Something purely mechanical like say... a ballpoint pen might actually work at Hogwarts, as it seems to be electricity that's the problem. Manual focus cameras use no electricity. The flash attachments, however, would not work. Which means that Colin can only take pictures in good light and still expect them to turn out, and he must be using an ancient camera. :mrgreen: My dad was a photographer, which means that he believes in the old cameras... my Nikkormat is proof of that, 'cause it's older than me!

 

She could've made it way easier on herself and for us all:
- Electronics won't work because magic affects them like an emp.
- Simple electric devices will work.
That would also explain the wizarding wireless if they use tubes instead of transistors (not sure about the english words for it, sorry).

As for the toast: There are many possibilities. They could as well use two metal plates and a heating spell.


EDIT:

He could use magnesium or something similar.

 

The cameras and radios in HP are not in fact the Muggle devices - they are objects than run on magic, not electricity, which have the same effect as their Muggle counterparts.

 

"Objects that run on magic" - I've got one problem with that: If they can make devices which run on magic the same way as on electricity we would see far more things resembling muggle tech. The muggleborns at least would want to take some of the luxury they are used to with them in the wizarding world.
I myself prefer the "electronics don't work but simple electric devices do" argument, because you can work with that in fanfiction instead of saying "Yes, they can make this work magically but no, not that. Reason? Uhh....magic!"
And it gives the wizards a drawback.
And it will prevent fangirls who want Harry to have an ipod. Well, no it won't because they will write this kind of crap anyway.

 

It wasn't so much a suggestion as it is what JKR has said...

http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=81

 

My post was meant as a general opinion towards that kind of objects. I didn't know JKR started this in the first place, but I ignore most of her futile attempts at plot hole fixing anyway.
Seriously, she created an interesting and fun world we all like to play in, but somewhere on the way she made some bad mistakes in her creation. But maybe fixing them is just part of the fun of fanfiction.

 

So, Wizards don't like computers? Television? Electricity? Radar? Space travel? The CD?

...and so it goes.

 

Or they just haven't got round to adapting them yet.

Electricity seems to be the odd one out there, since electricity isn't a device on its own, but a means of power, which magic takes the place of in the wizarding versions...