One device to rule them all

[KingsGambit]

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

So - how about you? do you think you'll go the One Device To Rule Them All route? or will you keep multiple devices for individual purposes?

I'm already operating along these lines. Tired in years past, of separate MP3 player and jealous of those with video capabilities, I'm glad I held out and skipped buying a "PMP".

I have the Galaxy S2 and apart from battery life (and that the S3 is now out), I'm please with it. I dearly miss physical keys and almost bought the Xperia Pro for that reason but even without them, I like having (almost) everything in one place.

I can send texts and Emails. It has a 10MP camera and HD video. It plays every sort of music and video, stored or streaming, via a headphone jack. It has a good, fast and intuitive web browser. It can be used as simple USB storage and also as a GPS sat-nav device. Oh, and I forgot, it's also a phone!

e-ink is quite different though and distinctly separate from the other functions. It intentionally emulates the printed page and has the other major benefit of being *easier* to read the more light there is, rather than harder with backlit or LED screens.

The only thing I don't get is how it is that battery technology hasn't improved in decades. "Lithium Polymer" was the last one I know of, and that was a tiny step forward. With the speed of technological advancement in all other aspects (storage, processing power and speed, screens, software, etc) why aren't there batteries that can power these devices for days or weeks instead of a single day?

[EowynCarter]

Originally Posted by Harmon

Last night I was at Wrigley Field, and because of the rain and the poor record of the Cubs, I was able to...um...adjust...my seating arrangement. So I hauled out the trusty iphone 4 to take a picture of what a great view of the field I had, and discovered that the extremes of light & shadow kept me from getting a good picture. Now, I'm sure that there's a better app than the standard iphone camera app for dealing with this kind of situation, but the bottom line is that any decent point & shootish type camera would have delivered better pictures. OTOH, 9 times out of 10, the iphone camera is good enough, and like they say, the best camera is always the one you have with you.

At the same time, when it became necessary to verify who had the most RBIs in a career (Hank Aaron, of course) the iphone came in handy.

So when I go out to take pictures, I take my Pentax. But I hardly ever use my Pentax to look up baseball stats...

And it's the same for reading. I don't do much longform reading on my iphone, because when I know I'm going to be in a situation where I can do such reading, I take my T1, which takes really lousy pictures.

So it seems to me that for the most part, you can have One Device and mediocrity, or Several Devices and excellence. Most of the time, in situations where you have to lug things around if you want to have them when you need them, good enough is good enough. If not, plan ahead & bring a dedicated device.

Yeap, i don't carry my camera everywhere either. Even when the camera on my phone was not what I would call usable. My phone now get some decent result when there is enough light.
I have two device i carry everywhere, phone and e-reader. People will get dedicated device dependent of their needs / expectation.

[Freeshadow]

Heh, I never had a camera until they started to stuff one in everything but the kitchen sink.
The only thing that became indeed technically obsolete for me is a dedicated wrist- or pocket watch.

[StoryEnthusiast]

Originally Posted by CandaceBlevins

I have an HTC EVO 4G LTE smartphone, which has an almost five inch HD screen. It also has a very good camera, comparable to a mid-range point and click. Until this phone, I didn't see smartphones ever becoming a "one device to do most everything when away from home" device. With this phone? I no longer carry a tablet, and I'm using it for a camera almost exclusively. With dropbox, when I take pictures while we're out, by the time I get home they're already on my computer.

I do still carry my Kindle Touch, though. I read on my tablet at night after my husband goes to sleep, so I don't disturb him, and that's fine, but in a well lit area I prefer the ease of use of the Kindle. It fits better in my hands for reading, is easier to turn pages, etc. Plus, only having to charge it every couple of weeks is a huge bonus.

This cellphone has a phenomenal battery -- I stream internet radio most of the day, talk on the phone, check email and facebook and twitter and goodreads (and make brief responses), let moderated posts through on my blogs, etc., and still have plenty of battery left over at the end of the day. If I don't stream music I can go three days on a charge, streaming music means I can go about a day and a half, so I generally charge it at night, just to be on the safe side.

Sounds like HTC EVO 4G LTE is an all-rounder to have.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by StoryEnthusiast

Sounds like HTC EVO 4G LTE is an all-rounder to have.

or the Samsung Galaxy SIII

in Pebble Blue.

[cbarnett]

Originally Posted by kennyc

or the Samsung Galaxy SIII

in Pebble Blue.

Or the Galaxy Note!

It's the perfect size for me, and does it all.