5 gadgets that will be dead in 5 years

[Fritzo]

I usually adopt tech pretty quickly, but I'll be damned if I am getting a "smart phone" or anything like it until they are free and the surcharge on service (over basic calls) is nonexistent.

I have a phone capable of it but you can pry my cell plan ($35/mo including taxes, shared with my wife and we never go over the 600 minutes) from my cold dead fingers.

I've debated e-readers. I can say as an avid reader that if they'd drop the cost of new books significantly, I'd adopt. But why pay $10 for a e-copy when I can get a paperback for the same price. No thanks. Being able to carry around 100 books isnt the same as making your music collection portable. You dont switch books every 4-5 minutes. I rarely take more than 2, even on vacations

Guess you'll never have a smartphone. Maybe look into a Jitterbug as your next phone?

 

[DrPizza]

Who gets a smartphone in the first place without a dataplan? Fail.

BTW, I'm only paying $50ish a month on the Verizon family plan. Just have a family member add you for $10 + $30 + taxes = win.

It's amazing how much money families dump into cell phones. Take your phone, a brother's or sister's phone, tack on the two parents, all with data plans.... You're talking $250 a month. $3000 a year for cell phones. What's the median family income in the US again??

 

[Brigandier]

What's the median family income in the US again??

More than you.

 

[DrPizza]

More than you.

At a glance, it appears that my wife alone earns more than the median household income. I earn more than the median household income. And I feel that $250 would be a huge waste of money so that my kids could have GPS and the ability to play inane games.

 

[Brigandier]

At a glance, it appears that my wife alone earns more than the median household income. I earn more than the median household income. And I feel that $250 would be a huge waste of money so that my kids could have GPS and the ability to play inane games.

I don't actually care what you make. A lot of people assume they make more than they do, which is probably more than they think you make. Outliers excepted, of course. You probably make more than I do, or ever could want to.

I was just attempting a haha, in that however much it will cost, people will always assume they can afford it, because the average income in America is "more than you."

Didn't mean you, you, instead only you.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Actually, that's a good point. We're going to start switching to laptop only workstations next month. Desktops are going to be limited to gamers and servers soon---and unfortunately PC gaming is quickly dying due to the XBox and PS3 kids.

Disagree. PC gaming isn't dying, it's just changing. Most gamers would say it's changing for the worse and I don't disagree, but most PC games are still superior to the console version if for no other reason than you can run them at a sharp resolution and with a keyboard and mouse if you so choose.

I played some Black Ops last weekend and while it was fun and fluid on the 360, it's very apparent that the Xbox hardware is holding back the visuals. I don't even have a very powerful PC but games still look a lot better for me.

 

[Fritzo]

Disagree. PC gaming isn't dying, it's just changing. Most gamers would say it's changing for the worse and I don't disagree, but most PC games are still superior to the console version if for no other reason than you can run them at a sharp resolution and with a keyboard and mouse if you so choose.

I played some Black Ops last weekend and while it was fun and fluid on the 360, it's very apparent that the Xbox hardware is holding back the visuals. I don't even have a very powerful PC but games still look a lot better for me.

PC gaming is definitely dying. Have you seen the PC gaming isle at Best Buy lately? It's a half rack long. Not many developers are still making PC games anymore, and the ones that do usually port the XBox version to the PC. I'm an avid PC gamer, and it's sad but true.

 

[TheSlamma]

I can see the wireless routers for home folding into combo unit from the ISP, but this won't be the case for enterprise.

 

[Brigandier]

PC gaming is definitely dying. Have you seen the PC gaming isle at Best Buy lately? It's a half rack long. Not many developers are still making PC games anymore, and the ones that do usually port the XBox version to the PC. I'm an avid PC gamer, and it's sad but true.

Have you logged onto Steam lately?

PC gaming is very alive.

 

[DrPizza]

Gotcha. I'm just wondering though, are we ever going to get to the point where people finally take a step back and realize how much money they're wasting on technology that they really don't need? $3000 a year for the family cell phone plan, Ipads, the cost of the smart phones themselves, etc. The demographic that represents this forum is quite a bit more tech savvy and often, more dependent on technology. But, for a lot of people, all they do is send email, spend time on facebook, play retarded games, and play cards. Adding the cost of the hardware, many are spending upwards of $4000 a year for that. Oh, and the ability to make a phone call or send a text message. All the extra add-ons though really add up.

