What Do Smart Phones (Partially) Replace?

[anorlunda]

Partial replacement of Star Trek communicators, tricorders, and universal translators?
Those are part of every day live... in Star Trek. ;)

That's all very true, but all three are already on the list, including the tricorder.

 

[jerromyjon]

I am pretty sure this is unique... the closest is 33. Address book.
184. Phone book
I can't remember the last time I used one but I still have one somewhere, just in case it isn't urgent enough to use my phone as a: 115. doorstop or 68. campfire thingy

 

[jerromyjon]

185. heart rate monitor
186. eeg/ecg monitor
187. glucose tester

 

[rootone]

188. Wives.

 

[Asymptotic]

189. Miniature yule log.

Anyone remember what that thing that screwed into the "take a photo" button was called?

Are you thinking about a shutter release?

 

[OmCheeto]

189. Miniature yule log.

Are you thinking about a shutter release?

Close enough. I was too lazy to google it.

I posted a picture of mine in post #73.

Mine was mechanical, so it might be more appropriately called a "cable release". [ref]
Googling "shutter release" indicates that the "mechanical" ones appear to have been supplanted by digital remote devices.

 

[Asymptotic]

Close enough. I was too lazy to google it.

I posted a picture of mine in post #73.

Mine was mechanical, so it might be more appropriately called a "cable release". [ref]
Googling "shutter release" indicates that the "mechanical" ones appear to have been supplanted by digital remote devices.

That release looks identical to the one I had for my Canon AE-1. Went back to using the built-in timer after it turned out the cable release introduced enough 'shudder to the shutter' to effect sharpness at moderately slow shutter speeds. :)

 

[anorlunda]

Here is a consolidated and renumbered list based on all the earlier posts. The Count is now 193, goal is 200.

1. Phone
2. Clock/watch
3. Calendar
4. Calculator
5. Day planner
6. Pencil & Paper
7. Envelopes & Stamps
8. Hand held GPS
9. Compass
10. Outdoor thermometer
11. Maps
12. Deck of cards
13. Radio
14. TV
15. Camera
16. Wallet full of loyalty cards, soon a wallet full of money and credit cards.
17. Paper Newspapers
18. Paper books
19. Auto insurance cards for the glove box
20. MP3 player
21. Photo album
22. Tape recorder
23. Game consoles/board games/toys
24. Home weather station
25. Weather radiio
26. WIFI hotspot and cable modem.
27. Airplane or event tickets
28. Sky maps/star charts
29. Movie theater, 8mm movie camera, home film projector
30. Video projector
31. Records/record players/tape decks
32. Night watchman/security guard/baby sitter
33. Address book
34. Pedeometer
35. Mirrors to check my haircut from the rear.
36. A doctor visit to look for wax in my ears.
37. recipe book
38. Owner's/operator's manuals
39. DIY books
40. Filing cabinets
41. Flashlight
42. Drone remote w/ video feed
43. level
44. laptop computer for internet
45. Accelerometer
46. Audio spectrum analyser
47. Thermal imager/IR camera
    
48. TV Remote Control
49. Barcode scanner
50. Earthquake Early Warning Network Notification Device
51. Bank Teller
52. Langauge Translator
53. Car Mechanic (OBD plug-in diagnostics)
54. Medical Pager
55. CPR Notifications and CPR Coach (PulsePoint App)
    
56. Vein finder for Phlebotomy
    
57. Human interaction
58. land lines
59. telescope (40x) [$18.03 @ e-bay]*
60. microscope (100x) [$14.99 @ amazon]*
61. EM spectrometer (1000 lines/mm diffraction grating) [$1.70 @ homesciencetools]*
    
62. Waiter/waitress check pad
63. Credit card scanner
64. Cash register
    
65. Status symbol
    
66. makeshift ignition source... (fire starter)
67. Electric blanket replacement. (single use only. Sorry! [gas mask and fire extinguisher extra])
68. Campfire thingy, when you can't find any firewood. (Not just an ignition source, but the source of a whole evening full of fun conversation. ps. Does anyone know how long these things burn?)
    
