Latest news with #America-friendly
Forbes
3 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
The Case For — And Against — Digital Detox
Is a minimalist phone for you? Mudita There have been quite a few YouTube videos posted lately about the slew of minimal phones hitting the market. Essentially aiming to be distraction-free communication devices in the most basic sense, these generally have black-and-white matte e-ink screens, good battery life, the ability to call and text, and a couple of standard apps. There's no app store. No internet access. No frills. If you just want a basic way to keep in touch with people, and don't need anything else on your device, these might be for you. They remind me of the old flip phones but in smartphone form. I finally got a review unit of one new such unit, the Mudita Kompakt. The box describes it in this way: 'A minimalist touchscreen phone…designed to bring you balance, privacy, and focus.' Think digital detox. By reducing digital overwhelm, the device helps you achieve better work-life integration, letting you be more productive in your professional and personal lives without distractions, such as constant notifications pulling you away. It also comes in handy when you want to use less tech while traveling or for parents looking for ways to reduce the stress their children/teens face regarding social media. The manufacturer's based in Warsaw, Poland but the version I received is made for North America, and officials told me it works with any major carrier in the U.S. It features a 4.3-inch black-and-white e-ink display, quad core processor, its own basic operating system, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 8 MP camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, SIM and microSD card slots, and an eSIM. Apps include an alarm, calculator, calendar, camera, chess, e-reader, maps, meditation, music, notes, recorder, weather, phone and SMS. You cannot add any, being there's no app store or internet access. It's not the fastest machine, but it is responsive. Although it may be made for North America, it doesn't come with your best interests out of the gate. Go to the weather app, and it defaults to Warsaw. It took some figuring out, but I was able to add my hometown and make it the default. By the way, in the process I discovered that Warsaw has similar weather to Southern California this time of year. Everything also defaults to Celsius and metric measurements. But you can change those to be more America-friendly. Go to the map app, and it lets you locate yourself and anywhere else on the map – provided you first download the map of your area. But it won't provide directions. The maps are surprisingly detailed, but a little tough to see because they're not in color. Because the screen is smaller than I'm used to, the keyboard is a bit tight. Probably too tight to make detailed notes. One thing I found interesting is that when you take photos, they appear in black and white. But you can see them in color if you transfer them to a color-screened Windows computer or phone. Not gonna lie: I cannot see myself using this style of phone. However, I could see giving it to my elderly father-in-law who tries way too hard to use an iPhone but inevitably asks us how to do the most basic functions. Like even how to turn up the volume on phone calls. Using the Kompakt might take away most of the stress the iPhone causes him. It might also be a solution for young kids whose parents want them to have a phone for emergencies but don't want them to be online. It sells for $439, which I think is pricey – especially considering that for the same price or less, you can get a full-featured Android phone that you can put in 'do not disturb' mode whenever you want. Or just buy a flip phone.
The Guardian
12-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Most Europeans see Trump's US as more a necessary partner than ally, poll finds
Donald Trump's return to the White House has sparked a 'remarkable shift' in Europeans' view of the US, according to a survey, with even the most America-friendly no longer seeing Washington primarily as an ally. The polling, of 11 EU member states plus Ukraine, Switzerland and the UK, found most people now regard the US as merely a 'necessary partner' – even in countries such as Poland and Denmark that barely 18 months ago had considered the US an ally. An average of 50% of Europeans across the member states surveyed view the US this way, the study revealed, with an average of only 21% seeing it as an ally, leading the report's authors to urge a more 'realistic, transactional' EU approach. The figures 'speak to a collapse of trust in Washington's foreign policy agenda' and heralded 'the potential death knell of the transatlantic alliance' said Arturo Varvelli, co-author of the report, by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). 'This finding alone should really sharpen minds about the need for Europe to embrace greater pragmatism and autonomy in its global dealings, as a means of protecting its citizens and its values in the coming period,' Varvelli added. Those seeing the US as a 'necessary partner' rather than an ally were most numerous in Ukraine (67%-27%), Spain (57%-14%) and Estonia (55%-28%). But even in the UK, which boasts of a 'special relationship' with the US, the ratio was 44% to 37%. But while Europeans were essentially aligned on their view of US foreign policy, there were significant differences on other issues, suggesting scope for Trump's 'America First' administration to play member states off against each other. While on average EU citizens thought Trump's return as US president was a 'bad thing' for Americans, for their own country and for world peace, Hungarians, Bulgarians and Romanians were considerably more positive than Danes and Germans. Far-right supporters across Europe proved Trump's biggest fans, with fewer than one-fifth of voters for Fidesz in Hungary, Law and Justice (PiS) and Konfederacja in Poland and Brothers of Italy believing his re-election was a 'bad thing' on all three counts. Respondents who voted for Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the National Rally (RN) in France stood out, nonetheless, in having a plurality (37% and 35%, respectively) who believed Trump's return to power was a bad thing for their own countries. There was disagreement, too, over Ukraine. Majorities or pluralities in all countries, including 55% in Denmark, 49% in the UK and 44% in Poland, said a 'compromise settlement' was the likeliest outcome of Russia's war on Ukraine. Some, however, including Estonia, Denmark, the UK and Portugal, felt considerably more strongly than others that continuing support for Kyiv, rather than pushing for peace, must nonetheless remain the EU's priority. And views on what should happen after the war varied widely: 47% of French and 50% of Italians said they struggled to see Ukraine as European, and in Bulgaria and Hungary, many saw Russia as an EU ally or necessary partner, not a rival or adversary. The EU's engagement with China was another topic of divergence. Half or more of respondents in southern and south-eastern Europe, including Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, said they saw Beijing as a 'necessary partner' or ally. However, in countries in northern and western Europe, roughly similar percentages – 55% in Germany, 52% in Denmark, and 45% in the UK and France – held the opposing view, seeing China instead as a rival or adversary. The report's authors argued there was no reason to believe Trump had changed his opinion of the EU from his first term in office, during which he called the bloc a 'foe' for the US and referred to Brussels as being 'like a hellhole'. With the new president opposed to Europe's green transition, alleged 'wokeism' and social media regulation, the bloc must expect 'strategic, economic and political challenges' and understand that US and European interests are diverging, they said. European leaders will need to work across the bloc's faultlines, entertain new forms of flexible cooperation among member states and, above all, resist establishing privileged bilateral relations with Trump at the expense of other European allies. 'The Atlantic community is no longer underpinned by shared values,' said the ECFR's Jana Puglierin. 'In a world of Trump 2.0, transactionality reigns. For EU leaders, this will require a positional shift away from the Washington-led status quo.' Paweł Zerka, another co-author, said the 'Trumpisation of Europe' was evident in rising support for far-right parties, a growing readiness to adopt a transactional approach and acceptance of the need for peace negotiations in Ukraine. But there were still 'opportunities for the EU to learn pragmatism in foreign policy; for its leaders to clarify the stakes to their voters; and for pro-European parties to differentiate themselves from the Trumpian far right', he said.
