Things Your Smart Phone is Making Obsolete

To say smart phones have changed the way we live our daily lives would be an understatement. Several things that were commonplace not long ago are quickly becoming obsolete. Here are a few that come to mind.

1. Home phones or "land lines"

I haven't had a home phone for 10 years now. The number of people who still have a telephone plugged into their wall at home is decreasing every year. It is, however, still a necessity for some folks... like those who live in areas that have bad cellular reception, but those areas will be covered one of these days, and eventually the old home phone may cease to exist altogether.

2. Phone books

Along with the phone goes the phone book. Sure, they still print them and some people still use them, but chances are you either already have all of your important numbers saved in your phone, or you use Google to find a number on the internet quicker than you can look it up in a book... if you can find the book, that is.

3. Newspapers

Newspaper subscriptions have been steadily decreasing for several years now. A lot of people don't find it necessary to carry an actual paper around when all the news you want and need is not only on the internet... on your phone, but you can also get alerts for breaking news immediately.

4. Alarm clocks

It can be hard to even find an alarm clock in a store these days. You can pick from several alarms on your phone, set the time and unplug that little old dinosaur from the wall. Your smart phone doesn't mess up because of a power outage, either.

5. Calculators

Another thing that's getting harder to find in a store. There's one right there in your phone. There's even one specifically for tips.

6. Paper maps or an atlas

Remember those? If you're real young, you might not. You can find all the maps you want, driving directions and road conditions on the internet, which again... is right there on your phone. You probably even have GPS and don't really even need the map.

7. Answering machines

People don't even like listening to voice mail, there's no way most folks are going to bother with an actual machine, even the ones that are built into the land line that you probably don't have anymore.

8. Cameras

Professional photographers and nostalgic people still use cameras. I mean the "old fashioned" kind. They take lovely pictures and I don't know that they'll ever be replaced completely, but never say never. You can't upload to pictures to Facebook with a 35mm camera.

9. Portable music devices

Boom boxes, the Walkman, CD players, even good old fashioned radios and mp3 players are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Even the simplest of cell phones have media players built in and adding music to your playlist is as easy as a download.

10. Appointment books

If you're still using one that you actually write in, pencil in an appointment to throw it away. Your smart phone will do it better.