69. Reflective surface ( to get the attention of would-be rescuers when stranded without service) [Or blink SOS in morse code]
    
70. Decoy (leave it somewhere and divert attention from your real location)
    
71. Dictionary/ thesaurus
    
72. magnetometer
73. metal detector
74. light meter
75. barometer
76. gravitometer
77. piano tuner
78. piano keyboard
79. keyboard & mouse (should have put that near the start)
80. farmers almanac
81. expert advice on any topic
82. Altimeter
83. Car starter/door remote
84. laser range finder
85. Scale with self-adjusting geological calibration...
86. Cigarette case
87. lighter
88. bottle of wine
89. USB memory stick.
90. oscilloscope with microphone input
91. volt/amp meter (with external XOIO card)
92. Arduino remote console/development system
93. Raspberry Pi remote console/development system
94. Wolfram Alpha
95. Matlab
96. Sheet music display/play/edit/transpose
97. comfort blanket
98. remote text alert device ( I'm breaking up with you:, or , Your fired. )
99. easy to cut the conversation device and ignore ( Sorry - I have a call coming in )
100. Borescope (needs USB camera $10 from ebay).
101. Gyroscope
102. Shopping device
103. Academic Conference.
     
104. Virtual Reality headset
105. Robot
106. Spreadsheet
107. Surveillance bug
108. Tracking device
109. sign placard by airport limo drivers looking for their arriving client.
     
110. conversational assistant as in talking to Siri or Alexa
     
111. Augmented Reallity headset or viewer.
112. Tricorder
113. thing locator with trackable RFID tiles
114. Underground power locator with Bluetooth headset ie you lose the connection when crossing over one
115. doorstop
116. throwing weapon multiple use
     
117. FFT spectrum analyzer
118. Signal generator
119. Internet connection speed tester
120. Touch screen aided ruler
121. Inclinometer
122. Color Detector
123. Color Generator
124. Tunable stroboscope
125. Data logger
126. Home automation controller
     
127. Music composer ala garage band.
     
128. beat box
     
129. Apartment buzzers
130. guitar
131. violin
132. drums,
133. synth .
     
134. News gatherer via video and audio for reporters( replaces a lot of hefty equipment )
     
135. balloon satellite
136. world clock
137. stopwatch
138. alarm
139. sleep aid (soothing sounds like ocean waves, light breeze...)
140. sleep analyzer
     
141. Remotely run Electric Trains, UAVs, etc.
142. Guitar Tuner
143. Guitar Chord Charts
     
144. Video Conferencing
     
145. Gaming
146. enlarger
147. trays
148. tongs
149. chemicals: developer, fixer, and water
150. negative developer canister device
151. negative album
152. boxes to hold un-albumed photos
153. photographic negative material (I believe we referred to is as "film")
154. photographic "print" material (special silver impregnated paper)
155. little red light for the darkroom (made obsolete. not sure where mine is at, but I did have one)
156. Anyone remember what that thing that screwed into the "take a photo" button was called?
157. Flashbulb
158. special effects lenses
159. color filters
160. air poofer + brush device
     
161. laser thermometer (I'm getting one of those!)
162. Psychometric chart
163. Ductulator
164. Pipe sizer
165. 3d measurement (related to but separate from laser rangefinder)
166. Photo editor
167. Emergency beacon
168. Telescope controller
169. Planetarium
170. Satellite finder/tracker
171. Tide chart
172. Eclipse tracker
173. Camera shutter release
     
174. Interocitor (We have tricorde, so why not?)
     
175. Library; have to remove/reduce the count?
     
176. Books
177. Darkroom (146-156 were darkroom equipment, but didn't mention the darkroom itself)
178. In flight entertainment systems (airplanes)
     
179. Hand warmer
180. Killer laser controller
181. coloring books (My wife said it and I think it's unique, you can color black and white pages )
182. walkie talkies
183. puzzle books
184. Phone book
     
185. heart rate monitor
186. eeg/ecg monitor
187. glucose tester
     
188. Wives [Should we say husbands too? ]
189. Miniature yule log.
     I'm adding some new ones.
190. Body armor (phone in pocket stops a bullet)
191. Baby/pet sitter, shows you video, and let's you relay voice commands.
192. Leave it behind in your car, becomes a locator if car is stolen.
193. Sail racing tactician, advises optimum course to steer to the mark

Only 7 more needed to reach our goal of 200.
Remember, the question is not what smart phones do but what do they replace wholly or partially. 146-156 are a good example of darkroom claptrap that we don't need with digital photos.

