First-world problem; or, ceci n'est pas un marketing survey

[firecat]

Lately I sometimes find myself idly shopping for a digital camera, an e-book reader, or a device that will put Google and email access in my pocket. I already have an iPod (the touchless variety) that I like because it's big enough to store my entire music/audiobook library, a cellphone that's nothing special except it has a qwerty keyboard, and a digital camera that I like because it's tiny and don't like because it doesn't have image stabilization.

It occurs to me that if I follow through on this shopping, I have a fundamental choice:

• Carry one device that does a mediocre job of most or all of these things and has one battery and power cord and computer cable and takes up one pocket in my backpack.
• Carry four or five devices that all do their respective functions very well and all use batteries and power cords and computer cables and backpack pockets.

It also occurs to me that people I know have solved this issue for themselves in various ways. So I'm soliciting anecdata. (Hey, it's cheaper than actually buying anything.)

Do you regularly carry portable device(s) that serve any of these functions? Why did you choose the devices you did? Are you happy with your current solution?

Digital camera
E-book reader
Cell phone
Wireless Internet
PDA
Music player

Comments

[tylik.livejournal.com]

I'm using an ADP1 (which is more or less identical to an Android G1).

I use it a lot for reading livejournal and newspapers - not so much as a ebook reader proper. (I have a touchbook, which makes a much better ebook reader, but most this is a schedule thing.) It has a 3.2 mp camera, though I have only started using it recently - it's easy to get good clear pictures, not sure about the color matching (though that's easy to correct).

It's a good phone, though I use it more as a data device. It works great as a router (I currently have it set up as a wifi or bluetooth access point) though there are possible issues with tmobile, and works very nicely as a PDA. Oh, and it has the qwerty keyboard.

I don't use it as a music player, though it would function as such and I keep meaning to try it. (Well, mp3, but also internet radio. I might start listening to BBC Kazakhstan again...)

And, of course, it's a linux device, so it happily talks to all my other boxen, and it has GPS and various other toys.

[firecat]

Thanks!