| Author | Message | ||
     Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 900 Registered: 08-2006 |
I'm not much of a gadget guy. But for my birthday, my dad bought me an iPhone - and I'm smitten. I had a Treo before, but the iPhone makes it look like something my grandpa would have carried. At the risk of gushing, Job's Jesus Phone is everything they say it is, and maybe a bit more. I've read a few sniping reviews, and they say more about the people who wrote them then about the phone. It's wonderful. It made me start thinking about our dependence on - and relationship with - inanimate objects of all sorts. So, what's yer favorite gadget? A cell phone, and a fave kitchen knife, the alarm clock next to your bed. I have a Leatherman all-pupose tool that I take fishing and use around the house that I love dearly, but this little iPhone might displace it in my heart. Your faves? | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1521 Registered: 04-2005 |
I normally hate cell phones and bought my cheap, useless one early this year under significant-other pressure, but I gotta admit I covet an iPhone. I'm going to wait awhile longer, since prices are already plunging and Apple gadgets always get better a couple of years down the line. Plus I don't like the AT&T as mandatory carrier--software hacks are just around the corner to remedy that problem; a hardware hack has already been accomplished. Enjoy yours, Rob! I'm envious. I would be thrilled to get one as a gift, but I don't see that happening. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2277 Registered: 03-2006 |
Does one drink "Jesus juice" while using the Jesus phone? At least your Dad probably got it at the new reduced price. Bill Maher had a funny joke about how, in this case, "early adopters" actually meant nerds with an extra $200. But, they are cool. My girlfriend and I were out someplace and some Asian folks asked her to take their picture. We were both marvelling at the cool camera they had until we realized it was an iPhone! I'm waiting for the combined iPhone/Leatherman version myself. When they have an iPhone that will also gut a fish, then they'll really have something! | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1786 Registered: 05-2005 |
I love Apple gadgets, have worked on Macs now for 15 years, the ihone looks great, there's nothing as advanced, only problem is it has no 3G facility in Europe or the UK release which is just around the coerner, how come they overlooked that? Because they'll upgrade in a year's time, fascist bastards, stilllove em! | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 297 Registered: 07-2006 |
i'm an ipod nut too....four and counting. though my fave gismo would be my first discman i bought shortly after entering into the workforce. it was this enormous kenwood thing and the manic street preachers never sounded so good! | ||
| frank bascombe Member Username: Frankb Post Number: 159 Registered: 01-2007 |
Blackberry's are pretty good great email/web etc. the Blackeberry's up for replacement at xams and can't decide if I should go for the iphone or not. haven said that my macbook ( fairly new ) has problems accessing the internet so who knows | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 901 Registered: 08-2006 |
Since I'm not Mr. Cellphone I'd never presume to say "you have to get it." For me, though - someone who uses the Internet and mail capabilities of the thing more than the phone - it's perfection. Other people seem to think so, too. I brought it to my neighborhood bar last night and it basically disappeared for two hours. Every time I looked down the bar, someone else was staring at its bright little screen. That said, I have found two shortcomings in my two weeks with it: 1. For some reason, probably having to do with the phone, you can't play the iPod through your stereo or in your car. It just doesn't work with the adaptors. Very annoying, and I hope they address that flaw at some point. 2. You can't delete e-mail in bulk, you have to go one by one. This seems like an oversight to me more than an intentional decision like the point above. I gotta figure they're gonna fix that. My "delete all" button on my Treo was much-used. Really, though, it's like complaining about the shade of Scarlet Johansson's lipstick. The thing is pretty damn great, IMO. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1370 Registered: 03-2005 |
