Can a smartphone be the go-to device for your computing needs?

You'll need a portable charger like this from NewTrent if you plan to go mobile exclusively

Besides gaming, my PC is mostly used for watching TV shows, movies, listening to music and torrents. Since my entire video collection is on the PC and there's no way it's all fitting on my phone, my only choice here is to dump everything on an NAS device and access it over Wi-Fi. The experience of watching a movie on your PC with good speakers, however, will never compare to watching it on your phone, so that's a compromise you'll have to live with. The Note II does have a very good Wolfson audio chip and also 7.1 Dolby Surround effects, so with the right headphones (Sony XB-500 in my case), the experience is pretty good. Torrents is also possible on your phone as uTorrent only recently launched its Android app. Just like the desktop variant, the app is small and simple to use. You add torrents using the URL of your favourite site and choose the storage option. Just make sure you have enough microSD cards or you have to keep transferring stuff to pen drives.

Your smartphone can double up as a very good GPS device (Image credit: GetttyImages)

Coming to some of the obvious use cases, the Note II easily doubles up as a backup camera and camcorder. While the burst mode is still hopeless, it really excels in macro shots, especially with good lighting. Apps for your daily commute also make life a lot more convenient – like m-Indicator, which is a one stop app for all your bus, rickshaw and cab fares as well as timings. Another very common use of today’s smartphone is GPS. Coupled with Google Maps, there’s no excuse of getting lost anywhere in the world. Your phone can also help you stay in shape thanks to apps like Endomondo. It lets you track your workouts and even share it with your friends.

So how has it been living the mobile life? Well, 'exhausting' sums it up just right. The Note II’s large screen cushioned the agony I would have to otherwise endure while chalking out this piece using just the phone and Google Docs. The latest smartphones have proven that they can be a very viable alternative to notebooks, cameras, GPS trackers, etc., but if you have the opportunity to use the devices designed for the task, you’d be a fool not to use it. I mean, you can use your finger to brush your teeth instead of a toothbrush and while it may not be that effective, it gets the job done. But you’ll still need a toothbrush if you wish to continue chewing food, say, 10 years down the line. Similarly, it's good to know that you can fall back on your smartphone (again, not all of them) to bail you out when you are away from your PC or notebook.