The objects that have disappeared with the arrival of the smartphone: a complete and updated list

The smartphones have radically transformed our daily lives and the way we interact with the world around us. The days when mobile phones were only used for making calls are long gone. Today, these multifunction devices have displaced, replaced, and left behind a large number of objects and technologies that were part of our daily lives for decades. From photography to personal organization, communication, access to information, and entertainment, the smartphone has condensed a myriad of tools in the palm of our hands.

In this comprehensive and updated article, you will discover in detail What objects have disappeared – or are on the verge of extinction – with the arrival of the smartphone?We'll analyze its impact, examples, anecdotes, and how it has changed our relationship with technology. We'll also help you remember many gadgets and habits that may have been part of your life but now only survive in nostalgia.

Objects and devices that have disappeared with the arrival of the smartphone

• Compact cameras and film rolls: The mobile camera, with its instant access and editing and social media sharing options, has made carrying a compact camera unnecessary unless you're a serious photography enthusiast. Film and photo processing are a thing of the past, and physical photo albums have become digital archives in the cloud or on your mobile phone.
• Portable music players: Walkmans, Discmans, MP3 players, and even iPods have been relegated. Music now travels with us on our phones, thanks to digital files and streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
• Clocks and alarm clocks: Checking the time or waking up with a specific device is no longer necessary. Smartphones offer world clocks, customizable alarms, and built-in timers and stopwatches, relegating classic analog and digital clocks to the realm of decoration or collectibles.
• Pocket Calculators: While some professionals still use them, the vast majority have replaced the traditional calculator with their smartphone app, which also includes scientific and advanced functions.
• Notepads, diaries, and paper calendars: Jotting down appointments, lists, and reminders has moved from paper to screen. Note-taking and calendar apps sync across devices and send notifications, making the use of physical planners and Post-it notes obsolete.
• Public telephones and booths: Telephone booths were once an urban and rural icon, hard to imagine today. Their use has plummeted due to the omnipresence of mobile phones, and in many cities they barely survive as museum pieces or decorative elements.
• Printed maps and travel guides: Traveling used to involve consulting paper maps, tourist brochures, or printed guides. Today, Google Maps, Waze, and other apps offer geolocation, interactive routes, and recommendations.
• Lanterns: Even the traditional flashlight has been replaced by the LED flash on our phones, useful for emergencies, searching for objects in the dark, or simply as an auxiliary light.
• Photo albums and digital frames: Mobile phones store our memories, share them in the cloud, and display them on screens that are much more versatile and accessible than traditional albums.
• Voice recorders: Journalists, students, and professionals used cassette or digital recorders. Now, the smartphone fulfills that function and much more.
• Printed newspapers and magazines: Real-time, personalized digital information has left newspapers and magazines in the background, with print editions declining every year.
• Wallets, tickets and physical cards: Increasingly, apps and services allow users to store boarding passes, movie tickets, transportation tickets, and payment methods on their mobile devices, accelerating the disappearance of their physical counterparts.
• : Who remembers looking up a number in a phone book? Today, contacts are just a tap away, synced, and backed up.
• Portable video and DVD players: Watching movies or series has migrated to streaming, displacing devices such as portable DVD or Blu-ray players.
• Faxes and physical answering machines have been replaced by email and the built-in voicemail of smartphones.
• : All knowledge fits in our pockets thanks to apps and internet access.

Impact of the smartphone on daily life and the evolution of home technology

The blackboard and digital education

Many of us remember with nostalgia those traditional blackboards of chalk and eraser. Today, education has adopted the digital board, integrating computers, tablets, and smartphones to write, show videos, share materials, and hold interactive classes. Textbooks have been digitized, and in many schools, students work with tablets These allow access to multimedia resources, educational applications, and direct communication with teachers and classmates. The impact of this transformation goes further; technology encourages personalized learning and progress tracking, while promoting digital literacy from an early age.

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Home automation and device control

The smartphone has established itself as the home automation control center in millions of homes. Specific applications allow you to turn on, off, or schedule lights, blinds, air conditioning, heating and appliancesThe arrival of smart light bulbs and devices connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth makes it easier to manage energy consumption and create customizable environments. The future of physical switches It is threatened by the proliferation of virtual assistants and centralized applications that allow you to schedule routines and control multiple devices at once, even remotely.

The camera: symbol of technological convergence

One of the objects whose fall into disuse is most noticeable is the compact cameraExcept for professional photographers or serious amateurs who require advanced lenses and sensors, most people use their phones to capture moments. Exponential improvements in optics, pixelation, artificial intelligence for automatic adjustments, night modes, and editing have made the smartphone the primary photographic device for most users. Furthermore, the immediacy of sharing on social media has made compact cameras unnecessary, and by extension, traditional family albums or the need to develop photographs.

