"Minimal Phone" Discussion

[Hook 3,016]

EDIT:  Decided to finally clip this tangent off the Unihertz Slim thread, since I was kind of responsible for the tangent.  :D  Took me a couple of tries to figure out how "split" works, but I did it.  :D

 

I think THIS could turn out to be interesting (keyboard, Android 13, not good for graphic intensive games and video but can otherwise run Android apps and rootable/flashable).  I might buy one if it actually becomes available off the shelf, but, no, I am not going to back it on IGG

Not encouraging that they are still far from their goal and ordering has slowed down.  Now they are throwing in a free hat.  Lol.  But I wish them luck.

[EvilDNA127 39]

27 minutes ago, Hook said:

I think THIS could turn out to be interesting (keyboard, Android 13, not good for graphic intensive games and video but can otherwise run Android apps and rootable/flashable).  I might buy one if it actually becomes available off the shelf, but, no, I am not going to back it on IGG

Not encouraging that they are still far from their goal and ordering has slowed down.  Now they are throwing in a free hat.  Lol.  But I wish them luck.

Hmm, I'll have to think on that one.  Interesting concept, not sure how well it'd suit my use style.

[jakfish 133]

@Hook That's a great find. I very much like the Kindle-ish screen and the tactile kb. Agree, though: it sounds proof-of-concept more than ready-to-rock. I respect their openness that this is a dicey adventure.

Price is right, too. If it were Amazon retail, with some user history, I'd be all in.

[EskeRahn 5,459]

On 3/3/2024 at 7:06 PM, Hook said:

I think THIS could turn out to be interesting

Certainly an interesting find. Though the B&W would not work well with all apps. Had it been colour e-ink (with the known limitations of that in current generation), it would have been more likely to be useful. But still is a really small display, and not the most appealing specs either.
If I were tempted I would prefer it without the hat... 🤠

[jakfish 133]

On the comment sections--which shows my interest in this thing--there's a fight about its legitimacy. A backer says he and another were banned by reddit moderators for bringing up the developers' past failures and the backer makes similar warnings often found on these crowd-funded projects. It needs a grain of salt, I imagine, but food for thought, not to mention mixed metaphors 🙂

I myself won't put money down now; I would need an actual user's experience to verify that certain key apps could run successfully. But I remain intrigued.

[Hook 3,016]

It is certainly not my favorite design choice— I really prefer landscape keyboards. But it is an interesting concept and I would buy one just to support their efforts if is comes to exist.  They  say they will refund everyone if they don't reach their $500K goal, and I hope that is true, because I am skeptical they will hit it.  I just don't need to be doing that.

[EskeRahn 5,459]

15 hours ago, Hook said:

They  say they will refund everyone if they don't reach their $500K goal, and I hope that is true, because I am skeptical they will hit it.  I just don't need to be doing that.

I'm pretty sure that is an IGG thing. The campaign does not get a penny if the goal is not reached.

If the goal is reached on time they will get the money (less the cut IGG take), and at that point there are no refunds available from IGG (well there are the fortnight after the perk has been taken, but that usually only affect late investors). Any possible refunds after that, will depend on the good will of the campaign owner..

And the last part is NOT an unfair thing, as taking a perk is making an investment, where the investors has all the risk, and hope to get what they perked for cheaper than the expected retail price. And the money might already be working in paying for components or development.

[jakfish 133]

I am so tempted by this device, since I don't use social media or video on my Titan Pocket, and I would love to try that kb. I wonder how something like TextMaker would look on e-ink...

But @Hook is very right--they're not remotely close to their $ goal and time is short. I watched their videos, they SEEM like good folks.

[Slion 1,201]

On 3/5/2024 at 5:12 PM, jakfish said:

On the comment sections--which shows my interest in this thing--there's a fight about its legitimacy. A backer says he and another were banned by reddit moderators for bringing up the developers' past failures and the backer makes similar warnings often found on these crowd-funded projects. It needs a grain of salt, I imagine, but food for thought, not to mention mixed metaphors 🙂

I myself won't put money down now; I would need an actual user's experience to verify that certain key apps could run successfully. But I remain intrigued.

