Monday, November 30, 2009

Outdated tech

There is a list of technology that is on the verge of extinction in 2010. Here is the list:

  • DVD players (not for me, I still only watch DVDs, no Blue Ray for me. I could download a film from Zune but it would be for my Xbox connected screen not the one in my lounge)
  •   Fax machine (well, I can’t remember the last fax I sent so its not a surprise to me, I always hated faxing anyway the quality was shocking)
  • Analogue TV (no surprise again, with the digital switchover imminent. I have noticed that digital reception is affected by adverse weather and while you could just about watch analogue TV through interference it just becomes impossible to watch digital TV through it because the picture just freezes)
  • The landline phone (not for us, again we still rely on our house phone as an alternative to Skype and our cell phones, I have noticed however that we use it a lot less frequently)
  • Mobile phone charger (there isn’t an imminent alternative in our household, I’ve heard about these charging mats but have never seen one in real life. A universal connector would be a bonus though)
  • Wii remote (I don’t think this will happen so soon, considering the number of Wii consoles out there. I’ve seen a demo of Xbox’s Project Natal and it looks interesting but as far as I’m concerned I like the feel of a controller in my hand)
  • Sat-nav (our Sat-nav will still be in use throughout 2010 as I don’t see us buying into smart phones that are muted to replace these, we’re happy with the basic cell phones we have)
  • 3G Dongle (I hate 3G anyway, it’s slow and reception is generally poor wherever I go with my work 3G card. I hate the way USB dongles stick out so much. I’m much happier using my Netbook, although I only use it around my home so I can see the need for mobile broadband coverage –I just don’t think 3G is the future)
  • The computer mouse (I don’t see this going anywhere, it has survived over a long period and has evolved from the pretty terrible ball to the cool optical variety)
  • Chip and Pin cards (I wasn’t aware there was an alternative but Wave and Pay is mentioned, I’m not sure what that is – sounds too prone to false payment to me. I’ve gotten so used to Chip and Pin now that I can hardly remember what life was like before it. I feel more comfortable typing in a pin and carrying a card around.)

Do you have any other ideas of your own? I’ve got a few items we have ditched in the last couple of years:

  • scientific calculators (people have phones with calculators on these days, the days of having a block-like calculator with lots of complex scientific functions seem to have gone – at least in my life)
  • Personal CD player (move over CD, the MP3 player has probably already made you obsolete)
  • VHS video recorder (sorry, another easy target)
  • Film-based SLR camera (yep, I can’t remember when I last bought a roll of film)
  • 1.3 MP digital cameras (yeah, you can’t buy these now can you? Don’t they give them away free with Happy Meals yet?)
  • Tape based voice recorders (the micro cassette variety of voice recorders are surely obsolete. Digital recorders offer hours of record and a lot of MP3 players allow record too now)

3 comments:

Tara said...

Like you, I still have the land line phone and a DVD player. Actually, I have a DVD/VHS player. I'm not about to give up my collection of VHS tapes anytime soon. I hate the fact that the DVD is on its way out, but I noticed that the BlueRay movies have more special features than the DVDs anymore.

I don't use a fax machine at home, but I do at work.

Oh and I saw the commercial for the charging mats! They look very cool.

Oh and I still have a personal CD player. Hehe. I have an MP3, but have hung onto my CDs and the player.

laura b. said...

I still play DVDs and CDs...I attribute it to my age :-) I did give up my landline at home though. Good, though provoking list, FW.

FW said...

Tara: It is funny what we hang on to. I never thought magnetic tape would get replaced.
L.B.: We probably could give up the phone but we use it mostly to keep in touch with my folks. Its not the right time to give it up just yet. I hope DVDs and CDs stick around for years to come.