

John's Phone: a minimalist cell phone - duncanj
http://www.johnsphones.com/

======
jacquesm
This is a very good idea executed poorly. SMS has become a way of life and
you'll be receiving messages that you can not read, also a paper phonebook
requires that you carry a pen with you.

Play it again, John, this time with a pager sized (text) display and I'll buy
one.

edit: added the (text), it _does_ have a display but can't display text
messages.

~~~
bambax
It's also very expensive.

Basic Nokia phones that don't do much more than calls and SMS and that are
very simple to operate and very sturdy, can be found (new) for around EUR 20.

~~~
mseebach
SMS-lifestyle or not, I'd take the Nokia (at 2/3 the price or less) for the
10+ years of industrial design that went into it.

To be honest, this doesn't seem to be a phone for children or the elderly
(neither of which have some sort of cognitive short circuit that keeps them
from grasping a simple Nokia while allowing them to embrace the idioms of this
particular phone) -- but rather a phone for hipsters who need to very loudly
announce that they don't have an iPhone.

~~~
mcantor
I like the hipster angle. It affords a better tagline:

"John's Phone: It's not an iPhone or anything. You've probably never heard of
it."

~~~
moomba
Pshhh... I was using John's Phone while it was "still" underground.

------
rdouble
It did not get a very good review from Engadget:

[http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/06/johns-phone-review-the-
wo...](http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/06/johns-phone-review-the-worlds-
simplest-cellphone/)

~~~
jacobolus
Seems like an okay review to me, if the purpose in buying the phone is to get
something that can make phone calls:

> _So, how did it work? Well, to make and receive calls it worked fine. The
> ringer was suitably loud and the vibration was strong enough to get noticed
> in a pocket. The audio quality during calls was also decent -- not
> spectacular but not awful either._

~~~
scott_s
I think you skipped the conclusion:

 _So is the John's Phone "The world's simplest cellphone." No. The fact that
all three of the device's switches are so frustrating to use is simply
unforgivable on such a basic cellphone that's supposedly rooted in "great
design." We wish that the company had spent as much time on the phone's
industrial design as it did on its slick promotional materials and cutesy
graphics. Even then, you'd better be sure that the simplicity is worth the €70
- €100 price tag (depending upon model) -- for that you could take home a
fully-loaded 3G featurephone from Nokia. A nod, perhaps, as to why the John's
Phone exists._

------
yason
Where are all the phones that are minimalist in _size_?

We used to have quite small phones in the turn of 90's—00's but now that the
smartphones are everywhere, and even for non-smartphones everyone is assumed
to want internet and lots of features, the current phones are so big and come
with such a big screens that my first Nokia 1611 has _stopped_ looking like
stoneage in comparison.

Something similar to MacBook Air but a phone would be cool.

Thickness closer to 5mm than 10mm. Slightly larger than a USB stick. A
clamshell design would be a must to make it long enough to reach both ears and
proximity to mouth. Something that you can certainly lose in your pocket,
something almost invisible.

We could certainly manufacture those these days.

~~~
potatolicious
There's a reason we don't have those anymore. I remember in '01-'02 there was
a small war between manufacturers to get their phones smaller.

What came out were ludicrously small phones that made dialing and usage a
pain.

There's a limit to how small phones can get before they get downright
unusable. I remember back then some even had voice dialing to compensate,
which was - and still is - just a plain bad idea.

~~~
jessriedel
Still doesn't explain why I can't get a phone which is 4mm thick.

~~~
yason
A credit-card-sized clamshell that is 4mm thick. (Or 3+3 mm.) Should be good
for many.

------
chriseidhof
I've seen them, and they are very annoying. Not having an address book is
annoying, and not being able to _receive_ text messages is just frustrating.
It's an awesome idea, but not for use in real life.

~~~
bmj
Perhaps not for use in _your_ life. I'm not a smartphone user and don't do
text messages. I really like the idea of this phone because it strips away all
the crap that I don't need.

Granted, if I did have a smartphone, or was a "power user" of my current
phone, then perhaps I'd feel the same way as you do.

~~~
chriseidhof
Right, but the problem is not so much about me as it is about the rest of the
world. Not being able to write messages is fine, but people expect you to be
able to receive text messages.

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nixy
I got my dad a Doro HandleEasy last Christmas. He is actually using it (which
is amazing in itself). [http://www.techpin.com/wp-
content/uploads/2009/01/doro-handl...](http://www.techpin.com/wp-
content/uploads/2009/01/doro-handleeasy-330-and-handleeasy-326-easy-to-use-
cell-phones-2.jpg)

~~~
joebananas
Do you wear bloomers as well?

------
Simon1979
I like it, but mostly for the gimmick value. I think to be truly * usable* and
_simple_ it absolutely has to have a phonebook / speed dial of some kind.