People whine about the price of gas, gas sales are down as the amount of travel has decreased, yet most people spend nowhere near on gas what they spend on unnecessary technology.

 

[Nintendesert]

PC gaming is definitely dying. Have you seen the PC gaming isle at Best Buy lately? It's a half rack long. Not many developers are still making PC games anymore, and the ones that do usually port the XBox version to the PC. I'm an avid PC gamer, and it's sad but true.

PC gaming is ahead of the console gaming. The future is downloading software and games. I'm trying not to be insulting but you're very short sighted, even more short sighted than Gamestop. Didn't you just see they bought out Impulse, a game downloading service very much like Steam. If you don't see the future where ALL games including consoles are downloaded then that sucks for you. But the future of the brick and mortar game store is quickly fading.

 

[Brigandier]

People whine about the price of gas, gas sales are down as the amount of travel has decreased, yet most people spend nowhere near on gas what they spend on unnecessary technology.

You're asking people to see the cave wall, and some do. I'd wager a lot of the people on these boards spend a decent amount on technology, but the percent of income is still very reasonable. I view technology abuse on the same level as drug abuse. It's only a problem when people live beyond their means.

 

[QueBert]

The problem is you guys are looking at this list through your own eyes, not the eyes of the mass market...

Disc media is dead, period. Once you could stream movies and TV shows over the net from Netflix, Vudu, Hulu, etc the death watch started for DVD. CD's are already dead. How many Sam Goody's or other music stores are there in your local mall?

Disc media's far from dead, 2 malls closest to me have 2 music stores each. FYE has an absolutely ginormous selection of CD's. The other store is smaller, I don't remember the name. Also Best Buy has a huge selection of CD's, as does Walmart & Target. I just pre-ordered a few CD's that are coming out in a month or so.

And for everyone saying that the wireless shit that ISP's give you sucks. The average person doesn't know or care. And the 2wire (white box) one is actually pretty nice. My mom and 95% of other people only care about 1 thing. Their connection staying connected, and for that the ISP's wireless offerings are absolutely perfect.

 

[Jules]

Uhm.. the iPhone has steadily managed it.

Pretty sure he wasn't talking about the iPhone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fritzo]

PC gaming is ahead of the console gaming. The future is downloading software and games. I'm trying not to be insulting but you're very short sighted, even more short sighted than Gamestop. Didn't you just see they bought out Impulse, a game downloading service very much like Steam. If you don't see the future where ALL games including consoles are downloaded then that sucks for you. But the future of the brick and mortar game store is quickly fading.

I'll rephrase that- PC gaming is changing from the awesome 3D shoot-em-up-need-a-$400-video-card era to people mainly playing Flash games on laptops. The PC gaming that I love is dying. I use Steam all the time, but mostly to download old games. The PC platform for the popular games is always an afterthought these days. I'm just getting tired of every new game I get being designed for an XBox 360 controller.

 

[Cerb]

PC gaming is definitely dying. Have you seen the PC gaming isle at Best Buy lately? It's a half rack long. Not many developers are still making PC games anymore,

You mean not many developers are making The Next Big PC First Person Shooter(tm), and sticking it in a fancy cardboard box? It seems to me that plenty of PC releases are coming out, and most of the big name hyped ones aren't even interesting. I'm having way more fun playing older games, and games from smaller makers (including free ones, like Dwarf Fortress). Not as big, not as deep, not as much playtime, but plenty of fun, and not on consoles.

and the ones that do usually port the XBox version to the PC. I'm an avid PC gamer, and it's sad but true.

That part is true, especially for action games.

And for everyone saying that the wireless shit that ISP's give you sucks. The average person doesn't know or care. And the 2wire (white box) one is actually pretty nice. My mom and 95% of other people only care about 1 thing. Their connection staying connected, and for that the ISP's wireless offerings are absolutely perfect.

