The BBC had an article about one of my favorite subjects of discussion: obsolescence of gadgetry. In the article, BBC seems to define obsolete as being synonymous with "fashionably uncool".
Basically my rules regarding technology are as follows:
- avoid buying things labeled as being "personal" or "portable" or "mobile", as it will be replaced by a newer, smaller, better model which costs less.
- anything which advertises with numbers (i.e. 600mhz, 32MB, 4x, 2.1 megapixels, 60 hours) will become the low end model eventually.
- with the newest tech, expect to pay a premium. It's usually easier on the pocketbook to wait.
I'm not a Luddite, but I'm not a technophile either. I'm something in between, although I'm definitely more skewed toward technology-friendly side of the spectrum.
It wouldn't be fair for me to say that I haven't been enticed by the latest and greatest gadgetry, but I find in my life that usually a gadget fills a need, rather than creates one. I've never felt the need to purchase a PDA for instance, because my life simply isn't filled with important appointments and meetings.
In the last couple of years I bought:
- a digital camera so I could take pictures of items I was going to sell on eBay.
- a color laser printer to print resumes, book drafts, and eBay invoices.
- a cell phone, because work gave me one, and I discovered I couldn't live without it.
- an AirPort Base Station, because wireless is cool.
- a GPS system for the car, since I tend to get lost.
- a PowerBook G4, because my Sony 505 died.
Purchases that I've been holding back on:
- The Nokia 6820 -- a full featured Bluetooth camera phone, which has a built in keyboard for taking memos.
- a scanner so I can scan in the magazine articles from magazines and recycle the magazines.
- a Toyota Prius, which gets twice my Celica's gas mileage, and is hybrid-electric, is better for the environment and would save me $120 in gas every month.
The things I buy, I tend to use until they break (which in general they don't, because I don't tend to abuse them).
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