My "Gears" Part I

I'm at home from work today, and I thought I'd start up a new entry . Since I have a dearth of interesting subjects on which to write I thought I'd talk about the gadgets that I can't live without, and the poor gadget-related choices I've made on the way here (Which have, incidentally, left me with a stack of credit card debt). I always seem to gravitate back to certain types of gadgets after all the flashy hype has died down, and I've sold my new toys on Ebay.


My Nokia 6230i
What makes it so good?


This is my fifth phone in two years, and by far the best. (Nokia 6610 > NEC 313 > Sony Z800i > Nokia 7610 > Nokia 6230i) There is nothing particularly amazing about this phone, but the fact that it can make calls and send messages with a minimum of fuss is an advantage. The operating system moves at light-speed. The bright (But tiny) screen is a joy to behold.Before I purchased this beauty I was struggling with one of those symbian 'smart-phones' from Nokia, which could run cool games, and applications, but always felt as slow as a pig in mud for more pedestrian tasks like navigating the contacts folder, or opening a new text message.


I've always had a theory that products targeted towards the business market are by far the best choice for any tech-savvy consumer;Although these products do not offer the best features, nor the lowest price, they very rarely fall short when it comes to reliability or performance. Style wise, business-orientated products don't really stand out from the crowd, but they aren't designed to! (This can be a bonus when your friends lime-green laptop starts looking awfully 20th century)
My phone also has the stock-standard business features, that many consumer phones (Even in 2006!) lack. Bluetooth, a camera, MP3 player. Basically stuff that I hardly ever use, but am glad to have when I need it.




My Original Ipod Shuffle 1G
What makes it so good?


This is my fourth Ipod in two years (3rd Gen Ipod > Ipod Shuffle 512mb > Ipod with Video > Ipod Shuffle 1gig) And was actually given to me for free by a workmate who purchased an aluminium-encased Ipod Nano. This is my second Ipod Shuffle, and I find myself falling in love with the small form factor, screen-less control and apparent disposability of the unit all over again. I can carry ten albums around in my hip pocket, on an Mp3 player that weighs nothing, can be controlled through the material of my jeans, and costs dollars to replace if the unthinkable happens! Neat design features include:

• The color changing LED that represents the remaining battery charge.
• The USB plug built in to the unit.
• The 12-hour battery life.
• The ability to use as a plug and play USB drive.
• The ridiculously low price that you can pick these up for.

If you're one of those people that thinks they don't need a portable audio player, just go and get one of these to try it out, the worst case scenario would involve you reselling it on Ebay. (Actually, the worst case scenario would involve you being approached by a mugger, having been noticed because of your shiny white headphones during a nigh time jog, only to receive the bashing of your life when the aforementioned mugger realises you're only toting around a AU $90 Mp3 player.)