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Digital Trends
04-06-2025
- Business
- Digital Trends
I tested a pocketable note-taking tablet that puts the Kindle to shame
Digital note-taking is expensive, even on black and white screens. If you're chasing that paper-like feel, prepare to pay a higher premium than your average budget iPad or Android slate. At the moment, Amazon's Kindle portfolio is the king of the segment, but to snag its pen-toting Kindle Scribe, you'll have to spend a steep $400. If you're not afraid of experiments, Remarkable is a solid choice, but you end up paying close to $600 for the joy of scribbling on a minimalist monochrome screen. Also, let's not forget the software-level limitations, which don't do justice to the sticker price. Recommended Videos Boox may have the perfect solution with its second-gen Color Go tablet with an E-Ink screen. Think of it as a Kindle with physical buttons, but one that also lets you jot down notes with a stylus and allows storage expansion. And oh, it runs the full Android experience and offers more customization features than any tablet of its kind. The best part? You only pay $200 for the Color Go, and just over $250 for the entire kit with a stylus and leather-inspired magnetic folio case. Sounds like a bargain already? Well, there's more to this tablet than meets the eye. Beautiful, inside out The second-gen Boox Go 7 fits a 7-inch display in a square-ish case that is merely 6.4mm across and weighs less than an iPhone 16 Pro. It's a joy to hold and can easily slide into the back pocket of a jeans. The overall construction is solid, and I absolutely love the texture on the rear shell. Even if the palms are sweaty, the tablet doesn't slip. It comes with onboard speakers so that you can catch up on audiobooks, podcasts, or video streams. Another underrated perk is the onboard micro SD card slot for storage expansion. In addition to the built-in 64GB memory, you also get 10GB of free cloud storage on Boox servers. Overall, you won't be running out of space for storing books anytime soon. The panel is an E Ink Carta 1300 monochrome screen with a resolution of 1680 x 1264 pixels, which translates to a density of 330 ppi. In addition to the brightness adjustment, you can also tweak the temperature, shifting from white to an amber shade for a comfortable night-time reading experience. What truly sets the Boox Go 7 apart from its rivals is the extensive set of customization options. You can make DPI adjustments, change font aliasing, enable image smoothing, set scroll distance, tweak light and dark color adjustments, and set the contrast levels. On E Ink, ghosting is a huge problem due to the low refresh rate. As a result, you see the visual artifacts from the previous frame appear on the current frame. And if the page is heavy on design assets, you see an odd shimmer-like effect. To counter that, the Color Go 7 lets you switch from HD viewing mode to the Regal, Speed, or A2 modes to speed up the frame transition rate, reducing the ghosting effect. It comes at the cost of a quality downgrade for image assets, but if you're predominantly reading, you won't notice it between walls of text. I regularly played online chess and the occasional low-stakes Angry Birds sessions without running into any visual stutters. For occasions where you need to fire up a YouTube video, imagine watching a black-and-white TV from your grandparents' era. It's smooth, but not loaded with surface details. A rewarding software experience The biggest ace up the Boox Color Go 7's sleeve is the full-fledged Android experience. It's still version 13, but I didn't find it to be a limiting experience. I mostly used the E Ink slate as a reference screen for keeping an eye on my Slack and Microsoft Teams chats, and it did a fine job. Unlike the Kindle or Remarkable, you can actually run any app you want. For bibliophiles hoarding up on hundreds of titles scattered across different file formats, the built-in reader app can handle anything from PDF and EPUB to FB2, RTF, HTML, PRC, MOBI, and AZW3 file types. If the built-in app doesn't appeal to your reading taste, just download the Kindle app from the Play Store, or any other APK from the internet. The octa-core processor, paired with 4GB of RAM, can handle your app duties with ease. I, however, believe that after using the Boox Neo Reader app, you won't feel the need to find an alternative. It offers a healthy set of annotation features, and even a few AI tricks such as turning rough lines into perfect shapes, underlines or loose shapes into tight highlights, scribbles into redactions, and scratched lines into eraser. As far as the core reading experience goes, the app offers a native speech synthesis tool (apparently the same as Android's local screen reader) for listening to your books and papers. You can adjust the speech pace, speech rate, and pitch, as well. Coming to the text part, you can stylize digital reading material by changing the font, size, or enabling the dark mode to invert the color scheme. The dark mode looks stunning, by the way. Note-taking is the real winner The most enticing aspect of the refreshed Boox Go 7 is the note-taking experience. The provided stylus, which charges via a USB-C port, is well-built and offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. There's a wee bit of latency if you are scribbling fast, but at the normal pace, you won't face any lag at all. My sister, who is a fashion designer, tried the Boox Go 7 and told me that it does a fine job of quickly drawing a few schematics without any technical issues. The only problem was that when the drawings got heavy on brush strokes, a portion randomly vanished. With a couple of undo shortcuts, it returned. I