<p><pre><code>    I think generally speaking, you know when you&#x27;re going to want to take a 
    photo, or be navigated via gps, or listen to music. So why not take the 
    route that allows you to experience those tasks at their best?
</code></pre>
Because life is all about trade-offs. Yes, I can buy an eTrex, a Nikon D5, a standalone audio player, and a phone. But now I have 4 devices, each of which needs to be kept charged and kept track of. With a smartphone, I have a <i>decent</i> GPS, a <i>decent</i> camera, a <i>decent</i> audio player (which can play FLAC with the right apps), and a <i>decent</i> phone. I can carry one thing in my pocket, or a backpack full of gear.<p>That&#x27;s not to say there isn&#x27;t a time and a place for specialized kit. If I&#x27;m camping, for example, I&#x27;m definitely going to use a dedicated GPS device, rather than an easily breakable, low-endurance smartphone. If I&#x27;m out on vacation, I&#x27;m going to take a proper camera in addition to my smartphone. Most of the time, though, I don&#x27;t need the advanced capabilities that a dedicated device would give me. A phone gives me easily 60 to 75% of the same capabilities, at a much smaller fraction of the space needed.