--- title: Phone Alternatives date: 2025-11-20 lastmod: 2026-02-11 published: false tags: - technology - digitaldetox --- Over the course of my de-phoning journey, I have replaced many of the features on my smartphone with alternative (often more "old-school") technologies, and I have found this to be profoundly good for the soul. The most obvious benefit is that these old technologies are not designed to be addicting like a smartphone. Even if you are using your smartphone for legitimate purposes, temptation is literally in the palm of your hand. Imagine reading a map with a line of cocaine on it, and you kind of get an idea of why you might not want to rely on your phone's GPS. When I talked to my dad about having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals — being invited to participate in the process — deepens your appreciation and understanding of the technology in a way that you can't experience with a low-friction "black box" technology like the smartphone. Here are some phone alternatives that I have incorporated into my life: ## Laptop This one may seem against the spirit of "digital detox," but let me explain. Smartphone critics often point out that before the advent of the smartphone, people treated the Internet like a "place" — in order to access the Internet, you had to sit down in the computer room. Although laptops are portable, they aren't practical to use on-the-go as smartphones. It's not as convenient to whip out your laptop when you're waiting in line or sitting on the toilet. Perhaps the most effective technique I've employed to rely on my phone less is to off-load most of its responsibilities to my laptop. I've disabled the browser on my phone ## Alarm Clock My wife bought us a Nintendo Alarmo (though any alarm clock would do), which is the main technology that enables me to leave my smartphone outside my bedroom. Because it's not touch-activated and right under my pillow, it's harder to accidentally disable. Granted, Alarmo doesn't really have a "snooze" feature, so there are days when I disable it and oversleep, though I'm trying to build the discipline to do that less. When your phone is your alarm, the first thing you do when you wake up is grab your phone, and that's no good. ## Wall Clocks When our son was a newborn, we put wall clocks around the house to help track the timing of his feedings, since it was much more convenient to be able to see the time without having to free up a hand, reach in a pocket, and turn on a phone. Using wall clocks, you can keep an eye on the time while still being engaged in your surroundings. Wall clocks can also enhance the aesthetics of your home. We bought most of ours on Etsy, which has a huge, diverse selection of clocks sold by independent artists. The decline in the ability to read an analog clock is linked with the onset of dementia[^1], so my clocks have the added bonus of reassuring me about my cognitive function. ## Record Player I don't use this as often as I want to because it skips a lot (I think I just need to level it). Like my dad said, the ritual of wiping the needle, taking the record out of its sleeve, wiping off the dust, putting it on the turntable, and dropping the needle, and just watching the vinyl spin make listening to music more of an activity than just noise in the background. When you use a vinyl player, you're forced to experience music as an album rather than a bunch of disjointed singles. For a long time, that's how music was intended to be experienced. J-Star always lamented that iTunes was the death of the album. I would say that TikTok is the death of the single. Owning an album on vinyl makes the music feel like "yours" in a way that you just can't capture with a digital collection. ## S1 MP3 player I plug this into my earmuffs and listen to *Dear Wormwood* when doing yardwork. We used to have a CD in the minivan with some 70s songs, and I It's cool to associate an album (or whatever collection of music I load onto it) with using my earmuffs. I Recently, I've been using it to listen to FM radio while I play with the babies. When you listen to the radio, you don't have to stress out about choosing the next song. And it's good to be forced to listen to something new instead of playing the same old songs over and over ## Car Compass As much as possible, I try to navigate using a car compass instead of GPS. If I'm going somewhere new but in an area that I know, I try to use Google Maps only to chart the course before I start driving. Using a compass instead of GPS forces you to develop a mental map, which enables you to form a deeper relationship to the places you go. When you have a mental map, you know the best order for stops when running errands. You always know which lane to be in. If you see traffic or construction ahead, you can figure out an alternate route. You reclaim the serendipity of discovering somewhere new that only happens when you get lost. ## Mail I admittedly haven't done this very much, but I have been writing letters to friends and family. It's nice to be able to send Ventoy flash drives and candy along with my words. Going to the post office, interacting with a mailperson, dropping your parcel in the drop-box, etc. invites you to participate in the process. # Home Phone Handsets I bought - **books**: my Pocketbook Inkpad Color 3 is super convenient (especially because I can disable the touchscreen when babies are climbing on me), but it's also nice to just read a real book every now and then. - **mail**: - **home phone handsets**: paying for landline service in this day and age is wasteful, but I did by a set of link-to-cell home phones from Facebook Marketplace - **retro games**: I've been into retro gaming since the games I grew up with became considered "retro". Recently, I've been playing Wii (Punch Out, Wii Fit, Wii Sports, etc.) and Gamecube (Pikmin). Playing old games helps you recapture the feeling of wonder you had when you played them as a kid. A feeling that the world is so big and there's so much to explore. I have found this practice to be profoundly good for the soul. When I talked to my dad about us having a record player, he told me that there was a ritual to dusting off a vinyl, cleaning the needle, putting it down gently, etc. It's been my experience that having those rituals deepens your love and appreciation for the technology in a way that a black box cannot. Of course, there's also the Substitution Myth, which is discussed in *The Glass Cage*. The technology you use shapes how you view and interact with the world. ## Sources [^1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35431241/