I turned my 10+ old kindle into a calm desk assistant
I had an old Paperwhite sitting in a drawer, so I jailbroke it and built my own app for it. Now it stands sideways on my desk next to my laptop, and it's honestly become one of my favourite things on there, just need a proper stand for it now instead of leaning it against something.
The main screen is my task list. I can tick things off, pin whatever I'm working on, and start a Pomodoro timer that takes over the whole screen. When I finish a task, the next one slides in on its own, so I don't have to think about what's next. There's also a calendar that shows what's coming up, gives me a heads-up five minutes before a meeting, and lets me join the call just by tapping it. It's got weather too, a dark mode, and a screensaver clock with a few different styles I can swipe between.
The bit I'm most happy with is how it works with my computers. I use a MacBook for work and a PC at home, and it switches between them on its own depending on which one I'm using. I can still pick manually if I want. There's a page of app icons too, a bit like a Stream Deck, so tapping one opens that app on whichever computer I'm on. Everything syncs over the internet, so if I add a task from my phone it shows up a few seconds later. It even updates itself over Wi-Fi, so I never have to plug it in.
Next, I want to make the shortcuts more specific: opening a particular file, jumping straight to a Slack channel, or starting a certain Spotify playlist.
I also have a few RGB LEDS over my office, which I will attempt to make controllable through the app. However, they’re cheap infrared ones so I’ll need a IR blaster of some sort.