The demise of the gadget

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by issybird

I'm kind of a Luddite myself. I usually don't like the "new-and-improved," preferring the "tried-and-true." Moreover, I tend to like dedicated gadgets, rather than an all-in-one, to the extent that my tote tends to clack with the assortment I'm carrying - dumb phone, unactivated smart phone, eink reader, small tablet (sometimes two, or with one bigger one), plus Fitbit.... well you get the idea. And I tend to go to bed with a jumble of devices. But I assume I'm in the minority.

I don't think you are in the minority at all. I have a bedside cabinet full of ereaders, tablets, and an iPod. I even have a clock radio that charges my iPhone. I prefer single use gadgets too.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I even have a clock radio that charges my iPhone. I prefer single use gadgets too.

Those two sentences don't fit together

A clock radio is a clock with a radio. It has nothing to do with charging other devices! So, in this case, your clock radio is three gadgets in one (clock, radio and charger)

But I prefer single use gadgets too. While I like the fact that some gadgets can be used for other purposes, I'll only use it when I don't have another option. I'll only read on my phone (5.5") when I completely forgot my reader, for instance. And as that is extremely rare, I extremely rarely read on my phone.

There's only one exception: I don't have a MP3 player anymore. I actually bought my first smart phone because I wanted a new MP3 player.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Those two sentences don't fit together

A clock radio is a clock with a radio. It has nothing to do with charging other devices! So, in this case, your clock radio is three gadgets in one (clock, radio and charger)

If you want your mind even further blown, your phone is a phone, alarm clock and quite possibly a radio too.

You're using your clock radio charger to charge your clock radio telephone!

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

There's only one exception: I don't have a MP3 player anymore. I actually bought my first smart phone because I wanted a new MP3 player.

I sometimes miss my dedicated mp3 players. They were so tiny. But a smartphone with a screen big enough to quickly navigate through songs and albums is hard to beat.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Conan46

I sometimes miss my dedicated mp3 players. They were so tiny. But a smartphone with a screen big enough to quickly navigate through songs and albums is hard to beat.

Yes, we still have a tiny MP3 player connected to a pair of old speakers. The problem with those things is that times are changing. We're moving from the time where you have everything offline to a time where everything is online. Right now, I mostly listen to Spotify, which isn't possible with that tiny MP3 player. I've also moved to a bluetooth earphone and most tiny MP3 players don't have bluetooth either

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Yes, we still have a tiny MP3 player connected to a pair of old speakers. The problem with those things is that times are changing. We're moving from the time where you have everything offline to a time where everything is online. Right now, I mostly listen to Spotify, which isn't possible with that tiny MP3 player. I've also moved to a bluetooth earphone and most tiny MP3 players don't have bluetooth either

True. For me how much easier can it get than to say: Alexa play Kutless radio iHeart. Or: Alexa play Kansas album Leftoverture.
Nevertheless I'm still astounded that something the size of a matchbook can play hundreds of albums. We've come a long way from LPs and 8-track tapes

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Conan46

True. For me how much easier can it get than to say: Alexa play Kutless radio iHeart. Or: Alexa play Kansas album Leftoverture.
Nevertheless I'm still astounded that something the size of a matchbook can play hundreds of albums. We've come a long way from LPs and 8-track tapes

Or the fact that even if you are hundreds of miles apart, you can both pull up the exact same track without anyone having a physical copy. Or share an album through Google.
Or take your entire music collection with you at all times without much weight.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Or the fact that even if you are hundreds of miles apart, you can both pull up the exact same track without anyone having a physical copy. Or share an album through Google.
Or take your entire music collection with you at all times without much weight.

I love music and the options today are endless. I'm still a bit old school though as I keep backups of my purchased digital music and have my own music server which I rarely use. It is handy though to have a micro-sdcard filled with my music collection on my phone for those few times that no connection is available.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Conan46

I love music and the options today are endless. I'm still a bit old school though as I keep backups of my purchased digital music and have my own music server which I rarely use. It is handy though to have a micro-sdcard filled with my music collection on my phone for those few times that no connection is available.

Mine isn't micro but a standard SD card. Oh and It is in a usb card reader.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Mine isn't micro but a standard SD card. Oh and It is in a usb card reader.

That is another fascinating bit of technology, storage devices and cards. You can put an entire library of books or music or both on something the size of a fingernail. And right now I'm running an entire Linux operating system off of a 64 gb usb stick running on a Chromebook. Storage has gotten inexpensive in the past couple of years.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Conan46

I love music and the options today are endless. I'm still a bit old school though as I keep backups of my purchased digital music and have my own music server which I rarely use.

When I set my server up, I wondered how much I'd actually use it, but it turns out that I use it almost daily. I think my brain has just categorized it as an additional music service. Also, Alexa and I will never sort out how she would like me to pronounce "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" so that she understands it so it's often much faster to play it from the music server.

I intend to eventually get a 128GB micro SD so I can also put my entire collection on my Clip+. Navigating it will be less than optimal but that's what my highly-specific playlists are for.

Some days I miss my iPod Classic so much...

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Conan46

That is another fascinating bit of technology, storage devices and cards. You can put an entire library of books or music or both on something the size of a fingernail. And right now I'm running an entire Linux operating system off of a 64 gb usb stick running on a Chromebook. Storage has gotten inexpensive in the past couple of years.

Very inexpensive. It helps.
I just had another thought, without gadgets and devices, I couldn't have a silly (as it turned out) discussion about maple syrup and what a sugar shack is. On a different forum.

Spoiler:

a sugar shack is the building where they boil the maple sap to make pure maple syrup.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Also, Alexa and I will never sort out how she would like me to pronounce "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" so that she understands it .

Took me four tries. She seems to say "Bay" and not "By." The one that trips me up is Lorena by John Hartford.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Spoiler:

a sugar shack is the building where they boil the maple sap to make pure maple syrup.

What the heck else could it be?

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by issybird

What the heck else could it be?

Here is what one poor misguided person thought.

Spoiler:

Sugar shack? That's from white sugar and adding a maple extract - not 100% pure.

Two people honestly thought that Pure maple syrup was the unprocessed sap.