I thought I could do without these toys for a while and live a simple, if not impassable life. But the illusion is wearing away sooner. What I may have come to realize is that each device has its purpose. I cannot live with a smartphone expecting it to fill the divide of not having all the gadgets that I own. Nor is a decent headphone a suitable replacement for good speaker system. Youtube cannot possibly pitch in for the collection of my favorite movies on hdd and watching any video on the paltry 4.5 inch mobile screen is a pity when that massive 42 inch full hd screen stays lifeless back home. Work laptop is strictly for work, any other use would land me in trouble, although its my only savior if I have to finish this blog.
We are so used to these peripheral devices that we almost take them for granted. Yet we cannot imagine a life without them. I am not even counting those card readers and memory cards and pen drives which make media transfer all the more easy or the tiny wires that charge your devices to last the day. I am definitely feeling amiss with these things out of sight. For me, I guess I have to find a sweet spot somewhere in between the minimalist digital armoury I possess right now and the ultimate digital luxury I was so used to. I cannot possibly start investing in these gadgets all over again. So that makes me wonder what else could be done.
Starting categorically, I am trying to analyze my needs and associate a device with it. Communication, verbal or text, is best handled on the phone and the one I have is quite suited for the job. It handles Skype and Whatsapp and international calls pretty well. Video calls over wifi are without any hiccups so no complains yet and no plans to upgrade either.
For music or latest movies trailers that I want to catch, the youtube application on my phone is good enough for now. The headphones rightly serve their purpose but sometimes I like my music loud enough to fill the room. The humble smartphone seriously lacks any ability to rock the party! Here I see an opportunity to buy something portable yet heavy on those beats. A bluetooth speaker makes it way to my wish list. I have been looking around the amazon catalogs for something suitable. Its Bose vs JBL so far. The one that rocks the house with its deceptive small form and is easy on my wallet will be the winner. The bluetooth paired speakers would also go well with a laptop for that blockbuster movie experience.
That brings me to the laptop that I might want to buy soon. This thing will be a must have, though I am struggling to figure the right amount to spend on one. Its brands vs competitive prices. Being a linux user since long, I dont see the point in paying for a windows license, and then wiping that thing clean with a linux installation. Laptops with no os are a rare find and the ones that come with linux preinstalled have their price tags shooting through the roof. Seems like too much investment right now. This is where chromebooks have caught my fancy. Relatively inexpensive machines with their working centered around online usage. Newer options with faster processors and better screens are kind of a sweet deal to me. It will be better than a tablet and cheaper than a full blown laptop. Sounds just about right. I read that it is possible to install linux on them as well which is perfect for me. I could do a more thorough homework before cornering down on one of these. The only con is they have very little onboard storage with really tiny SSDs. But I could bundle the purchase with a 1TB or above HDD. That will solve storage space problems for good. Some more thoughtful pondering is required for this one.
I am imagining, when I am done listening to music or seeing a movie or video calling with family, I would simply like to relax and unwind with an interesting read. Back home, I had been a faithful reader of hard bound books, adding more and more to my mini library, when I ran out of space on my shelf. I could only imagine the chaos and disorder on the tiny book shelf had I bought any more. But why bother about paper books in this digital age. I am certainly thinking of owning an ebook reader. Well, I could read them on the chromebook or a tablet or even the phone, but the distractions are too many and ebook readers will help me do the only thing I would want to do at the time ... read a best seller with undivided attention. Kindle Paperwhite ... I am this close to ordering you online!
So thats how I plan to rebuild my digital kingdom. Starting from scratch and reaching a level where I have enough gadgets to get through day to day activities and yet not spend away my precious savings. And when my digital kingdom has grown well, I will splurge on the more expensive toys like the DSLR. That thing is definitely on my list, but I am cautious of what I choose to spend on. Diving into purchasing a DSLR would mean that I would need enough time and patience at hand to start learninig photography from scratch. I do know the basics, but when you are handling top of the line equipment you cannot be an average joe with its handling. But thats for another time. Some disciplined saving and genuinely increasing interest in photography will definitely be needed before I can commit myself to buying one.
My gadget list is almost complete, nothing extravagant or overly ambitious. Just a thoughtful selection of gadgets that will make my digital life more complete. Let me head to amazon for some shopping orders!!
