What is the main purpose of any mobile phone? The answer is very simple, to communicate via phone calls or text messages with your contacts. In the initial days of mobile phones, it actually offers the same things we just mentioned, that is calling and texting. We were happy with these services carrying it in our pockets anywhere we want, where we would get mobile signals.
Then, like anything else in the world, mobile phones also started to develop themselves and we got new things or services from them. From black & white set to color set, normal mobiles set to multimedia set or from your old mobile phones to smartphones, we have seen it all.
The phones we own today offer a variety of features and services that surely makes our life very much comfortable and easy to access. But, by giving those things, it also replaces so many other gadgets or stuffs that we used to have for different reasons. Some of the things became obsolete and the other stuff we still have are no longer that important to us like the old days.
So, let us take you to the memory lane of things that were important to us but now we hardly use them.
Landlines or Telephone
There is no room for any debate that the first thing that would come to our mind when we start pointing out things that smartphones have replaced is Landline or Telephone. It is the first thing in the world that connected people to their loved ones directly from their living rooms. Wired telephones were one of the best things that happened to humankind.
But, since mobile phones took over the world, the need for landlines decreases over time. And now you can hardly find any landline in any house or any paid telephone booth in the streets.
Yes, there are still landline connections available mainly in offices of many organizations but it does not change the fact that it is not very important nowadays for calling.
Watch/Alarm Clock
Once upon a time, if you wanted to know the exact time, you just need a wall clock or a wristwatch in your possession. But now you do not need any kind of watch to know what time it is. Because your smartphone gives you accurate information of time which you can see any time as you always carry your phone with you.
And because of this, we also can set alarms for ourselves on our smartphones with a couple of simple taps or by instructing Google assistance or Siri with our voice. So, there is no need for an alarm clock also to set the alarm to wake up in the morning.
Despite that, we hang wall clocks in our home and wear wristwatches but we treat them as an accessory to decorate our home or to look good respectively.
Torchlight
Now, this is a thing we used to have back in the days especially while traveling or in any lights out situation. It is always a good thing if you still have any sort of torch, flashlight, or charging light because of extra caution. But, generally, the flashlight of your smartphone which comes with it can handle the situation if you need such lights.
And the good part of this is, you do not have to purchase batteries for the torchlight or no need to charge it separately to use it. Just charge your phone and use the flashlight in it if you have to.
Portable gaming device or console
There was a time when if you want to play video games, you need to buy a portable gaming device that runs with batteries and you can it with you anywhere. Now, this has become obsolete as we can download video games on our smartphones with high-quality graphics and technology. You can choose different types of games to play and you can delete or uninstall them at any time if do not like them anymore.
You can control video games on your consoles with your phone as a controller. Well, it is not that user-friendly but still, you can do it in some cases. And even if you connect your phone with a smartphone gaming controller then you can have a total gaming device that would be handy and easy to control.
Radio
The popularity of FM radio stations is still there for listening to music and shows that they air. But you can play it on your smartphone with good audio quality and frequency. The modern-day music streaming platforms are also there to provide a variety of music with their huge library of it.
So, the good old simple FM radio devices that we had for playing any radio stations are no longer valuable to us. You already carry your smartphone with you so it is unnecessary to carry any transistors while traveling to play any music or show.
iPod or mp3 player
When iPod or mp3 players took over the market, the device walkman felt a bit backdated as it was bigger in size and unplayable without disks or cassettes. You can store your favorite songs in your iPod or music players to play them at any time you want without having a disc and it was very handy to carry and control.
But, when smartphones came into our lives, they consumed the market of mp3 players and iPods. Having a very good media player and big display, you can store so many music or video files in it to play them whenever you want. Also, the emergence of music and video streaming platforms helped it to wipe out such devices from the market.
Audio/Voice recorder
If you want to record an audio sound or any interview or conversation then you can use your smartphone to record it with help of the voice recorder that comes with the phone. Even in an emergency to record something quickly smartphones help a lot. So you do not miss any chance when you have to record any important data for yourself. And the quality of the audio would be very good also.
Because of this feature, the portable voice recorder or any audio recorder is not necessary today to record any voice or sound. And you do not have to carry it with you or always remember to have it with you when going for recording or in any emergency.
USB Drive
Modern-day smartphones come with huge storage space like 128GB or 256GB. There you can load and store multiple software and files for your personal and professional uses. And you can share or download files from the net or Whatsapp or mail etc. So it is not mandatory to connect your phone physically with another device to transfer files to your phone. It is very easy and time-saving.
But, in the case of USB drives, you have to connect them with the device you would like to transfer something from it. And on top of that, you must carry a USB Drive with you to do the data transfer. Even the lost cases of USB Drives are not rare and it has happened with many of us multiple times. So the device is becoming more unimportant because of it.
Remote controller
Honestly speaking, the electronic devices that we have in our home today are mostly controlled by remotes that come with them. Sometimes, it is very frustrating and struggling to maintain all the remotes properly. I mean we can lose any remote or need to change the battery of any of them after a period of time.
Thankfully our smartphone can be converted into an all-in-one remote controller to operate such electronic devices. Just sync your phone with a device and control it whenever you want. You can control your TV, AC, Amazon fire stick, or even your gaming console. The features like IR blasters that come with a modern smartphone can be used to make your phone into an all-in-one controller. This is very helpful to us.
Point and shoot camera or Camcorders
It is one of the most notable things that anyone can tell you that a mobile camera makes it very easier and handy to take pictures or videos. As a result, people do not Point and shoot cameras and Camcorders like they used to. The demand for them decreases and the market has gone down in terms of sales or profit.
