Versus Individual Mobile Devices

Multifunction Versus Individual Mobile Devices

A year or more ago, each mobile device you owned performed just one function: Your cell phone made calls, your PDA maintained your schedule, and your MP3 player played music. Now manufacturers are merging many different functions into one device.
How do these multifunction devices compare with their single-function counterparts? It depends on which products you're comparing--but you should keep a few tips in mind as you shop for multifunction devices.
First, check the price of your multifunction device against the cost of separate devices that perform the same features. You shouldn't have to pay a premium for a multifunction device. In fact, because of shared functionality of buttons and the reduced cost of materials, you should pay less for a multifunction device than you would for separate devices.

Multifunction Mobile Devices: All Functions Go
"Try before you buy" should be your mantra when it comes to multifunction mobile devices. In the world of multifunction office equipment (it's a copier, printer, and fax machine all in one!), many products perform poorly in some aspect of their duties (for example, printing worked well, but faxing was awful). You might encounter similar behavior in multifunction mobile devices, but you won't know for sure until you have the device in your hands. Reading product reviews in magazines or on the Web might help, but your own opinion matters most.

Multifunction Mobile Devices: Shorter Battery Life
Thoroughly investigate the battery life on any multifunction mobile device you are considering. You'll likely find the battery life of a multifunction mobile device shorter than that of a single-function mobile device under normal usage.
It's obvious, but easy to forget; If you're playing MP3 music for a half hour and then make a cell phone call using the same device with the same battery, you're draining that battery at a very rapid rate. Prepare yourself for shortened battery life by buying a spare battery pack for your multifunction mobile device.

Multifunction Mobile Devices: Prioritize Your Features
With multifunction mobile devices, you should prioritize the features you most want and need, then measure your list against the device under consideration. Typically, with multifunction mobile devices, you'll only get the basic features in each category (for example, as a cell phone the device will only make and receive calls and perhaps store a small phone list). If you want the advanced features sometimes found in a single-function device (for example, voice dialing in cell phones), you may need the single-function device.
If your wish list doesn't match the features of the multifunction mobile device you're considering, think about buying separate, single-function devices that better suit your needs.