gear - Gizmodo

posts about #gear more →
Powerbrella to Bridge the Gap Between Nerds and Sunlight
Last Year's Model: Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them
If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
The Future of Gore-Tex
Play In a College Football Bowl Game, Get Piles of Free Gear
Pac-Man Hoodie Has Everything You Wanted Save 100% Natural Fibers
Life Saver Portable Water Filter Cleans the Crap Out of Your Water...Literally
Ghosts Chase Pac Man Across My Chest
Hands-On and Slot Exploration with the Sexy Samsung Printers (Verdict: NeXT Flashback)
Trinity Digital Audio Workstation Makes Portable Production Easier

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking
05/27/09

In reply to Powerbrella to Bridge the Gap Between Nerds and Sunlight
If you can add in a webcam and a wifi antenna, I might contemplate getting it.
Reply

tomboygirl
04/23/09

In reply to Last Year's Model: Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them
This is why I do so much research before I buy anything. I unexpectedly got an iPod for Xmas last year. Before I opened the packaging, I had to research MP3 players to make sure I wanted to keep it. I ended up returning it and buying the same model from bestbuy.com and picking it up at the store to save $20 or something. I think most people would have just opened it up immediately.

Also, it pays to research your purchases so you know the market for that item. I always try to figure out the point of diminishing returns for spending more money. To me, that point is where you should buy.
Reply

tomboygirl was starred tomboygirl was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
04/23/09

@tomboygirl: My strategy is to buy whatever is best-in-class in a robust technology and then treat it well so it will last.

CRT is as stable as TV tech gets and they're still trying to get improvements to contrast ratio in LCD. Digital photography has come a long way and it's mainly about lowering noise on robust chip technology. And new major home audio standards don't come too often.
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

Curves
04/23/09

In reply to Last Year's Model: Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them
With rare exception, I dont want a first generation anything. I dont buy first model year cars, and I wait for SP1 on OSs. Too buggy and I dont have the time or patience for working through it.
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
04/23/09

In reply to Last Year's Model: Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them
I still have the (infamous) 4 year-old HDTV. Most of my guitar gear was bought off of eBay or Craigslist. My home audio equipment is all at least 4 years old (my kitchen radio is a CD/cassette boombox that is about 15 years old). My desktop computer is a refurb.

As far as Apple is concerned, I've noticed that in the last couple of years, there's been a drop in quality. My iPod classic was a dud. My iPod (5G) still works though it's scratched to hell and, in retrospect, I would happily trade the classic for an iPod (4G Click Wheel) with a 160 GB HDD dropped in. I still use my iPod nano (2G Product RED) as it works perfectly and, frankly, none of the revisions to that product line have struck me as "improvements". I just like the 2G version of the nano.
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

erichg14
04/23/09

@OMG! Ponies!: You have a lot of iPods. Why would you need more than one, ever? I had the 4th Generation iPod until I got an iPhone and then I passed my iPod on to my tech challenged brother. I'm sure it's holding down the dust in his truck.
Reply

erichg14 was starred erichg14 was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
04/23/09

@erichg14: The 4G died after 2 years. I gave the 5G to my then-girlfriend (which is why it's beaten to Hades). I got the iPod classic when it came out because until then, they were pretty reliable. The power connector went bad after 9 months. The refurb Apple sent me still works but I don't use it because I use a Zune because subscription-based music is more cost-effective.

And I bought the nano for the gym (because hard disks and running do not mix).

I actually had 2 Click Wheel iPods. I bought the second after my travel mug leaked in my bag, getting into my first iPod. 6 months later, the iPod came back to life and gave me months more use.
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

superberg
04/23/09

@OMG! Ponies!:

"I use a Zune because subscription-based music CAN BE more cost-effective."

Fixed that for you. How cost-effective it is depends on your music listening habits, and how often you download.

My problem with sub services is that if they ever go down, all that money you've spent is gone with nothing to show for it.
Reply

superberg was starred superberg was unstarred

OMG! Ponies!
04/23/09

@superberg: I download a lot. I have three channels that automatically download new music based on my tastes. Plus, if I hear a song I like, I can just download it.

And my problem with the iTMS pay-per download is that if your hard drive ever goes down, the money you've spent is gone with nothing to show for it. Apple gives you the one free re-download and after that, yer screwed.

As someone who bought a MyBook without doing the research, just because you have a backup drive doesn't mean your data is backed up. Buy the wrong drive and you have a fancy doorstop.

ZunePass is $15 a month and I get to choose 10 keepers per month. Which means at two albums a month, it's already more cost effective than a pay-per model.

