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I've been very stressed lately and have been doing some window shopping to calm down. I'm interested in gadgets, but a lot of things can just be replaced with apps. I realize a phone won't replace very large appliances like refrigerators or washing machines so I'm trying to scope my question to portable devices. So what are some portable devices or gadgets that their specialization hasn't been replaced by smart phone apps? Extra points if they're super useful and reliable.

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[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 20 points 2 months ago

I can't vape weed with my phone yet.

[-] Revan343@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 months ago

Not with that attitude

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[-] Ardyssian@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 months ago

Electric Toothbrush. Keeping up with Dental Hygiene is important too!

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[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago
[-] Tedesche@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Have I got an app for you!

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

:-D ~~~~~RrrrrRrrrrrRrrrr~~~RRRRRRRR

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[-] sxan@midwest.social 13 points 2 months ago

Cameras. You can take pictures with your phone, but despite Apple's advertisements, a phone camera will never produce anywhere near the same quality a dedicated digital camera with interchangeable lenses. And neither are as good as film.

[-] YamahaRevstar@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

Neither are as good as film?

That's subjective. Subjective to the application and the viewer.

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They haven’t completely replaced them. But for 99% of people they’ve replaced them for 99% of their photography needs.

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[-] MicrowavedTea@infosec.pub 5 points 2 months ago

On a similar note, action cameras, which can be even more portable than a smartphone.

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[-] Sal@mander.xyz 12 points 2 months ago

Radiation detectors. Such as the Radiacode or the Open Gamma Detector.

Binoculars are quite portable, very useful, and phones don't do a good job at zooming in like that.

Smart watches integrate with phones but the phones by themselves are not so good at measuring the heart rate and other parameters directly.

Mini projectors. UV flashlights. Tools in general... There is so much actually. What type of gadgets are you looking for?

[-] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 months ago

Can phones "detect" really high radiation on the camera if it's high enough or is that film only?

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[-] sxan@midwest.social 11 points 2 months ago

Flashlights. Again, in an emergency, you can use your phone. But it's not as good as a real flashlight, and I always carry and use a flashlight.

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[-] kometes@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

Hi-fi audio recorders with builtin microphones. As a bass player, I deeply resent phone mics and speakers.

[-] daggermoon@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Phones suck for anything audio related in general.

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[-] ptc075@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 months ago

I was just thinking this morning that it's kinda odd that there's no cell phone that also doubles as a multi-meter for measuring electronic current. I guess it's because in theory you'd need to also carry around a set of probes with you?

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[-] YamahaRevstar@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

Video games. At least for me. Mobile games suck.

[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

If you haven't experimented with roms and emulators yet, many old school games play great on a smartphone. The biggest downside is the touchscreen controls overlay will never compare to an actual controller, but it's close enough that it's... well, close enough.

Nintendo's entire library from their inception as a company through all of their N64 content is a grand total of like 20gb, the vast majority of which being N64. Roms from previous console/handheld games are tiny.

No idea what the current best emulators are; for the games, drop into places like thepiratebay and search for things like "SNES Romset" for the entire library.

Use a VPN. Yar.

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[-] thatradomguy@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago
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[-] Corno@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago

Laptops! I have a gaming desktop computer and also a gaming laptop that I use if I'm going to be somewhere other than my house for more than a day. Mobile games pail in comparison to what can be played on a decent gaming laptop. I wouldn't even think about trying to run even a rudimentary 3D game on my 3~ish year old smartphone which has 3-5 seconds of input lag for everything LMAO

[-] mrodri89@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 months ago
[-] noughtnaut@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

We had Dildroid like 16 minutes after the initial Android release.... 😂🤷

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[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Nokia 3310 would disagree,

[-] MTK@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Honestly most of the non digital functions of a phone are still inferior to it's dedicated counterparts, but I would argue that a phone is good enough for 99% of people.

So get a pocket multitool thingy, I always carry one in my bag and it has helped me quite a few time in my life.

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[-] Alsjemenou@lemy.nl 5 points 2 months ago

Knife/multitool. There is a plethora of options. I enjoy the classic swiss army knife. Scissors, pincet, knife, saw, bottle opener, pliers... You can get it all in one small package.

Headphones/earphones can't be an app.

Cup/bottle/thermos/liquid container. Drink more water, enjoy hot coffee.

A skill. Spend time getting good at some random non virtual things, penspinning, coin tricks, cardistry, calligraphy...

[-] LouNeko@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago
[-] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

To be clear: Hospitals use pagers because they use a longer (and much lower bandwidth) wavelength, which is affected less by things like thick fire-resistant walls. Hospitals are built like bunkers so that things like fires don’t require the entire building to be evacuated. Pagers can still reliably get signal even in the basement of a hospital, when behind multiple fire-resistant walls and solid concrete floors. Texting has effectively replaced pagers for 99% of the population. But hospitals still use them because reliability is prioritized in the medical world; No hospital wants to lose a patient because a doctor was in the basement and didn’t get a text.

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[-] sleepmode@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Vicegrips. Wirestrippers. A light screwdriver with common bits carried on its handle like a Sidewinder. Rake lockpick. SDR. Elevator key. Punch. File. Multimeter. Multitool with good pliers. Crank radio. Survival guide. Poncho. Silver exposure blanket. Fire starters. Multihammer thing. MREs. Good flashlight. Beater laptop like an old x200. Serial console adapter. Flares. Camping stove. Throw it all in a bugout bag after you learn how to use them.

[-] Libb@jlai.lu 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)
  • A pocket notebook and a ballpoint pen, for quick note taking. Edit: add to that a pocket watercolor set and a brush, for quick sketching
  • A pocket book, for on the go reading
  • My (mechanical) wrist watch

I don't care if the smartphone can be used to take notes, to read and has an extra precise clock. I much prefer my analog tools. They don't require upgrade, they don't need recharging, no one will ever try to stole them (my watch is not fancy at all, it's just mechanical ;) and, well, I prefer using those.

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[-] sxan@midwest.social 4 points 2 months ago

I'm posting these separately so people can argue about specific devices.

A calculator is still better than a phone in a lot of cases. I haven't yet met a financial advisor who uses their phone instead of a calculator. It's often the same issue as with keyboards: touch screens are simply vastly inferior to tactile keys. Few people are willing to carry keyboards around with them, but for those who use calculators a lot, for many it's worth having a portable, dedicated device.

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[-] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 3 points 2 months ago

Books.

The kindle app might be convenient but it's shit compared to an actual book.

[-] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Books are my fondest indulgence as I age. I'm an absolute Aztec history dork and a screen doesn't do any Mesoamerican codex justice.

I buy more odd art books than I should.

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[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 months ago
[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Pocket knife. Although I wouldn't be surprised if there's a phone case out there with a box-knife-like insert for a razor blade.

...infact, brb.

[-] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Please send pics of "Knife Phone".

Edit:

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this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
48 points (98.0% liked)

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