If you’ve ever looked into trading in your smartphone for a dumbphone, you might have stumbled across Punkt. The German-based company’s MP01 and MP02 phone were purposely not “smart;” rather, they were minimalist slabs of plastic, sporting a tiny display and an array of large, physical buttons. The point of owning one of these Punkt devices isn’t to sit scrolling on your smartphone for hours on end; it’s to use your phone when you need to—privately, at that.
The MC03 looks like any other smartphone at first
The company’s MC0 line flips the script a bit, and that doesn’t change with the latest: MC03. While there’s still a focus on privacy and minimalism, this newest device is virtually indistinguishable from other Android smartphones on the market—at least, in outward appearance. Gone are the physical buttons and tiny display; now, you have a large 120Hz OLED display, complete with a selfie camera at the top. Flip the MC03 around, and you’ll find a set of four rear cameras, corralled in the top-left corner of the back. Aside from the large “Punkt” logo in the bottom right, this really could be any other phone.
What separates the MC03 from phones from Samsung or Motorola is what’s on the inside, including, namely, the OS. When you open the phone, you aren’t greeted by a grid of app icons and widgets. Instead, you see a list of app and function names, without icons or colors. This is just about as simple an interface as you can expect from a device with a modern smartphone display, which may appeal to those who are looking for a minimalist experience.
That’s because the MC03 isn’t running Android. Like previous Punkt phones, this device runs AphyOS, an operating system built by Apostrophe. This custom OS is advertised as a privacy-focused operating system, something Punkt runs with for the MC03. According to the company, AphysOS can block tracking and profiling tools, and keeps out bloatware, hidden apps, and background services. The OS can also reportedly fight against spying with “hardened code” to block attacks.
The company says this new phone separates data and functions in two key “repositories:” First, there’s the “Vault,” which includes Punkt-approved apps and that minimalist UI. Proton is a trusted company here, so you can expect to find Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Proton VPN, and Proton Pass in the Vault. Second, there’s “Wild Web,” which lets you install any app you want, against a strict system of safeguards and privacy settings. You can choose to download apps from either Punkt’s privacy-focused app store, featuring programs approved by both AphyOS and Punkt, as well as a store with “widely available apps.”
In addition to that display, Punkt says the device comes with other hardware perks, like a 5,200mAh removable battery—a rarity with modern smartphone—IP68 water and dust resistance, and a 64MP camera.
Privacy isn’t free on the MC03
All those features come at a recurring cost, however. After one year, you’ll need to pay for AphyOS, which charges $10 per month. You can also choose to subscribe for three years for $129 ($5.38 per month), or five years for $199 ($4.15 per month). The phone itself costs $699, which is relatively expensive for a phone of this caliber, so whether or not the privacy and minimalism perks are worth the price will really come down to the individual customer. (I’m a huge privacy advocate, but the MC03 would definitely need to impress me before I commit to a subscription model for its OS.) If you don’t want a new phone, there are hacks to dumb down your existing device into something more minimal—and, of course, there are steps you can take to protect your privacy on any device.
The MC03 isn’t available yet. Punkt announced the new phone ahead of CES next week, and says the new device will launch in North America this spring. Pre-orders are currently available in Europe.
Welcome to the Fantasy Basketball Minutes Report. Every week, I will review each team’s updated minutes per game to see which players are seeing the court more or less than in previous weeks. With this information in hand, I’ll try to discuss any relevant fantasy risers or fallers; players who we should be adding off waivers or removing from our teams.
The charts below are also great for exploring on your own. You can track the minutes over the last three, five, and ten games, and for the entire season, to see which trends stand out to you.
Kristaps Porziņģis returned on Wednesday after missing 10 games with an illness. The Hawks will take the time to ramp him up, and he will eventually cut into minutes for Vít Krejčí and others. I also wrote an article this week on why the Hawks have been better without Trae Young, but why it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to trade him for much.
Boston Celtics
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Payton Pritchard
36.9
36.1
34.2
Derrick White
36.4
35.3
34.6
Jaylen Brown
34.2
34
34.7
Neemias Queta
26.3
24.9
26.9
Anfernee Simons
22.6
22.3
22.8
Hugo González
20
24.9
19.7
Luka Garza
18.7
21.3
18.1
Sam Hauser
17.9
20.2
20.3
The Celtics have been relatively healthy for the last few weeks, and we’ve seen very little change in their minutes allotment.
Brooklyn Nets
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Michael Porter Jr.
34.3
34.5
33.4
Nic Claxton
31.2
31.2
31
Egor Dëmin
31
30.3
26.5
Noah Clowney
29
29.3
29.9
Terance Mann
27.3
27.7
25.6
Danny Wolf
19.5
19.4
21.9
Cam Thomas
19.3
19.3
19.3
Ziaire Williams
18
16.9
20.7
Ben Saraf
—
—
19.6
The Nets are currently dealing with injuries to Egor Dëmin and Terance Mann, and Ben Saraf has been sent to the G-League, so the rotation could be shaken up a bit this week. However, they did get Cam Thomas back for the last two games, so we should see his minutes tick up a bit over the next few games (if he can play better defense). He could also take over the lead if/when Michael Porter Jr. is traded.
