Dotsisx did an interesting article titled “Math à la N95 8GB” a while ago which illustrated all the things her Nokia N95 8GB could replace.
I was reminded of this while packing my things for the trip to Barcelona. My current phone, a Sony Ericsson W960, replaces a whole bunch of things I would have taken with me on a trip abroad just a few years ago. I therefore decided to dig out the devices I typically would have had with me back in 2001 and compare them with what I take now. Here are the results...
2001
Phone, MiniDisc Walkman with a few discs (each one was only 74 minutes, remember!), GameBoy Advance with games and batteries, Analogue camera and chargers for the phone and Walkman. Altogether these items weighed about 1.5kg.
2008
Smartphone (using Symbian OS, naturally), stereo Bluetooth headset and charger. (The headset is also Sony Ericsson in this case so I can use the same charger). As you can see, far less bulky and weighing in at a mere 250 grams. That is one sixth of what the 2001 gear weighed or, to put it another way, the same as my 2001 phone charger weighed!
That’s not all though – my 2008 kit does everything the 2001 collection did and more! I can now play videos, browse the Web and film videos, none of which I could do before. Less items also means less cables to get tangled up in my rucksack (I swear cables come alive and get into knots when nobody’s looking!!) and less things to forget to pack or, even worse, forget in the hotel at the other end.
Good ol’ convergence!
I wonder what I’ll be taking with me 7 years from now. Hopefully the MWC next week will offer a glimpse of what is to come...