Gadgets You Should Get Rid Of (or Not)

The common rap against technology is that it leads to an accumulation of devices. But the nature of technology is changing. Fewer products are doing more tasks — all accomplished by countless lines of massless software code.


And so we no longer need to accumulate products. If anything, we can cut down. The question is, Which can be replaced and which are fine, or even preferable, to keep? It is plain as day that paper maps and Rolodexes have given way to their digital counterparts. But what else can you get rid of? Here is a list of common consumer technologies and products and a somewhat opinionated judgment on whether to keep or pitch it.


DESKTOP COMPUTER Lose it. You may have one now, but are you really going to replace that deskbound PC when it becomes out of date? Assuming you are not a hardcore gamer or a video editor, laptops have all the necessary computing power the average user needs. If you want to replicate that desktop experience, you can always connect your laptop to a larger display and keyboard.

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET AT HOME Keep it. With the advent of devices like theMiFi, which converts a 3G mobile signal into a Wi-Fi cloud for multiple devices to share, you might be thinking about giving your Internet service provider the boot and using your cellphone as your Internet connection, even when at home. That would work — provided that you get a strong data signal where you live; that you never intend to stream video from Netflix, YouTube or Hulu; and that you have an unlimited data plan from your wireless provider. Given all these caveats, it probably makes more sense to stick with your I.S.P.

CABLE TV Depends. While you may and should hold on to a good broadband connection at home, it is debatable whether you need to pay for cable TV. Sports fans probably will want to keep it, as many leagues restrict online content, but casual viewers who mainly want some shows and movies to watch could get by with a good Internet connection and some low-cost subscriptions to services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video.

POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA Lose it. Yes, a dedicated camera will probably take a better picture than the small lens and image sensor of a smartphone, but it will not be that much better. And a point-and-shoot has limitations of its own. It is hard to share photos until you have transferred them to your computer, and there are no apps for cameras, as there are for smartphones, that allow you to quickly apply cool filters and treatments to the shots you took. Perhaps most important, a camera may or may not be close by when a photo-worthy moment arises, but it’s very likely that your phone will.

CAMCORDER Lose it. Camcorders get squeezed at both ends of the video spectrum. On the low end, smartphones can capture video, and while it may not be Imax quality, many people do not care. At the high end, new digital S.L.R. cameras (like Canon’s EOS Rebel T1i, which costs around $750 with a lens) can shoot full-HD video while taking advantage of all the interchangeable lenses that were created for still photography. That camcorder you have now is probably the last one you will own.

USB THUMB DRIVE Lose it. File sharing does not require hardware anymore. In almost any case you can think of, you can move files around digitally via the Internet. That could mean signing up for a service like Dropbox, which creates a private, shareable hard drive in the cloud, or by simply e-mailing yourself attachments and storing them in the drafts folder of Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. A USB drive is just something to misplace or break.

DIGITAL MUSIC PLAYER Lose it (probably). Do you have a smartphone? Then you have a music player. Why load yourself down with an extra gadget? Apple popularized the music player with its iPod, but when was the last time you saw that iconic white box with the dial on the front? Music is data, and many multifunction devices can handle it along with many other kinds of data (like video, e-mail and apps). The one exception may be if you enjoy music while exercising. In that case, a tiny player like the $49 iPod Shufflemight be a better accessory than a larger, heavier smartphone.

ALARM CLOCK Keep it. Smartphones can be terrific alarm clocks. They can ramp up the volume gradually, display weather information and awaken you to your favorite song. And when on the road, they are still light-years ahead of the incomprehensible alarm clocks in hotel rooms. But a recent daylight time glitch in iPhones that fouled up the clock could give some early risers pause. Furthermore, setting and resetting smartphone alarms may require a dive into one submenu too many; turning a little knob on the back of a clock and flipping a switch is still simplicity itself.

GPS UNIT Lose it. The least expensive GPS units cost around $80. But your smartphone can do the same thing, if not more, for half that price, or even free. Android smartphones already have Google’s turn-by-turn navigation app built in. And earlier this month,Google announced that the company would be including live and historical traffic data in route planning, so you hopefully get to where you are going faster.