Charlotte Hornets
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Brandon Miller
36.7
33.4
33.5
Moussa Diabaté
31.8
31.9
25.4
LaMelo Ball
29.3
27.4
27.1
Sion James
25
23.9
25.1
Kon Knueppel
23.8
26.7
32.2
Tidjane Salaün
22.2
21.9
19
Collin Sexton
21.7
20.3
20.3
Miles Bridges
21
26.3
30.9
Josh Green
17.1
16.4
15.5
Ryan Kalkbrenner
—
—
25.5
Miles Bridges suffered an ankle injury this week, and while it might not be a serious one, I covered the fallout from that in a video this week. I also discussed the injury to Ryan Kalkbrenner and how it has led to an emergence for Moussa Diabaté.
De’Andre Hunter is battling an illness, but his minutes have dipped a bit anyway with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen both active. There’s a chance the Cavs could get Max Strus back in the next two weeks, which would be a big boost for them.
Dallas Mavericks
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Cooper Flagg
35.2
36.1
36.9
P.J. Washington
32.4
31.4
32.5
Max Christie
30.7
30.7
26.2
Brandon Williams
30.2
22.5
24
Naji Marshall
27.8
28.8
30.8
Klay Thompson
23.6
25.4
22.5
Daniel Gafford
21.3
19.1
17.2
Dwight Powell
18.5
18.5
18.7
Ryan Nembhard
16.9
21.6
23.8
The Mavericks aren’t really a healthy team, but they have been healthy over the last few weeks, so we’ve seen their rotation stabilize. Brandon Williams is back to being the main point guard, with De’Angelo Russell and Ryan Nembhard splitting back-up minutes. That kills the fantasy value for the latter two.
Denver Nuggets
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Jamal Murray
36.3
37.7
35.5
Spencer Jones
35.1
34.5
30.2
Peyton Watson
34.1
33.8
28.2
Tim Hardaway Jr.
30.4
32.3
30.8
Nikola Jokić
28.7
34.1
33.7
Bruce Brown
26
26.5
27.5
Jonas Valančiūnas
16.3
14.7
15.1
Julian Strawther
15.5
13.8
11
DaRon Holmes II
15
15
15
The Nuggets got good news (kinda) on Tuesday when it was revealed that Nikola Jokić will only miss a month with a knee injury. That’s obviously a long time, and made doubly disruptive by the fact that his fill-in, Jonas Valančiūnas, said he felt a pop in his calf this week. That would leave the Nuggets without any real center and also without other starters like Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun. These could be a bleak couple of weeks for Denver. My colleague, Kurt Helin, wrote an article about the entire fallout.
Detroit Pistons
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Cade Cunningham
34
33.3
33.7
Jalen Duren
26.8
27.3
28.2
Duncan Robinson
26.7
28.5
25.1
Marcus Sasser
24.1
24.1
8.6
Isaiah Stewart
22.5
21.9
23.4
Javonte Green
21.4
21.2
19
Ausar Thompson
20.4
24.9
23.1
Jaden Ivey
20
18.5
17.6
Ronald Holland II
18.9
18.9
19.6
Tobias Harris
18.2
23.4
23.9
Tobias Harris (hip) and Caris LeVert (knee) are both dealing with injuries, and while they aren’t considered long-term injuries, they have shifted the minutes usage a bit, especially for Marcus Sasser, who used the Harris injury and mediocre production from Ausar Thompson to sneak into a larger role.
Golden State Warriors
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Stephen Curry
34.3
33.4
33.7
Jimmy Butler III
33.2
32.2
33
Draymond Green
28.8
26.3
25
Will Richard
25
20.1
20.6
Brandin Podziemski
23.8
25.4
26.9
De’Anthony Melton
23.2
21.5
19.2
Moses Moody
19.9
24.5
23.6
Al Horford
15
13.8
13.8
Buddy Hield
12.6
9.5
13.7
Quinten Post
12.4
15.2
20.8
The Warriors are relatively healthy, except that Seth Curry is yet another player out with sciatica (what is going on?) Quinnen Post has seen his minutes start to dry up with De’Anthony Melton and Will Richard playing more in smaller lineups.
Houston Rockets
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Amen Thompson
34.2
36.5
37.9
Kevin Durant
31.9
34.5
36.7
Jabari Smith Jr.
31.9
32.8
36.8
Alperen Sengun
31.2
33.4
35
Tari Eason
25.3
21.9
21.9
Reed Sheppard
25.2
27.1
27
Steven Adams
23.3
21
21.3
Dorian Finney-Smith
15.2
15.2
15.2
Josh Okogie
12
16.3
21.2
The Rockets got Dorian Finney-Smith back and continued to play Tari Eason more minutes, which has led to a much smaller role for Josh Okogie. Alperen Sengun is also battling a calf injury, and Steven Adams is dealing with an ankle injury, so we’ll see if those linger at all.
Indiana Pacers
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Pascal Siakam
32.9
32.1
32.9
Bennedict Mathurin
32.5
32.2
32.5
Andrew Nembhard
31.4
31.4
32.2
Aaron Nesmith
24.8
24.8
24.8
Jarace Walker
20.6
19.4
18.9
Ben Sheppard
18.6
18.6
18.6
Jay Huff
17
18.6
21
T.J. McConnell
16.7
17.1
17.1
Isaiah Jackson is dealing with a concussion, but other than that, this Pacers rotation has been pretty consistent for the last few weeks.
