The Next Idea If someone asked you to give up your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop, It’s likely you’d have a hard time agreeing to let go. But as much as we revel in technology and all its bells and whistles, there is a growing awareness that the technology is controlling us. The tail is wagging the dog. That thinking has led a couple of Michiganders to come up with something that strips all this technology down to its purest form. No bells, no whistles, no distractions.