Ep 28 - Joe Hollier - The Light Phone

We are all connected to our phones 24/7, it has become our reality. Joe has decided to ask the question, "must it be this way, though?". 

With the tagline - "A phone that respects your time", Joe has created the Light Phone - a modern, sleek phone that has minimal functionality (goodbye Instagram), and allows for the bare minimum - i.e. calls and texts.  Joe, like most of us, was getting tech fatigue and anxiety. He wanted to create a way to take a break from all that the smartphone entices us with. Being constantly connected to your phone takes its toll, and we just accept it because, hey - modernity. 

A phone is a tool that should serve us, and while our smartphones are highly functional supercomputers that have made our lives much easier - they have also enslaved us, in a way. Convenience has come at a price of loss of privacy, physical and mental issues, government surveillance - the list goes on. 

Joe and I discussed all these matters and more. In creating the Light Phone, Joe is not naive - he does not think the Light Phone will replace the iPhone - but he does want it to be an addition to it, and to our lives. Joe was featured on Forbes 30 under 30 and is a bright young mind in the tech scene. 

I had a lot of fun conversing tech with Joe and learning about his thought processes throughout this whole journey. 

My take - We need a break, our phones have become an extension of our hands, when we can't see them for 2 seconds we become OCD and lose our minds. We have developed an unhealthy relationship with these machines, and while I'm not advocating to throw them away, I am saying perhaps put them away for a couple of hours, go on a hike, enjoy the moment, don't document the moment, find the balance that works for you - and maybe, grab a Light Phone. 

Enjoy the podcast!

Joe Hollier - http://www.joehollier.com/

The Light Phone - https://www.thelightphone.com/

Comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com