 

[berkeman]

192. Leave it behind in your car, becomes a locator if car is stolen.

Not "if" but "when". Thieves now use Bluetooth pings to look for cars with laptops in them. If you leave a device in your car (phone or laptop or whatever) with Bluetooth active, it's only a matter of time. (At least here in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area that is unfortunately true now)

 

[anorlunda]

Not "if" but "when". Thieves now use Bluetooth pings to look for cars with laptops in them. If you leave a device in your car (phone or laptop or whatever) with Bluetooth active, it's only a matter of time. (At least here in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area that is unfortunately true now)

Thanks @berkeman , we can add: 194 bait for police bait cars.

 

[berkeman]

Thanks @berkeman , we can add: 194 bait for police bait cars.

Yes, I'm afraid so.

 

[OmCheeto]

That release looks identical to the one I had for my Canon AE-1. Went back to using the built-in timer after it turned out the cable release introduced enough 'shudder to the shutter' to effect sharpness at moderately slow shutter speeds. :)

I have the A-1. Looking at it, I would have only needed it for exposures longer than 30 seconds. (I haven't used that camera since I got my first digital camera. It now only serves as a hoarder detector, and idle battery longevity tester.)

188. Wives [Should we say husbands too? ]

Fellow humans? I have photos of EVERYONE in group gatherings, ALL looking at their smartphones.

And along with fellow humans, I don't see:

195: pets [ref]

That's all very true, but all three are already on the list, including the tricorder.

nor

196: replicator [ref]

on the list.

Rhut-Rho! @Evo has a killer laser now? We are doomed. Remember what happened when she was using that chainsaw in the back of her pickup truck? That was not pretty...

Odd. I have no recollection of "chainsaws" and "Evo". All I remember is the "bubblewrap".
A quick pfoogle brings up 21 unique threads where "chainsaw" and "Evo" are mentioned:

A Page from Your Journal
Add Go to top button after the end of every post
And the best job in America is
Bye Bye, Evo
Evo's moving
I'm a homesteader/prepper ask me anything
I'm about to do something dangerous
I'm back
Im melting
It's here! Member Awards 2012!
Knock Knock Knock
Nail guns
Now I've done it :-(
per, scissors revisited
PFs sisterhood weakening
Scrubbing the middle of your back
Should Evo get a chainsaw?
Skateboard accident2
Smoking at the fillin' station
What Do Smart Phones (Partially) Replace?
What does the + next to my name mean?​

Not sure how I could have missed that.
hmmm...

would

197. braincells

be appropriate?

-------------
ps. Did you see that she's now into some ninja death plant hobby? Evocheveria, or something like that.
Freakin' spikes EVERYWHERE!

Lasers and death spikes...

 

[berkeman]

Odd. I have no recollection of "chainsaws" and "Evo". All I remember is the "bubblewrap".
A quick pfoogle brings up 21 unique threads where "chainsaw" and "Evo" are mentioned:

A Page from Your Journal
Add Go to top button after the end of every post
And the best job in America is
Bye Bye, Evo
Evo's moving
I'm a homesteader/prepper ask me anything
I'm about to do something dangerous
I'm back
Im melting
It's here! Member Awards 2012!
Knock Knock Knock
Nail guns
Now I've done it :-(
per, scissors revisited
PFs sisterhood weakening
Scrubbing the middle of your back
Should Evo get a chainsaw?
Skateboard accident2
Smoking at the fillin' station
What Do Smart Phones (Partially) Replace?
What does the + next to my name mean?
Not sure how I could have missed that.
hmmm...

Yeah, from those thread titles, you can start to get an idea of why we should be worried if @Evo now has her hands on a killer laser...

 

[Vanadium 50]

Airline boarding pass.

You have books twice.

 

[anorlunda]

Here is a consolidated and renumbered list based on all the earlier posts. The arbitrary count of 200 has been reached.