The Clippers weirdly went on a nice run after Ivica Zubac got hurt. A lot of that has to do with the recent production from Kawhi Leonard, which I covered in a video this week, but getting Derrick Jones Jr. back has also been a nice boost. The minutes decrease for John Collins can just be chalked up to a recent illness.
Los Angeles Lakers
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Luka Dončić
34.1
30.5
34.9
LeBron James
31
31.3
32.9
Deandre Ayton
30.7
29.9
29.3
Jake LaRavia
28.9
30.6
24.9
Rui Hachimura
27
27
30.6
Jarred Vanderbilt
25.4
24.6
20.8
Marcus Smart
24.9
27
27.8
Nick Smith Jr.
20.6
22.8
20
Jaxson Hayes
18.1
18.1
17
Austin Reaves
14.8
18.3
29.8
Austin Reaves is hurt again, which means the Lakers have gone back to using Jake LaRavia for major minutes. Rui Hachimura is also dealing with a calf injury, which is why Jarred Vanderbilt has seen his minutes tick up.
Memphis Grizzlies
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Jaren Jackson Jr.
34.1
32.8
31.3
Santi Aldama
33.9
32.2
32.6
Jaylen Wells
29.6
30.6
30.4
Ja Morant
29.1
29.1
26.7
Cedric Coward
28.1
27.3
27.2
Christian Koloko
24.5
18.6
18.6
Cam Spencer
23.6
27.6
29.1
GG Jackson
22
21.6
21.6
Jock Landale
18.3
21.6
24.3
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
16.4
18.3
21.5
Zach Edey
—
—
21.9
With Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey still out, GG Jackson has emerged as a consistent part of the rotation. Injuries to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (hamstring) and Vince Williams Jr. have also opened up more minutes for Cedric Coward again, and the Grizzlies are even trying to experiment with Christian Koloko as a starting frontcourt player. It hasn’t worked great.
Miami Heat
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Andrew Wiggins
31.4
30.3
30.9
Norman Powell
29.7
31.9
32.1
Kel’el Ware
28.3
28.1
26
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
28
30.7
30.8
Davion Mitchell
26.7
27.7
29.7
Pelle Larsson
24.2
24.2
20.8
Nikola Jović
23.9
23.9
20.5
Bam Adebayo
21.2
29.6
31.1
Tyler Herro
—
—
34.5
Tyler Herro continues to miss time, and now Pelle Larsson is out with an ankle injury. That has led to more minutes for Nikola Jović, who had a decent outing earlier this week. Bam Adebayo also missed two games with a back injury, but he was back for 21 minutes on Monday, so he should begin to ramp back up to his usual workload.
Minnesota has a pretty consolidated six-man rotation, and little has changed. Bones Hyland, Mike Conley, and Jaylen Clark hover on the periphery as the rest of the rotation, but none of them play enough minutes to matter for fantasy leagues.
New Orleans Pelicans
Trey Murphy III
36.3
34.3
34.6
Saddiq Bey
34.3
32
31.2
Zion Williamson
29.1
27.2
25.9
Derik Queen
26.9
25.1
28.2
Jeremiah Fears
26.1
24.4
24.2
Bryce McGowens
23.6
25.5
20.9
Jordan Poole
21.9
24.1
25.8
Kevon Looney
21
21
21
Yves Missi
19.3
17.7
13.6
Herbert Jones is battling an ankle injury that has kept him off the court and led to a brief boost in minutes for Bryce McGowen; however, that has not lasted. Kevin Looney has also returned this week and has played solid minutes off the bench behind Derik Queen. This team is really Queen, Trey Murphy III, and Zion Williamson, when he’s healthy, with some solid production from Saddiq Bey sprinkled in at times throughout a given week.
New York Knicks
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
OG Anunoby
36.5
35.6
35.3
Jalen Brunson
36.3
37
37.3
Mikal Bridges
35.4
36
37.3
Karl-Anthony Towns
31.1
31
31.9
Miles McBride
22.2
22.2
22.2
Jordan Clarkson
19.6
23.5
22
Mitchell Robinson
18.2
20.3
20.4
Tyler Kolek
15.3
20.4
18.9
Kevin McCullar Jr.
13.6
11.3
7.8
Mohamed Diawara
13.3
10.7
9
Josh Hart
—
34.4
33.9
The Knicks welcomed Deuce McBride back from his ankle injury, but now Josh Hart is out. We’ve also reached a point in the season where the Knicks are playing so many games in a short period of time that head coach Mike Brown has really extended the rotation to include plenty of young guys like Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Mohamed Diawara. It won’t last, but they’ve looked solid.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
31.2
33
33
Jalen Williams
30.2
30.2
30.1
Cason Wallace
28.6
26.5
26.3
Chet Holmgren
28.2
28.5
28.1
Luguentz Dort
23.5
25.1
24.6
Ajay Mitchell
22.2
22.2
22.9
Isaiah Hartenstein
19.7
22.9
23.3
Aaron Wiggins
18.8
16.3
17.3
Alex Caruso
16.1
17.4
18
Things have remained pretty consistent for the Thunder over the last two weeks, but that also means that Isaiah Hartenstein is in a much smaller role than we saw earlier in the season when Jaylin Williams was out. However, he has also been battling a calf strain, so there’s a chance the Thunder are keeping his minutes in the low-to-mid twenties to manage that as well.