Complete list of objects displaced by smartphones

1. The camera and the film: There's no longer a need to carry an additional camera except for professional use. Mobile phones offer quality, filters, and the ability to share instantly. Films and physical printing have been replaced by digital albums and cloud storage.
2. Music players: Walkman, Discman, iPod, MP3Streaming and internal mobile storage have rendered these devices obsolete. Today, you can access millions of songs with a click.
3. Wristwatches and alarm clocks: Although the watch still has aesthetic or fashion value, functionally the phone has become the primary instrument for checking the time and waking up.
4. Telephone booths and landlines:Phone booths have disappeared from streets and squares, and landlines are taking up an increasingly smaller space in homes, if they still exist at all.
5. Printed maps and road guidesPaper street maps and maps have been replaced by apps with real-time location and optimized routes.
6. Notepad and agendas: Apps allow you to take notes, create lists, and schedule reminders associated with recurring locations or events.
7. Flashlights and portable lamps: The flash on your phone doubles as a flashlight, although the battery can become a limiting factor in prolonged emergencies.
8. Newspapers and magazines in paperAccess to online newscasts and information apps has changed news consumption. Print versions have dramatically decreased their circulation.
9. Family albums and photo framesAlthough some are reluctant to abandon paper, most store, share, and view their memories on digital devices.
10. Voice recorders: It's no longer necessary to carry specific devices to record interviews, classes, or reminders. Native apps have replaced traditional recorders.
11. Quick guides, street maps and paper street mapsRemember looking up an address in a guide? Now you just type in the location and get the exact route, traffic, and estimated arrival times.
12. Wallets, tickets and cardsIn many countries, mobile payments and digital ticket presentation are the norm, accelerating the disappearance of physical media.
13. Scientific and pocket calculatorsExcept for very specific uses, the mobile phone incorporates all the calculation, conversion and advanced mathematics functions.
14. Fax and answering machinesEmail, WhatsApp, and other messaging systems have made these systems unnecessary, even in businesses.
15. Public telephones: Associated with emergency situations or nostalgia, they have practically disappeared from daily use.
16. E-book and comic book readerWhile e-readers still have a market, many people read novels, magazines, or comics directly on their mobile screens.
17. Portable video and DVD players: Video-on-demand platforms have displaced portable physical players.
18. Encyclopedias, physical dictionariesThe wealth of information available online, combined with immediacy, has turned these editorial gems into collector's items.
19. Electronic games and simple portable consolesMobile apps have replaced devices like the Game & Watch or small travel consoles. While powerful handheld consoles persist, the casual experience has migrated to mobile.
20. Answering machines: The voicemail function built into mobile phones has made these devices a rarity.
21. Postcards and handwritten lettersSent especially on special dates or holidays, this mode of communication has transformed into instant messages, videos, or photos that travel in seconds to anywhere in the world.
22. Floppy disks, CDs and DVDs for file storageCloud storage and wireless transfer have left physical media behind.
23. Magazine racks, personal libraries and hobby albumsCrosswords, sudokus, themed magazines… most printed pastimes now have a digital version that is more interactive and accessible.
24. Universal remote controlMany smart TVs and devices can be controlled directly from mobile apps.
25. Compass, pedometer, decibel meter, ruler, level and other sensorsSmartphones incorporate options to measure distances, directions, light, pressure, sound, and physical activity, displacing specific devices.
26. Physical wallets and credit cards: NFC mobile payments, banking apps, and ticket and season ticket management have reduced the need to carry physical objects.

The built-in functions that have caused so many objects to become obsolete

The key to this massive displacement is in the feature integration on a single device. The smartphone has not only replaced devices but also social habits and communication customs:

• Instant access to the Internet and all information: It is no longer necessary to go to a library or encyclopedia, nor to depend on limited bibliographies.
• Global and immediate communicationInstant messaging, video calls, and social media have replaced long family phone calls and traditional mail.
• Permanent multimedia consumption: Videos, podcasts, music, and news are available on demand, replacing physical media and traditional media.
• Personal and work organization: Agendas, calendars and reminders are always synchronized and safe from loss or damage.
• Home automation and smart controlFrom turning on a light to scheduling the heating, your phone acts as a universal remote for your connected home.

The transformation of our relationships and social habits

Change is not only measured in terms of technology, but also in the way in which we relate and share our livesLandline calls, for example, used to involve speaking to several family members or leaving messages, whereas today each member has their own private channel and even decides whether to respond. Personal letters, postcards, and handwritten messages have transformed into voice notes, stickers, GIFs, and emojis. Immediacy and privacy have changed the tone of relationships, and the collective memory that was once generated around photo albums, family calls, or hobby albums has given way to the cloud and WhatsApp groups.

Some objects that still resist (and why they may disappear soon)

Despite the unstoppable advance of smartphones, some objects retain a certain niche or sentimental, functional, or professional value. Among them:

• wrist watches: Although the main function is covered by the mobile, classic watches are valued for their aesthetics, tradition or as smartwatches that expand the capabilities of the phone itself.
• Professional and SLR cameras: Still essential for those who demand maximum quality, interchangeable optics and absolute manual control.
• Paper booksMany still prefer the tactile and visual experience of a physical book, although the trend points toward coexistence with the digital format.
• Advanced handheld consolesHigh-end gaming still requires specific hardware, but smartphones have taken over most of the casual entertainment scene.

Despite this, technological convergence And the new generations, who are already born surrounded by digital devices, can accelerate the disappearance of even those last bastions of the past.

The replacement of so many objects and customs has brought with it great advantages in terms of comfort, space, savings, and access to resources. However, it has also meant the loss of experiences associated with the analog world. The pleasure of writing a letter by hand, the surprise of developing photos and seeing the results, the excitement of looking up a number in a guide, or the excitement of listening to a new cassette are collective memories that fade.

However, massive digitalization also creates new opportunities. It's now easier than ever to document our daily lives, share experiences, stay in touch with people across long distances, and access universal culture and knowledge.

Participate: What items have you stopped using since you got a smartphone?

Do you recognize yourself in any of these situations? Have you stopped using any of these objects? Do you feel nostalgic for any of them in particular, or are you one of those who embrace technology without looking back? Leave us your impressions, experiences, or anecdotes in the comments section at the end of the article. Your experience could be that of many other readers, and who knows, maybe you'll discover an object that still survives in your memory box.