You’ve probably had the conversation a million times, usually with someone who is, let’s just say, less technically capable: why are you always glued to your phone?
Perhaps you’ve been accused of being antisocial or uncommunicative, or perhaps you’re not appreciating or experiencing the real world enough, but do people really believe we would be better off without them?
After all, these days, a phone is never just a phone.
We’re so used to having our phones at our fingertips, we’ve grown quite complacent at just what it means, and how lucky we are, to have this technology readily available in our pockets.
However, an online cell phone shop in the UK (where they are called “mobiles”) has compiled a helpful, and rather fascinating, list of the “50 Top Household Items” you now don’t need to own, because they are readily available on your smartphone.
They’ve even concluded that while everything on the list fits into a nice handheld device that weighs around 148 grams (5 ounces), to carry the 50 separate items all at once would weigh around 34 kilograms (75 pounds), and you’d need two rucksacks to do it.
So what was on the list?
Items ranged from digital scales to a TV remote and portable games console. Useful items like a calculator, ruler, tape measure, alarm clock, and watch were all on there too.
Out and about? Bus/Train timetables, maps, a compass, and satnav are all at your fingertips, not to mention your bank cards. And if you’re out doing exercise, your phone includes a stopwatch, fitness tracker, and route planner.
On holiday? Just get out your phone and have immediate access to a world atlas, foreign phrase book, camera/video camera, board games, playing cards (lifesavers at airports), and tour guides.
In need of entertainment? No need to lug CDs, DVDs, TVs, stereos, and speakers, or an entire library of books, when it all fits in the palm of your hand.
Some of these apps are free, and some may cost a fee to download, but when you weigh that price up with the cost of the actual object you are replacing, even throwing in the price of the most expensive phone on the market, Mobiles.co.uk, who compiled the list, still think it's worth it.
They estimate the total cost of the listed items at around £1,424 ($1,870), whilst a new iPhone 8 starts at £700 (just over $900).
"We realised how much we take for granted the sheer number of inventions we can fit into our pocket, easily at reach in a moment’s notice," Andrew Cartledge, a spokesman for Mobiles.co.uk, told the Mail Online.
So here you go folks, your argument against the next naysayer who dares to diss your smartphone.
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