this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025

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147

What are some portable devices that smart phones haven't replaced? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by MisterNeon@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

213 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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 So what are some portable devices or gadgets that their specialization hasn't been replaced by smart phone apps?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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[–] Libb@jlai.lu 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] MicrowavedTea@infosec.pub 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'd argue phones are actually better pocket books. Assuming looking at a screen does not bother you:

it's much more compact, can be held in one hand and you can carry multiple 800 page books. I've never actually seen a pocket book that can fit in a pocket.
you can adjust font, text size and brightness (some font choices in printed books are just terrible)
does not need an external light source
you can quickly look up words and take notes without needing external items

Requiring a battery is a downside but most reading apps consume very little power compared to other apps.

[–] Libb@jlai.lu 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

I'd argue phones are actually better pocket books.

It's obviously a matter of personal preferences, which is absolutely fine.

As far as I'm concerned, I prefer print for these reasons, and for context I have been reading ebooks since I have owned a Palm Pilot PDA in the early 00s, so not reading them is a decision and a choice, it is not an allergy to them or to the tech:

Print fully respect my privacy.
There is no tracking and no spying on my reading habits. That's also why I read print newspapers and magazines as much as I can.
No remote deleting of ebooks after purchase.
Like Amazon and Microsoft already did. They refunded customers but that's not how private property is supposed to work: I pay for a good, I own it its previous owner taht sold it to me can't decide to enter my home to take it back, even if they were to leave some cash on the table.
No remote editing possible.
No matter if one book or one word in it suddenly becomes unpopular or offensive to anyone.
No notifications, social media, games, email, whatever, to distract me.
Does not need external light either.
Try to beat day light and at night, or when the sun plays hide 'n seek, well, I have access to this revolutionary piece of high-tech called 'lamps' that are lying around absolutely everywhere in our home and, as far as I can tell, are also everywhere I may find myself wanting to read a book.
Does not need batteries, and no recharging.
The same with my watch, btw: no battery, just a spring I rewind every morning after I shower and when I put it to my wrist. It has been working wonder for years and its manufacturer has yet to send my a message telling my watch is tool old and I need to purchase a new model to get updates... because there are none ;)
Does not need app and system updates.
Does not need Internet.
Unlike a smartphone, a book itself does not need to be replaced every few years by a new one (aka creating always more e-waste). Talking about phones, here, not e-readers that may last many, many years.

BTW, I seldom need to quickly look up a word either. When I don't know a word and if I can't figure out its meaning by using the context it is used in, aka surrounding sentences, I write it down in my pocket notebook (which also requires no battery, no upgrade, doesn't track me either, etc.) and look it back at home in one of my... paper dictionaries (which don't push ads into my face, don't track me, and so on)

you can adjust font, text size and brightness (some font choices in printed books are just terrible)

This is the one advantage I find to ebooks in general (the reader is in charge of the display... depending the app used) but getting that freedom you also instantly lose access to the excellent page layout many publishers work hard on. Sure there are a few dickheads in the field but a majority are not at least those whose catalog I enjoy reading.

And, most ebook page layout is, well, what word did you use? Terrible? You would be right.

I’ve never actually seen a pocket book that can fit in a pocket.

There are (I would say I can fit most poetry books and many plays in my jeans back pocket but I don't really), the idea is that those small books are easy to carry and are cheap (at least back in then they were supposed to be). It also depends a lot what one reads.

Edit:

it’s much more compact, can be held in one hand and you can carry multiple 800 page books.

I don't need to carry that. On my desk I have dozens of books and references volumes opened at once (that would be expensive to do the same with multiple phones, right? ;) but I only carry with me a single pocket book so I can read on the go. I do not need my entire library, not even a couple 800, or even 1600 pages books ;)

Edit: if you're willing to read more of my reasoning to stop using ebooks (I should say ebooks sold by Gafam, as I will still by self-published ebooks when there are DRM-free and there is no print available) and refocus my reading on print instead, I've published a couple blog post. Link in my profile.

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[–] MTK@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (4 children)

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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[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I'll answer my own question, "Fans". You can absolutely buy a small fan or even one you can wear, but a smart phone can't blow air to cool a person down.

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[–] LouNeko@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pagers for Hospitals.

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

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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[–] Corno@lemm.ee 12 points 1 week 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

[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Almost any gadget to some degree.

Mobile phone has a lot of features for sure, you can have anything from cameras to navigation, flashlight, MP3 player etc but none of those features can really match to a purpose built device.

Mobile phones get especially crippled when you're days out without a chance to charge.

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[–] crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Wilderness beacon. Rarely any signal out there. Yes you can an arm and a leg for special service though

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[–] Alsjemenou@lemy.nl 9 points 1 week 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...

[–] penquin@lemmy.kde.social 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

A steam deck (OLED if you have the extra money). Best purchase I've made in freaking ages. It's the most used device I have in my house. Worth every single penny.

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[–] chimasnaredenca@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Professional work tools come to mind. Laser measures, camera gear, flashlights, 3D scanners, calculators, synthesisers, etc. Sure, there are apps that offer the same functions, but they usually lack the precision and reliability expected from professional tools. There are also some great gaming devices (such as the Analogue Pocket) that probably offer a better experience over gaming on a smartphone.

[–] Gobo@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Stun guns

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

Actual guns

[–] intheirhead@feddit.nl 6 points 1 week ago

Best way to calm down would be to look into minimalism.

[–] IMALlama@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

If you're looking for an outlet, why not project shop with the aim of making something?

This gives you the opportunity geek out on the gadgets you'll need to pull off whatever you want to make. More importantly, the journey will continue post purchase as chase the thing you want to make.

You can make both digital and physical stuff. With things like CAD, Arduino/Raspberry PI, and IoT you can also blend the two pretty easily.

A very low key example might be a small garden. I've put a bit of time/effort into my seed stating setup, including designing and printing parts for my lighting rig. It seems like the setup iterates a bit every year. In addition, every year I spend a decent amount of time thinking about what I want to grow this year and then diving seed catalogues to find some new-to-me verity of something I've grown before.

You can also design from-scratch speakers and go as far down that rabbit hole as you want to - buy vs build (kit) vs design the amplifier, ditto for the actual speaker, etc.

/a person who likes making things

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter

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[–] nycki@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I carry a spare usb stick and some low-capacity microsd cards, because sometimes its just easier to hand someone a file the old fashioned way.

Sometimes I do play games on my phone, but whenever possible I use a usb or bluetooth gamepad, because touchscreens aren't supplanting buttons any time soon.

And of course the Steam Deck is my favorite gizmo, not just because it can run every PC and emulator game, but also because it doesn't have any bullshit preventing me from installing mods. If phone modding was easy and accessible i'd be willing to spend more on a phone.

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