didn't see this glitch in third-party apps, however. The pre-installed Notes app offers plenty of ready-made templates to pick from. However, you can create your own custom note-taking template. You can also directly land on a blank notebook via the quick note feature in the quick controls dashboard. My favorite part was importing my locally saved NotebookLM notes and Gemini Deep Research reports, and annotating through them using the stylus. As far as the battery life goes, the 2,300 mAh battery can easily last a few days due to the low-power draw. Your mileage may vary depending on the backligh strength, but since I was working mostly within a sunlit cabin, I usually kept it within the 20% mark. Plus, with even brief plugged-in times, it can reach a full tank, so you don't have to worry about hauling a brick or power bank solely for the Boox tablet. Overall, the second-generation Boox Go 7 is arguably the most functionally loaded e-reader in its size bracket out there. And the fact that it can also double as a digital note-taking device, one that nearly matches the size of classic pocket diaries, is just the cherry on top. At just over $250, the Boox Color Go 7 is already the finest specimen of an E Ink reader, but the flexibility offered by Android and stylus support is what makes it truly invincible at that asking price. The Kindles are simply no match for this cute little powerhouse.
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Business Standard
30-05-2025
- Business Standard
Kindle Paperwhite 2025 review: More screen, more speed, same reading focus
Priced at Rs 16,999, the 12th generation Kindle Paperwhite retains its spot as the best go-to e-book reader, offering meaningful upgrades over its predecessors New Delhi Having used the 10th-generation Kindle Paperwhite in the past, the idea of more screen real estate for reading instantly piqued my interest. With the 12th-generation model, Amazon has turned that into reality, thanks to a larger 7-inch E Ink display. But the upgrade isn't limited to size alone—Amazon also claims improved contrast and up to 25 per cent better performance. The question is: do these changes actually translate into a better reading experience? I've been using the new Kindle Paperwhite for the past few weeks, and here is what I found. Kindle Paperwhite (12th generation): Reading experience The 12th-generation Kindle Paperwhite features a 7-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display with a pixel density of 300 PPI. The upgrade from the 6-inch screen on the previous model I used feels like a meaningful one—more words now fit on the screen at once, making for a more immersive reading session. Thankfully, the increase in size has not compromised comfort. The device remains lightweight and easy to use one-handed. The matte-textured back and rounded edges further enhance grip and handling. Amazon says this is the highest-contrast Kindle display yet, thanks to its oxide thin-film transistor tech. While reading standard e-books doesn't immediately highlight the contrast improvements, the difference becomes more noticeable when viewing PDFs with graphics or reading comics. Despite being a black-and-white panel, visuals appear sharper and it's easier to distinguish between different shades of grey. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 12th generation (2025) For readers who prefer warmer tones during long sessions, the new Paperwhite includes an adjustable warm light. Accessible via a zero to 24 slider in the quick settings panel, this lets you tune the amber LED lighting to achieve a softer, more paper-like yellow hue. Personally, I prefer the crispness of the white tone, but having the option to fine-tune the warmth gives readers more flexibility. The Kindle Paperwhite also offers multiple levels of adjustable brightness. Even at its lowest setting, the display remains readable in dim conditions. For outdoor reading, the maximum brightness holds up well, ensuring comfortable use in sunlight. Kindle Paperwhite (12th generation): Performance and features While it's difficult to measure performance on a Kindle in traditional terms, Amazon's claim of a 25 per cent speed improvement does hold up in real-world use. The device feels noticeably snappier, with faster page turns and more responsive navigation in the Home and Library sections. The 12th-generation model also handles tasks like pulling down the quick settings panel and loading books more swiftly. Most of the hardware remains unchanged from the previous generation — including 16GB of onboard storage, 9W charging support via USB Type-C, and dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). One small yet thoughtful tweak: the power button is now placed more centrally at the bottom, which greatly reduces accidental presses during one-handed use. All the best built-in features return, including quick access to the dictionary, Wikipedia, and translation tools. These additions genuinely enhance the reading experience — especially for first-time Kindle buyers. You can simply tap and hold any word in an e-book (or even in a manually added PDF) to bring up a floating menu that offers a definition, relevant Wikipedia entries, and instant translation to other languages. The Kindle Paperwhite also includes VoiceView — an accessibility feature designed for users with visual impairments. It provides spoken feedback as the user touches text on the screen. While the device doesn't have built-in speakers, audio is accessible through paired Bluetooth headphones or speakers. Additional customisation options include dark mode, support for multiple dictionaries, and the ability to switch between different language keyboards. As with past models, you can still sideload content if you