this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2024

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Recommendations for dumb tech? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 weeks ago by ChowJeeBai@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

75 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Tired of my tvs no longer updating to the latest software, tired of my phone no longer connecting to my car, tired of my few years old tech being considered legacy and no longer supported. Can anyone suggest non-android, non-apple, non-AI, non-connected, non-smart 'dumb' tech you've bought that makes a difference in your life? Should be hardy enough to last maybe 20 years (my even older plasma tv is still going on strong with a beautiful tv and forward firing speakers, while my newer Samsung lcd stopped receiving updates) and just do it's job. I can live without mu ai enabled washer telling me how to wash my clothes.

(page 2) 25 comments

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[–] fart_pickle@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I will be devil's advocate in terms of Apple devices. I have an old iPad (5th gen), three years old iPhone and M1 iMac. All work perfectly fine. Apart from some latest features I can do anything I need/want.

As for the "smart" TVs, buy a store brand (most are dumb enough) or get a business display. In most cases is as dumb as is gets.

But if you want to "get off the grid" you will need to explore the Linux/FOSS world and spend a lot of time dealing with the usual drama - unusable laptop due to broken update/drivers, dealing with syncing data across devices, figuring out how to do things that work for everyone else.

[–] ChowJeeBai@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Thanks man. I'm not interested in getting off the grid. These things are essential to daily life for me. I just don't understand why my washer needs AI or something dumb like that. The tv should take a signal and display it. Anything outside of that can be done with an external device. So yeah, I've been researching the business displays and large monitors.

[–] fart_pickle@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Before I got privacy focused I have purchased few always online devices. While I try to replace those I still relay on few. To get my more private and secure I have setup additional network that has no access to my home network and I have blocked all outgoing traffic that wasn't essential to the device.

[–] ChowJeeBai@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Heh. Thats a whole 'nother can, friend. Can relate though - I do that on my phone. I just hate my tv nagging me that the version of the os/ app is old, but the manufacturer doesn't provide any more updates. The old school stuff I inherited works fine for 40+ years.

[–] wolfpack86@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I'm curious about something.

I fully understand your sentiment of things that don't need to be smart, being "smart". I have never connected my TV to the internet, because fuck that. I think there's a bunch of things that are getting crap they don't need layered on, all to mine more data

That said, what's the issue with the TV not updating to the latest software? Isn't that basically the same as a TV that never needed updates? No chance of a new feature, ever?

The key difference is the spyware, but that wasn't what frustrated you, specifically.

[–] ChowJeeBai@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Because I lose features I bought the tv for? I mean, if the selling point is a YouTube/ netflix/ spotify client, then 3 years down the line when the Netflix client is no longer compatible with the current service, and can't be updated because the TV's OS isn't being updated by the manufacturer any more, it means I have to buy another device, which I could have done in the beginning. So now I want a dumb tv so I can pair it with anything I want for years (HDMI will be around a lot longer than Netflix v3.x.xxxx), instead of having a tv filled with zombie apps I can't delete.

The spyware is there as long as I'm using the services. So it's not what is bothering me, though it's the common bogeyman. It's the forced obsolescence and waste.

[–] beirdobaggins@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I had a dumb tv that I was using with a Roku streaming box. The TV became no longer supported because of the HDMI version that shipped with the TV. Roku stopped supporting certain versions of hdmi to prevent piracy.

Even if you have a "Dumb" device, newer tech may just say no.

[–] ChowJeeBai@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Good counterpoint mate. Will have to avoid those too, then.

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