Orlando Magic
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Paolo Banchero
36.3
35.3
35.9
Desmond Bane
33.8
33.9
35.4
Wendell Carter Jr.
32.8
31.5
31.9
Anthony Black
31.1
32.5
34
Jalen Suggs
25.4
25.4
28.6
Tyus Jones
24.8
25.8
21.9
Tristan da Silva
23.9
23.4
22.2
Goga Bitadze
17.4
17.4
16.3
Jalen Suggs returned this week from his hip injury, and while he still isn’t built up to a full workload, it’s nice to see him back on the court. The Magic can use his ball-handling, and his return would likely mean a hit in usage for Desmond Bane and Anthony Black, even though Black will likely remain in the starting lineup and maintain fantasy value. Tyus Jones will also see a big decrease in minutes.
Philadelphia 76ers
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Tyrese Maxey
40
40
39.2
VJ Edgecombe
36
35.7
35.7
Joel Embiid
35.1
33.9
32.4
Paul George
34.3
34
33.1
Quentin Grimes
28.6
27.6
29.3
Dominick Barlow
25.6
26.8
25.7
Adem Bona
20.5
21
20.5
Jared McCain
17.6
24.5
21.1
The 76ers are healthy, and, for now, that means limited minutes for Adem Bona and Jared McCain. We know Bona will be relevant whenever Joel Embiid misses time, but it seems that the strong play from Quentin Grimes has really capped McCain’s value right now. Kelly Oubre Jr. could also return next week, so we’ll need to keep an eye on how that changes the dynamic in Philly.
Phoenix Suns
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Devin Booker
34.1
33.2
33
Dillon Brooks
33.4
31.4
30.3
Royce O’Neale
30.9
28.2
28.5
Collin Gillespie
29.1
30.1
31.4
Oso Ighodaro
26.4
24.1
23.3
Jordan Goodwin
24.4
22.9
23.3
Ryan Dunn
19.4
23
20.5
Mark Williams
17.2
20.7
21.8
Grayson Allen remains out with a knee injury, so Collin Gillespie has remained incredibly valuable to the Suns. With Jalen Green expected back in the second week of January, it will be interesting to see what that does to Gillespie’s role, but he has been a top-40 player in fantasy basketball over the last two weeks, so he needs to be relied on until the Suns show us otherwise.
Portland Trail Blazers
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Deni Avdija
36.6
37.1
37.1
Toumani Camara
31.3
34.6
32.7
Shaedon Sharpe
31.1
30.4
31.6
Caleb Love
31.1
30.4
22.2
Kris Murray
28.1
28.5
27.9
Donovan Clingan
26.6
27.7
28.8
Sidy Cissoko
23.8
20.6
24.2
Robert Williams III
18
18.5
17.8
Jerami Grant
—
—
35.2
I admit that I thought this team would be better. Yes, Jrue Holiday is still out, and Jerami Grant has missed the last seven games with an Achilles injury, but the younger players haven’t taken the leap I thought they would. Scoot Henderson and Holiday are both doing on-court basketball activities, so it’s possible that both could be on the court within the next two weeks. That would take away almost all of the playing time for Caleb Love, and Grant’s return would move Kris Murray back into a smaller role.
Sacramento Kings
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
Maxime Raynaud
32.2
31.3
31
DeMar DeRozan
29.7
34.2
33.7
Keegan Murray
29.6
32.3
35.4
Nique Clifford
26
26
23.5
Keon Ellis
24.7
17.4
19.6
Russell Westbrook
24.4
28.2
30.2
Dylan Cardwell
22.3
23
21.5
Dennis Schröder
21.5
23.4
24.4
Precious Achiuwa
20.7
21.4
18.8
I never thought we’d see Maxime Raynaud lead the Kings in minutes this season, but here we are. With Zach LaVine (ankle) banged up and Russell Westbrook having his minutes dialed back from early-season highs, we also got to see Keon Ellis play more minutes and rookie Nique Clifford get more run. Frankly, that should have been the case all along, but I’m hesitant to believe the Kings keep this up when they’re healthy.
San Antonio Spurs
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
De’Aaron Fox
35
34.1
31.6
Devin Vassell
32.4
31.6
30.4
Stephon Castle
31.5
30.8
29.5
Julian Champagnie
28.7
25.7
24.6
Victor Wembanyama
26.2
25.5
23.2
Harrison Barnes
25.2
26.3
25.7
Keldon Johnson
24.5
22.6
21
Luke Kornet
22.1
22.7
24
Dylan Harper
20.1
20.2
20.5
The Spurs seemed to survive a big-time scare when Victor Wembanyama went down with a knee injury in the New Year’s Eve game against the Knicks. Sadly, given his frame, I’m not sure we’ll ever really see him consistently play 70+ minutes a game. The Spurs also lost Devin Vassell to an oblique injury, but it is reportedly expected to only last a couple of games. Dylan Harper should get more run as long as Vassell is out.
The Jazz had been playing too well, so Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Jusuf Nurkić all missed some games this week. With Ace Bailey (hip) out, Brice Sensabaugh has been getting some extra run, and Kyle Anderson returned on Thursday to play 32 minutes and put up a solid line. The Jazz were very depleted in that game, so I wouldn’t expect that level of production to continue with the team fully healthy.
