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Subject:RE: movie ad From:Emru Townsend <etownsen -at- Softimage -dot- com> To:"'techwrl'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 15 Jun 2000 14:54:50 -0400
Bruce Byfield wrote:
> Do
> most of the people who buy these things really need them?
> Probably not. Most people's affairs aren't that complicated, and
> if they can't organize themselves with a Daytimer, they won't
> organize themselves with a Palm, either. In my experience, the
> majority of Palm owners don't use most of their functions,
> either.
I agree and I disagree. Yes, I think many people have gadgets they don't
need (PDAs, SUVs, cell phones) which are tied to conspicuous consumption.
On the other hand, not using the majority of a gadget's functions doesn't
mean it's not useful. I've only used two features on my PDA: the contacts
list and the to-do list. Just having them both so easily available is an
incredible boon for me.
Of course, I do a lot of my freelance work away from a desk. Back when I
worked no more than 15-20 hours a week behind a desk, the original Pilot
made perfect sense. When I started working full-time as a technical writer
and consequently moved around a lot less, I sold the Pilot. Now that I find
myself more mobile, I'm getting a PDA again (probably a Visor -- I've got
one for review right now, and I'm happy with it).
> As for the other status gadgets, I'm generally against them: I
> like the idea of not always being available for work. I work long
> hours, and I don't want my leisure hours interrupted by something
> that can wait.
I have a cell phone, but it's more for the convenience of being able to
phone other people whenever I need to; until my wife's pregnancy, it was
only on for occasions when I had to keep in touch with someone in case of
changing plans.
As with anything, I think it's a matter of being honest with yourself about
your needs for a particular device before you plunk down the cash. Then
again, the whole idea of _conspicuous_ consumption isn't about needs, is it?
