=============================================================================== blog.notryan.com/003.txt Sat, 04 Apr 2020 Ryan Jacobs 21:30:00 -0700 Reclaiming the Cell Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . =============================================================================== There are two projects I want to kick off soon. Number one is removing all technology from my bedroom. (Maybe only for certain hours to force me to concentrate my usage on actually useful activities? Or maybe I'll pick up a beatup x61 Thinkpad that can't do anything other than text.) And number two is migrating away from my iPhone. I would love, love, love if I had my dream cell phone. I've dabbled in using Nokias and AT&T's ZTE device. I love them but I can only last about a month on them before some pain point irks me. Here are the features of my dream cell phone: Must have: * Completely open-source hardware, firmware, software. * QWERTY keyboard * Screen size 2.4 inches + Maybe e-ink * Max talk time: 24 hours. Max music playback: 48 hours. Standby time: 30 days. * Vibrate only. No ringer. No alarms. I hate being embarrassed by oft forgotten alarms and ringtones. * Built-in graphs of SMS/voice usage over the course of a month (so I can budget it). * Use a Twilio number as my real number, that forwards between my phone's local SMS number. Then I can text people via a web app and or a CLI app still as "me". I can implement a sort of ACK/Mailbox protocol to ensure that my device is in sync with the official message log. Some consensus protocols may be required to prevent out-of-order messaging. Pretty much a dead simple one-sided implementation of Apple's famed iMessage integrations. I'm not talking about text bubbles and deliver/read receipts though. I love being able to send texts on a Mac just be signing in. But it would be better if it was over the web too. Nice to have: * Able to create a LTE hotspot. * Wireless Qi charging * Able to SSH into any remote machine and use the full QWERTY keyboard. This might require a control key, etc. That's all I can think of right now.