Most ladies’ shopping addiction is to clothes, jewelry, etc. My addiction is to buying computer stuff, gadgets, electronics, etc.

The economic downturn has provided me with a new foolproof method for justifying my penchant for buying electronic gadgets..helping the economy! It’s obvious that spending helps the economy, so I’m glad to step up to the plate and do my part.    December 2010: I am no longer following that backwards, misguided mantra. I’m full swing into my Dave Ramsey Money Makeover, and working on helping my own economic situation! However, I’m still a gadget hound, but now I carefully consider my wants vs. needs, cost considerations and most of all, buying in cash only.

Here’s the lineup of my gadgets, past and present…

GPS

DeLorme Earthmate BT-20

The first GPS unit I had was actually one I used with my Palm TX (see below). The DeLorme Earthmate BT-20 is a Bluetooth GPS unit that works on any device with Bluetooth capability. My Palm TX had Bluetooth and was capable of running the mobile version of DeLorme Street Atlas. The device worked well in receiving a good GPS signal fast. It would follow the map and show one’s position with speed and accuracy.

What was not so good was basically, everything else! Getting maps onto the device was so cumbersome. One would have to be in the Street Atlas software on the desktop PC and “cut” maps and transfer them to the device.  Cutting the maps means to view the maps with gridlines on and select grids and form a map package with them. The problem is, more area = more grids = more data. The transfer was painfully slow and I could only cut small maps at a time. It would have taken forever to get the entire US transferred to my Palm. I was sick for a week and was laid up in bed, so with my mom’s borrowed laptop, I managed to make some progress. But aligning the squares for each map (you can’t overlap, that’s bad) was so frustrating, I gave up. Not only that, but searching for POIs was excruciatingly slow, and if you had the foolishness to even attempt creating a route more than 500 feet long, was impossible for the Palm to calculate. However, this was not the fault of the BT-20 itself. If combined with a laptop running Street Atlas, I am sure the performance would have been fine. You would have all of the maps, and no processing speed problems. My problems were the result of running the mobile version of Street Atlas. I had enough!!

DeLorme PN-40 GPS

The DeLorme PN-40 is my new handheld GPS. With the pathetic performance of the BT-20, I thought about a new GPS, primarily for geocaching, but also for some road navigation, finding points of interest, and “tracking” during a trip, so I could take the “track” file and then geotag the multitude of photos I take during road trips.

A handheld model could fill all of these needs, and I chose the DeLorme PN-40. An added bonus on the PN-40 is the ability to have multiple types of maps (layers) on the device. One can have the map file, topo, USGS, nautical maps, aerial imagery, and custom stuff as well. This GPS comes with DeLorme’s excellent mapping software, Topo 7, but for a $100 upgrade, XMap can be used to import any custom images, maps, satellite photos, etc. I can create a very intricate route, transfer it to the DeLorme, and use it to navigate during my trip.

The cool thing with this device is that I can georeference old maps and transfer them to the device. I can then be out traveling and use the GPS viewing an old map. Why, you ask? This would be very helpful to identify old alignments of US Highways, auto trails, etc. If only I had this when Pat and I assisted Thomas Repp of AMERICAN ROAD magazine with researching an old auto trail in Indiana, the Ben Hur Route.

Garmin Nuvi

Well, even with having the awesome DeLorme GPS, I found that it wasn’t the best for street navigation when I was trying to look for a place “on the fly” and navigate there…fair, but not as responsive as I’d hoped. Wrong turn? Forget it…took too long to recalculate. So, I opted to also procure a Garmin Nuvi 200. Nice little device. It’s a more bare bones model, and doesn’t do multipoint routes (I think I can add one via point), no software to create routes, doesn’t speak street names (but of course, it displays the street name). It’s quite a nice gadget! I still love the capability of the DeLorme to transfer a route that I created on my map software, so there’s good reason to have both devices. Now only if DeLorme could make a street-routing device that functions like the PN-40 (integration with Street Atlas or XMap, waypoints, routes, etc.) but with added features like lightning-fast response for street navigation, spoken turn by turn directions, faster search capability, easier addition of large amounts of points of interest (that would be really sweet!) so I could load POI Factory files in no time, like I can on the Garmin.