I only get to choose one? Nonsense. My Martin 12 string. It's old (1968) and needs refretting especially under the B-strings so I have to finesse how I tune and finger them but it's got really low action, beautiful Brazilian rosewood back and sides and feels like a wonderful old pair of shoes. I bought it some years ago on eBay from somebody in the musical state of Georgia complete with a nice cigarette burn on the sound board! My 1961 Lancia convertible. It's slow by today's standards, has a ripply old aluminum body with a touched-up ding where somebody dropped a tool and a nice little dent where I drove it too close to the corner of a building but it still looks gorgeous, stops and corners almost like a modern car and sounds great, and the steering wheel, pedals and shifter are all right where you want them to be. And, I have to admit, this here MacBook Pro computer. (Eeek!) | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 298 Registered: 07-2006 |
i'm kinda in lust with my new macbookpro as well randy! | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 713 Registered: 10-2004 |
My favorite inanimate object/gadget/whatever might be my '67 Guild Starfire electric 12-string. It plays beautifully, sounds amazing, and looks cool as hell. I play/write most of my songs on it. Another might be my Denon DP-51f early 80s turntable. I've had it for years and it's still going strong, not to mention cosmetically/visually, it totally rules. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 904 Registered: 08-2006 |
Guitars are definitely gadgets that inspire a lot of love. I have a Gibson SG III that I bought off a guy in a Columbus, Ohio music store parking lot for $50 in 1988. Although in later years, I added a Rick and a Tele to the family, they pale in terms of tone and playability beside the SG. It doesn't stay in tune very well, so I don't play it live much, but it always ends up as the guitar of choice for all my recordings. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1371 Registered: 03-2005 |
I love the $50 guitar Rob. Nothing beats a $50 guitar. Joe, are you shuffling music around with your Macbook Pro yet? That's what I bought mine for and, aside from a clumsy procedure for getting music from the e-mail inbox to the iTunes Music file, it's brilliant. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 714 Registered: 10-2004 |
Rob, I have a Gibson SG too, though mine's an early 70s "Deluxe" model, not as unique as the SG III (and I sure paid more than $50 for it, though I still managed to get a sweet deal on it). It's the easiest guitar in the world to play - dead flat action, skinny neck, ultra light-weight, and I like its tone quite a lot. Great for both clean shimmery stuff as well as for getting my Angus Young on when that's warranted. I may end up selling it someday, however, so that I can purchase a Gibson 335. A 12-string semi-hollow isn't enough - I need a 6-string too! | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 243 Registered: 05-2005 |
Gadget Romance?? Heh heh!!! Seriously though, I'm not a techie person. The only electronic device I have is my crappy bottom of the line mobile phone. I don't have any swish musical instruments, unless you count an old jew's harp which I tried to play but I'm crap at, and I still rely on those friendly souls who run internet cafes. However, I do intend to get a home computer soon, so I'm paying attention to this thread - it might help me decide whether to go with the piece of fruit, or the guy with bad hair and glasses... | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1526 Registered: 04-2005 |
Apple makes the most lovable gadgets. I bought a MacBook late last year and would marry it if I could. (I know, it's sick and wrong, but the love is real...) Funny you mention the Denon turntable, Jeff. I bought a Denon cassette deck about 15 years ago that sits mostly unused now--who listens to cassettes anymore?--but the thing is the one decent stereo component I've ever bought: it's always worked perfectly, sounds great, survived many moves and much banging around, and seems built to last forever, long after the last cassette tape on Earth has disappeared. And I had an awesome set of Denon headphones that I wrecked by stepping on the cord. Denon made good shit. My 20-year-old Stratocaster that started life as a Japanese Squier but is now an "authentic" Fender because it had a neck transplant a few years ago is a gadget I will love forever, even if it's not the greatest guitar in the world. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1527 Registered: 04-2005 |
Go with the fruit, Catherine! Unless you enjoy viruses and OS updates that don't work. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 715 Registered: 10-2004 |
Yeah, like Catherine, I'm not much of a techie either. I *still* do not have cell phone, nor do I plan on getting one. I spend so little time on the phone that there's absolutely no need. Plus, why would I want yet another bill to deal with each month? I'd rather save that money and put it towards traveling. The only reason I have a laptop at home is for aesthetic and practical reasons - it takes up way less space and my desk doesn't have to be dominated by a big ugly computer and a tangle of cables. I don't even have a TV. Since I can watch DVDs on my laptop (which has a nice, wide screen), there's just no need for one. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2280 Registered: 03-2006 |