prefer not to stay within the Kindle store ecosystem. The device supports content transfers through third-part Send-to-Kindle apps, email, or direct USB-C connection from a PC or smartphone — and sideloaded content shows up on the home screen immediately. That said, the software can sometimes feel restrictive, with aggressive book recommendations and a lack of broader functionality. A full-fledged web browser, for instance, would have been a welcome addition. Kindle Paperwhite (12th generation): Battery Battery life is easily one of the Kindle Paperwhite's strongest suits. After over a week of daily use, the battery level had only dropped to around 60 per cent. While the device doesn't support fast charging, it's hardly an issue — primarily because you don't need to charge it very often. When I eventually did plug it in, it took about an hour and a half to go from 43 per cent back to full charge. Kindle Paperwhite (12th generation): Verdict Priced at Rs 16,999, the 12th generation Kindle Paperwhite stands out as one of the best go-to e-book readers currently available — thanks to the robust Kindle ecosystem, a wide selection of books, and support for useful features and accessories. The ability to sideload content is a welcome bonus that adds to its flexibility. While the price might seem a bit steep for a device focused solely on reading, it's a fair trade-off for avid readers who want the freedom to carry their entire library without compromise. For those upgrading from older models, the 2025 edition is a worthwhile step up — particularly if you're coming from the 10th generation or earlier.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
E Ink and MediaTek Donate 58 eReaders to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana
The eRead for the future initiative focuses on delivering cutting edge technology that promotes reading for kids BILLERICA, Mass., May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- E Ink ( the originator, pioneer, and global commercial leader in ePaper technology, announced today its collaborative donation with MediaTek to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana as part of E Ink's eRead for the Future program. E Ink and MediaTek are donating 58 Amazon Kindle Kids eReaders—each Kindle Kids device features an E Ink ePaper display for a comfortable, paper-like reading experience and is powered by MediaTek's advanced chipset technology. 'The donation from E Ink and MediaTek will have a meaningful impact on the children,' said Brandon Smith, Clubs Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana. 'Access to books and educational tools is crucial for our Club kids' development, and these Kindle devices open up a world of opportunities for their learning.' During the upcoming summer, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana is running a Summer Reading program to combat reading skill loss during the summer. These Kindle Kids will be used to support this program. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that E Ink's ePaper screens with a ComfortGaze front light are up to three times healthier for eyes than LCD screens. As distraction and blue light dominate modern devices, paper-like E Ink screens provide a healthier screen time option. Blue light from LED and fluorescent lighting, as well as monitors, tablets, and mobile devices, can negatively affect vision over the long term, according to the American Optometric Association. Unlike traditional LCD screens, ePaper screens are non-emissive, meaning they rely on ambient light for viewing. Devices like the Amazon Kindle can help families minimize the blue-light hazard and enable more focused reading and learning. 'This collaboration with E Ink and the Boys & Girls Clubs is a wonderful opportunity to share our passion for technology with future generations,' said Jerry Yu, Corporate Senior Vice President at MediaTek. 'These Kindles are valuable tools that ensure our youth have access to more important resources to empower deeper learning.' 'Our partnership with MediaTek and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana is steeped in helping inspire a lifelong love of reading,' said Lynne Garone, Associate Vice President of Corporate Learning and Social Responsibility at E Ink Corporation. 'Our ePaper technology is designed to make reading more enjoyable and accessible for kids everywhere.' To expand on eRead for the Future program in 2025, this eReader donation reflects E Ink and MediaTek's ongoing commitment to supporting communities and creating opportunities for children through technology and education. The devices come bundled with a 6-month subscription to Amazon Kids+, giving the young readers unlimited access to thousands of children's books, with a part of the donation being reserved for a permanent book collection. In 2024, E Ink engaged over 22 partners across the ePaper ecosystem to participate in the social good initiative, eRead for the Future, that focuses on delivering technology that elevates students' reading abilities. Through last year's collaboration, E Ink donated 1,024 color eReaders, benefiting over 15,000 students across 40 elementary schools. The total donation value was nearly USD 1 million and saved 777 metric tons of carbon from reading digital, nonprinted, books. For context, if 160 million eReaders worldwide download 50 eBooks each over a five-year period, this totals 8 billion eBooks. In comparison, if all these books were read in paper form, it would equate to nearly 60 million tons of CO2e. About E Ink E Ink Holdings Inc. ( based on technology from MIT's Media Lab, provides an ideal display medium for applications spanning eReaders and eNotes, retail, home, hospital, transportation, logistics, and more, enabling customers to put displays in locations previously impossible. E Ink's electrophoretic display products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its low power displays enable customers to reach their sustainability goals, and E Ink has pledged using 100% renewable energy in 2030 and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. E Ink has been recognized for their efforts by receiving validation from Science-Based Targets (SBTi) and is listed in both the DJSI World and DJSI Emerging Indexes. Listed in Taiwan's Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world's largest supplier of ePaper displays. For more information please visit E Ink. We Make Surfaces Smart and Green. Contact:V2 Communications for E Inkeink@ in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