I don't think there's any disagreement on that. But, that is not new. They've been doing that for nearly five years, around here, and if you just need some RJ45s and an access point, it's fine. People who get routers now are people who need or want something more than that. What is the ISP going to do in five years that will change their minds?

I believe this is relevant, despite its age: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9e3dTOJi0o

 

[Nintendesert]

I'll rephrase that- PC gaming is changing from the awesome 3D shoot-em-up-need-a-$400-video-card era to people mainly playing Flash games on laptops. The PC gaming that I love is dying. I use Steam all the time, but mostly to download old games. The PC platform for the popular games is always an afterthought these days. I'm just getting tired of every new game I get being designed for an XBox 360 controller.

That I'll agree with you on, certain genres are being completely retard proofed for the console gamer. It's why I try to support things like the Total War series and other PC exclusive developers.

 

[ShawnD1]

I'll rephrase that- PC gaming is changing from the awesome 3D shoot-em-up-need-a-$400-video-card era to people mainly playing Flash games on laptops. The PC gaming that I love is dying. I use Steam all the time, but mostly to download old games. The PC platform for the popular games is always an afterthought these days. I'm just getting tired of every new game I get being designed for an XBox 360 controller.

It doesn't help that every game is piss easy because the difficulty is based on using a controller. Has anyone ever died in the PC version of Borderlands? Using a mouse and a sniper rifle, everything seems to go down in 1 shot to the head. If I had shitty controls to fight with then yeah it would probably be a challenge.

 

[Brigandier]

I'll rephrase that- PC gaming is changing from the awesome 3D shoot-em-up-need-a-$400-video-card era to people mainly playing Flash games on laptops. The PC gaming that I love is dying. I use Steam all the time, but mostly to download old games. The PC platform for the popular games is always an afterthought these days. I'm just getting tired of every new game I get being designed for an XBox 360 controller.

How is that a bad thing? I was getting bored with flashy FPS's. PC Gaming is pretty awesome right now, and more awesome than before because we can get any era we want, all on a sliding scale of cost. I'd say PC gaming is slightly ahead in that regard to console gaming.

 

[waggy]

It's amazing how much money families dump into cell phones. Take your phone, a brother's or sister's phone, tack on the two parents, all with data plans.... You're talking $250 a month. $3000 a year for cell phones. What's the median family income in the US again??

$250 a month? sheesh that silly. we have 4 lines and we pay less then that.

people really need to look at how many actual minutes they use. i bet a lot can reduce the amount.

 

[ultimatebob]

ISP's bundle wireless routers? Wait what?

Yep. Comcast bundled a free Netgear 802.11n wireless router when I signed up for their Internet service. It was really "free", too... no rebates needed, and no rental fees for the router.

It was an unstable piece of crap, though, and Comcast blocked the ability to update the firmware on it. It's collecting dust in a box now.

 

[ultimatebob]

I would take a netbook any day over and Ipad.

I used to think like that, until I saw how badly Windows works on a tiny 1024x600 netbook screen. Hell... just the toolbars alone in applications like Microsoft Office can take up a third of the screen.

iOS apps are purpose built to work on a small screen, and are much more enjoyable to use.

 

[TheAdvocate]

Guess you'll never have a smartphone. Maybe look into a Jitterbug as your next phone?

Why? I already have a Samsung Reclaim (Grey) that I got for free. No, not as a contract incentive. I just called sprint and demanded a new phone and they gave me one. I haven't been on a contract in 6 years but they keep replacing my phone andmy wife's phone every 2 years for free.

I guess they keep hoping I'll pay the ridiculous charges for a data plan. Nope.

 

[Fritzo]

$250 a month? sheesh that silly. we have 4 lines and we pay less then that.

people really need to look at how many actual minutes they use. i bet a lot can reduce the amount.

Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network, and you get unlimited data and 300 minutes talk/month for $25. Good for those people on a budget.

 

[0roo0roo]

I think it is going to take longer than 5 years for gps to fade that far, smart phones trickling down to regular users, i don't think the carriers are that generous. Neither car companies, so to retro fit gps into normal cars or just as a way to dodge over priced factory units, portable gps is here to stay.

netbooks are dead though, this year their sales collapsed. once bitten twice shy...