Bein' po', I don't really have many gadgets in my life to love, and I do sign on to Jeff's thoughts about cell phones, though I have one. But the damn things really do piss me off, and I feel, are contributing heavily to the ruination of Western civilization. And is it just me, but are those stupid Bluetooth headsets the dorkiest looking accessory ever? They're worse than fanny packs. (I know, "fanny" has a different meaning in the UK. I wonder what they call fanny packs there? "Arse purses"?) All that said, iPods are cool, no question. They are, in and of themselves, very aesthetically pleasing objects. I have a nano and the teensy tiny Shuffle iPod, and feel by now that I couldn't live without 'em. Particularly, the Shuffle, which I use to listen to music while I run. It's so incredibly miniscule that it's quite easy to forget you have it on. I'm drawn, with my few gadgets, to simplicity. I like it when one does just a limited range of things really well. I also have a Tivoli Radio that, though all it does is that one thing, it does it incredibly well. The thing, given its small size, puts out incredible sound. And, it's really pretty with its cherry wood case - if you didn't want to listen to music, you could just fondle it. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1372 Registered: 03-2005 |
Catherine, that's amazing. I had no idea you were using an internet cafe even while in Eire. You out-boho all the rest of us. Jeff: I HATE the phone. Seriously, I'm phonephobic. But even so consider the following: Long distance calls within North America are included within your flat monthly plan. The sound is shit though. Until you take your cell phone on your trip, at which point the sound is fantastically good because every civilized country other than the US has excellent cellular infrastructure. Yes, including Italia and including Oz. And . . . I would NOT have gotten the text message from Padraig to hotfoot it to the Powerhouse to see Robert rehearse for his first show but for the cell phone. In fact, at least half of what I did on that whole Oz trip was facilitated by the cell phone. So I recommend the cell phone. I have a friend who has a cell phone and a cheap land line that he uses only for the computer. The phone company gives him a cheaper rate by his agreeing not hook a telephone onto it. I agree. TV is crap. I have one but I haven't turned it on in months. I unplugged it after I needed the extra outlet for my fancy Class A microphone and haven't plugged it back in since. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1722 Registered: 05-2005 |
iPod. BlackBerry. Probably some other things that have capital letters in the middle of the word. Denon rock. The first mini-disc I used was Denon. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 905 Registered: 08-2006 |
I have a Denon receiver I bought in maybe '94 and it still chugs along. Even hardier is my Onkyo single-drawer CD player, which has been a constant companion since '90 or '91. And believe me, it's seen some action. I'm with you on the simplicity thing, LK. I used to have this analog alarm clock I'd had since the eighth grade. It died about a year ago. With a heavy heart, I went to buy a new one, some Timex thing, and it's so f-ing complicated I now use my cell phone as my alarm. Should have bought a Tivoli, I guess. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 1820 Registered: 05-2005 |
Creative Xmod - claims to make mp3s sound better. Only cost £30, reduced from £60 so I thought I would take the chance given that more and more these days I listen to stuff downloaded from Napster through my PC (hooked up to my HiFi separates). Only had it two days but I notice quite a big improvement. Heres what some bods at a PC magazine thought in their review. "While reviewers shared our same concerns initially, those doubts were quickly squashed as they listened to both MP3s and CDs through the device, and found that the "CMSS 3D and Crystalizer" enhancers actually did make music sound "substantially" better. It was noted that instead of just boosting levels, the unit "fills in the data that was originally trashed during compression" with deeper lows and cleaner highs -- an impressive feat indeed." | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 717 Registered: 10-2004 |
Yes, Denon seems to make good products. They still make a few turntables in the $700 range, which seem to get good ratings. I suppose the stereo component that really deserves kudos here is my Yamaha CR-620 receiver from the mid 70s. It's got that classic silver face with the mellow, glowing lights of the radio dial and the little stereo reception needles. And of course, it sounds awesome, natural, and works perfectly. It's funny to think how there was once a time when things were actually built to last! | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 244 Registered: 05-2005 |
