Image via CrunchBaseBefore I go on I want to give a nod to Annie Leonard's "Story of Stuff". In it she explains the perils of buying into this gadget market and how if effects the people and climate of our world. Here is her flagship film that got everything started. When you're done watching the video, I suggest buying the book
. The chapters outlining electronics and how they're disposed of got me to hold onto my iPod a little longer. When I'm done with it I plan to sell it or send it to Gazelle for responsible recycling.Now back to buying new gadgets...
First I'll say I use my iPod every day. I listen to audio books and podcasts all the time. I listen to it while I'm working out, driving to and from work, and even during those honey-do chores on the weekends. For me the iPod enables me to learn while taking care of daily chores that require little thought. Using those moments allows me to read more books and gain new skills I would otherwise never get to. So when I make my next purchase, I have to consider the device's ability to deliver the same content as I've come to expect from my current iPod.
The second criteria for a new device is the ability to utilize apps. I find myself constantly using my wife's iPhone 3G when I want to surf the Internet and every computer is being used in the house. I'm also picking it up to finish a level of Angry Birds (that is such a fun game). Sometimes I'll take a photo and upload it to Flickr or Picasa, or mess around with the Map app and find the closest book store. I find the device to be incredibly useful for productive as well as entertaining uses.
At this point you might think I'm in the market for a new iPhone - well, you guesses wrong. Since my son destroyed two of my wife's iPhones by dropping them in the toilet when he was 3, we used up our upgrading options until next year, which means I would have to pay $500 for a new iPhone which is not happening.
In addition to the high cost of a new phone, I'm a little weary of committing to a new phone plan. As it is I barely use my phone at all and I can't imagine changing my habits anytime soon. I was actually thinking of getting an iPod touch instead. I'm hoping the next generation will have all the same features as the iPhone 4 minus the phone, then I would use Skype to make my calls. I realize I would have to find a Wifi hotspot, but I think I can manage. It would be like the days when we had to find a pay phone in order to make a call.
I guess now I have to mention the rumored Google tablet (Since it was in the title of the blog post) that's supposed to come out November 2010. While the specs look good, I don't see myself buying one. I don't see myself carrying around a tablet, I don't need the Internet that large at my fingertips all the time, I think I'm perfectly happy with stuffing it in my pocket. Plus the idea of having a small device would make it easier to create blog posts on the fly as cool thing happen while I'm out and about, not stuck in from of a computer. I could include videos and photos of my excursions a lot easier with a pocket device instead of a larger tablet, which might be why there is a new rumored smaller iPad in the works later this year too.
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