E Ink and MediaTek Donate 58 eReaders to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana
The eRead for the future initiative focuses on delivering cutting edge technology that promotes reading for kids BILLERICA, Mass., May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- E Ink ( the originator, pioneer, and global commercial leader in ePaper technology, announced today its collaborative donation with MediaTek to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana as part of E Ink's eRead for the Future program. E Ink and MediaTek are donating 58 Amazon Kindle Kids eReaders—each Kindle Kids device features an E Ink ePaper display for a comfortable, paper-like reading experience and is powered by MediaTek's advanced chipset technology. 'The donation from E Ink and MediaTek will have a meaningful impact on the children,' said Brandon Smith, Clubs Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana. 'Access to books and educational tools is crucial for our Club kids' development, and these Kindle devices open up a world of opportunities for their learning.' During the upcoming summer, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana is running a Summer Reading program to combat reading skill loss during the summer. These Kindle Kids will be used to support this program. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that E Ink's ePaper screens with a ComfortGaze front light are up to three times healthier for eyes than LCD screens. As distraction and blue light dominate modern devices, paper-like E Ink screens provide a healthier screen time option. Blue light from LED and fluorescent lighting, as well as monitors, tablets, and mobile devices, can negatively affect vision over the long term, according to the American Optometric Association. Unlike traditional LCD screens, ePaper screens are non-emissive, meaning they rely on ambient light for viewing. Devices like the Amazon Kindle can help families minimize the blue-light hazard and enable more focused reading and learning. 'This collaboration with E Ink and the Boys & Girls Clubs is a wonderful opportunity to share our passion for technology with future generations,' said Jerry Yu, Corporate Senior Vice President at MediaTek. 'These Kindles are valuable tools that ensure our youth have access to more important resources to empower deeper learning.' 'Our partnership with MediaTek and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana is steeped in helping inspire a lifelong love of reading,' said Lynne Garone, Associate Vice President of Corporate Learning and Social Responsibility at E Ink Corporation. 'Our ePaper technology is designed to make reading more enjoyable and accessible for kids everywhere.' To expand on eRead for the Future program in 2025, this eReader donation reflects E Ink and MediaTek's ongoing commitment to supporting communities and creating opportunities for children through technology and education. The devices come bundled with a 6-month subscription to Amazon Kids+, giving the young readers unlimited access to thousands of children's books, with a part of the donation being reserved for a permanent book collection. In 2024, E Ink engaged over 22 partners across the ePaper ecosystem to participate in the social good initiative, eRead for the Future, that focuses on delivering technology that elevates students' reading abilities. Through last year's collaboration, E Ink donated 1,024 color eReaders, benefiting over 15,000 students across 40 elementary schools. The total donation value was nearly USD 1 million and saved 777 metric tons of carbon from reading digital, nonprinted, books. For context, if 160 million eReaders worldwide download 50 eBooks each over a five-year period, this totals 8 billion eBooks. In comparison, if all these books were read in paper form, it would equate to nearly 60 million tons of CO2e. About E Ink E Ink Holdings Inc. ( based on technology from MIT's Media Lab, provides an ideal display medium for applications spanning eReaders and eNotes, retail, home, hospital, transportation, logistics, and more, enabling customers to put displays in locations previously impossible. E Ink's electrophoretic display products make it the worldwide leader for ePaper. Its low power displays enable customers to reach their sustainability goals, and E Ink has pledged using 100% renewable energy in 2030 and reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. E Ink has been recognized for their efforts by receiving validation from Science-Based Targets (SBTi) and is listed in both the DJSI World and DJSI Emerging Indexes. Listed in Taiwan's Taipei Exchange (TPEx) and the Luxembourg market, E Ink Holdings is now the world's largest supplier of ePaper displays. For more information please visit E Ink. We Make Surfaces Smart and Green. Contact:V2 Communications for E Inkeink@
Business Insider
19-05-2025
- Business Insider
Is America headed for an age of dumb phones?
