How Many Devices Did Your Smartphone Replace?

We get so consumed by new technology innovations like mobile phones and smartphones that we forget what world was like without them. It’s been close to ten years now since I laid my hands on a mobile phone. Since then much has changed and I hadn’t noticed a thing.

Mobile phone, single handedly has displaced quite a few devices or gadgets. Smartphones are taking one step ahead and displacing few more gadgets. Here are the devices which I don’t even think of any more :

Watch

I don’t wear watch for two reasons. One : It makes me uncomfortable while I am typing. Two : There is time everywhere – on the phone, in the computer and wherever. Wearing a watch makes me nervous to keep up with the time. Without a watch I can really concentrate on what I am doing and can go with the flow. That leaves only one reason to wear a watch – to show off.

 

Radio

You don’t hear a dedicated radio being sold or being bought anywhere. Almost all the mobile phones are equipped with FM radio and that should suffice the radio needs.

 

Alarm

This is so passe. When I sleep the phone goes under the pillow, programmed to wake me up at the desired timing. Any mobile phone can do it. As per recent Nokia launch, a phone can even know when you will sleep quite intelligently. You should try out

 

Torch

Low-end mobile phones have torch as a USP. Smartphones have their own apps to either make the screen white or light up the LED.

 

Calculator

Calculator used to be the most coveted and the most protected gadget in my engineering days. It could still be the same for the engineering students as mobile phones are not allowed inside the exam halls. With that exception, mobile phone can replace a calculator for all practical purposes.

 

Compass

iPhones and almost every other smartphone has an in-built compass which comes in very handy. It can give you some sense of direction if you are lost. If you are looking for a house and you are a vaastu freak then compass on your smartphone will come to the rescue.

 

3G Modem

Though I am yet to try this, by tethering your 3G smartphone you can browse on your laptop at 3G speeds. This should potentially eliminate the Tata Photon Plus and other similar gadgets.

 

Camera

The only camera I bought and still have is a 3.2 megapixel Sony Cybershot. My next camera was the camera on an iPhone. I probably took more shots on my iPhone than I have done on the proper camera. With the increase in phone camera capabilities the trend will only continue. If you are not a professional photographer, it might be highly unlikely that you will ever buy a camera.

If you are photography maniac then you should get a camera phone like the iPhone 6 or Nokia Lumia 1020.

 

Music player

There were walkmans, there were discmans and then came iPods. Now many mobile phones and all smartphones come with a audio player and video player capabilities. This would make a separate music player obsolete. Music connoisseurs might still prefer the iPods and dedicated music players, for the rest of us music player on a mobile phone would do.

 

Digital Diary and Palmtop

Gone are the days when people used to buy digital diaries and palmtops for taking notes, setting alarms, and doing calculations. Even the entry-level smartphones can do these tasks without breaking a sweat.

 

Pedometer

A few years back, fitness freaks used to buy pedometers for noting the number of steps they took in a day, and also for calculating the number of calories burnt during their daily chores. Well, these days they simply get a good smartphone. The Play Store has too many fitness apps to choose from. And those apps count the number of steps, speed, and distance walked. My favourite fitness tracking app is Runtastic Pedometer.

 

Remote

Yes, we still use remotes to control our TV, home theater, A.C., etc. but many of the latest flagship phones come with IR blaster built-in. LG G2 and G3, Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5, Galaxy Note 3 and 4, etc. are some of the immensely popular phones with IR ports. These phones can act as universal remotes and you can also be cloned to act as a IR remote of virtually any device!

 

Those are some of the essential gadgets which a smartphone has replaced for me. In addition to these there are other things like the RSS readers, eBook readers, note taking capability and the voice recording capability. If the growth of the app stores is any indication then we are only getting started. The possibilities are endless. With the deluge of apps coming on the most popular platforms, you should only think about doing something with your phone and in all likelihood, there will be an app do just that.

How did smartphone help you reduce the gadget clutter? What would you add to the list?