I tried to do this not too long ago, but (at least in the US) all of the mobile networks are switching to LTE, and shutting down their 2G and 3G networks. I was unable to find any "dumb" phones with LTE support. The closest thing I found was some overpriced Android phone with most of the smartphone features stripped out.
Hi, author of the article here. I actually felt my stomach drop when I read your comment. It is a scary thought to have to have a smartphone to be minimally connected. I don't have anything against smartphones - and will possibly return to having one at some point - but it's good to have the option. I hope/expect that the market will soon respond by meeting consumer demand for simpler communication devices.