Count him among the "appstinent" — one of a growing number of Americans, mostly millennials and Zoomers, vowing to live a life free of endless scrolling. "Screen time was just crowding out other things," says Thurmond, who's 41. "That's not where I want to get my entertainment, and it's not really where I want to have any substantive conversation. I prefer to do that kind of stuff in the analog world." Three years ago, Thurmond became worried that his smartphone use was making him less present, less social, and less productive. He traded in his Android for a Light Phone, a so-called " dumb phone" that allows him to text and make calls but doesn't give him access to email and social media. With its simple interface and limited features, it's built to ward off phone addiction. The switch wasn't totally seamless. Thurmond, a self-professed "long-winded texter," struggled with the phone's E Ink keyboard, which can take some time getting used to. And not being glued to his phone also meant he was slower to respond to texts, which quickly became a point of friction with his now ex-girlfriend. But as he reduced his screen time, Thurmond realized he didn't need his Android as much as he thought he did, and that many of the Light Phone's inconveniences were actually "benefits in disguise." He started calling people rather than texting, which led to more satisfying interactions. He began each morning sketching out the day's goals on a whiteboard, rather than "just reacting to things" like emails. And instead of using his Android to unlock the Citi Bikes he uses to get around New York, he requested a $10 key from the company. "I was more relaxed, because I didn't have all this stuff rattling around in my brain," he says. "I was just more fulfilled by things in day-to-day life." "Appstinence," a play on abstinence, was coined by Gabriela Nguyen, a 24-year-old graduate student at Harvard. Nguyen, who grew up in Silicon Valley and got her first iPad when she was 9, came to view her addiction to phones and social media as the enemy of productivity and living in the moment. She found her calling in encouraging people to wean themselves off their phones. Last year, she started a club called APPstinence at Harvard and launched a website of the same name. "After adopting this lifestyle, it felt like this incredible, secret, competitive edge that I wanted to share with other people," Nguyen says. Still, even Nguyen isn't completely phone-free. She has three dumb phones, including the Light Phone, which she alternates between based on their usefulness to whatever task she's tackling. For her, appstinence is a bridge to a healthier relationship with technology. "Leaving social media is not a resignation," Nguyen says. "It's not this idea that you've been defeated, now you have to do a walk of surrender." As evidence mounts of our collective phone addiction — and the toxic effects of social media — there's a growing appetite for the Gospel of Appstinence. Searches for dumb phones have been surging. From Amsterdam to Brooklyn, there's a growing trend of nightclubs requesting that revelers leave their phones at home — or at least keep them off the dance floor. Adults like Thurmond and Nguyen, who grew up when the internet and social media were just taking off, are perhaps the most desperate to reclaim the attention and focus that technology has taken from them. But lately, the appstinence movement has also begun to capture teens and college students, many of whom grew up seeing their phones as integral to their social lives. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that most American teens have access to smartphones — and nearly half reported being online "almost constantly." Samantha Palazzolo was in sixth grade when she got her first iPhone, and she spent most of her middle and high school years glued to it. "I would stay on social media, scrolling instead of going to sleep, even if I was tired," says Palazzolo, who's now 20. She began questioning her social media addiction during her freshman year at the University of Illinois. After waking up one morning feeling deeply embarrassed by an Instagram story she'd posted the night before, she began reflecting on how social media was consistently killing the vibe. "Going into college, everyone was telling us, 'You're going to remember these moments forever,'" she says. But her phone was distracting her from her actual experiences. "We were going out to these parties and people would just be scrolling on their phones," she says. So she and two friends bought flip phones — an old technology that was totally new to them. She loved how the antique-looking gadget served as a natural conversation starter