
Kosher Cell Phone - r29vzg2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone#Kosher_phone
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trigoogirt
It actually started from "Kosher lines", special subscriptions provided by
MNO, with intentionally limited service (blacklisting phone numbers for calls
and text, as well as blacklisting websites).

Once teenagers started buying their own subscriptions, it was decided to move
the blacklisting into the HW - hence the kosher phones.

Fun fact: since the Jewish orthodox community is relatively poor, yet a strong
"buying force" due to their big number, they were able to negotiate very low
rates with the MNOs. To prevent secular people from taking advantage of these
rates, the Kosher Lines include big fines if used for incoming/outgoing call
on Sabath...

For more info: the translated page from Wikipedoa -
[https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https...](https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fhe.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F%25D7%25A1%25D7%259C%25D7%2595%25D7%259C%25D7%25A8%25D7%2599_%25D7%259B%25D7%25A9%25D7%25A8)

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tibbydudeza
Have an aunt in old age home and she finally upgraded to a Android phone (LG
Q60) after using a Nokia 3110 ... her biggest complaint was that the phone
could not take photos.

I wish there was an "old folk" interface to switch on in Android ... spent the
entire Saturday hiding and removing unnecessary clutter so she can only see
the dialer, contacts, sms , camera, gallery and whatsapp on her home page.

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shmerl
This is more of a business scheme, than a social one. I.e. sellers of such
services made huge amount of money by hyping it up and getting a narrow
market, trying to claim, using other options is forbidden. So even in orthodox
Jewish communities such efforts are often seen as pursuing ulterior motives
and therefore aren't really looked upon positively.

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themodelplumber
I was thinking these were just older phones so I was surprised to see a Galaxy
s10e in a kosher store when I checked just now. The value-add: It has 1) No
browser and 2) no way to connect to the internet except through approved apps.

There is a pretty interesting market for various internet-interface devices
among religious cultures.

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ineedasername
There are other such work arounds, like elevators that run constantly,
stopping on every floor, to the user doesn't have to push the buttons:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat_elevator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat_elevator)

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pkamb
I've been using a secondary iPhone SE as my "gym phone" and I really love it.
Majorly cuts down on time wasting.

No web browser. No Instagram.

Just podcasts, Music, and Netflix.

AirPods work perfectly, and Overcast syncs my podcasts with my main phone.
Seamless.

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kelnos
One of the defining features seems to be that it has no text messaging
facilities, and can only make and receive calls, because texting apparently
leads to "immodesty"[0]:

> _Texting is not only a waste of time, the [rabbinical] authorities found, it
> encourages "immodest" exchanges which would not happen on the telephone or
> face to face._

I just... I know religion is a difficult topic for many people. I was raised
Catholic (CCD once a week through 8th grade, completed all the sacraments,
attended Mass nearly every weekend until I was 18 and left home), but became
an atheist when I was in my early teens (privately, as my parents would have
punished me had they known). I found a lot of things wrong with Catholicism,
but one of the big issues I had was many parishoners' blind adherence to
dogma, and their sudden inability to think critically where any aspect of
religion was concerned. This struck me as something that could be -- and it
turned out, is -- easily abused by religious leaders.

So this prohibition on texting just seems like a method of control to me. It
feels cherry-picked, and the reason for banning it seems contrived. There are
so many other ways to be "immodest" that it feels weird to focus on something
like this. Where do these things come from? It seems so arbitrary and
capricious.

Orthodox Judaism seems full of things like this, especially the prohibition on
doing certain things on the Sabbath. I remember reading about how it's not ok
to use an elevator on the Sabbath, and workarounds like elevators that
automatically always stop at every floor, or waiting for a non-Jewish person
to use the elevator to piggyback on their usage. It just feels so
intellectually dishonest, like finding ways to follow the letter of the rules
while completely ignoring their spirit.

[0] [https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-01-25/kosher-phones-
britain...](https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-01-25/kosher-phones-britains-
orthodox-jews) (linked as a source from the posted Wikipedia article)

~~~
frittig
With regard to elevators on Shabbat, you have to understand what the
prohibition is in order to understand the workaround. There is no prohibition
towards using elevators on Shabbat, not is there a prohibition towards going
from floor to floor quickly. However, there is a prohibit towards pressing
normal electrical buttons. Therefore, using an elevator that is programmed to
stop on every floor is not dishonest. It avoids the narrow prohibition of
pressing normal electric buttons.

~~~
danhak
Specifically, the prohibition is against doing “work.” And the rabbinical
interpretation around electronics is that pressing a button constitutes
completing or “building” a circuit i.e. “work.”

~~~
PappaPatat
Close but the real reason is that you're not allowed to make fire and pushing
an button that switches electricity is compared to making a spark, ergo fire,
ergo not allowed :)

