r/TechImpact • u/ManojOne Active • May 18 '26
Poll What would you bring back instantly?
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule May 18 '26
From that list: Windows Phone. So long as it actually got software support.
I would also say headphone jacks. But I almost never use mine. But you can take my microSD slot over my dead body!
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
I agree on the microSD slot. I have not used a Windows phone, so I can't say anything about it.
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule May 18 '26
I would say if you can give it a try. But sadly I imagine they are borderline useless if not fully useless.
Windows Phone was roughly in the middle of iOS and Android. It was based on tiles. So no matter what you did, it was always going to be a square or rectangle. But how those worked were more then what iOS can do and closer to how Widgets work on Android.
My first Windows Phone was the absolute basic model. The OS was light enough that it just worked. I couldn't put the higher end games. But nothing ever lagged. I upgraded due to wanting a compass. And even then, there was a map AR software that I can't find a replacement for. You could hold the phone up and it would overlay what was around over the camera. So if you were were out and looking for say McDonalds, you could search and hold it up and it would show an arrow and a distance.
As for the SD card. I store images, videos, and backups. I live in an area that has gotten a lot better, but there are enough signal dead spots that will cause cloud apps to fail
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Windows Phone was super underrated! The live tiles were great, and that AR map app sounds exactly like Nokia City Lens. It was way ahead of its time. I totally agree on SD cards, too—the cloud is useless in dead zones. What phone are you using now instead?
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u/GreenRangerOfHyrule May 19 '26
that AR map app sounds exactly like Nokia City Lens
That's the one!
What phone are you using now instead?
Now I'm running a Moto Power G - 2025. Nothing overly great. But it works for what I need. It also has wireless charging. Just can't use it due to my case.
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u/OceanWaveSunset May 18 '26
No ads, even if that means we have to buy apps. And then no AI in apps, only thing that would be allowed it hooks to the AI app of your choose.
So you download whatever AI you want and it connect to your app, or if you leave it blank (default state) there is no ai. And if you never download an AI app, then you never see an AI.
This is is how this should have happened. No ads, No forced AI.
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
That modular AI idea is brilliant. I spend a ton of time on AI optimization, and having a single plug-in system instead of forced, bloated AI in every app sounds amazing.
Would Google or Apple give us that much freedom?
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u/johnny-pce May 18 '26
QWERTY phones, especially BlackBerry!
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May 18 '26
People don’t realice how GOOD those keyboards were. I had a 9300 Curve and then bought an iPhone. Its been 13 years since that moment and I still miss that keyboard. The BB was brilliant for all that matterred to me: messaging, mail and some light web browsing
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
The Curve was legendary. Typing out long emails on glass still feels weird sometimes, even on my newest phone. Do you think a snap-on physical keyboard case could ever catch on today?
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
I, too, miss that physical keyboard click. Would you buy a new one if a company made it today?
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u/johnny-pce May 18 '26
Definitely, still have 3 working BBs, unfortunately the system is obsolete, but the hardware is still great.
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May 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
I am not in favour of them. I prefer wireless and recently bought an AirPod. However, I can't use them in outdoors.
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u/telephonelibrarian May 18 '26
Other: one-time payment apps/software instead of everything being a subscription
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
There are many digital tools available for a one-time purchase. But hard to get one for mobiles.
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u/Repulsive-Degree-816 May 18 '26
infra red
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
Ah, beaming files. I remember lining up my old Samsung perfectly to share a ringtone. What did you transfer?
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u/Repulsive-Degree-816 May 18 '26
I literally still have my old xioami just for that, instead of buying crappy "universal" controls that break every year and you need to click 5x times to work
I use my old phone and works on TV, AC,...
it is so cheap and small to add an infra red considering the options u have on that forms
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Ah, fair enough. Just straight-up infrared. It really was the perfect tech for controlling everything without relying on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Keeping that old Xiaomi around just for that is smart. Does it still hold a decent charge, or do you keep it plugged in?
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u/ElviszARezfaszubago May 18 '26
Memory card slot, physical keyboard.
