Money Crashers: 9 Gadgets Your Smartphone or Tablet Computer Can Replace

A few years ago, I started wondering whether it was time to jump on the smartphone bandwagon. It wasn't that I wanted to be connected to the Internet everywhere I go; it was the idea that this one device could do so many different jobs. An article I'd read in the Christian Science Monitor pointed out that if you have a smartphone, you automatically have a GPS unit, a camera, an MP3 player, a camcorder, an alarm clock, and a handheld gaming unit—all right in your pocket.

At the time, I concluded that I was better off sticking with the low-technology versions of these tools I was already using, since I already owned them and didn't have to pay a monthly fee to maintain them. Since then, I still haven't found it worth my while to invest in a phone with a monthly plan, but I do now have a tablet, and I have to admit, it comes in handy for a variety of uses. It only connects to the Internet when it's on my home network, but I can always download stuff to it—such as e-books—to use later.

So in my latest Money Crashers post, I explore in more detail the ways that one gadget—a smartphone or a tablet—can do the work of nine others:

1. GPS unit
2. Digital camera
3. Digital picture frame
4. Camcorder
5. Music player
6. E-reader
7. Handheld gaming console
8. Alarm clock
9. Home weather station 

For each one, I compare how well a phone plus app compares to the original device in terms of performance, as well as how it stacks up in terms of cost. In some cases, the phone can do the job just as well or better; in others, it's not as good, but it's significantly cheaper and more convenient. Of course, that's if you don't count the cost of the phone itself and the monthly data plan—but I also note that, if all you want is the apps, you can buy the device without the plan and just download what you need, as I do with my tablet.

Get the details here: 9 Gadgets Your Smartphone or Tablet Computer Can Replace