MP3 Players

Dell DJ 20

I wasn’t an early adopter by any means, but I did dive into the digital music player realm several years ago, probably in 2005 or so. I had a Dell DJ 20 (2nd generation):

Not a bad music player by any means, I enjoyed it alot. At that time, I could get audio books from the public library’s Overdrive system, which was not yet available for the iPod. Unfortunately, I ended up with issues with its hard drive and it eventually died.

iPod 80GB Classic

I then moved on to Apple’s then-current offering, the iPod 80GB Classic:

I’ve been very happy with it, but was kind enough to offer it to my daughter when her 30GB model started acting up. I didn’t watch videos that much, and while I loved having all my music with me, I really didn’t listen to most at any given time. So I traded it for her Sony 16 GB NWZ-S545.

Sony 16 GB NWZ-S545

The Sony 16 GB NWZ-S545 is a respectable little music player with an FM radio, plays videos (all mine are in iPod format and I don’t currently have the time or inclination to convert them), and of course, music.

PDAs and SmartPhones

I have been a Palm devotee for some time. First…

Palm IIIxe

Then, I moved up to color…

Palm Z22

Lastly, color and high resolution!

Palm TX

I was very initially enthused about the Palm TX, and had high hopes: high resolution color screen, more memory, better processor…and wi-fi! Alas, this device wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Frequent resets, wi-fi was a joke, and the worst part…a faulty battery status indicator. At first, I thought the device had trouble holding a charge (well, I think it does, somewhat…because it does drain faster than one would expect, even when not used for several days!). But the real problem is that at any point, the battery indicator shows a full charge, when in fact, the battery is ready to fully discharge. The solution, was probably just to charge it every day, but that device was getting frustrating. It was time to move on, and perhaps look into a Smartphone or something.

This led me to Smartphones. First up…

Samsung Epix

3G, phone, Internet, wi-fi, organizer, contacts, etc. So far so good. It has its quirks, to be sure…but it’s pretty good the worst smart phone that ever existed.

December 2010: Since my initial writing, I found the Epix to be an epic failure. It failed so often it was ridiculous. I had multiple occasions that I received phone calls and the ringer didn’t ring and I missed the calls. There was one very important call that I was anxiously awaiting medical test results, and the Epix never rang, nor did it indicate I had a missed call or a voice mail. Only when I called the voice mail, it was there…but the phone lacked all three ways of indicating that the call came in, that I missed it, and that the caller left a voice mail. I feel bad for the poor nurse who had to receive my angry call when I thought she never called me back as she promised. D’oh!!

Still under warranty, I moved on…

HTC Fuze (Windows Mobile)

After 3 horrific warranty swaps of my Samsung Epix (I will spare you the gory details), I was offered a choice of replacement phones. After commiserating with other disillusioned Epix owners, many going through the same thing, several of them chose various models, ranging from Pantech, to Blackberry, and HTC. The replacement needed to be in the same general classification as the Epix and many chose the HTC Fuze and were thrilled. I chose it too, and enjoyed it thoroughly! I promptly managed to successfully flash a new custom ROM and that made the phone even better. iPhone killer? No way…of course, I never had an iPhone at this point, but seeing what the iPhone does, and how it functions, I knew it was no iPhone killer. But it was still a good phone, and I cannot say a bad word about HTC phones. I wasn’t crazy about Windows Mobile (though I never really had too many issues with that either). But the anemic supply of apps for Windows Mobile pales in comparison to the iPhone, and probably the Android now as well. They’re also so expensive! There are some inexpensive apps, but most are $4.99 and upwards…but still, I liked the phone.

Gradually, I started getting some crashes and more often, outright freezeups. I became so adept at pulling the battery I could do it with one hand tied behind my back. Perhaps a hard reset and reinstallation would have done the trick, but that seemed like such a nuisance. Windows Mobile doesn’t make the process easy! I was nearing the end of my contract with AT & T, and debated what to do.

