Analogue pleasures #4: Punkt MP01 phone

Welcome to our Analogue Pleasures series. Our mission at Time To Log Off is to encourage you all to get off your screens more and bring a bit more real-world balance back into your life. Sometimes this can be a challenge and boredom is one of the main reasons why people are driven to pick up their phone again, even though they’ve resolved not to. To help, we’ve launched a video series devoted to ‘analogue’ activities and products that we love to do when we switch off that you might like to try. Books, workshops, things to do outside in nature, creative projects, anything in fact that encourages you to log off – and all things that you can fill your digital detox time with.

Introducing the Punkt MP-o1 phone – ‘technology tamed’

In the fourth of our Analogue Pleasures series, we’re looking at a mobile phone from Swiss tech company Punkt, specifically their MP-01. Punkt twists the concept of being connected and takes users back to when mobile phones were a simple communication device without any extra features. Their strapline is ‘technology tamed’. We decided to review one of their devices to see what kind of impact it could have on our lives and whether they could be a great tool for our retreats.

The MP-01 is a premium product that focuses on the importance of connecting with people in the right way. The design is simplistic but elegant and feels great in the hand. It allows you to send text messages and make phone calls but that’s it. No frills, no unnecessary features, and definitely no internet browsing capabilities, social media or work email.

The MP-01 phone is a great solution for those who feel the urge to answer emails outside of work hours or who want to log off while on holiday. An easy adapter allows you to swap your smartphone sim into the phone so you can use the same number but switch off totally from digital. We test drove the device for a few days to understand the benefits and possible drawbacks and found the experiment interesting and overall very positive. Not carrying our smartphone at all times the first day felt strange, but the ‘freedom’ of not being connected (while still being contactable) ended up being liberating. For the full review watch our video.