lot more difficult than it used to be.
I’m not saying it’s unmanageable, I’m saying it’s useful to have one.
A web browser is not the problem in most people’s cases, social media is. The point of a dumb smartphone is to keep all the useful tools while banning the harmful ones.
No, if people can receive emails, it defeats the entire purpose. Just don’t install those apps then? Lol. A browser allows access to most social media anyways, so providing one is counter to its purpose.
Strongly disagree. Email is foundational communication just like text messaging.
Social media is NOT foundational communication.
And an email can wait until you get home, if it’s that important, call, but texts suffice.
A browser allows access to social media, so now you just lost the phones sole purpose, good job.