Comments on: Gadgetry clutter

By: Keith

Keith — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 07:37:14 +0000

Don’t you know? Criticism of a new Apple product is NOT PERMITTED on the web!

By: Geoffrey

Geoffrey — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:09:28 +0000

The iPhone is replacing my Treo 680, 30GB iPod, and Canon ELPH 2MP camera (I have a DSLR for my real photography). It reduces cable clutter by using the same iPod cables (no more Treo cables).

Time-wise, it allows me to read blogs and news when I get a spare moment here and there, which ultimately reduces the temptation to check in on these things when I’m working.

My Treo frequently crashed, especially at inconvenient times, such as when trying to answer a call. That is ultimately frustrating and negative energy.

I’m also enjoying my music on-the-go more. I often wouldn’t bring the iPod with me, as I only have enough room to carry my cell, wallet, and keys.

By: Steven

Steven — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:33:47 +0000

I’m actually quite proud of my ability to resist buying the iPhone this time around. From now on when buying a gadget, I’ve decided to figure out if having it will significantly improve my life or effectively replace things I’m already using.

Because the iPhone has really slow Internet (EDGE) it can’t be a replacement for my Samsung Blackjack, and it doesn’t have enough storage to replace my iPod, so no matter how sexy it is, it’s just not practical.

By: missdona

missdona — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:43:04 +0000

What about something to get rid of your gadget clutter?

My husband has years-old, long replaced, cell phones and MP3 players.

By: Adam Snider

Adam Snider — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:04:30 +0000

I agree with John’s suggestion. I still enjoy reading this blog, but a bit of variety in the style of posts would be nice.

By: John

John — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:18:05 +0000

I have to agree with Matt on this issue. I have not been a long-time rearer of this blog, however in my short tenure as a subscriber, all articles seem to have shifted towards a similar vein:

“X (X being, gadgets, glasses, hair, food, books, newspapers, etc.) is/are clutter”
Then each article seems to state rather matter-of-fact things about what life would be like without X, and then finishing pseudo-philosophical quip about why this can lead to a more stress-free life.

I don’t mean to insult the editors, however, I would like to see some posts coming from a different angle than the ‘doing without X is better’ perspective.

For example, the post about the little box full of phone, computer, and camera chargers that left a rats nest of black cables looking downright tidy was great! Posts like this are creative (and the creativity doesn’t have to come from the authors if it’s found elsewhere and syndicated) as long as it’s fresh and interesting.

Just a thought though, anyone else feel similarly?

By: Nola Girl

Nola Girl — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 18:04:45 +0000

Excellent Website, I have just added it to The Alignment

By: PJ Doland

PJ Doland — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 17:35:58 +0000

Convergent devices can help eliminate clutter if they actually enable you to get rid of other devices. While the iPhone can accomplish this for a number of users (including the previous commenter), others may still find themselves carrying a higher-resolution digital camera or an MP3 player with a larger hard drive. People stuck carrying around just as many devices should probably reexamine what motivates their gadget acquisitions.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:34:18 +0000

i used to like this blog, but recently, between this post and the one about corrective lenses (I am legally blind, have considered and rejected lasik, but that’s another post) I am considering just unsubscribing. Really, you’re taking this to a ridiculous level.

As far as the iPhone, saving for one *encouraged* a lot of decluttering for me:
* I sold my 40gb iPod
* I sold my point and shoot camera. The iPhone’s camera won’t replace it, but it works 80% of the time for what I need
* I donated my old cell phone
– In addition to replacing those gadgets, to help pay for the phone I also:
* Sold off most of my compact discs, video games, and dvds. And some of my books.
* Sold an old computer that has just been sitting in my closet.

Now I suspect your response is going to be “well you shouldn’t have had that stuff in the first place,” but what I suspect you fail to see is that sometimes something like the iPhone can encourage de-cluttering.

By: lesliet

lesliet — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:14:26 +0000

This criticism of the iPhone in a blog on clutter seems misplaced to me. I would understand recommending against buying lots of high-tech junk that you don’t use very much and which just sits around taking up space. But I don’t understand calling an item which I will use productively every day, and which makes it possible for me to travel without lugging my laptop along with me “clutter”. There are so many more deserving items of your scorn.

By: Michael Houghton

Michael Houghton — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:56:09 +0000

If you have an older phone that has WAP but not HTML access or a new phone with a small screen), Opera Mini might be the solution:

http://www.operamini.com/

This is a free download of a tiny browser which offloads much of the page processing to a (free-to-access) server at Opera. It will give even very modest phones some web access, and the beta of version 4 will give relatively recent phones a lot of the iPhone experience. It’s well worth trying out, and it could dramatically extend the life of your gadget.

(I don’t work for Opera)