1. Phone
2. Clock/watch
3. Calendar
4. Calculator
5. Day planner
6. Pencil & Paper
7. Envelopes & Stamps
8. Hand held GPS
9. Compass
10. Outdoor thermometer
11. Maps
12. Deck of cards
13. Radio
14. TV
15. Camera
16. Wallet full of loyalty cards, soon a wallet full of money and credit cards.
17. Paper Newspapers
18. Paper books
19. Auto insurance cards for the glove box
20. MP3 player
21. Photo album
22. Tape recorder
23. Game consoles/board games/toys
24. Home weather station
25. Weather radiio
26. WIFI hotspot and cable modem.
27. Airplane or event tickets
28. Sky maps/star charts
29. Movie theater, 8mm movie camera, home film projector
30. Video projector
31. Records/record players/tape decks
32. Night watchman/security guard/baby sitter
33. Address book
34. Pedeometer
35. Mirrors to check my haircut from the rear.
36. A doctor visit to look for wax in my ears.
37. recipe book
38. Owner's/operator's manuals
39. DIY books
40. Filing cabinets
41. Flashlight
42. Drone remote w/ video feed
43. level
44. laptop computer for internet
45. Accelerometer
46. Audio spectrum analyser
47. Thermal imager/IR camera
    
48. TV Remote Control
49. Barcode scanner
50. Earthquake Early Warning Network Notification Device
51. Bank Teller
52. Langauge Translator
53. Car Mechanic (OBD plug-in diagnostics)
54. Medical Pager
55. CPR Notifications and CPR Coach (PulsePoint App)
    
56. Vein finder for Phlebotomy
    
57. Human interaction
58. land lines
59. telescope (40x) [$18.03 @ e-bay]*
60. microscope (100x) [$14.99 @ amazon]*
61. EM spectrometer (1000 lines/mm diffraction grating) [$1.70 @ homesciencetools]*
    
62. Waiter/waitress check pad
63. Credit card scanner
64. Cash register
    
65. Status symbol
    
66. makeshift ignition source... (fire starter)
67. Electric blanket replacement. (single use only. Sorry! [gas mask and fire extinguisher extra])
68. Campfire thingy, when you can't find any firewood. (Not just an ignition source, but the source of a whole evening full of fun conversation. ps. Does anyone know how long these things burn?)
    
69. Reflective surface ( to get the attention of would-be rescuers when stranded without service) [Or blink SOS in morse code]
    
70. Decoy (leave it somewhere and divert attention from your real location)
    
71. Dictionary/ thesaurus
    
72. magnetometer
73. metal detector
74. light meter
75. barometer
76. gravitometer
77. piano tuner
78. piano keyboard
79. keyboard & mouse (should have put that near the start)
80. farmers almanac
81. expert advice on any topic
82. Altimeter
83. Car starter/door remote
84. laser range finder
85. Scale with self-adjusting geological calibration...
86. Cigarette case
87. lighter
88. bottle of wine
89. USB memory stick.
90. oscilloscope with microphone input
91. volt/amp meter (with external XOIO card)
92. Arduino remote console/development system
93. Raspberry Pi remote console/development system
94. Wolfram Alpha
95. Matlab
96. Sheet music display/play/edit/transpose
97. comfort blanket
98. remote text alert device ( I'm breaking up with you:, or , Your fired. )
99. easy to cut the conversation device and ignore ( Sorry - I have a call coming in )
100. Borescope (needs USB camera $10 from ebay).
101. Gyroscope
102. Shopping device
103. Academic Conference.
     
104. Virtual Reality headset
105. Robot
106. Spreadsheet
107. Surveillance bug
108. Tracking device
109. sign placard by airport limo drivers looking for their arriving client.
     
