JohnDoeAmsterdam

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  • John's Phone review: 'the world's simplest cellphone'

    by 
    Thomas Ricker
    Thomas Ricker
    12.06.2010

    It's said to be "The world's simplest cellphone." That's a bold claim from anyone let alone a previously unknown (in gadget circles anyway) Dutch team of creatives over at John Doe Amsterdam who wanted to build a basic phone -- the most basic phone ever -- that wasn't as dull and boring as other affordable phones on the market. So is it? Well, it certainly is basic. In the age of smartphones and cheap featurephones, John's phone is more clearly defined by what it lacks than what it has: no fancy color touchscreen display; no camera; no 3G radio, WiFi, Bluetooth or even GPRS data; no FM radio; no user-accessible storage; and no music player or apps of any kind. It can't even send a text message. It's just a quad-band GSM phone with an ink pen and paper notepad tucked neatly into its capacious recesses. That's right, pen and paper. So, it's definitely basic, but is it simple to use? Read on to find out. %Gallery-109300%