( LEFT ) One of the few card readers for digital media readily available to consumers. (RIGHT) A pocket PC from Dell - IAN ALLEN
GADGETS AND THE things that blink and beep are nice to have around, but nice almost invariably means expensive. And, with the rate that new technology is hitting the consumer, keeping up with the things that blink, beep and supposedly make our lives easier, is taxing on the pocket.
Popular consumer technology, such as cellphones and computers, bites a big chunk out of the income, as updates, upgrades and supposedly giant leaps in the development of the items are thrown at the public.
However, since technology moves very quickly, inflation is right behind and salaries are at a very distant third, something has to give.
MUST HAVE
For 26 year-old University of Technology (UTech) student and part-time teacher Raymond, he had to give up.
"I bought two 'must have' computers in two years, one in 2001 and the other in 2003. Six months after I bought the second one I was being told that it was outdated and I needed to step up. I wanted to, but I didn't have the money, and I am glad, because if I was to keep up with every development, I would not have any money to go to school," Raymond said.
"Somebody who bought the computer I would have bought two years ago is complaining that there is new software that they need to use that should be coming out next year and that they are not sure they can. I have got to the stage where I ask myself what the hell is the point," Raymond said.
"If what you have does the job, what is the use of keeping up with something that you do not really need?" he said.
'Keeping up' is something that 21 year-old Kimberly knows all about. She cannot put a figure on just how much of her, or, more appropriately, her mother's, money she has spent on cellphones over the last four or so years, but she knows it is "nuff". And that is without counting call credit. From blue lights to flip, she has been through it all and is cheerfully looking forward to a PDA/cell phone combo, as well as Blue Tooth, which is just the style that she likes.
"I am young and I like style," she laughs. "And of course it is not like a cellphone is not a necessity these days. Hello!"
At 45 years old, Allan rues the money he spent updating his music collection of about five years, from about 1996 to just past the start of the millennium. "I was happy with my records and then along came CDs, which they said was the only way to go, not only in terms of sound quality, but also in terms of preserving the music. I am a jazz man, with a little touch of blues, and my kind of music is not played on the radio regularly. Of course, I have my Bob and so on too," he said.
"When CDs came out with this 'digitally remastered' thing I was excited and I spent quite a bit buying not only new CDs but also music that I already had on record. But CDs do scratch and guess what? They do not sound a bit better than vinyl," he said.
"Well, I can't do anything but put it down to experience, so that is that," he said.
Computer technician Kirk advises that a purchaser should stick to what serves them well. "Most people don't even need a superfast computer. They are typing and going on the Internet. Any machine can do that," he said.
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