<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a> <\/p>\n
Pros and cons<\/h4>\n\nPros<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n- Better app than brick.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Easy app scheduling.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Low price.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nShortcoming<\/strong> <\/p>\n
\n- Continued to block apps even after my scheduled timeout.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Breaks defeat the purpose of strictly limiting screen time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Follow ZDNET: <\/em>Add us as a favorite source<\/span><\/a><\/span> On Google.<\/em><\/p>\nI’m on track to spend 16 years of my life glued to my phone screen. this is it bloom<\/span><\/a><\/span>The latest solution to phone addiction tells me when I create my account. <\/p>\n16 years. By my calculations, if I weren’t attached to the addictive mechanisms of my phone, I could have spent that time running 1,700 marathons, drinking 2,900 cups of coffee with friends, or sleeping 1 or 2 more hours each night. Instead, I scroll. <\/p>\n
And I am not alone. <\/p>\n
Also: The base model Kindle is my secret weapon against doomscrolling \u2013 and it’s on sale<\/strong><\/p>\nAs phone addiction becomes more widespread \u2014 and as we learn more about how social media keeps us addicted \u2014 more companies are coming up with solutions. Bloom is one of the companies that is popular Brick<\/span><\/a><\/span>has developed a tap-enabled NFC-enabled card that creates a physical boundary between the user and their dopamine-triggering device. <\/p>\n\nBest mobile deals of the week<\/h3>\n
Deals are selected by the CNET Group Commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
I’ve been using Brick since last October and have found it to be a straightforward way to block out distractions during work, rest, and sleep. But it is not complete. There are a few bugs, and the app is fairly minimal. <\/p>\n
A friend and fellow Brick user of mine told me about Bloom Cards and gave me one of his cards. They said it addressed some of the shortcomings of the Brick, so I tested it out for a few weeks. <\/p>\n
bloom vs brick<\/h2>\n
First things first: the Bloom Card is $39<\/span><\/a><\/span>While the brick is $54. The better choice depends on how addicted you are to your phone, as I realized after weeks of testing. <\/p>\nIn short, the Bloom Card does the same thing. Brick<\/span><\/a><\/span>. You tap your phone on it, and it blocks distracting apps. The differences in each app’s software become more apparent, as the hardware of an NFC-enabled card or block is practically identical. For example, Bloom’s app has a better user experience with a Friends tab, which incorporates social accountability.<\/p>\nAlso: I bricked my iPhone to stop doomscrolling \u2013 and accidentally saved my life<\/strong><\/p>\nYou start by selecting the apps you want to block and creating a disabling schedule, a process I think Bloom does better. Bloom has a dedicated tab for creating regular schedules, with default schedules already built in, so you won’t have to do a lot of the work beforehand to put these schedules on the Brick. <\/p>\n
For example, there’s a Morning Zen schedule you can turn on from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., which I quite like, a Deep Work schedule from 10 a.m. to noon, and a Wind Down from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., etc. <\/p>\n
Within each schedule, you can enable or disable certain apps. If I turn on Deep Work, I can enable social media apps during the workday (because I use them for my work) but disable messaging apps that distract me. To wind down, I disable social media and messaging apps. <\/p>\n
Also: How I turned my regular tablet into a full-fledged e-reader (be it iPad or Android)<\/strong><\/p>\nIronically, for a tool that’s meant to help you disconnect from your phone, the app was pretty charming. As I mentioned, there’s a Friends tab where I can track my focus time against my friends. You can also view a global leaderboard, where users have been charting their focus through Bloom for 458 days. Finally, there’s the Insights feature, which displays your screen time, daily pickups, and focus time through Bloom. <\/p>\n
Why did I (temporarily) delete the app<\/h2>\n\n\n ![\"bloom](\"\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div> Nina Raymont\/ZDNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTapping my phone to an NFC card is easy and works reliably. However, an in-app error forced me to delete the app for a few days. I enabled the Morning Zen schedule one morning, and it continued to block access to my apps even after the 9 a.m. cutoff. <\/p>\n
I didn’t have a Bloom card to tap and enable access, so I was locked out for several hours, forcing me to delete the Bloom app to use these apps. This has happened with Brick as well, and it seems to be a bug in these devices. When I reviewed Brick, I noted a similar scheduling bug. <\/p>\n
Plus: I Found 4 Tech Gadgets That Actually Helped Me Sleep Better (And Eliminate Alarms)<\/strong><\/p>\nBloom has one thing Brick doesn’t: breakdowns. Bloom allows you three five-minute breaks per session, a feature that was great at first, but I started abusing it whenever I was in a Bloom session. This made the whole point of preventing doomscrolling counterproductive. <\/p>\n
This might perhaps help someone who doesn’t have as bad a phone addiction (or has more self-control), but given that the target audience of products like Brick and Bloom are people addicted to phones, it seems like it might further encourage bad habits. <\/p>\n
Brick is much more strict, and I hope Brick never offers breaks due to the counter-productivity of this Bloom feature. <\/p>\n
ZDNET’s shopping advice<\/h2>\n
so, but $39<\/span><\/a><\/span>Is bloom<\/span><\/a><\/span> worth it? If you think you won’t abuse that five-minute break feature, I’d recommend Bloom over Brick. If you desperately need to cut down on screen time, i would rather choose brick<\/span><\/a><\/span> For its slightly stricter approach and less attractive app.<\/p>\nBloom does a lot of the work of creating a schedule for you to easily enable, but I find it a little too lenient to prevent a serious case of phone addiction. However, it is a cheaper option than the Brick, so I would still recommend it to anyone on a budget. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
