Blloc is a stylish, sleek Android smartphone that wants you to spend less time using it

For some people, waving a smartphone before their eyes is like dangling wool in front of a cat. One glance and they’re smitten – and instantly forget what they were supposed to be doing. If that’s you, Blloc (€359) wants to bring focus back to your life, through you using your phone less. This is achieved in two ways. First, there’s Blloc OS. Built atop Android 8.1 and based around The Root, a unified timeline for apps, it helps simplify interactions. But also, the phone defaults to greyscale, reducing stimulation. You can coax colours from it when necessary – the Color Touch feature is triggered by way of the fingerprint sensor – but it’s clear Blloc wants you to consider the smartphone experience black and white in terms of what is essential and what is not.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.