Navigating Smartphone Overuse

Sometimes you want more tech in your life — and sometimes you want a lot less. This episode is all about less. First, Tim Stevens joins the show to talk about his story about the Slate Truck, an ultra-minimal electric vehicle that has almost no features to speak of and yet still promises to reinvent the way we think about cars. After that, Casey Johnston tells us about her journey in managing her screen time. She has tips for how to get the most problematic apps of your phone, is a big proponent of a factory reset, and has seen first-hand what happens when you look at your devices just a little less. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about whether there's a MacBook Air equivalent in the Windows world. The answer surprised us, and it might surprise you too.

Further reading:

• The $20,000 American-made electric pickup with no paint, no stereo, and no touchscreen
• Is this the antidote to America’s truck bloat problem?
• From TechCrunch: Inside the EV startup secretly backed by Jeff Bezos
• Around the Next Bend on Substack
• Slate is the American truck scene's Ctrl+Alt+Del moment
• From She's a Beast: The DIY Dumbphone Method
• Casey's book: A Physical Education
• Framework Laptop 13 (2025) review: getting better with age

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