in social situations. And to declare her newfound freedom from social media, Palazzolo turned — where else? — to social media. Her TikTok paean to flip phones went viral, garnering over 18 million views. She also joined a growing number of Gen Zers on TikTok who unbox and offer reviews of their favorite dumb phones. Cult favorites include an HMD Barbie-branded model of the Cat S22, a flip phone compatible with most apps but with a small enough screen to deter doomscrolling. Sen Killingsworth was an even earlier convert to appstinence. At 15, he traded in his smartphone and started hosting phone-free events at his high school. A few of his peers parodied his events in mocking posts on Instagram — precisely the kind of online bullying he was hoping to get away from. But Killingsworth stuck with it. Today, he runs the Reconnect Movement, which hosts phone-free events across college campuses "to create a fully engaged, uninterrupted social environment that Gen Z rarely experiences." Killingsworth, who's now 22, recently partnered with Nguyen and Jonathan Haidt, the author of " The Anxious Generation" and a leader in the growing phone-free school movement. Together, they've linked up with Truth Initiative, which advocates against youth nicotine addiction, to plan an international "day of appstinence" to encourage Gen Zers to delete their social media apps. "It's like a muscular atrophy of our social skills," Killingsworth says of our phone-centric lives. Luckily, he's found that the condition is temporary if it's caught early enough. "They come right back in 15, 30 minutes," he says. Thurmond's journey to appstinence started in 2022. Craving more in-person interactions as the COVID pandemic wound down, he began hosting monthly digital detox events, which attracted people whose phone use had exploded during the lockdowns — including one man who had spent most of his time messaging with an AI chatbot. The attendees, Thurmond realized, were far more diverse than the people in the algorithm-fueled bubbles of his social media. At one of the events, Thurmond invited Joe Hollier, a cofounder of Light Phone, to make a presentation. The Light Phone is unabashedly a niche product — a "simple device" that's "designed to be used as little as possible." Given its price tag of $699 for the latest model — $100 more than an iPhone 16e, but with far fewer features — only a true believer would consider buying one. Most of the customers are between 25 and 40. "The whole value is in it not distracting you, but giving you the peace of mind that if there's an emergency, you have a phone," Hollier says. The idea for the Light Phone came to Hollier a decade ago. At the time, he and his cofounder, Kaiwei Tang, were taking part in a Google incubator program for creatives who were developing apps. But Hollier and Tang found the experience to be more insidious than inspiring. In the world of phone apps, addiction wasn't a byproduct of success — it was the goal."If an app was sticky, then there was a business model to be made," Hollier says. He wanted to do the opposite. Hollier developed a prototype of the Light Phone while completing his bachelor's degree at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Since then, riding the wave of the appstinence movement, he's sold 100,000 phones. In 2023, the company collaborated with pgLang, Kendrick Lamar's creative agency, to release a limited-edition Light Phone. It sold out in less than a day. But Hollier has also witnessed the limitations of his dumbed-down phone in our hyper-online world. One couple gave a positive report after taking a Light Phone out with them on a date. Being unplugged was so refreshing, they said, that it gave them butterflies again. But the evening took a turn when they couldn't order an Uber, and they got into an argument as they tried to figure out the best way to get home. And even the biggest boosters of appstinence can find themselves pulled back into the habit of constant scrolling. Palazzolo, who just graduated from college, says she still uses her flip phone a few nights a month when she goes out with friends. But she expects to start using her smartphone more as she hunts for a job and perhaps moves to a bigger city. A dumb phone may be liberating, but a digital age requires digital tools. "It's really impractical," Palazzolo says. For those who are sticking it out, the hardest thing about liberating themselves from smartphones has been existing in a world of phone addicts. Thurmond feels this acutely when traveling around New York City and navigating hordes of people staring into their devices or using them to create content. It's like giving up alcohol while living 24/7 in a bar.
