15 Devices That Our Smartphone Has Replaced In Our Lives, Making It A True All-In-One Gadget!

From the days of the Nokia 3310, today mobile phones have come a long way.

There was a time where a mobile phone was supposed to do the bare minimum -- take phone calls, send and receive messages. But with the advancement in technology, smartphones have easily gone ahead and replaced so many things in our lives, and made it easily slide into our pockets¡ªthings if we ever try to carry together, they wouldn¡¯t even fit in a suitcase with ease.

Here¡¯s a list of things that a smartphone has completely replaced in our lives.

Telephone

This has to be one of the most obvious replacements. Telephone lines brought the world closer, however, mobile phones set us free from the wired bondage. And now many people have completely skipped using a landline for communication and rely only on their mobile phones.

Alarm Clock

There was a time when people used to manually set an alarm clock before going to bed. However, with smartphones by our bedside, all we need to do is shout out- ¡®Okay Google¡¯ or ¡®Hey Siri¡¯ and ask the digital assistants on our devices to set our alarm for us.

Flashlight

A flashlight used to be a must-have while travelling or camping. Today almost all smartphone cameras come with a built-in flash, which also functions as a standalone flashlight. This not only eliminates the need to carry an additional device in the backpack, but you also don¡¯t need to worry about carrying AA batteries for it.

Handheld Gaming device

We¡¯ve all had one of those 99 in one handled gaming device, or even Nintendo¡¯s popular Gameboy series, which would be our travel companion to eliminate all the boredom. However, today¡¯s smartphones have such powerful hardware that can run realistic looking PC-like graphics, making the overall experience much more engrossing, and intuitive. Pair it with a smartphone game controller and you¡¯ve got a complete handled gaming machine.

Books or eBook readers

We love reading books, and bookworms would definitely be able to relate to the dilemma of choosing their favourite books to carry on their road trip or even while their daily commute. With e-Books on a smartphone, you could be carrying thousands of books on your device and it would still weigh the same! And while the bookworms would debate on missing the real-book feel, having so many books to read without any excess weight and convenience of having them in the palm of your hands surely feels like a win-win situation.

Computer

A smartphone today can do almost everything a PC can. From browsing the web to typing down documents and sending emails, a smartphone is a portable computer in your pocket.

Radio

Even with Music players on our smartphone, nothing can beat the simplicity and convenience of an FM radio. There was a time when people used to carry transistors with them, as their source for portable music. Now we have Auto-tune FM radios on our smartphones that not only provide better reception but much better audio quality too.

iPods and Music Players

After Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod Classic, portable media players became the next big thing for consuming music on the go. Both Walkman and Discman took a break, as portable music player had a far wider library and easy to use user interface. However, with smartphones evolving, we got a media players built into them, and now with smartphones having such ginormous displays, they have become the single device to consume media, be it in the form of music or videos.

Portable Audio Recorder

Students and professionals were known to carry pocket recorders to record lectures and conferences. However, today smartphones come with built-in voice recorders that have completely eliminated the need for a separate recording device.

USB Drive

When thumb drives or pen drives became popular, everyone used to carry one around their necks. But today smartphones pack in large storage spaces up to a whopping 256GB, making theses USB sticks nearly unnecessary.

TV Remote

Smartphones today come with built-in IR blasters which converts them into universal remotes that can control almost all appliances in our homes. From the TV¡¯s to the AC, all in one single device. The days of lost remotes are gone now!

Navigation Devices

It was a luxury for a car to have a built-in SATNAV or Satellite navigation system. However, with Google Maps on our smartphones, we barely even touch the SATNAVs today. Google Maps is not only convenient but fairly accurate even in a country like India and best of all- it¡¯s free!

Digital Cameras

Smartphones have gone ahead and raised their feat in photography, completely smashing point and shoot cameras to a pulp. In-fact some smartphones also come with manual-settings just like DSLRs. Also, you can easily edit and share the images on your Facebook or Instagram without connecting it to a PC.

Personal Organiser

A smartphone today comes built in with apps for taking notes, making to-do lists, as well as a calendar where you can easily schedule your week. Moreover, you also have all your contacts safely saved on a smartphone which makes finding people easy as a cake.

Television

The Internet has given the world access to stream their favourite TV shows and movies whenever they want. With services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar on our smartphones, we barely need a TV to consume content on. Also, with smartphones, you can watch your favourite TV show while at home, work or even while commuting. In fact, you don¡¯t even need a second TV in the bedroom if you have your phone with you!