If you have an iPhone, you have several options for GPS apps, including Navigon’s MobileNavigator (which starts at $30) and ALK’s CoPilot Live ($20). Renting a car? Decline the optional GPS; if you have a smartphone, you already have one with you.

BOOKS Keep them (with one exception). Yes, e-readers are amazing, and yes, they will probably become a more dominant reading platform over time, but consider this about a book: It has a terrific, high-resolution display. It is pretty durable; you could get it a little wet and all would not be lost. It has tremendous battery life. It is often inexpensive enough that, if you misplaced it, you would not be too upset. You can even borrow them free at sites called libraries.

But there is one area where printed matter is going to give way to digital content: cookbooks. Martha Stewart Makes Cookies a $5 app for the iPad, is the wave of the future. Every recipe has a photo of the dish (something far too expensive for many printed cookbooks).

Complicated procedures can be explained by an embedded video. When something needs to be timed, there’s a digital timer built right into the recipe. You can e-mail yourself the ingredients list to take to the grocery store. The app does what cookbooks cannot, providing a better version of everything that came before it.

Now all Martha has to do is make a decorative splashguard for a tablet and you will be all set.

---Article courtesy of The New York Times

Who's your pick? I made mine

Last week, we all just witnessed one of the craziest, if not the craziest trade deadline in recent years. A ton of movements made by different teams. This only goes to show that teams are looking forward to rebuild or get ready for a serious playoff push. Power is already shifting to the eastern conference with all the trades, which only means that it'll be much harder for the Celtics, Heat, Bulls to come out of the Eastern Conference. But it doesn't mean that there is lack of competition in the West. If anyone is forgetting, let me remind you that the San Antonio Spurs holds the best record in the league. Dallas has become efficient on defense and OKC got something to say with the addition of Kendrick Perkins. Oh, let's not get started with the two-time defending champions, the Lakers. With less than 25 games left, the playoff picture would be pretty much the same until april. So if the playoff started right now, who's your pick to come out in the East and West? I made mine.

The Eastern conference is very much stacked right now. The top four teams may have a sure shot in the second round regardless of positioning. Competition is lacking for the top four teams in the first round, yes I mean it, even if Stat and Melo are already in NYK. They may be one of the highest scoring duo but with MVP candidate D-Rose in the helm for the Bulls, it would be difficult for the Knicks to get past these guys. Oh, the Bulls play defense and the Knicks are sporadic in it. The second round would give the Bulls problems though, especially in the middle. They are facing D12 and the up-and-down Magic. The Magic have showed that they're a team who haven't found their identity yet. It has been up and down so far for this team this season. Howard is only the bright spot on this team which would be easier for Rose & company to dissect. If the Magic doesn't play good basketball for two halves, evidently showed in their 2 come from behind wins lately, it would be an early summer for them. The other half of the 2nd round is what interests me the most. The Super friends from South Beach will be facing the new look Celtics.
LeBron & D-Wade will surely be looking for redemption against the team that sent them packing last season, this time together. I've been very much skeptical with the trade of Kendrick Perkins. The Celtics were built on defense and Perkins was one of the reason why these Celtics were good on it. When they traded him for Green, it was like taking away a critical piece. I guess the C's were confident with the 2 O'neal's down low and also Kristic, who showed that Serbian's are tough with the infamous brawl in the Fiba World Championship. Maybe Danny Ainge was right when he said that he doesn't want to lose in the offseason seeing Perkins go without a clear substitute to fill his void. But if the trade was a pure gamble, I think the C's may be lucky enough. Perkins never suited in the 3 wins against the Heat and  they won't be facing the Magic which means no D12. The Celtics will make a run for the Heat's money and in the end the Heatles will be sent back to the beautiful beaches of Miami wondering what went wrong. Which leaves the Bulls & Celtics as the two teams buying for a seat in the NBA Finals. Doc Rivers against Tom Thiboedou. Rose versus Rondo. Remember two years ago when this teams balled for 7 games. This is going to be a heck of a match up. I'm not counting the Bulls out on this one. D-Rose is playing MVP basketball, they got Boozer and Noah down low which would be nightmare for KG and Big Baby. They play good defense too. But I still like the chances of the Celtics. Yes, you read it right, the Celtics will be back in the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight year, 3 times in 4 years. The Bulls may be young and athletic but nothing fuels a team more than a game less of being crowned champions. The Celtics were a game  close of being champions, had they not lost Perkins to injury, it would have been a different scenario. Plus, the C's are healthy. KG is playing good, Pierce is still Pierce, Allen is still clutch beyond the arc and do I need to mention their best player in Rajon Rondo.

