Ask Lemmy

Security cameras. Smart sensors. Basically anything you can make based on a $2 ESP32.

I can't vape weed with my phone yet.

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

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

Paper and pencil: an analog data storage medium immune to power outages, data costs, EMPs, and remote surveillance.

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?

Vibrator

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?

Pagers for Hospitals.

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.

Handheld Radios, some are those "Walkie-Talkies" (I hate that term btw), others are VHF/UHF Ham Radios, or GMRS/FRS, MURS, or Meshtastic (I don't even know how those meshtastic things work). AFIAK, phones cannot fit those antennas in such a thin build, so they won't be replaced for a long time, possibly forever. I mean, there is no way to cram such antenna in there. There might be some phones that are also handheld radios, but those are probably so niche, that I've never heard of any such thing.

Very useful in like a natural disaster and the cell towers are down. (Or just something like war where the commucation infrastructure is just shut down by the destruction).

Idk about other countries, but in the USA, those walmart/target walkie talkies do not need any license, because they are just FRS radios that use FRS frequencies. AFIAK MURS and Meshtastic also is license free. Ham and GMRS will probably require licenses in many jurisdictions. Some GMRS and FRS frequencies overlap, but GMRS can (legally) use more power, and can swap antennas, which FRS radios cannot (not legally).

Baofeng radios are cheap and its only like $50 or so for a pack of two. They are supposed to be either Ham or GMRS versions, but apparantly I have those "Ham Radios" that can do both which is gonna make the FCC sad 👀

If you have a repeater in your area that your signal can reach, you can talk a long distance throughout your neighborhood.

Both Ham and GMRS require a license in the USA, but GMRS license does not require a test, which Ham license do. GMRS license is literally just a payment for a paper.

Even if you use a radio without a license, most of the time, nothing will happen. The FCC (at least, before 2025) wont care if you talk to your friends using radio without a license. And FCC rules don't apply during an emergency.

(I mostly learned these things via looking around the internet in the past few months because I was interested in the topic of "off grid" communications. I don't have any licenses yet 😅)

Shank

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.

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

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

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

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...

Oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and spectrometers.

Scissors

• smartwatch
• e-reader

But from your description maybe you need a gadget related hobby. How about home automation? It’s not just multiple gadgets but having fun with what they can do together. You can do anything from dip your toes in to going all out

My hands.