I love tech and I love getting new tech. I’m usually not one of the first people to go out and buy a new gadget. I’m not rich enough for that. Once the price starts to go down or a 2nd or 3rd generation of a device is released, that’s usually when I start to look into buying it. I ordered a new device recently (details after I get it) and that made me realize that I haven’t bought a lot of new tech over the last year or so.
Last summer I got a Roku to go in the bedroom. I realized that I was missing lying in bed and watching TV. It was going to be too much hassle and an extra monthly charge to get DirecTV to put a receiver in there. Buying a Roku would just be a 1-time cost. With Roku, I now have access to Netflix Watch Instantly, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and even TWiT and Revision 3 shows. There’s always plenty to watch on each. It’s definitely been a great investment.
After Thanksgiving I ordered a new Dell laptop. It was kind of an impulse. Dell has always been good to me, so I decided to stick with that brand. My 4-year old laptop was fine. I was running Windows Vista on it. It took a while for it to start up and shut down, but I wasn’t noticing any sluggishness during normal use unless I tried to play games on it. This new one made me realize just how old the other one was. This one, of course, is much faster with more RAM and more storage. It has a larger, HD display. It has Windows 7, which is much better than Vista. I can actually play new games on this and that is a plus. After having it for a few months, startup and shutdown is still so much faster than it was on my old laptop. I think my favorite new feature is the built-in webcam. I don’t use it yet, but I do want to start chatting with people. Another great investment.
I also got a Seagate 1.5 TB external hard drive and a cool Logitech USB headset, but those don’t seem like anything special.