Anyone else not interested in owning gadgets?

Recently found out I'll probably have a 3rd cell phone. I have a personal cell (LG something), a Blackberry Bold from my company and now an iPhone/DROID from my customer. Personally feel that's 3 cell phones too many.

I received a kindle for b-day few years back that I never use. I like the potential of a tablet and wouldn't mind playing with it at work, but not for personal ownership.

Anyone else feel like an analog person living & working in a digital world?

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Comments

WafflesAndRootbeer

*cues HAL*

I'm sorry Dave but I cannot accept your position. Please reconsider your choice Dave. There is much we can accomplish together if you are willing to work with me to organize your various E-mail accounts.

Trifidw

I just use my personal phone all the time now, can't be bothered to carry 2 phones around but I do like to keep it up to date. The Kindle I do like, it's much easier reading books on it but isn't very good for studying from (I like to scribble over the book and make notes). I can't see a use for an iPad in my life so don't have one.

Other than cameras, I can't think of any other gadgets I have? (I do own 2 GoPro cameras which is a bit excessive and don't get used as much as they should do for how much they cost me...)

Tackle

Gadgets are the name of the game. That's why I got into IT. I love buying, using and fixing these gadgets.

the_Grinch

In my young, wild, and free days I was much more of a gadget hound. Now, my phone is the newest gadget that I have. Bills and the general lack of wanting to play with anything technology related when I get home are the two big factors. Slowly turning into a technological Luddite.

networker050184

I don't really see much need outside of my phone and laptop. I'm the type that would much rather spend my hard earned money on going on a trip or something rather than spending it on electronics.

Iristheangel

I probably need a little more balance and fun trips in my life like you, networker050184.

@OP - I like my gadgets but I like them at a discount and I don't just update an existing toy because a shinier gadget comes out. I'll never understand that mentality. I'm way too practical with my money. I guess it's from years of being poor and adjusting to having more money now

I'll usually never buy new unless it's at a great discount and I can customize it to provide me a greater value: I.e. - getting my Ultrabook 50% off, picking up a HP Touchpad at fire sale prices and sticking Android on it, getting a CCNP lab and servers off ebay or craigslist, etc

veritas_libertas

@OP: I know the feeling. Right now my biggest dream is to do some traveling and hiking. I badly need to get away from the IT world for a few weeks.

MrBishop

What drew you into IT if you didn't like new gadgets and technology in general?

tpatt100

I like gadgets but find myself losing the desire to pay the fees that come with it. Back in the day I loved my Palm Pilot, then iPod, then iPod touch. I was just fine with relying on wifi to do stuff with the Touch. Now with data I find myself getting more and more distracted. It is very useful though like banking, paypal, etc but I think about how much more I could contribute to my IRA if I ditched data plans all together.

networker050184

MrBishop wrote: »

What drew you into IT if you didn't like new gadgets and technology in general?

I'm into new technology, just not the consumer market kind. Service provider networking technologies get me going but I don't really want to go out and buy my own service provider network. Kind of cost prohibitive.

Dakinggamer87

The exception to the rule for me is gaming hardware. I like having the newest gaming systems on launch such as the Playstation Vita and 3DS. I will be getting a Wii U at launch as well in addition to the Playstation 4 and next Xbox when they are released.

dave330i

MrBishop wrote: »

What drew you into IT if you didn't like new gadgets and technology in general?

I like technology. I enjoy working with them. Just not a big fan of owning them in personal life.

Hypntick

I'm definitely this way with phones. My current position purchased my phone for me due to on-call rotation that we all go into. When it's not my turn in the rotation, I turn it off and don't mess with it. It's not so much the ability to be reached at any time, it's the expectation that comes with it. "I know you've got a cell phone, you must just be ignoring me!" or "Why didn't you respond to my email that I sent at 11:30 last night?!?!"

Now as for other gadgets, yes I purchased a Raspberry Pi, yes I own a Nook color (with cyanogen mod 7), yes I own a Xoom (wi-fi only), because I do enjoy tinkering with stuff like that. Anything I can make it do that is outside of normal operations is highly entertaining.

SephStorm

I like computers, i dont like gadgets. The smartphones are too expensive and the apps are useless for my needs, while I may buy a ebook reader soon, The only othergadget I feel the need to get is a GPS.

Roguetadhg

Cars are my gadget

Nothing like letting it all hang out on the road, opening the throttle.

onesaint

I like things that work. When I get a gadget, I don't need another. And I'm way past wanting to tinker with ever device I come across. We take the paper, use a rotary phone at home (that's right), and have a large bound library. Although, I do most of my reading on my ipad, really, I'm not big into buying the same 3-600$ item ever few years, because some company says it's "new."

Ok, I'm lying. I just bought 2 Raspberry PIs to play with.

ptilsen

I do not desire gadgets for gadgetry's sake. I carefully consider the utility of any purchase, personal or professional, and this is definitely includes any technology.

Tablets are useful for travel and leisure. I continue to use a desktop for most needs, but a tablet is nice on the couch, in bed, on a plane, etc., and I've found I legitimately use my tablet quite frequently to augment and supplement my computer and smartphone usage, but not really replace a significant portion of functionality from either.

The smartphone is preferred for brief communications (text messages and short emails), news, weather, banking, and similar quick-status-check types of things. It's also convenient for simpler mobile and social gaming, e.g. Words with Friends, Draw Something. None of these are compelling, though, and I'd actually be content (not happy, but content) to go back to a BlackBerry Bold and lose all of the capabilities of the iPhone. GPS, email, phone, and text messaging are my only true phone needs, and most people's IMO.

