Some things in life are peculiar. One such thing is the love for gadgets. As a small kid I had a minor obsession for Swiss army knives. One small thing that can do so much and you do not see what it can do at first glance. The attraction of such objects is that one all-in-one device can serve many purposes.

In the 21st century we are so used to all-in-one devices that it is easy to overlook what makes them so useful. The best analogy is to use is of getting something  from A to B. Carry it yourself and you are busy yourself. Take a cart or wheel barrow and things go quicker with time to spare. Take a car, open the trunk and when you have secured the load you get behind the wheel, turn on the music and your GPS and you are done quickly.

Or regarding communications. As a kid when you wanted to tell your friend something you went to your friend and talked face to face. You got older and had your first phone (as in mobile phone pre iPhone 3GS), well you could call. Now we live in 2017. A kid with decent smart phone can text or call his or her friend, while gaming and downloading music over WiFi or 4G. Think about that and realise smart phones are becoming as powerful as small laptops nowadays.

To be able to perform many things with one thing is great. Thing is you need to realise that sometimes you need a simple hammer. Sometimes duct tape or string are better solutions than a gadget that has good specifications. In photography for instance the ability to expose manually with a completely manual focus lens actually frees you up to do things your way.

In the end you simply balance out the needs and wants, check the specifications and look in your wallet. Sometimes you read some reviews and decide then, it all depends. When your all-in-one device works for you, all is well.

For me though not everything has to be an all-in-one device. Each situation depends. Sometimes  I want multi-functionality but still want ease of use. Too many buttons on a camera are confusing for example.

P.S. On the picture you see a Schiit Fulla 2. Great little Amp-DAC with limited functionality for PC-audio.