The Western Conference has a little bit of flavor in their playoff picture. The question is can the two time defending champions make their fourth straight appearance in the finals and threepeat? Currently they are 3rd place in the conference and if it stays that way, they would be forced to play home court disadvantage in two or three series depending if they make it to the finals. The only series that they'll be playing with home court advantage is against the Hornets which is a no brainer for the end result. So the road to a threepeat would be very much difficult if they play a lot of road games in the playoffs. Especially when they have a potential 2nd round opponent in the San Antonio Spurs. Owner of the best record in the league, the Spurs have emerged as a championship team once again, having lost 11 games only so far. They got their own big three playing healthy and better in recent years. Plus the got youth in Blair, Neal, Hill, etc. This team is ready to wreak havoc in the playoffs and maybe in the finals too. Having to face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round would be a walk in the park for this team. A dogfight against the Lakers would be anticipated and this would really be a good series. Guess what, the last team to dethrone the Lakers in their quest for a fourth straight finals appearance was the Spurs. So far this season, the Spurs have beaten L.A. twice, so they have their number. But I wouldn't count the Lakers yet, not Kobe. This team was built to win, and win now. Kobe is on his quest for his sixth title that would tie him with MJ. I'm sure he wants to give Phil his fourth 3peat if ever he leaves the game after this season. A lot can be said about this series, but I still like the defending champs to emerge in this round. I say in 6 or 7 games, L.A. would win even if they have to do it on the road. The Dallas Mavericks is the hottest team right now in the NBA. With the addition of Tyson Chandler, this team have already added a dimension lacking in years, Defense. This Mavs ain't no fluke. They are for real, beating top teams in both conferences. While they're 2st round opponent, the Blazers, have something to say to that, the Mavs are heading to the 2nd round in this one.

Facing a team that can impose problems, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes, KD, Westbrook, and Perkins are going to make life miserable for Nene and the Nuggets, as well as the Mavs. Moving forward, Nowitzki will be harrassed by Ibaka, Perkins down low which could make life miserable for him. Let's face it, Jason Kidd will be beaten at every aspect by Westbrook. What about KD35? Scoring champion period. As much as Mark Cuban will hate me for this, I'm putting my money on the Thunder. Which would give us an exciting Western Conference finals showdown between the Lakers and the Thunder. Remember last year? Well, expect more of it this year. The Thunder are poised to make it to the finals with the addition of Perkins. Good thing they won't see the Spurs because that's the only team not intimidated by Perkins. As for the Lakers, Bynum and Gasol crumbles in the presence of Perkins. They got also Ibaka the shot blocka, so I expect a fight underneath with these big men jocking for position. But that's all I can say about the Thunder. Westbrook will be a nightmare in the perimeter as usual but he can't take this team past the Lakers. Durant can but guess what, Ron Artest will always be under his skin and it's pretty much documented that Durant struggles when Artest is in his jersey. I still feel the Lakers will win because number 1 they got Kobe and number 2, they got home court advantage against the Thunder.

So for the 2nd straight year, the Lakers and the Celtics will face in the finals. The Rubbermatch. Ain't that a good story to build on? Kobe vs Shaq. The Celtics looking for revenge from last year's defeat. The Lakers looking for a 2nd three peat. Kobe chasing Jordan's 6th title. Shaq tying Kobe's 5. The Lakers tying the Celtics for most NBA titles. So much on the line but I ain't predicting who's gonna win, not just yet.