110. conversational assistant as in talking to Siri or Alexa
     
111. Augmented Reallity headset or viewer.
112. Tricorder
113. thing locator with trackable RFID tiles
114. Underground power locator with Bluetooth headset ie you lose the connection when crossing over one
115. doorstop
116. throwing weapon multiple use
     
117. FFT spectrum analyzer
118. Signal generator
119. Internet connection speed tester
120. Touch screen aided ruler
121. Inclinometer
122. Color Detector
123. Color Generator
124. Tunable stroboscope
125. Data logger
126. Home automation controller
     
127. Music composer ala garage band.
     
128. beat box
     
129. Apartment buzzers
130. guitar
131. violin
132. drums,
133. synth .
     
134. News gatherer via video and audio for reporters( replaces a lot of hefty equipment )
     
135. balloon satellite
136. world clock
137. stopwatch
138. alarm
139. sleep aid (soothing sounds like ocean waves, light breeze...)
140. sleep analyzer
     
141. Remotely run Electric Trains, UAVs, etc.
142. Guitar Tuner
143. Guitar Chord Charts
     
144. Video Conferencing
     
145. Gaming
146. enlarger
147. trays
148. tongs
149. chemicals: developer, fixer, and water
150. negative developer canister device
151. negative album
152. boxes to hold un-albumed photos
153. photographic negative material (I believe we referred to is as "film")
154. photographic "print" material (special silver impregnated paper)
155. little red light for the darkroom (made obsolete. not sure where mine is at, but I did have one)
156. Anyone remember what that thing that screwed into the "take a photo" button was called?
157. Flashbulb
158. special effects lenses
159. color filters
160. air poofer + brush device
     
161. laser thermometer (I'm getting one of those!)
162. Psychometric chart
163. Ductulator
164. Pipe sizer
165. 3d measurement (related to but separate from laser rangefinder)
166. Photo editor
167. Emergency beacon
168. Telescope controller
169. Planetarium
170. Satellite finder/tracker
171. Tide chart
172. Eclipse tracker
173. Camera shutter release
     
174. Interocitor (We have tricorde, so why not?)
     
175. Library; have to remove/reduce the count?
176. Darkroom (146-156 were darkroom equipment, but didn't mention the darkroom itself)
177. In flight entertainment systems (airplanes)
     
178. Hand warmer
179. Killer laser controller
180. coloring books (My wife said it and I think it's unique, you can color black and white pages )
181. walkie talkies
182. puzzle books
183. Phone book
     
184. heart rate monitor
185. eeg/ecg monitor
186. glucose tester
     
187. Wives [Should we say husbands too? ]
188. Miniature yule log.
     I'm adding some new ones.
189. Body armor (phone in pocket stops a bullet)
190. Baby/pet sitter, shows you video, and let's you relay voice commands.
191. Leave it behind in your car, becomes a locator if car is stolen.
192. Sail racing tactician, advises optimum course to steer to the mark
193. Bait for police bait cars
194. Pets
195. replicatorr
196. airline boarding pass
     new today
197. Vibration meter
198. Speedometer
199. Vinyl record player RPM (place phone on rotating disk, detects periodic compass fluctuations)
200. Non contact RPM Tachometer (Use proximity sensor or magnetic pickup)

We reached our arbitrary goal of 200.
Remember, the question is not what smart phones do but what do they replace wholly or partially. 146-156 are a good example of darkroom claptrap that we don't need with digital photos.

 

[OmCheeto]

...
We reached our arbitrary goal of 200.

Yay!
Watching the list grow so rapidly, made me think that a simpler list would have been; "What can smartphones not replace?"
Food, water, home, toilet paper, and vehicles were the only things I could come up with.

Of course, someone already noticed one of those.

And although I don't think they'll make an edible smartphone in my lifetime, someone has made an edible case:
Edible Gummy iPhone Cases

Though, I don't think I'd eat a gummy bear that's been in my pocket for more than a few minutes.

Remember, the question is not what smart phones do but what do they replace wholly or partially. 146-156 are a good example of darkroom claptrap that we don't need with digital photos.

Just sitting in my living room, looking around, gives me more ideas:
along with #14 TV, which I haven't turned on in a couple of years, I almost never use my
201 stereo receiver
202 vhs player
203 cassette player
204 cd/dvd player
205 70's era sized speakers

 

[donpacino]

What can smartphones not replace?

common sense

 

[jmmccain]

That is quite a list. I'm sure it could grow longer and/or shorter.