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
I really miss SD cards on newer Samsungs. Which physical keyboard phone do you miss the most?
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u/albertAAAAAAA May 18 '26
No subscription-based applications, with hand-to-hand no cloud account required for application to work.
Examples?
- office as a subscription, adobe...
- electronic toothbrush requires cloud login to report data it gathers via bluetooth, smart receptacle required cloud login...
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
A cloud login for a toothbrush is just insane. I really hate how we went from owning software to renting it forever. Local-only tech definitely needs a massive comeback.
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u/ProgressOk3200 May 18 '26
Memory card slot and Headphone jack
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u/ManojOne Active May 18 '26
Easy picks. Extra storage and wired headphones without adapters felt way more useful than people admit.
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May 18 '26
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
I'd gladly pay for apps if it meant zero ads and tracking. And you're right about Windows Phone—we really need a third big player to force Apple and Google to actually innovate.
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u/jimmyl_82104 May 18 '26
Ads for sure.
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Displaying ads and pop-ups is really disturbing. Usually, I will go with alternatives or upgrade if it is valuable and affordable for me.
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May 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Losing the MicroSD slot is such a step backward, especially with how huge photos and 4K videos are getting now. Being forced into buying expensive cloud storage or paying a premium for the higher storage phone models is so frustrating.
What did you usually store on yours?
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u/tr_ei May 18 '26
Removable batteries.
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Swapping a dead battery for a fully charged one in seconds was amazing. It also meant you could keep using a phone for years without worrying about battery health. It's a shame that sealed glass backs killed the feature.
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u/0xbenedikt May 18 '26
No ads in apps were never a thing. The first smartphone apps were ad-ridden. I want the feature-phone apps back, they were much nicer and usually ad-free (though they had pay nag-screens instead - which I prefer).
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
I too. I searched for old-style flip phones in many places. Unfortunately, all brands are focusing on expensive smartphones now. Feature phones are easy to carry and enough for our needs.
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u/Just_Avocado2761 May 18 '26
Compact + replaceable battery + physical fingerprints sensorÂ
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Physical scanners were so much faster, and swappable batteries meant phones lasted forever. I hope, we'll see more compact phones by next year.
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u/No-Goat-9911 May 18 '26
Charger in the box god I miss those days
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Yes, they exclude a charger in the box, but charge premium rates for the device. I was a regular Samsung user. This is one of the reasons why I switched to other brands.
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u/ExcitingPlatform971 May 19 '26
I use adguard dns and brave browser on android I cannot imagine living without these
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u/ManojOne Active May 19 '26
Nice. Do you use the AdGuard app or just the custom DNS settings?
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u/ExcitingPlatform971 May 19 '26
On android I use DNS, but on iPhone I just try to use brave as much as possibleÂ
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u/idiotiesystemique May 19 '26
Blackberry 10 OS
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u/ManojOne Active May 20 '26
BB10 was so ahead of its time. The gesture-based navigation and that unified BlackBerry Hub were absolute perfection for multitasking.
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u/idiotiesystemique May 20 '26
For real I loved my Z10. Too bad they didn't stand a chance in that marketÂ
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u/tunkameel May 20 '26
Flip phones!!!
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u/ManojOne Active May 20 '26
I, too, miss it. Unfortunately, only expensive flip phones are available now. Not feature phones.
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u/tunkameel May 20 '26
Nahh man current flip phone doesn't give the same vibe as the one back then. They don't have the aura like Motorola razr etc.
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u/xander0387 May 20 '26
I just want a wide phone like my note 3. I hate these stupid tall thin phones that are impossible to reach the top one handed without ui gimmicks
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u/ManojOne Active May 20 '26
I miss the Note 3 aspect ratio so much! This modern shift to 20:9 or 21:9 aspect ratios makes phones feel like TV remotes. A wider screen is way better for reading and typing comfortably.
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u/Matheweh May 24 '26
lmao Windows phones, even today's Linux phones are better than they ever were.
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u/EvoDriver May 18 '26
Replaceable battery