I had a deal-breaker though…I had been a die-hard Quicken user since 1997/1998 and adopted Pocket Quicken for my Palm. I need to have my financial data with me at all times (that’s just me, I track my spending very well). Unfortunately, Pocket Quicken is not available for the iPhone, and Intuit even severed ties with Landware, the makers of PocketQuicken. The only Quicken iPhone app available is Mint. Some swear by it, some will never put their financial data in the cloud, others say its more for tracking money spent, not allocating where it goes and tracking it.

Further, Quicken is a desktop product. It synchronizes directly with Pocket Quicken, and no data is ever “in the cloud.” Quicken is also a very powerful product, which can manage alot of financial info, investments, savings goal planning, etc. I cannot speak to Mint’s pros or cons as I don’t use it, but I have read it is not as robust as Quicken and it is not meant to provide the same detailed planning and tracking as Quicken.

Mint was acquired by Intuit when its own cloud app, Quicken online, failed to kill Mint. So, I guess Intuit figured if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em! Since Mint founder Aaron Patzer created Mint to go up against Quicken, it stands to reason he would inherently dislike Quicken. I admit I’m hesitant to provide my financial info to Intuit, which Mr. Patzer attributes to us cloud-fearing folks as being old and stuck in our ways. At 43, I don’t feel all THAT old, so Aaron better watch out…before he knows it, he’ll be hitting the big 4-0!! He also knocked Quicken users down another peg by saying it’s for “anal retentive types” who want their finances “penny perfect.” I can’t argue with him there, I plead guilty on both counts.

Regardless, or rather, more so than ever, I wanted a different financial software than Quicken. I was tired of Intuit’s forced 3 year upgrades anyway. So, I found a new desktop software called “You Need A Budget.” Wow…great software!! It is actually more simplistic than Quicken, which in my case, is a good thing. For people who track investments, need financial planning tools, etc. I wouldn’t recommend YNAB. I’d recommend looking into the other product I was considering, Moneydance. I haven’t used it or tried it, so I cannot attest to it, but their support forum is active and the folks at Moneydance seem responsive to user’s concerns and suggestions for improvements. I went with YNAB because it did exactly what I needed: as a Dave Ramsey plan follower, I was interested in creating a budget and tracking spending. Simple, and YNAB does it so well! I plan my budget on my computer and can sync it OTA to my iPhone. Oh yeah, that brings me to the convergence of these decisions. I decided to axe Quicken, and upgrade my phone from Windows Mobile. YNAB only has an iPhone app, so that solidified my decision to get one!!

Apple iPhone 3Gs (32GB)

OK, it’s December 2010 and I got an iPhone 3GS, not the iPhone 4. As noted previously, my reckless days of gadget acquisition have slowed down considerably, so I consider purchases carefully at this point. I am on a striuct budget and cash only. No credit cards! Rather than get the latest and greatest iPhone (and thus more expensive), I opted for the next newest option, an unblemished, refurbished 3Gs. At $149 (contract price), I was able to get a 32GB model, and get an extended warranty/insurance plan which would provide 2 years of coverage for not only technical failures, but accidents, spills, theft, etc. All for less than a new iPhone 4, though that looks very cool. But I was looking for cool on a budget, and the iPhone 3Gs fits the bill. I am loving it!

I will probably stick with iPhone for the time being, but whether I remain with AT & T in the future will remain to be seen. The possibility of Apple letting Verizon also have the iPhone and the cost of data plans all will factor into my decision. I had an unlimited data plan with AT & T with the Samsung and HTC, and while new AT & T customers cannot select an unlimited plan, existing users switching phones could retain their unlimited plan. With an iPhone’s heavy reliance upon data service, I was hesitant to downgrade to AT & T’s current monthly data plan offerings: $15 for 200MB, or $25 for 2GB. I only used between 300 (average) to 500MB (only occasionally hitting that level), but Windows Mobile vs. the iPhone was a different story. I feared that the iPhone would use way more data and felt no need to get pinged with a huge bill for overusing data. So, I stuck with my unlimited plan, and in my first month of usage, have used 711MB. Granted, I use it alot at home (my poor desktop probably thinks I don’t like it anymore!), and when I am home, I’m using my wi-fi. So I can surf and stream to my heart’s content without being on 3G.

