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Re:Key Takeaways from "Simplify" book of minimalism by mynegation on Wednesday October 31, 2012 @02:14AM (#4721476)
No! Modern smartphone combines many things in one and simplifies your life in that sense. I play music, use turn by turn GPS, read books, newspapers, and magazines (though mostly on tablet, to be honest), listen to music and Internet radio, watch videos and photos, use instant messaging, check calendar and todo list, write diary, keep my boarding passes, buy movie tickets, check weather forecast, set alarms and kitchen timers - all one small device sitting in my pocket. And oh, sometimes I use it as a phone too.

Smartphone made my life much, much easier.

Re:Key Takeaways from "Simplify" book of minimalism by ekianjo on Wednesday October 31, 2012 @02:28AM (#4721504)
No, it made your life more distracted, that is all. Most of these things are not necessary just like having a phone wherever you go was just about bringing in more interruptions in your daily life and work. There are things you see, and things you do not see.
Re:Key Takeaways from "Simplify" book of minimalism by fudged71 on Wednesday October 31, 2012 @04:03AM (#4721695)
I don't see why it couldn't be both. Yes, phones can be very distracting (information when you don't need it), but they can also provide very useful information exactly when you need it.

It can bring interruptions into your life, but it can also simplify and optimize other parts of your life.

Re:Key Takeaways from "Simplify" book of minimalism by ganley on Wednesday October 31, 2012 @06:43AM (#4722168)
You said it yourself: It made your life easier, not simpler.

I don't have a smartphone. I simply don't do most of the things on your list. I use a paper calendar and to-do list. I read paper books from the library. I had an iPhone and found that it made my life more complicated - more generally, its contribution to my life was a net negative - and I got rid of it.