Entertainment, Shopping, Tech

5 examples of tech you should never buy

We live in a technological world, with some pretty amazing technological products. Although we may want everything we can see, that’s not always the best thing to do. If you want to get the most out of being a technocrat then you need to use some judgment on what you buy and why you buy it. We aren’t talking about buying silly things such as smell-o-vision, or similar, were talking about common sense and looking at the why’s and wherefores. Here are a couple of our tips.

Don’t buy what you “might” use only what you “will” use

This is one of the trickiest things, and it will take you a little bit of thought before you actually make the purchase, but ask yourself, will you actually use it? We bought a power bank, which is great, and we carried it around with us for maybe six months of traveling. We never used it once. How often are you actually away from an outlet where you can plug in your phone to charge it? Even getting a lift in Uber, most drivers have an extra charge cable to plug your phone. Of course, if you are going to be trekking across the Andes, or some prehistoric settlement where there are no outlets and you’re living in a tent, then of course, by all means, bring a few power banks with you. But the reality is in our advanced society that you are usually only a few steps away from an outlet. And let’s be honest, a small charger and cable are a lot less to carry in a power bank.

Expensive or cheap

There is a simple code that we have always lived by for buying things. Either buy the most expensive you can afford, or the cheapest you can get away with. You can always buy in the middle, but you will never be satisfied as it will cost you too much and do too little for what you really want. The most expensive you can afford will usually be much higher quality and it will usually be a pleasure in the future to use. It will generally last longer and have a better life span, and probably a better warranty. The other end of the spectrum is the cheapest you can get away with. If you really need to get a laptop, and you can’t afford a decent one, then buy the cheapest you can get away with and manage for a while until you can save up to get the better one. This can go across many different kinds of technology. And very often when you buy the cheap one, of whatever it is, it will help you realize if you really needed it or just wanted it without wasting a lot of money. When you buy the cheapest you can get, you do have to take into account that it probably will break or die at some point, but at least it did the job while you had it.

Spending too much

When you buy something, make sure it’s something you really need. We have seen it so many times when somebody is only going to be browsing the Internet and answering emails, but they end up buying a $3000 laptop to do so. We are all for buying the best you can get, but only when that applies to something you’re actually going to use. It would be like buying a vacuum robot that also washes your carpets when you don’t have any carpets. If all you ever do on your mobile phone is Facebook, text, and make calls, then buying a $1000 top-of-the-line phone is just going to be a waste of money. You are never even going to know what 95% of the phone capabilities are, so why buy it.

End-of-life tech

What we mean by this is not the end of your life, but the end-of-life for a particular technical item. For example, buying an old Mac computer that is no longer supported. You may have gotten it at a great price, but the reality of it is, that whatever you paid for it you paid too much. Some old technology is still fine and doesn’t really wear out, for instance, we are using a WebCam from Logitech that must be at least 10 years old, but it is still probably one of the best WebCams out there. The trick is knowing what is going to last and what is not going to last, and what’s not supported anymore.

Brand-new technology

While some brand-new technology is fantastic, when you’re the first one in, you are also the one that’s doing all the beta testing for them for all the bugs and the problems that are going to appear. Your best bet is to not be the first one in, unless you’re filthy rich and want to show off, but to wait a little while until the reviews come through. We have seen it happen so many times when somebody buys something because it’s so cool and new, and then within a few months if dead and broken and gone because there was so much wrong with it. Let others do the testing for you and just be a bit patient.

The tip with buying technology is to be patient, and ask yourself if you are really going to use it. As much as you might want it, it doesn’t mean you should buy it. Go out and check the reviews, and see what people really say. We are all for buying cool and new gadgets, but we have a closet full of ones that we wasted money on, so we learned our lesson, and saved a lot of money over the years and still enjoy the toys we want that are worth it.

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