This was my reaction exactly. On the one hand, I&#x27;m sick to death of modern phones that can&#x27;t hold a charge, keep crashing apps, and get super hot after just a few minutes. On the other, a dumb phone seems too excessive a reaction. I mostly don&#x27;t use my phone to make calls. I use it to read. There&#x27;s something to be said for a phone that has a nice touch screen but doesn&#x27;t provide a browser, just a few basic apps for reading and taking notes.<p>A few months ago[1] I was day-dreaming on HN about an alternative to html designed from the ground up to minimize webpage bloat and avoid tracking. Now I have a further refinement in mind: build a device that has exemplary reliability and power-utilization with a big touch screen and a cellphone number. Build a bare-bones browser for it supporting a tiny subset of html (no images, so no pixel tracking). Have the new device proxy through an ISP server that also as a bonus filters out ads and third-party cookies. Gradually encourage people to build hobbyist or paywalled reading experiences out of the subset of html and fork off a new world wide web. Then win :) Or something. Who&#x27;s with me?<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=10496611" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=10496611</a>