I like a good phone as much as the next guy, gal or gender X— just got this device a few weeks ago and was inspired to drop a little Who, What, When, Where, Why (in reverse order) for anyone interested. My first phones were rotary. Then came push-button. Cordless evolved into mobile with little retractable antennae, to flip & candybar to these infernal things we have now..
Smart. When I’m rolling with the Palm I get a feel of my favorite cell phone of yesteryear, the Motorola PEBL (which was an SUV’d-up RAZR). Knowing I have all the modern maps and apps at my disposal is a better feeling than using them frivolously. This isn’t a phone that begs for your attention, so we like it more. Someone was bound to do this sooner or later, and I’m happy with what the new iteration of Palm brought to market.
WHY?
Because who wants to lug an impulse-driven power-phablet around all the livelong day especially since they’ve become so devilishly smart? Mentally the new Palm lends lends itself to the essence of what our mobile phones were circa 2005. It’s the tiniest a phone can be without even being a thing at all. A bit like the watch (on your bill at least), but something else (you could strap this to your wrist and make it so). Not every blip needs action, and this gives you plenty of options to let only VIPs through. Cloud notes can be scribbled for later access on bigger screens. Synced-up contacts and a simplified version of Android allow you to create a mini version of your phone, but one with a size advantage that can go any way depending on your imagination.
WHERE?
Wear wherever! Preferably pocket. The Palm is so small— uncased it could so so easily fall beneath a carseat, in a grate, down a chute— faster than you could say shh. It’s wearable in that it’s your responsibility to keep it from falling—or falling out of the wrong hands. This means you shouldn’t let anyone examine it, which is fine because since it’s barely a thing at all, it looks much better hidden. One of the reasons I wrote this article is to direct curious askers to it if they ask to see mine.
WHEN?
When you want to be polite, social, busy. When you bicycle, go to dinner, play handball. You can always switch back to your main phone when you’re done with your minimalist mission. Face it. Socially, once you’ve reached the people you need to be with, the big boppin’ phone isn’t always a good look. The Palm is great for times you want to go against the obsessive, phone-addicted, picture-fiend aesthetic that’s so common in today’s public spaces.
WHAT?
Palm calls this a cell phone the size of a credit card. They’re right. I’m using the companion version. It is also available as a standalone. It runs a simplified version of Android, has one single button and one USB-C slot.
WHO?
palm.com (no affiliation)
Less = more is my philosophy with this and I’m slowly adding apps based on how essential I deem them. “Subway Time” works fine on here as does the freelancer-friendly work app “When I Work”. I checked into flights, used the flashlight, took some pictures— having another smaller phone with the same number is something I’ve wanted as a consumer so I was happy to buy into this. I’m looking for suggestions on a good weather app. Feel free to tweet us with tips. Here’s a raw unedited Palm camera photo of the Ferris Wheel at the Brockton Fair a few days ago:
Popdiatry occasionally writes about apparel and accessories in our feature Off The Path.
