Minimalistic Smartphone Minimal Phone: No Flashy Games Or Videos
The startup Minimal decided to release a smartphone in the style of the BlackBerry models that were popular before the iPhone came out. The Minimal Phone smartphone received an E Ink screen (it is apparently still touch-sensitive) and a physical QWERTY keyboard. The device is unlikely to be suitable for games and watching videos, but it can be used for viewing text files and websites, working with email and, of course, making calls and messages.
Minimal Phone takes its name from a special version of Android that is optimized to run on devices with low-power, high-contrast black-and-white E Ink displays with low refresh rates. The new product cannot be purchased yet, but the developer says that the design of the device has been completed and a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to launch production of the Minimal Phone will start in early February.
Since the E Ink display allows you to view information without backlighting, the smartphone is comfortable to use even in bright sunlight. It also consumes little power and is capable of displaying a static image indefinitely, even in the absence of power. Essentially, energy is consumed only when the image on the screen changes. The developer of Minimal Phone claims that the smartphone can go without recharging for up to 4 days, and the power source is a 4000 mAh battery.
The message that the company wants to convey with the release of the Minimal Phone is: “Live more, scroll less”; that is, users are advised to look less at the screen and more to enjoy real life.
It is expected that the retail price of the smartphone will be around $400, but there is no talk of the start of sales yet: only a crowdfunding campaign will begin in February. Perhaps its members will be able to receive discounts on the purchase of the device when (or if) its release to the market does take place.
