tl:dr My phone carries so much that were i without it, I'd need a bag of other things and invest far more time and energy.
I don't really agree that living a simple life needs to be smartphone free, in cases where people are addicted to social media maybe then fair enough but generally I can't see any link.
Mainly because If I was to leave my smartphone I would need to carry far more to equalise what I lose.
My phone is:
My entire library of books - currently re reading Lord of the Rings, any chance I get, bus stops, trains, waiting for my gf etc etc.
Most of my music
A source of endless podcasts and videos
A GBA and NDS
A Satnav: The value here is insane, wherever I go I don't need to spend time researching a route or following a map when driving, I just type in my location and press play and go. Also I downloaded the map of Tuscany not long ago and had access to a complete map of another country while offline... its simply astounding - The stress of trying to deal with driving in a new place and follow signs I would have to have done otherwise... nope, type in place we needed to go, press play, enjoy scenery.
Maps cont. - not to mention the fact I can go somewhere Ive never been, find the free things to do, or must see's find reviews of things and then find directions straight to them. Find communities of locals etc etc. Its just invaluable. It's happened so often I've gone to dinner with the GF and had a quick google and download of a discount voucher and saves us a ton of money across a year.
A torch - come in handy no end of times.
A camera - I like taking photos to remember where ive been and what ive done, not keen enough to want to take a real camera, but would need to without a smartphone. Also I use the camera to scan things with an app that saves them to PDF's - meaning I've managed to digitise most of my paperwork so I never lose that document I need and have to find it hoping I filed it sensibly.
Free communication with anyone across the planet.
Writing apps that sync - email and all that crap.
This is all in a device barely taller than a can of coke and half a cm thick - without it if I wanted to do half of the stuff listed above I'd need a bag of other pieces of technology. With it I just need headphones and I'm done.
I am perfectly happy to spend time in a café or on a bench with a tea and people watch, or lie in the park and do nothing. But for me my smartphone is essential for how I define simple living, because it's all in one device, and yet mostly online so if I lost it, I change a few passwords get a different phone and carry on where I left off.
Submitted August 14, 2018 at 05:48AM by jalaran https://ift.tt/2vHCBKq