The content quality is very bright in smartphones and you can take a picture or video with the capability to edit and share it on any social media account. There is no need to connect your device with a PC. Even nowadays, mobile cameras are competing with DSLRs in the department of features and quality.
While you travel to a new place to reach a destination or you want to explore unknown places, your smartphone can help you a lot to reach your destination. All thanks to Google, you can navigate your way on any journey and you can check maps of any location in the world with Google Maps. For that reason Navigation system is a past thing and carrying a map is not needed anymore to travel.
Also, using a compass app on a smartphone we can find out any geographical location direction which might help you to explore the unknown and help you to find the right direction.
Organizer
Though it is a good habit to maintain your personal or professional data in a notebook like in the old days, it is not necessary for the present day. We can use our smartphones to record our day-to-day data for our personal or professional benefit. We can record phone numbers on our mobile, can schedule our week or day with time and date on phone, and even can set a reminder.
So, it is a one-stop solution for your personal or professional organizer to create, maintain and see your valuable data.
Calculators
For normal calculation, we can use our phone to calculate any numbers with help of the calculator that comes with any smartphone. The built-in calculator can be used for any basic calculation and it is very accurate like any original calculator. We can also download any other calculating apps from the Play Store or any other app store if we need them for any specific reason.
So, having a calculating device separately is more than just a matter of choice, now. Well, you can have it if you wish but you might not need it when need to calculate something.
Calendar
Just like Clocks, the need for wall calendars or desk calendars is not so precious to us in modern-day life. The smartphone easily can share information regarding dates with the calendar. And you can always Google for any date and day-related information from the internet.
It is very easy to access anywhere because we carry our phones with us. And you can set alerts or reminders for any event and note down or edit any data related to it. That is a thing you certainly cannot do in the traditional calendars because usually it lacks space and it cannot alert you.
Typewriter
Well, mainly it is computers which actually conquered typewriters and makes them irrelevant in the modern world. And smartphones, on the other hand, is competing with desktops in many ways so we can say that it also helps a computer to retire the old mechanism of the typewriter. In simple words, you can type and store any note on your PC and smartphone as a soft copy and you can print it anytime you want as long as you have it on your device.
So we can say that typewriters are one of the victims of modern phones from the long list of things.
Newspaper and Magazine
In the era of internet, majority of the thing is becoming digital and you can access it through online. Newspapers and magazines are also not different from it as the printing media is more focusing on becoming fully digital media whether you watch it or read it online. And social media platforms are making it more accessible to read about any headline or news through it by sharing posts.
Even you can download news apps to keep updated with the world of news and can have digital magazine copies by downloading them. So, the newspapers and magazines are not so much relevant in printing avatars and adapting the digital version to upgrade the industry.
Books/eBook readers and Pen/Paper
This is a part where the book worms or lovers would argue that nothing can replace a real book and you would not feel that joy when reading a real book holding it in your hand or on your lap. I have no choice but to agree with them and books are indeed pretty much relevant even in this digital world. But, your smartphone can help you in situations like traveling or lack of space to collect or maintain your precious books. Instead of carrying multiple heavy books while traveling, you can use eBooks on your phone to read them on a trip to avoid the load of it. eBooks are also relatively cheaper than real books which might fit in your budget and you can easily store or maintain them.
And you do not need to carry an extra device like an eBook reader. You can simply download apps like Kindle to read any novel or story.
Similarly, you can note down any information or data in the notebook of your phone so pen and paper are not needed to record things like this. Even you can download Notepad or any other similar apps if your device does not have it inbuilt.
Television
The easy access to the internet makes it easier for us to any movie or show online. Streaming apps like Amazon, Netflix, Hotstar are there to provide an immense amount of video content that you can watch by subscribing to them. And free availability of YouTube can provide you so many video contents and music videos without spending a penny. So, you can watch your favorite movies or TV shows on your smartphone or PC. You do not necessarily need a TV to watch them. You can watch it while on the go or anywhere you want as long as you have a net.
It might not give you the pleasure of watching that you would get on a big TV screen with a good sound system but I will provide you some benefits like watching while roaming or from any place you want. You cannot carry your TV to do that.
Computer
If you ask me then I will not agree with it that a smartphone can replace a computer. It is not the reality and it will not happen shortly or it might be impossible to happen ever. Only the future will tell us the outcome. But, our smartphone can compete with a PC and can challenge or defeat it in some of the areas. Simple things like browsing, reading, social networking, entertainment, emailing or shopping, etc you can do it very easily from your phone and the need for a PC would not be felt here.
On the other hand, in the world of the profession, PC is way ahead of any smartphone you can have from the market. A well-configured PC can handle so much pressure and run it smoothly to do any work. You can manage some of the work through the phone but you will eventually feel that PC is more accurate for any professional work.
Keys and Wallets
A modern smartphone can act as the key to your cars or bikes and even if you install an electronic lock in your door you can lock or unlock it with your phone. If own a car or bike which gives you the facility to use the smartphone as a key to lock or unlock the door and start or stop the car or bike then you can use it. And you do not need the keys to operate the vehicle. Even if you have a smart home then you can control it with your smartphone and command it with voice assistance like Google or Siri.
On the other hand, cashless transactions are the modern way of giving and receiving money. You have different eWallets to make digital transactions and the physical presence of credit or debit cards is not needed for payments. So, the importance of carrying cash or cards is decreasing day by day.
Ending notes
Shortly, there might be more things that would become obsolete or no longer needed because of the evolving technology of smartphones. And our daily life will be impacted by it for sure hopefully in a righteous way.
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