So, 200 things that a smart-phone may replace. Is there any problem with listing 200 things that they may not replace? Just for fun? Here's one for the "not" list: a well secured, fire-resistant safe. There are some things one may not (or should not) put in a phone.

 

[anorlunda]

Is there any problem with listing 200 things that they may not replace?

Coffee

 

[Redbelly98]

Do we need to remove #s 83 & 84? I didn't think this was a wish list -- we're looking for actual apps that already exist, right?

I'd like:
83. Car starter/door remote
84. laser range finder
Surprisingly unavailable?

 

[jerromyjon]

we're looking for actual apps that already exist, right?

84. laser rangefinder is available: https://www.ryobitools.com/phoneworks/laser-distance-measure/

 

[anorlunda]

Do we need to remove #s 83 & 84? I didn't think this was a wish list -- we're looking for actual apps that already exist, right?

You may be right. The policing I did on that list was very loose. I said no only to those items that were duplicates.

 

[jerromyjon]

83. Car starter/door remote: Viper smartstart (iPhone not included)

 

[GhostLoveScore]

I was wondering how many items would be on the list if we took into consideration how good smartphone is at doing these things, for example, I saw "spectrum analyzer" on the list, but I bet it's not nearly as capable as the cheapest spectrum analyzer. Yes, it has that function, but it's of no use if you can't reliably use it. Otherwise it's just for fun.

 

[jerromyjon]

Otherwise it's just for fun.

Same as the scale... the reviews were terrible but in a pinch it would serve the purpose if accuracy wasn't the highest priority.

 

[jerromyjon]

https://phys.org/news/2018-02-add-on-smartphone-fully-microscope.html
206. Microscope

 

[russ_watters]

I was wondering how many items would be on the list if we took into consideration how good smartphone is at doing these things, for example, I saw "spectrum analyzer" on the list, but I bet it's not nearly as capable as the cheapest spectrum analyzer. Yes, it has that function, but it's of no use if you can't reliably use it. Otherwise it's just for fun.

Old post, but the thread popped back up; I've actually used a spectrum analyzer app a couple of times at work to identify target frequencies and locations for sound attenuation.

 

[Stavros Kiri]

Here's a few rare ones (didn't see above):
1. Mosquito repeller
2. Dog repeller
3. Old away (repelling old people! ... with annoying noise; now why on Earth you want to do that? I have no idea ...)
4. Voice altering device
5. (This one is really cool!: ) CHARGER! (However note: for phones with OTG function only + you need OTG cable, together with your USB charging cable; works as USB charger, and/or with charge cable adaptors you can also charge iphones, ipods etc. + even old phones ...)

Other issue:

https://phys.org/news/2018-02-add-on-smartphone-fully-microscope.html
206. Microscope

Cf. #60 in list earlier above

Edit: I just realized a few more
6. Surveillance camera (& remote controlled)
7. Siren (loud) [not just alarm / e.g. for home or personal protection outdoors]
8. Sports analyser (miles/vs/calories etc.)
9. Adult's magazine and adults video store ...

So 205+9 = 214
[+ bag & space saver! ... because you don't need a bag to carry them ... ⇒ 215 (?)]

 

[berkeman]

So I'm not sure if these applications have been mentioned already in the thread, and they are new product ideas, but here you go:

• Home ultrasound monitor/probe (with dongle) -- lots of applications in sports injury diagnosis and fun for new parents wanting to watch the little one in the womb...
• Home Blood Tester (with dongle) -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_test
• Home Fingertip NMR MRI (with dongle) -- To be able to do blood tests non-invasively...

 

[anorlunda]

So I'm not sure if these applications have been mentioned already in the thread, and they are new product ideas,

Those medical apps could save people millions.

That blood test link has this interesting clause https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_test#Future_alternatives

It sounds clear that many or most future sensors aimed at consumer use would use the smart phone as the user interface (#57 on the list). For example, hearing aids became cheaper and more DIY when they started using smart phones plus bluetooth link to run a hearing test and then to tweak the hearing aids adjustments. Prior to that, it meant a visit to a hearing aid center to do those things.

My friend got a pacemaker. I told his wife to steal the pacemaker's remote and thus turn him into a slave for life. :-)