Yeah sounds like another plot to steal money from physical keyboard nostalgics. Though in this case they don't even bother to design hardware that makes sense. That thing is just silly. An ebook reader with keyboard 🤣 seriously I think I've seen it all now.

Edited March 7 by Slion

[Slion 1,201]

On 3/3/2024 at 4:17 PM, Rob. S. said:

ordered the Magic V2 from the manufacturer's shop yesterday when I saw they have a 300 € discount right now

Don't blame me if it does not work for you 😁 It's a really good phone though, not perfect, but good enough. However I wish they would run something closer to stock Android. The most annoying thing is probably their very aggressive power management which keeps killing apps. Honor is basically Huawei without the restriction on selling actual Android with Google apps. AFAICT software is very much the same.

Edited March 7 by Slion

[Hook 3,016]

I notice Minimal has now reversed themselves.  They say the phone will be done even if they don't reach their goal.  Which would worry me if I were a backer because it sounds like a way not to have to do refunds. They also say they are planning on doing a lot of marketing in the next couple of weeks.  That should have all been done just before the campaign.

They are also doing the Planet Computers thing.  "Only 4 left" they keep telling me in emails, but, of course, they add a few every time they get down to 1.  And being barely over 50%, you know there are going to be many many more, but maybe they can get a few sales with panic marketing. Lol.

 

[jakfish 133]

@HookWow. Thanks for the update. Yeah, that's a precipice that I don't want to jump off. Bummer, bummer, as I would buy that phone in a second, given my lack of need for social media, and the general pleasure of such a screen and kb.

If it looks like a duck, and talks like a...

[jakfish 133]

Not to keep flogging a dead horse, but at the Minimal IGG, they have a "fixed goal"--"This campaign will only receive funds if at least $500,000 USD is raised by its deadline."

Not certain if Minimal can produce phone without $500Kusd investment, but does that mean current backers' $ is to be returned if goal not reached? 

Confused by the IGG world...

[Hook 3,016]

1 hour ago, jakfish said:

Not to keep flogging a dead horse, but at the Minimal IGG, they have a "fixed goal"--"This campaign will only receive funds if at least $500,000 USD is raised by its deadline."

Not certain if Minimal can produce phone without $500Kusd investment, but does that mean current backers' $ is to be returned if goal not reached? 

Confused by the IGG world...

Minimal has been clouding the waters on this. They initially echoed the IGG policy in a response to a discussion question, saying that if they did not hit the $500K Fixed Goal, all the backers would be refunded.  I posted above when, later, also in their reply to a discussion comments they reversed themselves and said even if they didn't reach the goal, the phone would be made.  Which would have to mean they don't plan on refunding backers (or at least I don't see how they could do both).

So, yes, quite confusing.  Luckily, I'm not a backer.

[jakfish 133]

IGG Minimum is picking up the pace toward its 500K goal. They're at 70%. It does appear that current monies are in escrow and would be returned to the backers should the goal remain unmet.

If I operate on the assumption that it's not vaporware and the developers are legit, I'm still left with my questions about the prototype, mainly, why don't the demos show more action? There are only seemingly still frames of use, not real-time use. So I can't tell if they're simply pictures pasted on the phone's screen.

If Minimal gets close to its financial needs and they release a new video of the prototype actually bringing up a web page, etc, I might bite, if only because it's exactly the phone I would enjoy...

[Hook 3,016]

8 minutes ago, jakfish said:

IGG Minimum is picking up the pace toward its 500K goal. They're at 70%. It does appear that current monies are in escrow and would be returned to the backers should the goal remain unmet.

If I operate on the assumption that it's not vaporware and the developers are legit, I'm still left with my questions about the prototype, mainly, why don't the demos show more action? There are only seemingly still frames of use, not real-time use. So I can't tell if they're simply pictures pasted on the phone's screen.

If Minimal gets close to its financial needs and they release a new video of the prototype actually bringing up a web page, etc, I might bite, if only because it's exactly the phone I would enjoy...