Washington Wizards
Name
Last 3
Last 5
Last 10
CJ McCollum
31
31.4
33.1
Justin Champagnie
28.2
25.3
24
Bilal Coulibaly
26.8
26
25.4
Alex Sarr
26.5
25.6
25.4
Tre Johnson
26.3
24
22.3
Bub Carrington
25.8
22.9
30
Khris Middleton
22.6
21.6
21.7
Marvin Bagley III
21.2
21.2
23.5
The Bub Carrington mini breakout appears to be over. We also had a hip flexor injury to Kyshawn George, which has allowed Justin Champagnie to see an uptick in minutes and usage. George’s absence has also allowed Bilaly Coulibaly to return to a higher usage role on the team, which has regained some of his fantasy value.
Clicks, the company behind those physical keyboard cases for your smartphone, has announced a new device, but it’ll look pretty familiar to anyone who’s used a Blackberry before. It’s called the Clicks Communicator, and it’s a pocketable little handset that’s perfect for anyone who misses having physical buttons on their phone. It comes with a full, old-school style QWERTY keyboard and runs Android 16, and while you can pump it full of apps and use it standalone, Clicks says it expects many of its customers will prefer to use it as a minimalistic companion to a primary smartphone. In that way, this device is designed to be your secondary smartphone, where you only load it with the apps you need at a moments notice and use it to quickly reply to your messages, emails, and other important notifications.
The Clicks Communicator is a modern Blackberry
Credit: Clicks
One of the headlining features of the Clicks Communicator is the Signal LED, which is a notification light around the side button. You can set it to light up with a different color based on who’s pinged you or which apps are sending you notifications, so you can know what needs your attention first without having to scroll through a long series of notification boxes. For instance, you could set up a green LED for notifications from people you care about, and use other colors for different apps. I’m not entirely sure how this’ll play out in practice, because I do worry that I’ll forget which color is for what after a point. Fortunately, Clicks says you can also turn off the Signal LED if it’s not useful for you (and yes, there will still be traditional notification boxes if you need them).
As for the core experience, in line with its design philosophy, the company has chosen not to show you an app grid when you go to the home screen. In collaboration with Niagara Launcher, Click has instead built a messaging hub, which shows you all your pending alerts on the home screen, grouped by app. You can use the keyboard to triage these messages or to reply to individual chats, the company says.
There’s also a lot of emphasis on the keyboard, as is expected from a company that went viral by launching a physical keyboard case for touchscreen phones. Clicks says the keys on the Communicator are bigger and better than those on its keyboard case. There’s a red Clicks key on the keypad, which you can use to launch custom shortcuts. The Spacebar has a built-in fingerprint sensor, which could be handy for unlocking the phone quickly. The keypad is touch-sensitive, which means that you can slide your fingers over it to scroll through messages. And before you ask, yes, it also has a 4.03-inch OLED touchscreen display for those of us who like scrolling on a smoother surface.
Some of you may also be pleased to know that the Clicks Communicator has a 3.5mm headphone jack and that it supports microSD cards for storage expansion. It ships with 256GB storage and you can add a microSD card with up to 2TB of capacity.
The device runs Android 16, supports Qi2 wireless charging, has a USB-C port, and has a 50-MP rear camera with optical image stabilization, alongside a 24-MP front camera. It’s powered by a 4nm MediaTek chip that has 5G support. It’s a dual-SIM phone with one physical SIM slot and an eSIM, so you could use it on its own instead of as the “complementary product” its pitched as, but taking calls or using certain apps could be tricky on such a small device.
If you want a Clicks Communicator, you can reserve one now for $399 + $30 for shipping and duties. The launch price is expected to be $499, which means that pre-orders get a $100 discount. The device also has swappable back covers, and the company is offering two back covers for free with pre-orders.
A Magsafe power bank with a sliding keyboard
Credit: Clicks
For everyone that just wants to add physical keys to their existing phone, Clicks has also launched a magnetic wireless power bank with a built-in sliding physical keyboard. This is one of the more quirky products I’ve seen from this year’s pre-CES announcements, but it could make for a great middle ground for everyone who doesn’t want the Communicator.
I wasn’t a big fan of wired power banks back in the day, but the advent of magnetic wireless charging has changed that, and now I’m itching to slap one onto my iPhone. Throwing a slide-out Bluetooth keyboard into the mix just sweetens the pot, even if it is a bit of a heavy package overall, at 180g. And because of that wireless Bluetooth connection, you can also use the keyboard with your phone, tablet, TV, or gaming console, if you like. The charger doesn’t need to be physically attached to a device for its keyboard to work with it, and the device as a whole works with both Apple and Android.
There is a downside, though. The Clicks Power Keyboard has a 2,150mAh battery, and it only supports 5W Qi wireless charging. That’s a very slow charger by today’s standards, but the good news is that your smartphone is less likely to overheat with those charging speeds. It’s priced at $80 for pre-orders and is expected to start shipping this Spring.
For a comparison, you could get an Anker wireless power bank for around $55. This one weighs 4.3oz (120g), offers faster 15W charging, and has a higher battery capacity (5,000mAh). You don’t get a physical keyboard with most power banks in the market, so Clicks is banking on that to power sales of its Power Keyboard.
