This is a repost from my old Wordpress Blog. I try not to talk about telephones here. I do much more of that elsewhere. But I do occasionally talk about smartphones here as they relate to computing and networking.

Due to a change in life circumstances, I need to switch from Android to iOS. I often equate the stress of getting a new phone to moving to a new apartment. Switching from Android to iOS feels like moving to a new apartment in a country where I don’t speak the language.

My life with the smart phone cult#

The smartphone has unified calling, messaging, and computing into a single, albeit flawed, package. The smartphone is more than just a mobile phone combined with a portable computer. It is a whole new category of technology. Podcasts and photo apps didn’t really exist before the smartphone. The new thing that comes with smartphones is virtual assistants, like Siri or Alexa. Right now the technology is primitive. You give them commands and they either return a value or an error. It’s the verbal equivalent of DOS in the 1990’s. But that technology is getting better, at a dizzying rate.

I love being able to put all of those apps and services into my pocket. It’s just that when it comes to actual voice calling and realtime messaging, computers and telephones do it better. Also, mobile communications, where I am on-the-go with no access to a desktop, laptop, or tablet, is maybe 30% of my life. Mobile apps and messaging are great when I am driving, hiking, shopping, and socializing. The rest of the time I am sitting at a desk (at home or at work), sitting on a couch, or lying in bed. You clearly cannot use a desktop computer when you are standing in line or sitting in a waiting room. For every other situation, a computer or tablet is better tool for the job. I prefer to use my tablet when I am on the couch or in bed, and to use a PC and a hardware telephone when I am seated at a desk.

In general, a dedicated piece of equipment is a superior user exerience compared to an item that tries to do multiple things at once. A multi-tool fits in the pocket, but dedicated tools (knife, pliers, screwdriver) are better. A desktop computer with multiple screens and a 104 key keyboard is the superior writing/coding/gaming experience. A full-sized business handset or speakerphone best for making voice calls, and over the ear headphones with a boom mic are best for long conference calls where you are mostly listening while doing something else. When it comes to writing and reading messages, even the biggest smartphone is a pain to use compared to a computer. I absolutely loathe having to pick up my mobile phone when I am in front of a desktop computer.

The phantasy fone#

The “phone” of my dreams separates the screen from the communications platform. It is a plain box with a mobile broadband transceiver, local storage, and a battery. Basically a mobile hotspot, an Ethernet bridge, a VOIP analog telephone adapter, and an external harddrive in one ruggedized battery powered package. Sounds big, ugly, and heavy, right? Sure. But who cares? You’re rarely going to hold it in your hand. It will sit in a bag, pocket, glove box, end table, or desk 99% of the time.

When the screen is separate from the transceiver, I can use whatever hardware and software I like, based on where I am sitting. At home, the box sits on an end table or nightstand, charging. I can use a 10 inch touch screen or a laptop to interact with it wirelessly. When I am sitting a desk at work or at home, I can plug it in to an Ethernet jack and/or USB port and access everything from my desktop computer and analog desk phone. When I am in the car, I can connect the box to my stereo head unit for music, navigation, and hands-free calling.

Separating the “phone” from the screen lets the transceiver be as bulky and ugly as it needs to be and lets the hardware of the screen be as slim or large as it needs to be. Maybe you need an 8 inch touchscreen. Maybe you miss the old 4.5 inch screens from 2012. Maybe you just need earbuds and a watch. Whatever user interface you may require, the calling, messaging, broadband, and your virtual assistant should work consistently regardless of the screen, keyboard, or lack thereof.

The fantasy is that a smartphone and computer become different tools for accessing the same data, be it Internet access, streaming content, or your personal files.

It’s more than couture, it’s a whole economy#

So why don’t I just get a mobile hotspot? Well, use mobile broadband, which is economically different than home or business broadband. No, I’m not talking about speed. I am talking about lines of business, transfer prices, storage prices, and Network Neutrality.

1. Mobile data plans are a means of getting you to pay twice to connect to the Internet. You pay for Internet service at home, your school or employer pays for it so you can use it, the businesses that offer you free WiFi pay for it. And you depend on WiFi because your data plan is limited and expensive.
2. The price per GB of transfer between mobile data outrageously high. My hosted VM costs me about $5 a month and includes 2TB of transfer data (in and out). Let’s assume that I get the VM for free (I don’t), they are only billing me for the data transfer, and that they aren’t marking up their price on that transfer (they probably are). $5 per month for 2TB is roughly 4 cents per gigabyte. Mint Mobile, one of the cheapest mobile carriers available, charges me $20 per month for 15gb of data, or 75 cents per GB, also there is a limitation on how much hotspot data I can use. Sure, there is a big infrastructure difference between a colocated server sitting directly on an Internet backbone and a national network of huge radio towers and dedicated fiber, but is that cost really 2500%?
3. The price per GB for physical storage on a mobile phone or tablet is also outrageous compared to physical storage on a computer. The difference in price between the 128gb model of the iPhone 16 and the 256gb model, is $100. Assuming that price is not marked up at all, iPhone storage costs about 78 cents per GB. A name brand NVME 256gb solid state drive costs between $25 and $40, for an average price of $33, or roughly 13 cents per GB. Again, I know the costs are different, but are the really 84% different?
4. Mobile data is subject to all kinds of bandwidth caps, aimed at creating costly overage fees. Carriers impose limits on hotspot use. Some games don’t work over hotspots. And in the past, some carriers have played games with communications and streaming apps, like AT&T and Facetime, or AT&T and Netflix.

So it’s not just a fantasy about hardware, it’s a fantasy about breaking free from the rent-seeking that is baked into every facet of the smartphone.

The hour grows late and Chris rides to The Apple Store seeking my counsel.#

So now I am on the eve of changing over from Android and Google Voice to iOS and iMessage. Yes, I could continue to use GV on iOS. But I think that just giving in and doing it the Apple way will yield better results. Apple prefers iMessage for SMS, and will let you send messages even when you have no mobile service. Also, iMessage and Facetime is the way that all of my children prefer to contact me, and right now it only works when I have my iPad.

There are a few challenges to this plan, however. Such as making calls and receiving calls from a desk phone. I am looking into an analog handset and a Bluetooth link for the mobile phone. I am also looking into getting a Mac Mini for desktop use of iMessage and Facetime. Using iMessage from my latop when I am at work is another challenge. I am looking at software to connect my phone to my laptop through Bluetooth. The issue with buying all of this Apple crap IS the incredibly hefty price tag. A used iPhone is close to a thousand dollars. A used Mac Mini is more than half that. Not to mention the electronic waste associated with replacing phones and computers.

Love, Death, and Laptops#

To combat the waste problem, I am also contemplating a lifecycle management plan for the electronics in my life. The idea is to spend this next year buying the gadgetry that makes up my smartphone/tablet arsenal and then vow not to buy any more for four years. I know that this is a difficult challenge since I am like a dope fiend for gadgets. I chose 4 years because I have 3 basic technology hobbies: gaming, homelab, and amateur radio. I figure 1 year I buy/upgrade Apple gear: phone, tablet, watch, and ear buds. Then, in year two, I buy a gaming console. Year 3 I upgrade servers for lab cluster. In year 4: focus on upgrading the gadgetry that I use for my radio activities.

I still have some Android gear, and pretty much always will. When it comes to utilities like wifi scanners Android really can’t be beat. I also have a second phone that I use for outdoor adventures, which given the price of an iPhone, will now see significantly more use when I’m outside.