Not more than ten years ago, when you looked around you and saw somebody on their cell phone, for the most part that’s all it would be: a phone. It could make calls, it could text, maybe play a game or two, and could probably do some calculator work. Aside from that, your standard cell phone didn’t do much else.
“Cell phones”, or smartphones, today are a completely different story.
When I was younger, I toted around a lot of different gadgets and doodads with me. I had my cell phone, but I also had my mp3 player, my camera, and my planner. It didn’t seem like a lot at the time, but when I look at what I have to “pack” in my purse today compared to what I had to pack ten years ago, there was a lot more to be concerned about than I have to worry about today. That’s because, for the most part, I only need my smartphone to serve as my perfect all-in-one device.
I think the biggets “wow” factor for me in all of this is that I was able to give up both my digital camera and my mp3 player in favor of my one smartphone, which provides arguably better results for picture-taking and more storage for my music. Actually, the more that I think about it, my smartphone is actually better than my standalone gadgets ever could have been.
When it comes to music, I don’t even have to worry too much about running out of storage. For the most part, I can use Spotify and Pandora to take care of my music-listening needs: Spotify for my playlists made by me, and Pandora for discovering new music. Alternatives to this also come in the form of Beats Music, Xbox Music, Google Play Music, Rdio, iHeartRadio, etc. There are a lot of alternatives on the market that follow the same concept. Yeah, every once in a while I’ll have to load an album that isn’t available, but for the most part it’s all conveniently available through apps - even offline listening is an option. Who would have ever thought?
The camera is pretty much the same thing - smartphones, more often than not, not only take great, high quality photos, but with apps available they also have the added benefit of being able to edit them right from your phone. I no longer have to go through the steps of taking out the memory card and popping it into my computer and open up Photoshop or whatever photo editing software I used to use. I simply take the photo with my phone, open the app on my phone, edit the photo on my phone, and upload the photo to wherever I want to... on my phone. It completely takes out any unnecessary steps and gets ‘er done right from the source.
I also find that it’s easier for me to stay organized schedule-wise with a phone rather than toting around a paper planner. The last time I purchased a physical paper planner was probably two years ago. I actually still have it - it’s propping up my computer monitor (a little, ahem, improvised, I know) and only has two entries in it. As for my smartphone, it’s filled with dates, events and reminders that I need to remember. I actually look like a punctual person who knows what they’re doing. I’m able to function like a normal adult with these tools at my fingertips.
My phone has even replaced my need for a separate alarm clock. Since my phone is at my bedside charging every night anyway, I just have a stand for that and use it as my clock/alarm. This is also very handy for the middle of the day when I think “Oh, I need to set my alarm for such and such time tomorrow. I can set it right now so I don’t forget.” And I can. Boom, technology.
Of course, our smartphones have been able to replace a lot of things over the years - certainly a lot more than what I just mentioned, but those are some of the most important ones for me. Now we want to hear from you, readers! What are some of the things that your smartphone has noticeably replaced for you over the years? Let us know in the comments below!
