this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2023

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What is a nifty little feature modern gadgets have lost? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

806 comments fedilink hide all child comments

For me it’s the notification light you used to find on older phones, was particularly good to know if your phone was charged without picking it up

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Aren't notification LEDs somewhat obsolete now that we have always on displays? One advantage could be that they are less power hungry than keeping the screen / touch panel alive all the time. But in theory one could just create a permanent "notification LED" with an always on display, then it's the same thing from a user's perspective.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

My trusty old Psion Series 5 was an awesome pocket computer that would run for three weeks on two AA batteries!

It also had a large touch screen and a clever physical keyboard that was just large enough for ten-finger typing.

I used it for 15 years, it was amazing and no smartphone ever came close.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Snake, I spent way too much time on it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

For me the Galaxy Nexus was the peak of enthusiast phone joy. Notification LED was bright and colorful, replaceable battery (to be fair, this was necessary because battery life was so short), unlocked by default, slightly curved front glass made it a pleasure to use as a phone. I also liked the ceramic back of the Essential Phone. The back fingerprint sensors on most phone models were so much more practical than the in-screen options and provided a handy way to lower the notification tray. I miss the litltle touch navigation nubbin on my Droid Incredible, which was handy for scrolling around without touching the screen.

I also miss how open Android was; Google has been gradually cracking down on enthusiast use cases in the name of "security" like text backup no longer being possible for Play Store apps, email access locked down (requiring a security audit for apps to access GMail), scoped storage screwed up a lot of use cases as well.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Ok, how about features of gadgets that aren't smartphones?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

I know most people here knock the always on display, but my Samsung has the option to only show if I tap the screen or a notification comes through. I also use the option that blinks a certain color light around the perimeter of the screen and/or the in screen camera so it effectively simulates that old led.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

5.25 inch drive bays on computer cases.

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