"If you love it simple" is their tag-line, but I don't really see anything
simple about having to reference a piece of paper and then dial a 13 digit
number each time I want to call home.

~~~
lmz
It has some sort of speed dial (not very simple to use though I suppose you
can always pre-program it for your grandparents). From the quick manual at
<http://www.johnsphones.com/support/johns-manual/item57> :

"You can allocate 10 speed dial numbers, each under one of the ten digits. You
can allocate a telephone number (in this case, 0612345678) to a speed-dial
number (in this case 1) by entering: * * 1 * 0612345678#. Subsequently, hold
down the ‘1’ button for two seconds to automatically call the telephone number
entered. To delete the speed-dial number in the above example, enter * * 1 *
#. If you wish to alter a telephone number allocated to a speed-dial number,
simply write over it with the new number."

------
duncanj
I don't think I could survive very long without an electronic address book.

~~~
xd
It appears to have a paper phone book in the back behind a flap .. awesome.

~~~
jacquesm
We'll talk about how useful that is when you're in a non-ideal lighting
condition trying to find a phone number and typing it in on the front.

I _used_ to remember pretty much all the phone numbers of all my relatives and
people I'm in contact with, even the international ones but with the coming of
cell phones something else has happened: people switch phone numbers far more
frequently today than they did in the past and the ability to re-program the
phone but keep the mnemonic the same is actually far more useful than a piece
of paper.

------
scrrr
It's good for old people and aggressive people that frequently like to throw
their phones away, because they are cheap. Nobody else will buy it just
because its got a "minimalist design".

The iPhone has only one button.. seems even more minimalist.

~~~
ErrantX
_because they are cheap_

Cheap? You can pick up a cheap pay-and-go phone here in the UK for about £25
($50) or less :)

And it handles text messaging.

I'm not sure it is even good for old people - from the engadget review it
looks very fiddly.

~~~
beoba
*$40

------
andrest
What my local operator is offering is this:

ZTE S202

Specs:
[http://wwwen.zte.com.cn/en/products/mobile/mobile_detail_291...](http://wwwen.zte.com.cn/en/products/mobile/mobile_detail_291.jsp?mobileName=ZTE-G%20%20S202)

Video:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CClXKPRDzLI&feature=playe...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CClXKPRDzLI&feature=player_detailpage#t=94s)

The price is 70 euros. The buttons have nice a tactile feedback, it has a
screen and even looks okay.

Sure, this thing has a better branding, nicer website but the product itself
is inferior and costs more.

------
davidw
Seems like they have a rather minimalist web server as well:-/

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antihero
More expensive than a phone that can do more? Laughable pretentious rubbish.

~~~
dreyfiz
Simplicity is a feature. "Can do more" sometimes means "can't do anything
because it's too complicated".

~~~
antihero
I remember getting a £30 ZTE phone on 3 that did texts, calls, and had a
fairly rubbish but workable browser. It wasn't complicated, it was small,
light, and the battery lasted forever. It was a bit slow but for £30 it's a
far better bargain than this John's Phone.

I even made a handy contacts parser for it:
<https://github.com/radiosilence/ZTEcontactsparse>

------
spektom
> John’s Phone is 10.5 centimetres in height, 6 centimetres in length and 1.5
> centimetres in width (4.1”/2.4”/0.6”). Weight: 95 grams.

If it wasn't too big and heavy, I'd order it right now!

~~~
pbhjpbhj
If it wasn't big then you couldn't have oversized number keys. If it wasn't
heavy then it wouldn't be suitable for people who need oversized number keys,
light phones need more motor-skills to handle (up to a point).

Also hardening and a large battery would increase weight (though I don't know
if this is how it's heavy).

------
liedra
I just sent a link along to my mother, who has been wanting a no-frills big-
numbered mobile phone that has a long standby time. I think it's perfect for
those, like my mother, who don't use SMS, electronic address books, or any
other "fancy" features of modern mobile phones. The numbers being big so that
she doesn't need to take her glasses out is also very good. The only down side
I can see is the review on engadget that said the switches are a bit finicky.
But then again, it's not like it's $400 either :)

------
xenonite
Looks good - but: the battery indicator is very unintuitive: full battery:
JOHN ...... low battery: J

why is this? cant it just be "HIGH" and "LOW".

~~~
83457
JOHN is high

------
epynonymous
agree with most comments here that the pen/paper address book seems a bit out
of place. i'd imagine that the swivel door to keep the address book is quite
cumbersome and certainly this would add unnecessary weight. also i feel that
the simplicity of the design is somewhat ruined with handwritten entries in
the address book (see link below for a picture):

<http://www.johnsphones.com/store/johns-address-book/item89>

i'm all for minimalist designs, this phone seems to segment a very niche user
base that is only interested in using phones to call people, however small
that is, i'm sure there's a market. though the price point conflicts with this
as i feel people in this market segment are probably looking for low price as
well.

some additional comments, a video on the webpage would be nice showing the
interface for navigating through an address book or adding contacts. i think
the dial buttons are nice, but imho the slide buttons on the side of the phone
are a bit arcane, perhaps individual buttons would be more modern.

i'm actually quite attracted to the general design of the phone, the keypad is
laid out quite simply, the lcd at the top is out of the way and quite
utilitarian. i'm a smartphone user myself (nokia e72), but i'd love to have
this phone if it included bluetooth and i'm quite curious as to the ease of
use of the phonebook because i really hate storing numbers by keypad. based on
the design, it'd be nice if you offered a higher end john's phone, let's say
you added bluetooth, a 5 MP camera, and a micro SD storage slot, you'd have a
pretty good shot at getting some premiums for people that are looking for
something fresh in comparison to iphone/android.

