HN Reader

Having been brough through several decades without phones, as a 70's child, I wonder what is so hard to avoid falling for such distractions, I still leave my home without phone on occasion.

> No Typical Web Browser: Instead of a standard browser, our devices feature an allowlist-based approach to access specific, distraction-free websites.

> Future Plans: We aim to expand the allowlist over time, but decisions will be made internally to ensure it remains aligned with our vision of distraction-free usability.

This alone sounds like a it should be a deal breaker for everyone.

499usd for a refurbished pixel 8 and a custom rom ?

You can get a punkt phone, which does the same thing for a cheaper price, with custom hardware and a cool eink screen.

I run my personal PauseOS since the early 2000s.

1. My phones are always data offline, except when I use the internet browser to read news or retrieve information. If someone wants to contact me they can send SMS or call.

2. There is no email client configured on my phone.

3. GPS is always off (not so much for pausing reasons, but to maintain orienteering skills and resist surveillance capitalism

I used SymbianOS 2000 - 2014. MeeGo 2007 - 2014. SailfishOS 2014 - now, Android without Google account 2024 - now.

> NO TYPICAL APP STORE

> Instead of unrestricted app stores, we provide a curated selection of essential, distraction-free applications that align with our mission.

That's quite a big undertaking and a lot of control handed over to the manufacturer/maintainer. Phone is still a communication device, so it would be nice to see Signal, Conversations, Element (all of which are FOSS and could be easily rebranded), but then half of the world needs WhatsApp. Or is it distracting because you can contact businesses on it? (Like the Uber example on their page) Many people want banking apps too, do they plan to vet every single banking app?