I’ve shared a few ideas here in the past and got some brutally honest feedback — which, to be fair, this place is known for. So before this idea lives rent-free in my head any longer, I figured I’d throw it out here and let the sharks have a look. I’ve got a 6-year-old daughter and the other day she grabbed a Lego block, held it up to her face like it was a screen, and started fake-swiping. Thumb going left-right, left-right. Exactly like she sees me do with my phone. I don’t think she’s ever seen anyone swipe anything else like that. That moment kind of wrecked me. Like a gut punch I didn’t see coming. I’ve tried all the usual stuff to get off the phone.
App limits (I override them).
Grayscale mode (looks ugly, still addictive).
Even bought a flip phone for a while. Lasted about three days before I crawled back to the rectangle.
It always wins. So lately I’ve been thinking about the nuclear option: what if the rectangle just… didn’t exist anymore? Not a better smartphone. No smartphone at all.
Instead something more like an ecosystem of small devices that handle what you actually need without dragging you into a screen.
In my head it looks something like:
• A ring, bracelet, or tiny chip that acts like the “brain”
• Smart glasses that only show info when you actually need it
• Earbuds that whisper directions or reminders
• A watch that taps your wrist when something important comes in (“text from wife”, “leave now for pickup”, etc.)
No feeds.
No scrolling.
No holding a glowing rectangle for hours.
Just information when it’s useful. The idea would be for the system to understand context — when you're working, with family, driving, sleeping — and filter everything so you're not constantly pulled into a screen.
Basically tech that tries to protect your attention instead of hijacking it. I know hardware is brutal. Supply chains, batteries, manufacturing headaches… all of it. And I know ideas are cheap.
Right now the reality looks like this:
• Zero funding
• Zero prototype
• Zero patents
• Zero idea how to not screw this up completely
Just a notebook full of terrible sketches. Honestly it looks like something a serial killer would draw — arrows everywhere, coffee stains, random ideas written at 3am. But I can’t stop thinking about it.
Part of me thinks this is just another dumb shower-thought startup idea. The other part of me keeps thinking about how massive the attention economy has become and how many people quietly hate how dependent we all are on these things. If this idea is fundamentally flawed, I’d honestly rather hear it now before I waste years chasing it. So I’m curious what people here think.
Is this total fantasy land?
Has anyone here actually built hardware before and lived to tell the story? What almost killed the project?
And if this obsession landed in your head… what would you actually do first? Like literally step one. Worst case I get roasted and learn something. Best case someone here has walked this road before.
Appreciate any thoughts.
App limits (I override them).
Grayscale mode (looks ugly, still addictive).
Even bought a flip phone for a while. Lasted about three days before I crawled back to the rectangle.
It always wins. So lately I’ve been thinking about the nuclear option: what if the rectangle just… didn’t exist anymore? Not a better smartphone. No smartphone at all.
Instead something more like an ecosystem of small devices that handle what you actually need without dragging you into a screen.
In my head it looks something like:
• A ring, bracelet, or tiny chip that acts like the “brain”
• Smart glasses that only show info when you actually need it
• Earbuds that whisper directions or reminders
• A watch that taps your wrist when something important comes in (“text from wife”, “leave now for pickup”, etc.)
No feeds.
No scrolling.
No holding a glowing rectangle for hours.
Just information when it’s useful. The idea would be for the system to understand context — when you're working, with family, driving, sleeping — and filter everything so you're not constantly pulled into a screen.
Basically tech that tries to protect your attention instead of hijacking it. I know hardware is brutal. Supply chains, batteries, manufacturing headaches… all of it. And I know ideas are cheap.
Right now the reality looks like this:
• Zero funding
• Zero prototype
• Zero patents
• Zero idea how to not screw this up completely
Just a notebook full of terrible sketches. Honestly it looks like something a serial killer would draw — arrows everywhere, coffee stains, random ideas written at 3am. But I can’t stop thinking about it.
Part of me thinks this is just another dumb shower-thought startup idea. The other part of me keeps thinking about how massive the attention economy has become and how many people quietly hate how dependent we all are on these things. If this idea is fundamentally flawed, I’d honestly rather hear it now before I waste years chasing it. So I’m curious what people here think.
Is this total fantasy land?
Has anyone here actually built hardware before and lived to tell the story? What almost killed the project?
And if this obsession landed in your head… what would you actually do first? Like literally step one. Worst case I get roasted and learn something. Best case someone here has walked this road before.
Appreciate any thoughts.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Access Restricted: Unlock 1,000,000+ Posts
Stop Peeking Through the Keyhole.
Open the Door.
You hit a wall because the best advice isn't free—it's earned. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has been active here daily (99.9% active rate), building a war room for entrepreneurs who refuse to settle for mediocrity.
- Active Daily: Life-changing content posted dozens of times every day. No dead threads.
- MJ's Inner Circle: Direct access to the author of The Millionaire Fastlane.
- Vetted Network: Connect with founders scaling to 7 and 8 figures.
- Proven Roadmaps: Strategy over motivation. Execution over "hustle porn."
"SCALED TO 6-FIGURE MONTHS"
"Tips and advice here saved me from huge mistakes, others allowed me to scale my business to 6-figure months."— User MitchC
"INSANE QUALITY OF PEOPLE"
"The number of high quality people I've met from this forum has been insane. All of it predicated on building real value."— User Richard Peck
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with."
Are you surrounding yourself with success?
