Search

WHY I DON'T WANT A SMART PHONE, TABLET, or eREADER

There’s a plethora of writing about how more stuff leads to more work. Get something new, first figure out how it works, then maintain it, and finally, fix it when it breaks.

Who wants more work?

In a previous article I wrote a controversial piece about Why I Don’t Want an IPad. In that article, I compared the

MORE TECHNOLOGY PLEASE?

functionality of my laptop with an IPad and proved how superior the laptop is for my purposes.

MY CONFESSION:

My phone is a cheap old LG model. My plan, a $20.00 per month, no annual contract, Virgin bare bones with 400 minutes per month. And guess what, I use my phone to make and receive calls and an occasional text. That’s it. No internet surfing, game playing, movie watching etc. In fact, my work and blogging requires an inordinate amount of time on-line. For blogging, portfolio management, and everything else, I have a laptop and a desktop. Additionally, I’ve got video and digital cameras. And that’s enough for me.

RECENT VISIT TO BIG BOX ELECTRONICS RETAILER

In preparation for a conference call with Jason, of LiveRealNow, I purchased a webcam and speakers for my “bottom of the line” desktop computer. While in the store, I decided to get behind the buzz on the Amazon Fire eReader and the tablet computers. I was toying with the idea of putting one on my holiday gift list.

Here’s my Synopsis

The Amazon Fire is reasonably priced and good if you want an eReader that can also surf the net. With no USB port or word processing software, it’s of no use to me as I wanted a tool to do a bit of online writing and editing. Additionally, I’m so old shool, I read actual magazines and books!

On to the tablet computers. I checked out an Acer, due to the low price and recommendation of the sales person. What do you expect from a personal finance geek? It had a USB port and the availability to do some word processing along with all the other content viewing, game playing, and internet surfing options. But when I went to type on the keyboard, the sales person said you really need to type with only one or two fingers. Now that’s some slow typing.

The games I play are usually actual games like scrabble, rummykub, and trivial pursuit! I watch a real television. My computer work is done on computers. And, I don’t need access to any more technology when I’m out and about.

I actually try to experience life through real not virtual experiences!

I don’t need to be on-line with my phone either. I don’t need to check my email when I’m away from the computer. NOTHING IS THAT IMPORTANT!

This is one area where I’m going to be behind the curve.

TIME VERSUS MONEY

Look, I like technology as much as the next; can you say 2 Facebook pages (please LIKE me), twitter, LinkedIn, Quora, and all the other social media accounts. But when it comes down to my time and money, I weigh my options.

TIME-As I said before, I’m online too much as it is. Don’t need a phone, eReader, or tablet for that!

MONEY-Why should I pay upwards of $75.00 a month or more for a phone service that isn’t ultimately of value to me? I don’t need to shell out several hundred bucks for one more electronic gadget, that won’t improve my life and may up my stress level.

What do you think? Am I just a dinosaur or am I missing something really valuable from the new technology offerings?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *