No email, no internet, no social media: No problem for the 'BoringPhone'

The phone is designed to get people to spend less time looking at the screen. Photo / Supplied

It's described as the "only smartphone that wants less of your time" and for only a few hundred dollars it could be yours.

BoringPhone, designed in New Zealand, is a smartphone with all the gadgets and gizmos you need but none you don't.

Calling, messaging, a camera, GPS/maps, podcasts, music, tethering/hot spot and other useful tools are all that remain.

The ability to check emails, use the internet or social media and download apps from the app store have been removed from the device.

Co-founder Alex Davidson told Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB there are two groups of people who the phone would be ideal for.

"One is people who want to just spend less time on their phone because they're starting to resent the amount of time," he said.

"The other is an option for parents who are wanting their kids to be connected to them ... but not ready for them to have the full noise of the internet just yet."

Co-founder Alex Davidson spoke to Newstalk ZB about the device. Photo / Supplied

The company has launched on Kickstarter, an online public-benefit corporation, with $26,775 pledged of it's $20,000 goal.

And for just the handset only, the BoringPhone will cost $499 but early bird deals allow users to snap up the device for $349.

The BoringPhone has a size and display of 5.5 inches with 1080 x 1920 pixels and a storage of 32 gigabytes.

Early birds will also claim a faux leather case and quality earphones for the deal with the estimated delivery being December this year.

"We think that's a pretty good price for a good quality handset that's got a good camera but gives you back your time," Davidson said.

According to the Kickstarter page, Davidson is a semi-reformed smartphone addict with a "long-running love of technology and gadgets."

In New Zealand, there are currently 6.4 million mobile connections and the population sits slightly under 5 million people.

Two gigabytes of monthly data on average is used per connection, more than 15 times that of five years ago.

Meanwhile, a UK study from 2008 showed 58 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women struggled with nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia).

In April, Davidson told Stuff his personal smartphone use, of which he deemed too much, inspired him to take time away from the screen.

"The idea is to decrease the amount of time people are wasting on their device," he said.

"It's worth just trying it, even a week."