I still think they are still gaining too slowly.  Part of the problem, I think, is that they have most of the folks both interested in a phone like this and willing to gamble on crowdfunding. I'm skeptical that they have a real working prototype-- more of a design concept, based on their continued lack of showing someone really using it. The new slick video of computer renders set to pop music doesn't instill confidence.  They even sent out a secret perk to wait listers (keeps the price at $325) that has only resulted in 30 out of 50 taken.  And then there's the "Founders edition" where you pay $600 just to get the same phone in black?  I just get a strange vibe off this campaign.  I had kind of the same feeling with the Astro-Slide. Glad I trusted my gut there. ;-)

I do hope they hit their goal so we can see what comes of it, but only if they are really capable of getting it done.  It almost certainly will take longer than August.  Right now, their features and list of promises made to backers feels more like a wish list than reality.

But we'll see.  I'd  love to be wrong.

[jakfish 133]

Yeah, if you examine the "real-time" use in the videos, it's a quick shot of something before the user quickly puts the phone in their pocket.

Funny, you should mention the new $325 perk. A search brought up a webpage extolling the phone along with a link for $325, as if the webpage/site were running its own promo. Hmm...

Agreed, as well, that August '24 shipments are just that, a dream.

[EskeRahn 5,459]

1 hour ago, Hook said:

I do hope they hit their goal so we can see what comes of it, but only if they are really capable of getting it done.  It almost certainly will take longer than August.  Right now, their features and list of promises made to backers feels more like a wish list than reality.

August is not far away, but much depends on what this really is. In its simplest form it is just a piece of plastic and a BT keyboard, only passing the USB-C though, maybe piggy-bagging the power.

This way they need no drivers or the like, and might even buy all the BT keyboard logic as an existing product, so they really have 'only' the design and manufacturing of the hardware to do, and they might already have done large part of the design to make the model.

Sorry I confused this with the Iphone keyboard

[EskeRahn 5,459]

1 hour ago, Hook said:

I do hope they hit their goal so we can see what comes of it, but only if they are really capable of getting it done.  It almost certainly will take longer than August.  Right now, their features and list of promises made to backers feels more like a wish list than reality.

Yes August sounds really optimistic...

On the lack of usage videos, though I think the real problem here is that refreshing of e-ink is quite slow and flickery, as any e/reader, and  as they actually DO show in several small pieces, but that is hard to combine with a usually fast advertising video showing a fluent user experience. E-ink does not do swipe or scroll well. They show one image, then another, no fancy animations in between. This does not have to be a bad user experience, just a different one, that is hard to put on video, as watching or reading a fixed image does not go well with videos feeling dynamic.

[Rob. S. 1,660]

I suppose I like the idea of that e-ink phone but after my experience with the Titan Slim I know that as much as I'd like a compact device I need a larger screen and a larger keyboard (if there is one). I might get comfortable with an e-ink display, though. 

In the meantime, I got my Honor stylus for the V2 today, ordered in China since they don't sell it in Europe. Nice. The combo even has pressure sensitivity, and the phone's notes app has a stylus mode. I don't think, though, that even if there was handwriting recognition software for the phone it would be able to get anything out of my handwriting...

Edited March 19 by Rob. S.

[jakfish 133]

Brought my pondering over to discord/pocket titan, and developer rumplestilzken, who very much supports the Minimal sans actual funds, says the reason for the still shots in the videos is because they still don't have working prototype. Yeesh. 

[Hook 3,016]

With 5 days left, it looks like they might be able make it across the line-- they only need about 54K more...  I wonder if they can buy their own pledges. :D They keep promising more and more... which continues to worry me when evidence points to them not even having a working prototype.  Also, it's sounding less and less like a "minimal" phone and more like an Android phone with an eInk screen. So, basically, the only thing minimal about it is it won't be  very satisfying for videos and very graphical games. 

[jakfish 133]

I've been following this as well, and I'm almost positive that, if needed, the developers are going to pony up some of their own money, under the guise of new backers, to make the $500Kusd. It would have a certain Machiavellian sense.

I went back and forth about buying a perk, but as @Hook says, there are mounting questions and fewer answers. But I hope the endeavor is legit and should it come to actual fruition, I'd probably buy retail.

[jakfish 133]

I just returned from their Update section: backers are now getting doubled storage (256gb) and a wireless charger.

Next up: the phone comes with a built-in icemaker and world peace 🙂

[EskeRahn 5,459]

They are at 102% 😉