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Mister Neon @lemmy.world

What are some portable devices that smart phones haven't replaced?

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 So what are some portable devices or gadgets that their specialization hasn't been replaced by smart phone apps?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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    • 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.

    • 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.

      • 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.

        • About half of those issues are solved by drm-free ebooks (or piracy). True, a phone comes with extra work (charging, updating, upgrading every few years) so if you're not already maintaining one you obviously won't do it just to read books.

          The rest is up to use case. I do need to look up words a lot (usually in other languages) and a bus stop after dark will never have enough light for reading. If you read at home I guess these aren't issues, but pocket books are meant to be read on the road.

          About the formatting there are some books which should absolutely not be read as ebooks cause you'll miss out on things. But most books are a block of text split in chapters and paragraphs. A phone can absolutely support that.

          Anyway, it's mostly up to use case and preference as you say.

          • About half of those issues are solved by drm-free ebooks

            My iPhone or Kindle will still track my reading habits when I read a drm-free or pirated book (which I tend to avoid as I want to support authors and publishers and I can afford to). For years, I have been using a Kindle that I disconnected from the Web after activation, it was working fine but then I realized we should not have to fight that situation to begin with: our privacy should be respected out of the box. Since I decided to not compromise anymore on that, well, I quit using those device. Like I said, it's just a personal choice in favor of my privacy (not an allergy to tech itself, just to the way it has been hijacked to become a spying tool)

            I do need to look up words a lot (usually in other languages)

            So do I (be it in my native French and in the few others I pretend to speak). But like I said, I also never need to get instant access to a dictionary either. So it can wait I get back home.

            and a bus stop after dark will never have enough light for reading. If you read at home I guess these aren’t issues, but pocket books are meant to be read on the road.

            I would say (pocket) books are meant to be read and would not have any expectation on where and when people are supposed to be reading them. Then, I don't read when I'm moving (I get sick). I will read at a bus stop or waiting in a line anywhere if there is enough light. If there is not enough, I will either write stuff in my notebook (even dim light is enough to jot down quick notes), or I will think about stuff.

            About the formatting there are some books which should absolutely not be read as ebooks cause you’ll miss out on things. But most books are a block of text split in chapters and paragraphs. A phone can absolutely support that.

            Typography and page layout was once a thing. It was considered kind of an art form even. I feel a bit sad to see it boiled down to some 'block of text split in chapters' but it could also just be a sign that I'm getting old and out of touch. Which is to be expected too ;)

            Thx for the discussion, it was interesting.

        • I carry a jailbroken Kobo with wifi disabled. That solves most of the issues you have described here. I sideload DRM-free ebooks. I can't stand reading text on my phone's LCD screen (and OLED is worse), but eink screens are totally different, my eyes like them.

          Does not need external light either

          Lamps exist

          That's exactly what external light means. If you need to sit near a lamp to read your book, then you are relying on external light.

          Btw, I agree with the point in general you're trying to make. Physical books and physical note taking still have a place and are often gone forgotten and underutilized. They can promote greater information retention, due to the tactile experience being mixed into the reading/writing experience.

213 comments