Wires

Gadgets

Normally I don't complain about having too many gadgets as I am a self-confessed technophile. I use almost all of these things everyday. However, it is a pain in the ass to travel with these things. All of these run on rechargeable batteries (each one unique), and thus each one has its own battery charger.

I have a charger for the following:
digital camera
cellphone
Ipod
laptop

I never forget any of the chargers whenever I go travelling; they occupy a special space in my luggage along with my universal adapters (to ensure that I can plug them into the wall outlets wherever I am!). I wished manufacturers would sit down and agree on one universal charger so that consumers like us dont have to lug miles of charger cables along with our gadgets!

Don't get me started on the accessories. After all, what is an Ipod without headphones? Or a digital camera without sufficient memory cards? Aside from extra cost, they can get bulky as well. The headphones I use for my Ipod aren't the regular earbud types. I use traditional ones with a headband and foam earpieces (Sennheiser PX100). Even though they were designed with the traveler in mind and can fold conveniently into a case, it still takes more space than regular headphones.

As for my digital camera memory, I already have 3 x 1GB Sandisk Extreme II cards. Overkill? Maybe, but I have encountered many incidents in the past with my old camera where I ran out of memory and had to delete pictures. Fortunately, my camera battery lasts a long time. I don't need a spare camera battery... yet.

On another note, I probably have the oldest working laptop in existence. 7 years old and still going strong with a (pirated) copy of Windows ME (yes, Millenium Edition). Thank god for its expansion slot and single USB 1.1 port. If it weren't for those, I would have written off my Celeron Compaq Presario a long time ago. It doesn't even run on battery power anymore; it has to be plugged in. It's literally an (old) mobile desktop!

That's the problem with technology these days. The speed at which new products are coming out is quick, but they are also designed to last alot longer too. No sooner do you buy something new, it becomes obsolete within a few weeks, and even just a few days in some cases. Ah, but it always gives me something to drool over whenever I go to Best Buy or circuit city!

Life is Beautiful!