There are a lot of ways I trick myself into meeting my goals, like coming up with various rewards and punishments for myself or outsourcing my progress tracking to apps. In general, I’m a deeply goal-oriented person and I am, for better or worse, obsessed with “winning”—which I always thought made me a perfect candidate for complicated productivity techniques like detailed to-do lists full of tasks in order of priority. While I do love a good technique, I decided to switch things up last year when I got worried that maybe I was spending so much time prioritizing and planning that I wasn’t spending enough time doing. So I just focused on the doing—and it worked. Here’s what I mean and how my bright idea helped me crush last year’s resolutions.
Adopting a “do it now” mindset
I’ve covered a lot of productivity hacks for Lifehacker and the two I liked best, both in theory and practice, were the two– and 10-minute rules. The idea is that if a particular tasks takes less than two (or 10, depending on your preferred approach) minutes to complete, you should just get it out of the way early in the day. It’s smart because it leaves little time for deliberation or over-planning, but even when I used it for the 10-minute tasks, I wasn’t convinced it was effective enough. Some tasks take longer than 10 minutes. I felt like the “just do it” mentality was helpful for me, but could be more helpful. So I started thinking more in terms of simply “do it now,” not in terms of time allotments.
Sitting down every morning to write out a to-do list and determine how long each responsibility will take, which are most important, and which will demand the most resources works well for some people, but it is too tedious for me. Since coming around on a “do it now” mindset, I don’t do that anymore at all. When I think of something, I just do it, no matter what it is or how long it will take (within reason). If, for some reason, I can’t fit it in at the moment I come up with it, I add it to a note on my phone, which I also count as doing it now, though the “it” is adding the task to the list.
How this has helped me
My goals for the last year have largely been about my health and fitness, as well as my living space. I wanted to become a healthier, better me, which involved more time in the gym and having a clean, organized home to relax in. My “do it now” mindset helped me with both, especially when I was starting out on my resolutions around this time last year. I didn’t pressure myself to work out at a certain time or try to wedge exercise into a structured daily schedule. Instead, I just firmly told myself I’d go when it occurred to me and I wouldn’t deliberate or make any excuses. I found myself at the gym on lunch breaks, Saturday mornings, and late week nights. As soon as I thought of it, I went (or worked out at home, usually riding my Peloton)—and it worked. The longer I did this, the more working out became a normal, expected part of my day. Notably, by the fall, I had developed such an affinity for my hour of physical activity each day that I did start scheduling it and have been able to wake up every day before the sun to simply knock it out. I don’t think that would have happened if I hadn’t tried my new motivation-first approach.
The same was true for cleaning. There are so many cleaning techniques and approaches out there and, to be clear, each one of those works well for a certain kind of person. I’ve tried them all and nothing was as useful to me as just cleaning something the moment I thought of it or saw it needed to be done. If I see a dirty baseboard, I don’t file that information away for “living room cleaning” day; I hop off the couch and wipe it down. Building this habit was a challenge because it’s easy to kick the can down the road and decide to complete these tasks during designated home-tidying times, but once I got the hang of it, I noticed something: I no longer needed to set aside a Saturday afternoon for cleaning. There was nothing to clean in bulk because it all got handled whenever an issue sprang up.
My goals for the new year this time around are to stick with the momentum I built up working out and cleaning, but also improve my finances and notch some professional accomplishments I’ve been putting off during the year I spent on self-improvement. As soon as I finish this, I’m going to call one of the companies overseeing one of my 401k accounts to check on my rollover status, which is something I would have procrastinated on before entering my “do it now” era.
Different things work for different people, but you can get caught up in thinking too much and doing too little. My technique doesn’t come from a book and, I’ll admit, does have to be abandoned sometimes when there are serious, large-scale projects that need to be broken down and handled systematically, but the beauty of it is that it leaves time and mental energy for doing that when I have to.
Since the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season on Dec. 15, much of the discussion surrounding which players might be on the move has focused on perennial All-Star and All-NBA-caliber performers with marquee names: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Ja Morant, et al. But with the Feb. 5 trade deadline now just over a month away, it seems like there’s an increasing level of interest around the league in the availability of — and the potential market for — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.
Just six months ago, the Nuggets sent the Nets an unprotected 2032 first-round draft pick to take on the final two years and $79.1 million of the five-year rookie-scale-maximum contract that Porter signed in the summer of 2021. After an excellent start to his tenure in Brooklyn, though — one that has seen him play his way into potential All-Star consideration — Porter may well have gone from distressed asset into in-demand target.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that the Nets have shown a willingness to “listen to pitches” on their veteran players, including Porter, but they haven’t been “actively shopping” the 27-year-old swingman. It’s entirely possible that, as ESPN’s Shams Charania and others have reported, the Nets eschew a big move in favor of just continuing to serve as a cap-space-renting waystation for other teams looking to get off money and willing to pay with draft picks to do so.
If and when conversations begin to perk up over the next few weeks, though, Fischer highlighted several teams to keep an eye on in the potential running for Porter’s services: the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. All four prospective suitors make at least some sense.