~~~
epynonymous
btw, what's the operating system on this baby?

------
notthetup
And no SMS.. :( Would have definitely considered if it had SMS...

------
damoncali
It's a jitterbug for hipsters.

------
spacecadet
Interesting. I agree with the SMS comments. I almost entirely SMS. Mostly only
business and family on Talk.

Two years ago I did a "simple phone" concept. Mine was touched based. Never
progressed it, to busy with other things. I find it funny that somebody did.

Here was my rough design. <http://bit.ly/fTz643>

~~~
tjpick
after you design something like this, how does one actually go about getting
it manufactured?

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seshagiric
Already? so soon? I think people need some more time with their smart phones.

I like it that my WinPhone7 pulls phone numbers from my Outlook (office
email), Facebook or Windows live. Making an acquintance online and
automatically having the number in my phonebook is natural and works.

I think we need some more time with smart before simple gets niche again.

------
jbm
I want one but I live in Japan.

I swear, i never thought it would come tothat. Dunno why it won't work if my
iPhone works :/

------
fmavituna
This is perfect for my parents. They don't use address book, they won't read
or write SMS (need to click too many buttons) and they need to use glasses to
see the buttons. I'm really tempted buy 2 for them. Although it's
unnecessarily expensive considering I can buy a really good and light non-
brand mobile phone for £5-£10

------
kachnuv_ocasek
I fail to see how this is minimalistic.

~~~
beoba
I agree, the most minimalist thing is making do with what you already have.

------
angdis
I had thought that maybe the phone was intended for older folks who need
clear, easy, familiar buttons on their phones.

But it seems to be more of minimalist hipster gadget. As such it really does
need some form display. I don't know anyone under 50 who doesn't SMS.

------
jasongullickson
This would be perfect if it had an amazing antenna hidden in there. It would
be the first cell phone I've had since my first car phone that was actually
good at being a phone...which would be WILD!

------
marknutter
What's funny is the phone calling functionality of my iPhone is the one
feature I wish I could have removed. I just want internet, text, and iOS and
I'm happy.

~~~
epynonymous
so why not get an ipad with 3g? i wish they made 3g ipod touches, i also agree
with you and would like a device like iphone without the calling
functionality.

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atgm
Amazing. I need to get one of these for my grandfather.

------
davidmat
Am I the only one thinking that the screen is on the wrong side and this is a
very poor choice UX-wise?

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slowpoison
Where's the bump on the digit 5?

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philthy
would be a lot nicer without the pen and paper + mirror combo, smaller too

perhaps implement a solid text to speech service for converting texts to
auditory messages

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rman666
Slashdot effect in progress. Anyone have a mirror?

------
epynonymous
also as to how these things are designed. i'd love to try hacking one
together. perhaps i'll find some info on the blog.

------
ianl
Is there a mirror? Page seems to be down :(

~~~
lwhi
The phone looks like it has a mirror built in :)

EDIT: Reminder to self - don't try to be funny.

------
ibejoeb
mirror: <http://www.johnsphones.com.nyud.net/>

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slowpoison
Where's the bump on digit 5?

------
zachahack
the large buttons appear to increase the chance of butt dialing.

------
hackermom
Novel design, although not something entirely new. Swedish telephony equipment
manufacturer Doro has for several years had a number of "senior citizen"
cellphones on the market in the same geist as John's Phone, some of them even
simpler. A few models even include an assault alarm.

This model's design is interesting in how clearly it speaks about what
demography it's aimed at: [http://www.doro.co.uk/products/Mobile-phones-and-
accessories...](http://www.doro.co.uk/products/Mobile-phones-and-
accessories/334GSM/)

------
Devilboy
I always wanted something like the old Nokia 7280 for a second (small) phone
for times when I don't want to carry my expensive smartphone but I could never
get myself to buy a second phone...

[http://www.livingroom.org.au/cameraphone/images/thumbnails/1...](http://www.livingroom.org.au/cameraphone/images/thumbnails/1_7280.jpg)

~~~
paganel
In terms of simplicity and resistance nothing beats Nokia 3310
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310>), for me at least. I even threw it
against a concrete wall once, it all dissembled into several pieces, but after
I had re-assembled them back it was as new.

------
john2x
I'd buy one just for the name. :P

