History Main / CommLinks

* The ''TeenTitans'' have hand-held clamshell devices that function as communicators. [[spoiler: In the final season of the cartoon, the Brotherhood of Evil managed to capture one and used it to track down all the heroes and capture them one by one. Robin had to re-wire his so it could detonate a secret explosive inside each one]].

[[folder:RoleplayingGames]]
* In ''RogueTrader'' every class starts with one of these.
* ''{{Shadowrun}}'' introduced Commlinks after the second Matrix Crash. They're customizable, ultra portable computers that are so ubiquitous [[EverythingIsOnline nearly everyone in the world owns one.]]
* {{Traveller}} has them, starting at TL 8 they have an integrated computer (just like a cellphone) and at TL 10 they can be implanted.
* ''{{Paranoia}}'' routinely includes com units as part of assigned mission equipment. Like everything else in Alpha Complex, they tend to break down when you want them to work, and work fine when you wish they didn't. (Like when The Computer contacts you while you're busy shooting Commies. Or treasonously shooting loyal citizens.) In the latest editions, they've been upgraded to Personal Digital Companions (basically [=PDAs=]), and collect spam and viruses like mad.
[[/folder]]

* Comicbook/TheAvengers' membership cards also function as communicators. The image of the person you're talking to replaces your ID picture.

** The TNG combadges are somewhat justified in a Star Trek technology guide. It seems that when Riker in the AwayTeam taps his badge and says "Riker to Picard" the ship's computer works out who he wants to call and then replays his hail to the appropriate person before setting up a two-way link. From Riker's point of view there is just an extra second or so of delay; apart from that both sides just start talking. However this doesn't explain how the badges always know when to stop transmitting.

* ''Ender's Game'' has the Ansible, which allows instant communication throughout the galaxy [[spoiler: which allows Ender to command the final battle against the Buggers.]]

Sometimes cell-phone-like (and indeed, in works set in {{the present day}} {{cell phone}}s will usually fill this role), sometimes small enough to be worn on the shirt or in the ear.

* In ''CodeGeass'', [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] could communicate with each other, and some sort of earpieces were in use (mostly by the Britannians)... and yet, a lot of very sensitive communication was done over ordinary cell phones.
** The cellphones were ''not'' ordinary; [[JustifiedTrope they all had visible hardmods, presumably to encrypt/decrypt audio data or act as an ad hoc network instead of using the regular tower network.]]

* The members of TheAuthority use... something, to communicate.
** Nanomachinery that send each other messages through the Carrier, to be precise. It's explained in either the first or the second issue of the series.

** The amusement being that the 23rd century version was bigger and clumsier than real-life cell phones. And had fewer functions.
*** But far better range. Does your cellular plan allow you to contact objects ''in orbit''? I don't think so.
*** {{NASA}} won't ''let'' anyone [[IWantMyJetpack live in orbit]]!

* ''BabylonFive'' had comlinks that attached to the back of their hands. The spinoff series ''{{Crusade}}'' had bracelet variants. In neither case were they used across extremely large distances, making them essentially two-way radios and thus entirely within current technological capabilities.
** They also avert the "have no visible means of selecting who to talk to" by requiring the call initiator to specify the call's destination through some kind of, probably automated, switchboard. This can be a person or a location.
*** Not to mention being usable as remote controls for their [=TVs=]/comm screens on the station.
** And let's not forget their anti-theft features. If anybody except an authorized user of the commlink attempts to use it, the system notifies Station Security of the apparent theft. This is done via the user's DNA when they are in contact with the device.
*** [[spoiler: This also works if said comm is stuffed down the person's pants. [[FridgeBrilliance Makes sense if Sheridan shoved the comm into his underwear too.]] [[NightmareFuel And now you are thinking about Sheridan's ass.]]]]
** The communication feature can indeed be replicated with modern technology, but not the molecular bonding that works only on human skin. In one episode, security officers find out that a terrorist has stolen one of their comms when the fake he replaced it with was stuck to the bottom of the drawer, since it only had glue on it. A real comm would just fall.