According to multiple reports, despite a dismal 14-20 start that currently has them outside the East’s play-in spots, the Bucks’ braintrust continues to signal an intent to try to add talent at the deadline rather than detonating their build through any much-rumored-but-never-actually-consummated blockbuster that sends Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee. While the Pistons sit atop the Eastern standings, they’re a middling 10-7 since their scorching 15-2 start, ranking 25th or worse in the share of their shots that come from 3-point range, team 3-point accuracy and half-court scoring efficiency in that span, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The Warriors, similarly, have struggled mightily to find a consistent secondary source of offense beyond the seemingly ageless Stephen Curry. And while attempting to discern the motivations behind the machinations in Chicago has long been a mug’s game, Fischer notes that the Bulls and Nuggets had “serious discussions” about a swap that would’ve landed Porter in the Windy City before pivoting and shipping Zach LaVine to Sacramento; it’s at least possible a fresh round of discussions could be struck up with Brooklyn brass, if Chicago’s decision-makers are still fond of Porter’s talent.
Michael Porter Jr.’s stellar start in Brooklyn could make him a hot commodity on the NBA’s trade market. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Mitchell Leff via Getty Images
And judging by what he’s put on film this season, they — and plenty of other front offices around the league — should be.
Porter’s averaging a career-high 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 58% on 2-pointers, 41% from 3-point land on more than nine attempts per game, and 81.2% from the free-throw line. There are only 14 NBA players this season averaging at least 25 points per game on .600 true shooting, according to Stathead — a list that includes five MVPs (Curry, Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, James Harden), three multi-time All-NBA selections (Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell) and two former All-Stars (Lauri Markkanen, Tyrese Maxey). Porter is on that list.
That’s the kind of company Porter’s been keeping offensively this season — the cream of the crop of high-volume, high-efficiency point producers. He has also more than doubled his previous career-best assist rate, dishing the helper on nearly 20% of his teammates’ baskets during his floor time, and is clearing the defensive boards more consistently than he has since his rookie season. And while he’s not a top-flight defender on an individual basis, Porter has shown a capacity to play his part in a defense playing at a top-flight level. Since shifting to supersized long-ball lineups featuring Porter at small forward alongside the 6-foot-11 Nic Claxton and 6-10 Noah Clowney up front with 6-8 rookie Egor Dёmin and 6-6 vet Terance Mann in the backcourt, with plenty of size coming off the bench, Brooklyn owns the NBA’s No. 3 defense since the start of December — all with Porter leading the team in minutes.
Add it all up, and by a handful of metrics — estimated plus-minus, value over replacement player, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, among others — Porter has performed like a top-20-to-30 player in the NBA this season. A 6-10 sharpshooter who can contribute in a smaller role, can scale up his usage without a drop in efficiency, can cook with the ball in his hands and open up both your playbook and the rest of the floor for his teammates with his off-ball activity and gravity would seem to have a lot of value around the league if he actually hits the market. Whether the fact that Porter’s under contract for $40.8 million next season makes him more attractive (not a rental!) or less attractive (big chunk of money on the books for a guy with persistent back problems and a drop-foot issue!) likely lies in the eye of the would-be suitor.
The question the Nets have to answer between now and Feb. 5: Is this as good (and as healthy) as Porter’s likely to be, making it the ideal time to sell high and try to get more draft capital and/or young talent for him in the perpetual game of asset arbitrage that rebuilding teams must play? Or is this really who Porter is, and what he can consistently be in Jordi Fernández’s system — and, thus, maybe an ideal play-finishing building block for the upwardly mobile team that Sean Marks and Co. are trying to build with all those big, young playmakers?
The answer will likely depend on a number of factors: how Porter plays over the next month; how many teams think of themselves as just one moderately sized swing from playing more meaningful basketball come springtime; how motivated Brooklyn’s front office is to do whatever it can to improve the chances of landing as high in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, given the fact that the Nets do control their own first-round pick this summer, and don’t control it in 2027. (Though, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes, there could be other paths to dropping in the standings that don’t include re-routing MPJ before February.)
Ultimately, though, it likely depends primarily on just how hefty a price other teams signal they’d be willing to pay for Porter. Fischer reports that “re-tradable salary and a future first-round pick … might not be enough” to pry him away mid-season, given the possibility that the Nets might have their sights set on making bigger, more aggressive additions to their roster come the summer — moves that might require a significant salary like Porter’s as a financial make-weight. If someone ponies up a Mikal Bridges/Desmond Bane-style package of several legit first-round picks, then Porter will likely finish the season in a different uniform.
If not? Well, continuing to employ a top-25-to-35 player who fits what you want to do, and who already netted you an unprotected future first, doesn’t seem like too bad a deal — even if it means one fewer potential deal for NBA observers to obsess over.
Since the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season on Dec. 15, much of the discussion surrounding which players might be on the move has focused on perennial All-Star and All-NBA-caliber performers with marquee names: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Ja Morant, et al. But with the Feb. 5 trade deadline now just over a month away, it seems like there’s an increasing level of interest around the league in the availability of — and the potential market for — Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.
Just six months ago, the Nuggets sent the Nets an unprotected 2032 first-round draft pick to take on the final two years and $79.1 million of the five-year rookie-scale-maximum contract that Porter signed in the summer of 2021. After an excellent start to his tenure in Brooklyn, though — one that has seen him play his way into potential All-Star consideration — Porter may well have gone from distressed asset into in-demand target.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that the Nets have shown a willingness to “listen to pitches” on their veteran players, including Porter, but they haven’t been “actively shopping” the 27-year-old swingman. It’s entirely possible that, as ESPN’s Shams Charania and others have reported, the Nets eschew a big move in favor of just continuing to serve as a cap-space-renting waystation for other teams looking to get off money and willing to pay with draft picks to do so.
