this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2025
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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 So what are some portable devices or gadgets that their specialization hasn't been replaced by smart phone apps?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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[โ€“] sxan@midwest.social 33 points 5 days ago (4 children)

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.

[โ€“] otacon239@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

I did machining inspection for a while and would be dealing constantly with hundreds of data points. Using the table functions on my TI-84 was a godsend. Everyone was writing answers down and transcribing when I joined.

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