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Ask HN: Small/medium tech gadgets available in the US to buy while traveling?

7 points by 101008 ↗ HN
Hello! Going to the USA in the next months and I was thinking in making an interesting purchase whlie being there, since I am from a country where we don't have many available tech. In past trips I bought a Google Pixel and a PSVR headset, and I would like to try something new this time, maybe more exotic. So I am open to any suggestions! It has to be easy to transport back to my country, and while I am not a millonaire, if the price is right I am OK with spend some money on it.

15 comments

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solardev
Steam Deck? Flipper Zero? A 3D printer kit? A thermal camera? Airpods? Exotic HOTAS joysticks or fancy steering wheels and pedals? SpaceMouse (3d controllers)? At least those are what I'd get if I had money to throw away, lol.

Depends on your hobbies, I guess. VR is kinda janky IMO and gets old pretty quickly, especially if it's not connected to a powerful gaming PC.

giantg2
FYI thermal camera is likely to be export controlled and seized at customs.
solardev
Really? I was thinking of the kind you plug in to the bottom of a phone, not a big ol' military style NVG or anything. Would customs care about that?
giantg2
Yes, those use a Flir Lepton (generally). Many of those have frame rates high enough to be export controlled. I think some countries are off limits even if the frame rate is below the standard limit too.
solardev
I would never have known. Thanks for telling me!
leros
I think they sell a lower quality version that is allowed to be exported.
giantg2
You can get a lepton with <10fps for export (with the right paperwork I think). But I think even then there are some countries that are off limits (like Russia right now). And most of the commercial cameras that work with phones are around 25fps (above the limit).
solardev
Not really planning on doing an export business or anything. Just thought it'd be a fun tool to have for home inspections (to catch insulation, HVAC, draft, solar, etc. issues). It's just one of billions of little gadgets I always wish I had, but never had the disposable income for :)

In some states you can actually borrow one for free, like PG&E's tool lending library (https://pge.myturn.com/library/) in some parts of California.

ActorNightly
We have a bunch of cheap electric assist bikes, some are folding so they can be easily transported. The only thing is you have to ship the battery separately as you can't take them on a plane, or source one from inside your origin country.
rawgabbit
Any recommendations you can share?
sandwichukulele
I'm a big fan of everything from the Walmart Onn brand and Amazon Basics tech, cheap and useful!

Last time I went to Walmart, I got this cheap onn. Google TV 4K for just $20!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Google-TV-4K-Streaming-Box-Ne...

101008
Awesome, I am planning to visit places like Walmart or BestBuy!
mattl
Did you get a written GPL offer in the box?