* In Peter F. Hamilton's ''NightsDawn'' Trilogy, Adamists (baseline or near-baseline humans) communicate with neural nanonics, brain-interfacing nanotech that allows a form of technological telepathy. This form of communication carries the usual technical limitations (network availability, interference and the speed of light). Edenists (genetically modified telepathic humans) use their "affinity gene" which allows ''real'', instantaneous telepathy.

* In ''KnightRider'', Michael communicates with KITT and Devon through use of comm links. When outside of KITT, this device is in his wrist watch, which also have camera and scanner functions when KITT needs more info than what Michael can describe. KITT himself has a comm link in the console.

* In ''KnightRider'', Michael communicates with KITT and Devon through use of comm links. When outside of KITT, this device is in his wrist watch. KITT himself has a comm link in the console.

* The ''Axis Of Time'' trilogy by John Birmingham has portable net-enabled laptops from TwentyMinutes IntoTheFuture transported back to WorldWarTwo, where they function much like a wrist radio or Star Trek communicator. Notable in that, thanks to no satellites floating in orbit, the connections are often crappy, but work, thanks to a side feature of bouncing communications off the atmosphere... or something like that.

*** Not to mention being usable as remote controls for their TVs/comm screens on the station.

* DC's ''LegionOfSuperHeroes'' has several variants, most notably the omnicom, which is essentially an [=iPhone=] on steroids and which was introduced decades before cellular phones were developed. Various incarnations of the Legion have also incorporated hyperspace communications into their flight rings, and "telepathic earplugs" which serve as a combination comlink and UniversalTranslator.

*** Although at no point is it explained how you're viewing the video feed being transmitted to your inner ear. I guess it's just [[MagicalComputer magic]].

** FridgeLogic : Any device powerful enough to broadcast over one light year would have to put several kilowatts into its signal, and thus would need correspondingly powerful batteries. Ever heard of cell phone batteries bursting into flames? The exploding communicator would be the same thing turned UpToEleven .

[[folder:Roleplayinggames]]
* In ''Rougetrader'' every class starts with one of these.

** The communication feature can indeed be replicated with modern technology, but not the molecular bonding that works only on human skin. In one episode, security officers find out that a terrorist has stolen one of their comms when the fake he replaced it with stuck to the bulkhead, since it only had glue on it. A real comm would just fall.

* DC's ''LegionOfSuperHeroes'' has several variants, most notably the omnicom, which is essentially an [=iPhone=] on steroids and which was introduced decades before cellular phones were developed. Various incarnations of the Legion have also incorporated hyperspace communications into their flight rings, and "telepathic earplugs" which serve as a combination comlink and TranslatorMicrobes.

* Happens occasionally in ''KamenRider'', predominantly in ''[[KamenRiderFaiz Faiz]]'' were all five Riders have fully-functioning cell phones as their TransformationTrinket. ''[[{{Kamen Rider Den-O}} Den-O]]'' has the Keitaros cell phone which activates [[SuperMode Climax Form]], but a more literal example is Hana's otherwise ordinary cell, which can apparently connect with the phone in the dining car of the time-traveling [=DenLiner=].

* In an episode of ''{{Trigun}}'', Vash has access to a pair of these.

* Used in the climactic battle in ''Avatar'', [[spoiler:despite the main location being incredibly bad for all ''other'' electronics.]]

* [[YuGiOh Seto Kaiba]] has that thing on his collar he's always talking to.
* In ''CodeGeass'', [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] could communicate with each other, and some sort of earpieces were in use (mostly by the Britannians)...and yet, a lot of very sensitive communication was done over ordinary cell phones.

* In both ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' cartoons, the turtles have communicators. In the first the bad guys also have them, and even the dimensional port in the Technodrome can double as such. And with two parallel systems, it is no wonder that both sides sometimes used the communicators to hack each others' frequencies.
** Actually the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 second series]] Turtles use special modified [[CellPhone Cell Phones]] instead.
* Static and Richie (later [[GadgeteerGenius Gear]]) in ''{{Static Shock}}'' make gadgets called Shock Boxes, which run on Static's powers and work like walkie talkies.
** They don't require Static's powers to work, and must have batteries. He does use his abilities when in Africa to boost the range - to the other side of the planet, somehow.