Tablet / e-Reader

I’m combining the headings of tablet / e-reader, since my foray into both realms of these devices is a hybrid: the Kindle Fire.

Kindle Fire

Being the gadget hound that I am, I had Kindle envy since the first generation Kindle was released in November 2007. From the first moment, I thought it would be cool to have a color version of the Kindle, and decided that’s what I wanted and wouldn’t get a Kindle until they had them in color. Welcome the Kindle Fire – a cross between a tablet and e-reader.

I had an iPhone and was intrigued of course, with the release of the iPad. I didn’t pay attention until the iPad 2 was released and they were distributed to managers around my office. I still liked the iPhone, but thought the larger iPad would be easier on my eyes and be fun to work with. However, the price range of $499 – $829 was cost prohibitive to me at this time. I still liked the idea of a tablet, and going back to my desire for a Kindle to well, re-kindle my love of reading, I decided to fulfill both desires with the Kindle Fire. I’m an equal opportunity gadget queen – no brand is hated; I’m not going to debate the Kindle vs. the Barnes & Noble Nook vs. the iPad – there’s loads of commentary on that out there. If I’d had the money for an iPad, I would have sprung for that, but I am VERY happy with the Kindle Fire. It does all I want it to do, and I’m enjoying it. I The smaller size to me is a plus, and I have loads of apps from the Amazon Android app store, ranging from games, Internet and social media, to productivity. There’s music, Instant video with my Amazon Prime membership, and magazines through the newsstand. Of course, then there are Kindle books. I always loved reading but space, time, and finance constraints have cut back on that. The Kindle helps in all aspects – save space with e-books! No clutter and no dust collection to flare up my allergies! Finances have been helped too! Kindle books are reasonably priced compared to their paper counterparts, but one can save even more by getting an Amazon Prime membership and using the Kindle Lending Library

I might even consider a Kindle e-ink version for books sometime. I LOVE the color, but it’s backlit and my eyes are 4 years older than they were when the Kindle was first introduced. Color is cool, but backlit screens do strain the eyes. So we’ll see about that.

Kindle Touch

Ok, have I considered the e-ink version! I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Kindle Fire; however, I am often in the car on road trips or outdoors when camping, and the glass screen of the Kindle Fire has an intense glare that makes it almost impossible to read. I knew the e-ink was going to work, I’d seen e-ink Kindles before and was totally impressed with the readability. So, I was debating which one to get, it had to be inexpensive, as I am very cost conscious now. It was definitely going to be a model with “Special Offers.” The offers / deals they have on the screen saver, and a small bar on the home page, make the devices $40 less expensive than their ad-free counterparts. One can buy the ad-supported version at a $40 price break, but if unhappy with the ads, just pay Amazon that $40, bringing the device back to its full cost, and the ads go away. I think the $40 price difference is worth it. The ads are not intrusive at all; they are displayed in the form of either a screen saver in sleep mode or else a small bar on the device’s “Home” screen. There are NO ads while reading books!

I went to Best Buy and picked up both the Kindle Touch ($99) and the Kindle Touch ($79) and immediately knew that while turning pages with the buttons on the sides would be fine, the virtual keyboard navigated by use of the 4 way arrows on the Kindle would drive me nuts. If I take notes, I would far prefer the Kindle Touch, so that’s what I got!

Anyway, my aging tired eyes are no longer tired and sore…the combination of the e-ink of the Kindle Touch and my new progressive lenses have greatly improved my eyestrain and fatigue! I read most of the books on the Kindle Touch, but periodically will download some to the Fire if I want. On Wi-Fi, both devices keep in sync with my page location perfectly!

