We're seeing them much more these days – gadgets and gizmos squished and mashed together to form new supergadgets. From the cameraphone, once considered cutting edge and now the favorite of celebrity stalkers everywhere, we've gotten to the all-in-one cellphone-camera-PDA-e-mail-Web device. But are some manufacturers taking things a bit too far?

The Swiss Army knife, perhaps the original all-in-one gadget, went high tech in 2004 with the introduction of the Victorinox SwissMemory, a little red pocketknife with a gigabyte of flash memory storage built in. The SwissBit S.beat goes further down the path to digital domination with the introduction of a line MP3 player-equipped knives in capacities of up to four gigabytes. Talk about a bummer if you forget to put that one in your checked baggage!

If you prefer driving to flying, the gadgetmakers have you more than covered. Motorola's v325 with VZ Navigator is one of what are sure to be many cellphones with GPS navigation capabilities built in. I can see the appeal here: You're talking on your phone in the car already, so why not stare at it for directions, too? What? Driving? Focusing on the road? No problem....

The iPod is spawning its own kind of gadget convergence. As it has evolved, it has gone from storing and playing just five gigabytes of music, to holding 60 gigs of music, photos, movies, and whatever else one needs to tote around town. Car integration is big in this category too. FM transmitters broadcast your tunes to your car radio, sometimes charging your player at the same time. Whole companies base their businesses around accessories for the iPod and portable devices like it.

A host of major automakers are playing nice with the iPod, too, offering factory-installed hookups for the popular music player. That makes sense to me, as do developments like the new Infiniti G35's built-in hard drive. What doesn't make sense are the car- and computermakers trying to go the other way: Enter the Ferrari and Lamborghini-themed laptops (complete with engine-noise start-up sounds!) What!?

The home has seen even more gadget convergence. First we saw the combination VCR/TV. Then the DVD/TV and DVD/VCR launched. Now you can get a refrigerator with a TV or even a blender with an integrated recipe database and LCD. Home-theater seating comes with built-in speakers or a high-tech rumble function. TVs have long been in more rooms than just the den, but they're now in the bathroom, too. And of course, there's the multifunction remote, which has gone from simply controlling a TV and VCR to being the central command center of one's entire house.

Do people really want these things? I mean, is there really someone out there saying, "Gee, if only I had a combination flashlight/toothbrush/garlic press"? Of course not. A lot of these "innovative" devices are the answer to questions never asked. Who needs a TV on their refrigerator? 

But some of this gadget convergence is really cool. Take, for instance, SanDisk's new Secure Digital flash memory cards that have a built-in USB connector. No more searching for your digital camera's cable, or fumbling with a card reader! Or, how 'bout Kidde's combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector? Brilliant! Better still, DuPont's new smoke detector that integrates with a common light socket, so you never have to replace the batteries.

Innovations like these provide convenience and convergence that people can really use. Here's hoping there are more combo gadgets out there like them, and fewer like these.