Getting past the legitimate uses, I don't see a need to own a bevy of the latest gadgets. I'm slow to replace them until they break, and slow to adopt new ones.

Having three phones is absurd. At one point I had two BlackBerry phones (one work, one personal), and at another point an iPhone and a BlackBerry. It was nice to segregate personal and work email, contacts, etc., but the iPhone does well enough with multiple simultaneous ActiveSync that it is much better to only have one phone. Carrying around and charging two different phones was annoying, and I'm glad to be back to one.

DevilWAH

I only like things that I can use 100%.

I hte it aat work when staff buy 101 different appliations and servers, but only use them to 1% of there potential and then go and buy an even better one before they have relised the potential of the first.

I do love gadgets, but I would rather send £30 on a raspberry pi, and sue it for 101 different things, than spend £500 on an Ipad that can only be used for what Apple say I can use it for.

So I have lots of gadgets but I would say most of them have been benifical and I have lernt a lot about IT from using and playing with them

paul78

Wow -- tough question. I really had to think about this. I absolutely hate getting new gadgets and devices. But its not so much because I dont like them. But because I get emotionally attached to my old ones. I still miss my Palm Pilot.

SephStorm

onesaint wrote: »

I'm not big into buying the same 3-600$ item ever few years, because some company says it's "new."

You mean every few months?

unclerico

I too am not a gadget guy. I would rather sink my money into other things that have a higher quality-of-life value such as going on vacations, buying rollerblades or bikes for the family, buying guns

...I think one of the main reasons I am not a gadget guy is because everyone out there thinks they are. You know the ones; "hey, Mr. IT guy, look at my shiny new iPad...let me grill you on all of the useless applications I have on it and become shocked when you either haven't used it/them or don't know how it/they work, cuz you're an IT guy"...this keeps me from having to fix their crap and keeps them from coming up to me acting like I'm their buddy because they are high tech wannabe's. I have a smart phone and it's great, but give me my Motorola Razr (original) and I'd be happy as a clam.

PhoneGuy

I don't feel the need for all the latest gadgets at home either. I play enough with the new toys at work. I like things that will be around for a while. This desktop computer is about 6 years old. My hobby GPS (for geocaching) is at least 10 years old. I do have a rotary phone in the house. I also still have and still use a sliderule. Nothing against technology, but if it works, why replace it wth the latest and greatest.

Robinwood

When you get what you want then surely you gonna miss what you want !

MAC_Addy

I love gadgets. I've always been that way. Speaking of which, my fiancee bought me a Flip HD camera for my birthday 3 years ago, loved it! One day, it wouldn't turn on. Called their support and they pretty much told me I was SOL. This weekend I decided to take it apart, give it a good clean and BAM, it works perfectly. I don't know if it was the cleaning part or the disconnecting the battery, I'm leaning more toward the disconnecting the battery.

Since my love for gadgets is well-known I'm usually the go-to guy at work. It's always been that way no matter where I've worked. I usually have some type of device on my desk that everyone loves to play with. Currently I have a paper airplane launcher that a few co-workers have challenged me to a contest.

My hobbies outside of work are in need of some decent gadgets. One being I love RC stuff. I have a helicopter, a plane with 71" wingspan and am currently in the process of building my own plane. I also have 2 RC cars. My other hobby is my love for networking, seems weird, but I love it.

joehalford01

Not a huge gadget guy, it seems most gadgets are the same these days, since everything tries to be all things to all people. I love my kindle, I find myself reading way more now, very convenient. Otherwise, I'm more of a car guy, love to design and weld, and build my own stuff from scratch. I was leaning towards that for a career a while back but realized I'd have to sweep floors somewhere for 5 years or be as awesome as Jesse James to make it; hence IT for me.

jmritenour

I like them if they serve a purpose or fill a need. My Kindle is one of my favorite possessions by far. I have no need for an iPod or any other MP3 player. I love smartphones, but I don't see myself needing a tablet any time soon, though they're fun to play with.

All in all, no. Between work & school, I spend way too much time working with tech stuff. My two main hobbies - beer brewing and papercraft - keep me a safe distance from gadgets in my free time.

ChooseLife

I side with those who said they entered the field because of their love for computers/networks/etc rather than consumer-grade technology.

elderkai

Thinking of losing my attraction to technology in any section sounds ridiculous to me. Like that could never happen. I've always been around it and always enthusiastic about it. However, I have thought about how after I actually work in IT for a few years, what if I start to just not want to spend my free time doing anything technological. That would really be horrible to me. Has that happened to anyone here?

I feel like if it gets bad enough or starts to get bad, that I'll probably just become a freelancer and work from home/be my own employer.

boredgamelad

I don't care much for gadgets. I still use a dumb (no internet) phone. My Kindle is the newest gadget I own and it's mostly for saving space since I don't have a lot of room in my apartment for real books. But I do love the feeling of rushing home with a new piece of hardware for one of my desktops.

drkat

I try to stay away from tech as much as possible, I do have an iphone from work, but I was using a dumb phone prepaid before that.. I still use dvd (no blue ray or ripping) I still try to balance my personal finances by hand utilizing the old checkbook.. I only own a digital camera and an OLD dell computer; I use my work laptop for all my personal stuff. I have an Xbox but for netflix only and for the kid(s) - thats about it.. love the analog life, now if I could only find an analog job :P