Is Your Smartphone Really All-in-One? The Case for Dedicated Gadgets

Where the worry about combo gadgets comes from

A former electronics salesperson explained why combination products made them uneasy. A combined DVD and VHS player was a poor choice for anyone whose TV had few inputs, because when one half broke the customer lost two machines at once. Combined units also tended to have a weaker player than a standalone one, even at a higher price. Early phone cameras were poor too, so phones with cameras were easy to dismiss.

How convergence won anyway

In the early part of the century there was strong demand for devices that did several jobs, especially in computing and mobile. A camera phone proved handy at a concert, where venues took away cameras but let phones through. Over time a phone replaced older organizers, digital cameras and netbooks, which now sit unused in a drawer.

What still stays separate

The author held out on music. Songs were on the phone, and it could play through a car transmitter, but a dedicated player stayed in use for three reasons.

1. Library software. The player’s desktop program makes it easy to choose which songs go on and which stay off. Having to install yet another desktop program for a phone, such as the manufacturer’s own sync tool, was a deal breaker.
2. Interruptions. With the phone connected to the car by Bluetooth, spoken notifications already cut in during calls. Music playing through the same phone would be interrupted in the same way.
3. Reliability. The phone sometimes stopped playing audio, video or recording for no clear reason, and the only cure was a full shutdown and restart that took a few minutes.

Is convergence always better?

Phones are good at many things, and that is useful. A dedicated device still has an edge when it does one job reliably, does not depend on a battery shared with calls, and does not fail along with your phone. The right answer depends on how much each job matters to you.