50 Things Your Smartphone Replaced [ Or Will Replace In The Future ]

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The birth of smartphones revolutionized the way they communicate, play, think, surf the internet and more. Never before has a single device has the capability to replace so many other items. As technology becomes smaller, more efficient, and better with every release. They shall explore what the smartphone replaced and what it will replace in the near future.

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Things Your Smartphone Replaced

Albert Einstein’s Quote On Technology

What Albert Einstein said is true, “I fear the day that technology will surpass their human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” [ This quote is unverified, most probably a mis-quote and not from Einstein himself ]

albert einstein quote fear technology surpass human interaction generation idiots

The 50 Things To Be Replaced by Smartphone

Here are 50 things that will replace or already replaced by the smartphone. If you happen to know any, do drop a comment.

ItemsNote
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Camera

Canon and Nikon killed Kodak, FujiFilm, Afga and more when they roll out their digital cameras, life is a circle.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Cam-recorder

also known as video recorder
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Radio

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Portable Music Player

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

eBook Reader

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Calculator

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Voice Recorder

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

GPS

Replaced physical maps
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Flash Light

also known as torch light
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Leveler

For construction, to check the level of a smooth surface.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Scanner

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Compass

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Portable Gaming Device

Smartphone is the biggest and most profitable portable gaming device, selling more games than Nintendo DS
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Game Console Controller

via Bluetooth for Xbox or Playstation controller.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Barcode Scanner

also known as QR reader
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Credit Card Scanner

Requires an add-on hardware but this is way cheaper than getting those cc machines.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

USB Thumbdrive

Flash drive, cloud pretty much kill off flash drive, just upload to dropbox.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Portable Video Player

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Walkie Talkie

via bluetooth
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Traditional Landline Phone

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Clock / Alarm Clock

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Wrist Watch

Unless iWatch by Apple brings back the trend, wrist watch will be a niche market
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Timer

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Books

Dictionary / Encyclopedia
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Calendar

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Notepad / Sketchpad

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Newspaper

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Photo Album

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Contact List / Phone Book

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Board Games

Pretty much every games is dead, except for card gambling games.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Watching Movies

TV is for blu-ray high resolution, most videos are good enough on a small screen.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Land-line Internet

Replaced by mobile internet, why subscribe both?
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Checking eMail

Central mailing system, who check individually?
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Surfing Internet

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Video Chatting

Replacing webcams
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Thermostat

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Measuring Tapes

Point & Measure (iOS) or
Smart Measure (Android)
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Guitar Tuner

For guitarist to fine tune their guitar strings
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Light Meter

For photographer to measure the lux
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

ATM / Debit / Credit Cards

With NFC and cashless payment
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Airline Tickets

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Business Cards

50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Remote Controller

It will be a universal controller for air-conds, tvs, home theater and more.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Car Keys

Possibly in the near future
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Paper Money / Coins

Circulation will greatly reduce but not diminish in the near future
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Cable TV

With Internet TV, who needs cable?
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Laptops

Laptop kills desktop, now it is payback time.
50 things smartphone replaced future iwatch

Communication Skills

Instead of bringing people closer, smartphone when used wrongly only create unnecessary distance.
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Are Smartphones Making Us Anti-social?

Written by/Starring Charlene deGuzman, directed by Miles Crawford. “I Forgot My phone” is a simple video on how much better life is if you ‘forgot’ your phone.

Thailand has an equally amazing public service advertisement on anti-social titled “Disconnect to Connect”

Smartphones Usage

phone smartphone usage survey data

24 Comments

  1. Gravatar
    Dave Joson [ Reply ]

    Taxi’s with Uber on your Smart Phone

    • Gravatar
      Ngan Tengyuen [ Reply ]

      That is more on software than hardware. Since smartphone is hardware, the right comparison would be another hardware.

      • Gravatar
        Eddie James [ Reply ]

        Almost all the things on the list depends on some sort of software, so Dave is correct in a sense that calling a cab on a phone or hailing one on the street is so 1990!

        • Gravatar
          Hannah [ Reply ]

          I’m at a vacation in Saudi, and that is exactly what they do here. It’s more like: Screw Uber, I’m taking a taxi.

  2. Gravatar
    Winston [ Reply ]

    Anything paper based, as you no longer need to take printed material with you, including:

    Printers (except for labels)
    Magazines
    Tourist/Visitor guides
    User guides/manuals
    Sheet music
    Paper junk mail
    Paper tickets
    Diaries
    Notepads

    Landline internet (if data usage is low enough)
    TVs
    Sound systems (except for PA systems)

    Once smartphones come with a built in teleporter, it will replace all forms of transportation. Even household chores and appliances will move to the cloud. Yep, there’ll be an app for getting your laundry or dishes done! Teleported to the cloud of course.

