Swiss Army knives took the world by storm a few decades ago. They were so popular, and so useful that the term ” Swiss Army knife” is now applied to describe all sorts of collections of useful items. And not just tools like the original Swiss Army Knife.
For example I’ve come across a company that describes themselves as “the Swiss Army knife of packaging solutions” and general websites that describe themselves as “the Swiss Army knife of useful articles.” Another this site is simply a collection of articles describing tools that the site owner would like on have on a Swiss Army knife. (Some of them by the way would be far too big.)
In a sense the smartphone is the “Swiss Army knife” of personal organization and communication. It’s no longer just a phone it can also be a compass, a clock, a diary, the music recognizer, a restaurant finder, an encyclopedia… you name it. Just like the traditional Swiss Army knife wasn’t just a knife but also a screwdriver, a corkscrew, a bottle opener, can opener and so on.