I’m sure by now everyone notices the trend of having every sort of gadget on the market and looking cool with them. I won’t lie to say that I have some of these gadgets and all, but man, they are a lot more confusing than I thought they would be. Some of them anyway.
So I figured I’d pop this part of my life in a new blog entry talking about some of these things and how they can help or not in the normal world.
I love some of these things, without a doubt. I but I wonder how much they actually help me in life at times. So I figured a good way to find out if these things have actually helped me or not would be to go one-by-one here and check it out.
Digital camera: A couple of years ago, I purchased a Canon PowerShot S230, one of the digital elph series cameras. At 3.2 mega pixels, it’s perfect because on high res, you can print out an 8X10 photo with no problem. This thing has been awesome. Most of the photos you’ll see from the past 2-3 years in my gallery on this site are by that camera. It has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. For those of you who have a point-and-shoot camera and still use film… you should look into a digital. It’s killer. GRADE: A.
PDA: This is one of those things I thought I needed to have. Truth be told, since I dropped the coin on this Dell Axim, I haven’t probably used it for as much as it can be used for. I put my calendar in there, contacts, notes and things like that. I don’t look at it every day, however, so that kind of destroys the date book part of it. It is nice to have and be able to use, but I need to start learning more about the Axim and what it can do for me. I have no doubt over time it will totally be beneficial for me, but for now, it doesn’t seem to do the job always. GRADE: C.
Digital recorder: A self-professed old-school writer who likes to still write notes in a notepad, going for one of these didn’t seem like the thing to do. I never liked the tape recorder, which always annoyed me. However, with several people telling me to try it, I went and got one based on Hokie’s suggestion. This thing has been fabulous for the job and digital is the way to go. It’s made my life a lot easier. And I found a way to only pay $17 bucks for it, so bonus. GRADE: A.
Cell phone: In all honesty, I’d be lost without a cell phone. But the one I have is quite the gadget. Has a camera, allows me to text, picture text, Get it Now through Verizon etc. It’s one with the bells and whistles, not just a cell phone. It’s made my life easier and with all the little toys it comes with, sometimes more fun. GRADE: A.
iPod: This thing has been a blessing. I had an MP3 player before, but I didn’t like it that much. Didn’t hold a lot of songs and it was too difficult to put things on it at times. It’s, at times, helped me keep my sanity when working or doing other things. Just being able to pop the ear buds in and get a little tunes going, it makes life better. I’ve heard people say they have had problems with iPods – I’ll say for me, it’s been pretty much perfect since I got it. GRADE: A.
In my life, I’ve also gone and made sure I had certain things that hopefully make me a little more organized. Only one I can really think of that has worked out wonders for me.
Backpack: I got one at EMS when one of their stores was going out of business. So I purchased a pretty sweet $75 backpack for like $18. I carry it every day, keep everything in there that I could possibly need – from pens and notepads, to my recorder, digital camera and PDA. It’s nice to be able to just grab the backpack and roll, knowing I have everything with me. And if I need to stuff a windbreaker or bottle of water in there as well? Not a problem. For those that need to carry things or stay organized well on a daily basis, I’d highly recommend a backpack. GRADE: A.
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Some of these things could have probably bumped down in the B level, and I know a lot of people wouldn’t even give them a C because they would use them less than I. However, it seems most of these gadgets have made my life a little better. Sometimes it takes me a while to make a purchase like these things, but in the end, I’m usually happy with them. Now, if I can figure out more to do with that PDA, I’ll be super stoked!