If and when conversations begin to perk up over the next few weeks, though, Fischer highlighted several teams to keep an eye on in the potential running for Porter’s services: the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls. All four prospective suitors make at least some sense.
According to multiple reports, despite a dismal 14-20 start that currently has them outside the East’s play-in spots, the Bucks’ braintrust continues to signal an intent to try to add talent at the deadline rather than detonating their build through any much-rumored-but-never-actually-consummated blockbuster that sends Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee. While the Pistons sit atop the Eastern standings, they’re a middling 10-7 since their scorching 15-2 start, ranking 25th or worse in the share of their shots that come from 3-point range, team 3-point accuracy and half-court scoring efficiency in that span, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The Warriors, similarly, have struggled mightily to find a consistent secondary source of offense beyond the seemingly ageless Stephen Curry. And while attempting to discern the motivations behind the machinations in Chicago has long been a mug’s game, Fischer notes that the Bulls and Nuggets had “serious discussions” about a swap that would’ve landed Porter in the Windy City before pivoting and shipping Zach LaVine to Sacramento; it’s at least possible a fresh round of discussions could be struck up with Brooklyn brass, if Chicago’s decision-makers are still fond of Porter’s talent.
Michael Porter Jr.’s stellar start in Brooklyn could make him a hot commodity on the NBA’s trade market. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Mitchell Leff via Getty Images
And judging by what he’s put on film this season, they — and plenty of other front offices around the league — should be.
Porter’s averaging a career-high 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 58% on 2-pointers, 41% from 3-point land on more than nine attempts per game, and 81.2% from the free-throw line. There are only 14 NBA players this season averaging at least 25 points per game on .600 true shooting, according to Stathead — a list that includes five MVPs (Curry, Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, James Harden), three multi-time All-NBA selections (Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell) and two former All-Stars (Lauri Markkanen, Tyrese Maxey). Porter is on that list.
That’s the kind of company Porter’s been keeping offensively this season — the cream of the crop of high-volume, high-efficiency point producers. He has also more than doubled his previous career-best assist rate, dishing the helper on nearly 20% of his teammates’ baskets during his floor time, and is clearing the defensive boards more consistently than he has since his rookie season. And while he’s not a top-flight defender on an individual basis, Porter has shown a capacity to play his part in a defense playing at a top-flight level. Since shifting to supersized long-ball lineups featuring Porter at small forward alongside the 6-foot-11 Nic Claxton and 6-10 Noah Clowney up front with 6-8 rookie Egor Dёmin and 6-6 vet Terance Mann in the backcourt, with plenty of size coming off the bench, Brooklyn owns the NBA’s No. 3 defense since the start of December — all with Porter leading the team in minutes.
Add it all up, and by a handful of metrics — estimated plus-minus, value over replacement player, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, among others — Porter has performed like a top-20-to-30 player in the NBA this season. A 6-10 sharpshooter who can contribute in a smaller role, can scale up his usage without a drop in efficiency, can cook with the ball in his hands and open up both your playbook and the rest of the floor for his teammates with his off-ball activity and gravity would seem to have a lot of value around the league if he actually hits the market. Whether the fact that Porter’s under contract for $40.8 million next season makes him more attractive (not a rental!) or less attractive (big chunk of money on the books for a guy with persistent back problems and a drop-foot issue!) likely lies in the eye of the would-be suitor.
The question the Nets have to answer between now and Feb. 5: Is this as good (and as healthy) as Porter’s likely to be, making it the ideal time to sell high and try to get more draft capital and/or young talent for him in the perpetual game of asset arbitrage that rebuilding teams must play? Or is this really who Porter is, and what he can consistently be in Jordi Fernández’s system — and, thus, maybe an ideal play-finishing building block for the upwardly mobile team that Sean Marks and Co. are trying to build with all those big, young playmakers?
The answer will likely depend on a number of factors: how Porter plays over the next month; how many teams think of themselves as just one moderately sized swing from playing more meaningful basketball come springtime; how motivated Brooklyn’s front office is to do whatever it can to improve the chances of landing as high in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, given the fact that the Nets do control their own first-round pick this summer, and don’t control it in 2027. (Though, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes, there could be other paths to dropping in the standings that don’t include re-routing MPJ before February.)
Ultimately, though, it likely depends primarily on just how hefty a price other teams signal they’d be willing to pay for Porter. Fischer reports that “re-tradable salary and a future first-round pick … might not be enough” to pry him away mid-season, given the possibility that the Nets might have their sights set on making bigger, more aggressive additions to their roster come the summer — moves that might require a significant salary like Porter’s as a financial make-weight. If someone ponies up a Mikal Bridges/Desmond Bane-style package of several legit first-round picks, then Porter will likely finish the season in a different uniform.
If not? Well, continuing to employ a top-25-to-35 player who fits what you want to do, and who already netted you an unprotected future first, doesn’t seem like too bad a deal — even if it means one fewer potential deal for NBA observers to obsess over.