- \n
- Better app than brick.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Easy app scheduling.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Low price.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Shortcoming<\/strong> <\/p>\n- \n
- Continued to block apps even after my scheduled timeout.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Breaks defeat the purpose of strictly limiting screen time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Follow ZDNET: <\/em>Add us as a favorite source<\/span><\/a><\/span> On Google.<\/em><\/p>\n
I’m on track to spend 16 years of my life glued to my phone screen. this is it bloom<\/span><\/a><\/span>The latest solution to phone addiction tells me when I create my account. <\/p>\n
16 years. By my calculations, if I weren’t attached to the addictive mechanisms of my phone, I could have spent that time running 1,700 marathons, drinking 2,900 cups of coffee with friends, or sleeping 1 or 2 more hours each night. Instead, I scroll. <\/p>\n
And I am not alone. <\/p>\n
Also: The base model Kindle is my secret weapon against doomscrolling \u2013 and it’s on sale<\/strong><\/p>\n
As phone addiction becomes more widespread \u2014 and as we learn more about how social media keeps us addicted \u2014 more companies are coming up with solutions. Bloom is one of the companies that is popular Brick<\/span><\/a><\/span>has developed a tap-enabled NFC-enabled card that creates a physical boundary between the user and their dopamine-triggering device. <\/p>\n
\nBest mobile deals of the week<\/h3>\n
Deals are selected by the CNET Group Commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
I’ve been using Brick since last October and have found it to be a straightforward way to block out distractions during work, rest, and sleep. But it is not complete. There are a few bugs, and the app is fairly minimal. <\/p>\n
A friend and fellow Brick user of mine told me about Bloom Cards and gave me one of his cards. They said it addressed some of the shortcomings of the Brick, so I tested it out for a few weeks. <\/p>\n
bloom vs brick<\/h2>\n
First things first: the Bloom Card is $39<\/span><\/a><\/span>While the brick is $54. The better choice depends on how addicted you are to your phone, as I realized after weeks of testing. <\/p>\n
In short, the Bloom Card does the same thing. Brick<\/span><\/a><\/span>. You tap your phone on it, and it blocks distracting apps. The differences in each app’s software become more apparent, as the hardware of an NFC-enabled card or block is practically identical. For example, Bloom’s app has a better user experience with a Friends tab, which incorporates social accountability.<\/p>\n
Also: I bricked my iPhone to stop doomscrolling \u2013 and accidentally saved my life<\/strong><\/p>\n
You start by selecting the apps you want to block and creating a disabling schedule, a process I think Bloom does better. Bloom has a dedicated tab for creating regular schedules, with default schedules already built in, so you won’t have to do a lot of the work beforehand to put these schedules on the Brick. <\/p>\n
For example, there’s a Morning Zen schedule you can turn on from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., which I quite like, a Deep Work schedule from 10 a.m. to noon, and a Wind Down from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., etc. <\/p>\n
Within each schedule, you can enable or disable certain apps. If I turn on Deep Work, I can enable social media apps during the workday (because I use them for my work) but disable messaging apps that distract me. To wind down, I disable social media and messaging apps. <\/p>\n
Also: How I turned my regular tablet into a full-fledged e-reader (be it iPad or Android)<\/strong><\/p>\n
Ironically, for a tool that’s meant to help you disconnect from your phone, the app was pretty charming. As I mentioned, there’s a Friends tab where I can track my focus time against my friends. You can also view a global leaderboard, where users have been charting their focus through Bloom for 458 days. Finally, there’s the Insights feature, which displays your screen time, daily pickups, and focus time through Bloom. <\/p>\n
Why did I (temporarily) delete the app<\/h2>\n
\n \nNina Raymont\/ZDNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Tapping my phone to an NFC card is easy and works reliably. However, an in-app error forced me to delete the app for a few days. I enabled the Morning Zen schedule one morning, and it continued to block access to my apps even after the 9 a.m. cutoff. <\/p>\n
I didn’t have a Bloom card to tap and enable access, so I was locked out for several hours, forcing me to delete the Bloom app to use these apps. This has happened with Brick as well, and it seems to be a bug in these devices. When I reviewed Brick, I noted a similar scheduling bug. <\/p>\n
Plus: I Found 4 Tech Gadgets That Actually Helped Me Sleep Better (And Eliminate Alarms)<\/strong><\/p>\n
Bloom has one thing Brick doesn’t: breakdowns. Bloom allows you three five-minute breaks per session, a feature that was great at first, but I started abusing it whenever I was in a Bloom session. This made the whole point of preventing doomscrolling counterproductive. <\/p>\n
This might perhaps help someone who doesn’t have as bad a phone addiction (or has more self-control), but given that the target audience of products like Brick and Bloom are people addicted to phones, it seems like it might further encourage bad habits. <\/p>\n
Brick is much more strict, and I hope Brick never offers breaks due to the counter-productivity of this Bloom feature. <\/p>\n
ZDNET’s shopping advice<\/h2>\n
so, but $39<\/span><\/a><\/span>Is bloom<\/span><\/a><\/span> worth it? If you think you won’t abuse that five-minute break feature, I’d recommend Bloom over Brick. If you desperately need to cut down on screen time, i would rather choose brick<\/span><\/a><\/span> For its slightly stricter approach and less attractive app.<\/p>\n
Bloom does a lot of the work of creating a schedule for you to easily enable, but I find it a little too lenient to prevent a serious case of phone addiction. However, it is a cheaper option than the Brick, so I would still recommend it to anyone on a budget. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
- Breaks defeat the purpose of strictly limiting screen time.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
- Easy app scheduling.<\/span><\/li>\n