Digital Cameras

I started out in high school with a Nikon EM, an entry level Nikon SLR, evidently marketed as an easy to use “SLR Camera for Women.” Hilarious! It was actually not a fully manual SLR at all! It was an aperture-priority only camera (huh…so funny in retrospect!!).  Rather than manually adjusting both the aperture and shutter, one would only adjust the aperture ring on the lens, allowing the camera to select the correct shutter speed for the correct exposure. But since that was my first and only SLR experience, I was clueless.

Sadly, I no longer have this fine little camera. I sure wish I did, though. It would be nice to play around with it a little, for nostalgic reasons. I really liked it alot!  **UPDATE: After reading this paragraph, my husband procured a working Nikon EM for my birthday!!    So, I will get a chance to play around with one!

Nikon EM

Concurrently with the Nikon EM, I owned a series of point and shoot 35 mm cameras. Though unremarkable and forgettable, there was one that worked very well. Since it was forgettable overall, I don’t remember what kind it was, but it worked well for a point and shoot. It too, disappeared from my life along with the Nikon EM (but that’s another story!).

Several more point and shoots later, in 2003, I decided to go digital. While not a pioneer in adopting digital, I certainly am never one to shy away from new technology (unless finances prohibit…). I knew I didn’t want a point and shoot, but I didn’t go with an SLR either at that point. I opted for a camera with manual adjustments, but without interchangeable lenses, and selected the Sony Mavica CD-500.  I liked it alot. It used relatively inexpensive media, mini CDs. Exposure modes of Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, and some scene modes. 5 MP. It made decent movie files, too.

Sony Mavica CD500

In hindsight, here’s what I didn’t like: shutter lag. Unbearable. Useless at the Indy 500! For stationary subjects, all was well, but there were some action shots I would have liked to take! Startup: slooooooow…had to be at least 10 seconds. Maximum 1/1000 shutter speed. Aperture range of 2.0 to 8.0. Maximum ISO of 400. Zoom equivalent of 34-102 mm. It was also painfully slow writing data to the mini-CD’s. However, with this said, at first, the camera suited me quite well. It helped me learn about settings, manual adjustments, and so forth. Of course, the greatest benefit to digital is that I could look at my images immediately, and tweak the settings to get the right exposure, depth of field, subject motion, etc. The Sony Mavica CD500 served me quite well for three years. But I outgrew it, and was tiring of the shutter lag and slow performance. So, I opted for a Digital SLR and chose the Nikon D50.

Nikon D50

This camera had 6 MP, ISO ranges from 200 – 1600, the same exposure modes (P, M, A, S + scene selections and auto), the shutter speed went up to 1/4000! Instant startup time, no shutter lag and a host of lens selections.  I added a Nikon SB-800 Speedlight to my arsenal, along with a Promaster 18-200 mm lens. I liked having one all-around lens for most purposes without having to switch lenses all the time. Using this camera greatly increased my photography skills, and I am pleased with having owned it.

The Nikon D50 served me very well for just over 3 years. Though nothing was wrong with it, and I swore I wouldn’t upgrade yet, the lure of the latest and greatest Nikon, along with an terrific offer I couldn’t refuse, led me to an upgrade. I thought about the Nikon D90, but that wasn’t enough of an upgrade for me at this rate. I pored over Ken Rockwell’s excellent site, reading all of the details about each one. The Nikon D3 was out of my price range, so I opted for the next best thing. Nikon’s very advanced consumer model, second-from-the top, D700.

Nikon D700

Computers

Like most people, I’ve had a string of computers, commencing in March 1997 with a largely homemade PC (made by my former neighbor and boasting Windows 3.1!). I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop in 1998, and thereafter mostly stuck with the Compaq line of PCs. Compaq has a nice, consumer price-friendly line of reasonably inexpensive PCs. By October 2011, I was ready to relinquish the desktop PC in favor of a laptop. A great deal was had on a Dell Inspiron 14R, in Lotus Pink! I caught a VERY good markdown at Walmart, and combined with my daughter’s associate discount, could not have passed on this deal.

• Intel Core i3-380M processor
  2.53GHz, 3MB Cache
• 4GB DDR3 system memory
• 14″ screen

Dell Inspiron 14R