And I don't see Microsoft disappearing anytime soon.
Reply

OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
04/22/09

In reply to Last Year's Model: Get Great Gadgets. And Keep Them
Like Ragtag says, a lot of first run products are such lemons the more you think about them. When the iPod touch was released, for example, it was good in some respects, but so lacking in others, it was almost tantamount to a slap-together collection of spare parts from the iPhone bin. That's why I never bought one. Apple could've included the mic-compatible headphone jack, since it was already in the iPhone, but they didn't, along with the physical volume buttons.

Sometimes, certain products can seem sort of half-assed, but people buy them and then suddenly want the vastly improved version that's released not long after.
Reply

Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

infmom
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
I'll try to tell my cat Tybalt about this when he wakes up.
Reply

infmom was starred infmom was unstarred

GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
My cats don't have time to read Gizmodo. They mostly view other sites. You wouldn't believe what their browser history look like. They do use 10.2.8 though!

Reply

chumleyex
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
I love how this blogger uses the 2 kitties as often as possible. My kitties (both girls) love anything with feathers, that looks like a mouse, or that I wear and is on the ground. I have lost buttons to a feirce pussy.
Reply

chumleyex was starred chumleyex was unstarred

Hello Mister Walrus
03/04/09

@chumleyex: "I have lost buttons to a feirce pussy."

???????
Reply

Kaiser-Machead
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
My cats are not interested in toys in the least. They prefer interaction, like playing tag, over anything else. Now that my calico Nike has a roommate, she can be kept busy while the apartment is empty. They love TV though. They can sit there and watch nature shows all day.
Reply

Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

zchendevlemh **Pacman > Hitman**
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
IMHO..

those fucking spoiled cats...

why would i want to give them toys...

it seems that i'm giving them rewards...

for licking themselves & for not chasing my damn rats...

disclaimer:

i'm hating spoiled cats not the laser ones..

pls spoil me the laser beams :P

see? i got IMHO in d front that should be enough for my almighty laser cats...
Reply

Underscore_Lysdexia
03/04/09

@zchendevlemh: Can someone tell me what the hell I just read?
Reply

Hello Mister Walrus
03/04/09

@Lysdexia:
Reply

Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
03/04/09

@Lysdexia:

"You are talking about the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind."

Reply

Hello Mister Walrus
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
Put a cat in a bong and it will be happy for hours.
Reply

ack389
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
If that was my sister's cat it would either try to bite me or pee on my bed.

Damn snooty cats.
Reply

ack389 was starred ack389 was unstarred

bosskev
03/04/09

@ack389: "Damn snooty cats."

With your obvious disdain for cats, if I were your sister's cat, I would both bite you AND pee on your bed.
Reply

bosskev was starred bosskev was unstarred

Hello Mister Walrus
03/04/09

@ack389: You don't have to be a cat to like to do those things.
Reply

IN THE FACE!
03/04/09

@bosskev: Don't forget about puking in the shoes. My cats love that one!
Reply

IN THE FACE! was starred IN THE FACE! was unstarred

Curves
03/04/09

In reply to If Cats Read Gizmodo, Which They Do, They'd Love GEEKitty Gear
Cats are like kids, you can spend a lot of money on toys for them, and they still like to play with the box, or something from the trash.
Reply

Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
03/04/09

@Curves: My cat has an affinity for those little plastic rings from milk jug caps. My parakeet, however, loved all of her cat toys.
Reply

Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

Gann
03/04/09

@Curves: Cats are like kids, they're evil sons of bitches.
Reply

Gann was starred Gann was unstarred

twoeightnine
01/29/09

In reply to The Future of Gore-Tex
Sure they do this a month after I dropped good money on an Arc'teryx shell.
Reply

twoeightnine was starred twoeightnine was unstarred

sicknick
01/29/09

In reply to The Future of Gore-Tex
This stuff is awesome. All the companies that use Goretex are doing this heat sealing thing.

You should do a run about the new material Arcteryx is using on some of it's backpacks to make them virtually waterproof too without a raincover.
Reply

sicknick was starred sicknick was unstarred

noroadtrippin
01/29/09

@sicknick: they should do a run on basically anything Arc'teryx makes. In fact, Arc'teryx is probably responsible for this new tech with Gore. Its a little known fact that they are the people who had Gore create XCR, Paclite, and Tiny Tape. They are way ahead of everyone else.
Reply

noroadtrippin was starred noroadtrippin was unstarred

A Snake a Snake... OH it's a Snake!
01/29/09

@noroadtrippin: Actually, most of the fabrics are adapted from the military fabrics division of Gore which are then applied to consumer fabrics.
Reply

twoeightnine
01/29/09

@Arggh! there goes a...snake a snake! ohhhhhhhh it's snake!: Yes, but guess which company does a lot of work for the military through their LEAF program?

[leaf.arcteryx.com]
Reply

twoeightnine was starred twoeightnine was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Gizmodo Team

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment