Hi all,
I got a new phone for the first time in a long time. I've been carrying a Light Phone II for years... it's a minimalist, e-ink phone, with calls, text messages, podcasts, music, calendar, and... that's about it. It has a wonky tool for maps, and if you really want them, a few tools like a calculator and a notes tool.
The Light Phone II has no internet browser on it, (but it does have the ability to turn on a hotspot), which for me, is a big deal. Even when I turned my old smartphone into a tablet and it was only usable on wi-fi around the house, I could still feel its presence tugging me back to the internet. (I have to very intentionally put it away, otherwise the impulse, and I can physically *feel* it, to briefly check something turns into 30 minutes of time instantly lost.)
The one flaw with the Light Phone II for me was a lack of a camera. When I took my kids on outings, I knew I'd want pictures and I'd often bring my smart phone along as a camera. (I experimented a little with an old Cannon Elph, but it didn't quite catch for me.)
This is why I was so excited for the Light Phone III, which *does* have a camera. I jumped early when it was available for presale and waited for months for it to arrive.
It finally came a week ago.
I took it out of the package, powered down my Light Phone II to move the SIM card over and paused. I felt unexpectedly sad.
The Light Phone II had been quirky, different, weird, and so perfect for me. It helped me feel safe and connected, but not "always on." It was definitely a conversation starter. And it had been good to me for over 5 years.
And here I was replacing it.
I'm still very excited for the Light Phone III, but I haven't forgotten the II. Maybe I'll sell it. Maybe I'll find a way to alternate between both and carry the II on days I don't think I'll use my camera. Maybe it'll become my kid's phone. I'm not sure.
But at the very least, I want to pause and reflect that a little object no bigger than a few stacked up credit cards could have such significance for me.
Best regards
Sam Feller
p.s. Some other thoughts: Even longer ago, I have a memory of upgrading to a new smart phone and all the contacts and apps and pictures and settings ported over. At the time I remember thinking that the data was the phone's immortal soul, it was just being reborn in another vessel. That didn't happen between the II and III, I had to very intentionally export and import contacts and set my podcasts up again. Maybe that's part of what made it so real that it was being shut off.