Gadgets You Should Get Rid Of (or Not)

[GG]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Gadgets-Yo....697455.html?x=0

DESKTOP COMPUTER Lose it.

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET AT HOME Keep it.

CABLE TV Depends.

POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA Lose it.

CAMCORDER Lose it.

USB THUMB DRIVE Lose it.

DIGITAL MUSIC PLAYER Lose it (probably).

ALARM CLOCK Keep it.

GPS UNIT Lose it.

BOOKS Keep them.

[sgrizzle]

I ditched the desktop, use a laptop for most things but use my iPad more than my laptop. Using my laptop this evening because my 6yr old took my iPad so she could watch Phineas and Ferb on Netflix. (Which I didn't teach her to do, FYI)


I still keep a thumb drive, but primarily for transferring files to non-networked devices. I also have a point-and-shoot but only use it during specific times when I need the zoom or image quality.

[Ed W]

I added a bit to the list, including my disagreements with it.

DESKTOP COMPUTER Lose it, unless your computer is fully functional and meets your needs.  Sure, high speed video is nice, but if you mostly use the machine for email, writing, and spreadsheets, why bother to upgrade?

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET AT HOME Keep it, absolutely.

CABLE TV Depends.

POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA Lose it, if you really want to carry a bulky DSLR and you truly need huge prints.  Otherwise, if you need images for a web page or you Aunt Edna, a P&S slips into a pocket and gives acceptable images.  My little Kodak Z1285, for instance, gives 3000x4000 images with excellent resolution.  Can your laptop display that at full size?

CAMCORDER Lose it.  Agreed, but then again, I don't use video.

USB THUMB DRIVE Lose it.  Heaven forfend!  I cherish my 1 terabyte external hard drive for back up, but USB devices have adequate capacity and better portability.

DIGITAL MUSIC PLAYER Lose it (probably).  My mp3 recorder/player is a very useful tool.  You can't have it.

ALARM CLOCK Keep it.  In my case, it's a clock radio.  It's more pleasant to wake to the BBC news rather than some nerve-jangling music.  This one is supposed to play CDs too, so I could be waking to the dawn chorus.  That's even better.

GPS UNIT Lose it. Mine is lost somewhere in the garage.  There's a very good chance my next point and shoot camera will have a built in GPS unit.

BOOKS Keep them.  Books made civilization possible.  

[Red Arrow]

If you have to use an adjustable wrench, OK.  The right size wrench just seems to work so much better.

Desktop Computer.  By the time I get a large screen (old age eyes) and comfortable keyboard, why not a desktop.  My Win95 laptop actually meets my needs for a personal laptop.  A newer one would be nice but I would hardly use it much.  Plus, my most important use for a laptop requires an old fashioned serial port.  (Old hardware)

Cable TV is too convenient to lose.  We only have expanded basic but that's enough. Often the TV is background while doing something else.

Point & Shoot Camera.  My camera is less than full featured but more than a basic P&S. (Canon A710is) 6X Optical zoom, image stabilization, 7MP, exposure control if wanted, Macro, Automatic if wanted.

Camcorder, don't have one.

Thumb drive.  Actually I have a USB card reader that works fine as often as I use it.  Not allowed to have it at work anyway.

Digital Music Player,  don't have one.

Alarm clock.  Gotta have one.  I have a small battery powered one for travel.  I used to have a wind-up one but couldn't find a replacement when it finally died.

GPS.  I've seen an app for GPS that works as a nice backup for use in an airplane.  I'd really like a full IFR panel mount GPS for my plane.  Since I don't have an iPhone or Android, I would have to pay a bunch to get and keep one.  (IFR currency isn't cheap either.)

Books.  I like to have hardcopies of most stuff.  It's easier to move around the full size pages.