Toolbox or Swiss Army Knife?

I just added a new gadget to my bag, a Barnes & Noble Nook ereader. I had been waiting for a decent ereader to drop below the $200 mark. I had been waiting to order a Kobo, which is $149. But, the Nook deal turned my head. The Kobo has neither wifi or 3G wireless, only USB. The Nook has all three. I read a lot. Books, magazines, web articles, PDF articles and books, etc. I usually am carrying a couple of magazines and a book in my bag most of the time. Right now I am in the middle of 4 different books, 3 technical and 1 photography. I’ve been looking to consolidate my reading material for a while.

With the addition of the Nook, I carry at least four gadgets with me to work each day, six some days. I have my T-Mobile G1 Android phone in my pocket at all times. I have my Apple iPod Nano (5th generation) to listen to music in the car, gym, and office and to listen to podcasts in the car and gym. I got this for my birthday late last year. It is one of my most used gadgets. Then there is my hand-held amateur radio. This is a 1.5 watt VHF/UHF transceiver that I carry in my bag. it’s smaller than my phone. I can hit the local repeaters with it, or listen to NOAA weather radio, etc. Occasionally, I carry my personal laptop. And once in a while one of my two GPS units, usually my Garmin Nuvi 205W, if I am off to some IT vendor event. And now I add the Nook.

As many people have noted, an iPhone can replace the G1, the iPod, the Nook, the GPS, and the laptop in some cases. There is no substitute for the hand-held transceiver. I will admit that smart phones, both Apple and Android, are very capable. I use mine to run a variety of unique apps that take advantage of the phones capabilities. But, it’s primary purpose is to be a phone. If it doesn’t do that well, it’s not a useful tool. Yes, it can play music, and an iPhone can sync up with my iTunes library. But, the amount of time I use my iPod means that my phone will have to live on a charger all day. Same with navigation. For a short trip across town, it’s fine. For hiking, no. For cross country travel, not without a car charger.

As for ereading, I have used my phone, my previous phone and Palm devices, and my laptop. Did they work? Yes. Was it the best way to read ebooks? No. Not even close. Between battery life, screen quality, and reader software they can’t compare to a dedicated device.

I haven’t even mentioned photography. The new phones are coming equipped with 5+ megapixel cameras, HD video recording, and now even photo/video editing capabilities. I still carry my 15+ pounds of photo gear when I need it, or a good point and shoot. I still can’t accept the quality of photos from most smart phones. Although the iPhone and new Android phones have much improved cameras and they will replace the point and shoot compact cameras for many (most?) people.

I am very particular about buying good tools that do the job I need. And, I have yet to find an all-in-one electronic gadget that will replace my collection of single purpose tools and do as good a job. There are too many compromises to fit that functionality into a mobile device. Battery life is still the biggest issue that I see. My iPod goes for 3 or 4 days with heavy usage, my Nook 7+ days, my DSLR 600+ photos, GPS lasts for a full day with constant use on a long trip. My phone can barely last a day unless I set the email client to only check email hourly, I turn off 3G data, I dim the screen to the minimum, I turn off vibrate, and I make few calls.

I realized I have the same issue with hand and power tools at home. I have metric and English socket sets and wrench sets rather than one of the universal tools, “As Seen On TV”. I have 6 different hammers, each with a set of tasks. I have innumerable drill bits, for different materials. I have 3 sizes of Vise-Grips to fit the job. I have pliers galore. I also have two multi-tools. One is in my pocket. It is small, with scissors, knife blade, and several other small tools I rarely use. I really need a good pocket knife. The other multi-tool gets carried along camping and fishing and traveling as a last resort tool when “real” tools are not available.

I can make do when I need to. I can use the tools and materials at hand to get a job done. When I have to make do, it’s a frustrating process. I spend my time fighting with “tools” to get the job done. With the proper tools, I can focus on the task and not making the tool work for the task. The task gets done quicker and with better quality, with the proper tools.

It won’t be long before I need a big red rolling tool chest for my electronic tools.