  3. Gravatar

    Does not replace a proper keyboard or software to write and illustrate.

  4. Gravatar

    A pedometer

  5. Gravatar

    A compact mirror

  6. Gravatar

    Cardiac activators, cardiac monitors for remote patient care….there are a slew of products in the healthcare field about to be replaced.

  7. Gravatar
    nope.avi [ Reply ]

    I honestly feel sorry for you if you were gullible enough to believe that Einstein quote was something he actually said.

  8. Gravatar
    hahaohwow [ Reply ]

    Some things are right but most of that list is pure BS.

  9. Gravatar

    One of the good things about smartphones is it might reduce electrical clutter in the home as i myself is all for mimilism!

  10. Gravatar
    Duong Pham [ Reply ]

    Navigation system

  11. Gravatar
    whocares [ Reply ]

    “Never before a single device”. You are incorrect. A Personal Computer has offered as many things as a cellphone for approx 40 years and on a side-by-side basis still outstrips a cellphone for what it can do. Please if you’re gonna make generalist statements can you just keep it to Facebook or Twittter.

    • Gravatar
      Ngan Tengyuen [ Reply ]

      Sure, a car can be a table, a bed, a house, a storage space, a weapon, a heater, a source of light, and many more. But if the majority of people do not use all of these amazing features, then it is nothing more than a car.

      Sure, how many people buy a TV adapter for their PC? or record video on their laptop’s webcam for their family trip? or install a radio adapter? Just like they say, the best camera is the one that is always with you – the smartphone, not the most powerful bulky DSLR. Thus, a PC may be more powerful but it is simply not portable enough for everyday usage.

      Also, a smartphone is simply a mini computer in a portable form factor.

    • Gravatar

      A PC is not a single device. It consists of the tower, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and generally speakers. That makes 5 devices at a minimum

  12. Gravatar
    Stopwatch [ Reply ]

    Also, a stopwatch! Digital watches and some high-end mechanical watches had a built-in stopwatch, but for the vast majority of the history of watches, a stop-watch was a separate specialized piece of equipment that only did one thing (could only time duration but not tell you the time of day).

  13. Gravatar

    weather forecast,
    banking,
    street/train maps,

  14. Gravatar
    toshineon [ Reply ]

    I have a few objections, even though a lot of this list is and probably will be correct.

    Camera: for most casual use, yes. But I’ve yet to see a professional photographer using a smartphone.

    Ebook reader: These fill another function other than just displaying books. They have an e-ink display, making them much more easy on the eyes.

    Portable gaming device: The Nintendo Switch would like a word with you.

    Video game controller: I shouldn’t even have to explain this one.

    Notepad: Maybe in some cases. But typing long lists on a touch screen is absolutely horrible.

    • Gravatar

      Smartphone use for professional images is on the rise, even though professional photographers hate to admit it.

  15. Gravatar

    The smartphone is a jack of all trades, and master of none. An absolutely horrid computer and a mediocre phone. Overpriced luxury status symbol that is best replaced with devices dedicated to a particular function that they do better than any smartphone ever will. Never mind the outrageous monthly cost to run the thing.

  16. Gravatar
    Stephen [ Reply ]

    Replaced what? You and your ideologies? The smartphone companies want to replace YOU, if they could. It’s your money and your ability to buy/sell. If you’re not paying for their products, then YOU are the product. They profile us and the way we think, if the companies can, and the smartphone is the perfect device on which to do it. And they would love to spy on us and control every aspect of our lives. Some of this is quite scary, actually.

    Sure, it is easy to connect your phone to your new air conditioner via WiFi or Bluetooth. But by doing so, they can monitor or even control your energy usage. All it would take is an excuse to make a quick reprogramming or software update. It’s convenient, but there’s a tradeoff. What you gain terms of convenience, you loose in terms of your independence and ability to use it freely without it being monitored. With so many devices becoming merged into one and/or becoming obsolete, there’s really nothing they can’t do anymore. We have nothing to rely on, unless you want to be spied on.

    Through our materialism and desire for better technology, it looks like we’ve all been so naive as to fall for this scheme big tech has pulled on us. While it is not wrong to innovate and find a good solution for most products, they’ve ‘pulled the wool over our eyes’. If the trends for smartphones keep going the way they’re going, it’s going to get creepy really fast. Why, it even looks as if we’ve all but forgotten that there is even a God looking down on all this crookedness, so what difference does it make? A lot. But let us fear not.

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