I just found out there there is a way to turn RPi3B into PiCast; I just wonder if this will work with OSMC I already got on my Pi.
Regarding the mobile phone - it looks like a PinePhone would be a good choice for you? I certalnly plan to order one.
I’ve been loosely following the PinePhone, I need to look into it closer to be sure.
You could try Raspicast:
or
Kodi + Kast:
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Just a question for those that say they will never have a smart speaker, do you use a smart phone?
I ask because your smart phone also is listening to every thing you say and can be used to track you if even if turned off. Please I am not trying to be a smart arse, just interested.
No, I don’t use a smart speaker, never will.
Yes, I do use a smart phone, will switch to a PinePhone or something similar as soon as they are readily available and have been thoroughly tested.
Will be switching from Roku soon as they are moving to voice searching in their remote controls. Will be switching to Kodi.
I am not sure how marketing is a desirable thing people want. This is something that is needed but I don’t think anyone wants it. I, as a marketer, am not a fan of how much it has been abused.
I need to bring that back, I haven’t worked on that in a while. It should still work but I am not sure.
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I, for one, would love to see some Kodi video’s.
I actually disabled voice control on my Android and you are right, I will never know what else Google might do but I definitely do not need another spyware in the house.
The Samsung Galaxy S Active series were top of the line phones, waterproof, semi-rugged with removable batteries and still only 9 mm thick. Clearly demonstrating that the lack of a removable battery is a choice by manufacturers, not a necessity.
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I’m with oldschool here - that would work for a smaller TV. I don’t have room for a projector, but that would be something else along the same lines.
Many thanks for the advice thatComputerKid, will certainly try it! 
To continue in the vein of “smart” devices - my in-laws were recently fawning over a refrigerator with a built-in touchscreen on the door, kind of like a tablet PC. I…just don’t see any conceivable use case for that. Anything it can do would be just as easily accomplished with low-tech solutions. Calendar? Grab a thumbtack and post a paper one. Notes to family? Dry-erase board. Pictures? Magnets - how do they work? It boggles my mind.
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I think of a refrigerator as something that should last for decades. All of these newer appliances with overdone tech seem like they will catastrophically fail sooner rather than later. Not to mention that they are ridiculously expensive and the tech isn’t particularly useful unless you are dazzled by awful LED lighting and touchscreens. When I write things like this it’s hard no to laugh at the “get off my lawn” tone but seriously, I just don’t get it.
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Just be a TV. I hate when TVs take almost as long to boot as my Linux…
I have the same rant about TiVO. Just be a DVR. Now, if you’re connected, they start to show ads BEFORE it plays your recording… So i unplug the cat6 to it before watching recordings. it’ll work for about 7 days before complaining and filling up the HD with 20 episodes of random stuff.
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Kitchen appliances for the last decade are just like cell phones, you might own them but try getting them worked on. If you can get them worked on, how much would that repair cost as compared to an alternative like a used appliance of the same brand and features?
Does anybody know if there are apps available to monitor your washer or dryer via your cell phone yet? 
Yup, the laundry rooms at my university have a companion (web) app called LaundryView that can send you a text message or push notification when your laundry is done. Such a system does make more sense in an institutional setting, I suppose.
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I just saw a commercial for a faucet that is connected to Alexa. This is scary for two reasons. 1st, Alexa (or anything that connects to the internet 24/7) and 2nd is this becoming another ‘Right to Repair’ problem that adds more to the landfills.
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So you can Hold Alexa under the faucet and have Alexa fry herself. You see, this faucet is good for privacy if used correctly😉
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Washing takes 30 minutes, drying takes 1-2 hours depending, there is no place to sit, and six dryers in a small room can get uncomfortably hot very quickly, so simply waiting for your laundry to be done is not very practical. Most people either use the app or just set a timer for themselves and go do something else while they wait.
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I’m going to say Apple hardware altogether. Sure, it’s great quality, physically, and the physical design is appealing, but the software is aimed at people who are a little too simplisticly-thinking. I feel it takes undue financial advantage of their desired level of (overly-trusting, even naiive) simplicity. Apple software often doesn’t play nicely with the popular software made by others in any similar domain.
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