I don't have broadband where I live, so the only internet connection I could get would be slow old dial-up. My mobile phone provider tells me I might be able to get wireless though, so I'll probably bite the bullet soon. Up to recently, I would have considered my cd walkman to be my favourite gadget. I know, the idea is positively stone-age but it served me well, even on my trips to Aus. The hinge and headphone socket are buggered on it, so recently I've needed to hold it in a vice-like grip, to get it to work. Time to join the iPod gang, I think! LK, those idiots with their bluetooth headsets look like they're coming home from a Star Trek convention, and they've gone as the Borg!! And as for Fanny Packs/Bum Bags (as they're known in UK/Irl)!! I think if we universally adopted Arse Purses as their new name, people might finally cop on and toss them in the bin! | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 909 Registered: 08-2006 |
I'm always reminded of the Borg when I see those Bluetooth thingies, too, Catherine! I'm all for them in the car (I hate to see people staring at a cellphone screen while they're driving) but, please, they're not fashion accessory. Car: Okay. Bar: No Way. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 2287 Registered: 03-2006 |
CV: I think that they're called bum bags over there is my single favorite piece of info I've ever gotten off this board! That's fantastic. Next to the music talk, I really enjoy these crosscultural/cross-Atlantic tidbits. It's fun and comforting to think you guys have to suffer the same doofuses walking down the street self-importantly talking to themselves. | ||
| frank bascombe Member Username: Frankb Post Number: 162 Registered: 01-2007 |
I loved my mac bookbut having problems getting it ontt my wifi. I have no problems with the exellent iMac | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1794 Registered: 05-2005 |
the e-bow! kurt/jeff/randy anyone? | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 712 Registered: 08-2004 |
Not really a gadget guy as such but... It's got to be my ipod. Such a handy way of keeping the insanity out when you're on the move. Coupled with the speakers it turns into a durable mobile disco. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1765 Registered: 05-2005 |
One for the ladies. http://www.slate.com/id/2174905/fr/flyou t | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 283 Registered: 05-2005 |
Pádraig, you have waaaaaayyyyyyyy too much free time... I'm curious, exactly what did you type into google, to unearth that??? Not that it's not.... ahem..... educational... | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 961 Registered: 08-2006 |
Well, it is on Slate, which is a fairly respectable publication. I'm sure he came across it innocently enough while searching articles on farming yields in Sub-Saharan Africa or US/EU trade policies and their impact on the developing world. Right, Padraig? Right? | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 123 Registered: 10-2006 |
Hm, Padraig, I used to have a Hamilton Beach toaster. Now is the toaster the side-product of the Ladies' gadget or vice versa? well, my ipod. I stayed away from mp3 etc for years but finally fell last winter. Incredibly, I lost my first one a few weeks ago and now have the new 80gb classic. It still has a few bugs but its fantastic. The IPhone I would only buy if it finally comes with more than 40gb so that I can have all my music on it. Then it would be perfect, music player and cellphone in one. Apart from that, a few amazing kitchen knives from Japanese company Global. And a highspeed wireless internet connection at home at last - finally its actually fun to download from Itunes. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1775 Registered: 05-2005 |
What Rob said. | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 284 Registered: 05-2005 |
I believe you. I do, really. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1777 Registered: 05-2005 |
I read Slate every day! I get emails from them three times a day! I'm a fan! | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 286 Registered: 05-2005 |
Ah, you're only claiming that now!! You've jumped on the Slate bandwagon!!! You've joined the Axis of E.....mail | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 962 Registered: 08-2006 |
Rookie mistake, Padraig. You knew Catherine was lying in wait for you after that "Eurotrash" quip. Posting the vibrator article was like chumming for sharks before you go for a swim. Now she smells blood! | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 287 Registered: 05-2005 |
Ah Meester Collinz, at last I haff ze opportunity to haff my refenge!!! You haff discofered at your pereel, zat eet ees not vize to speak against ze Axis of Evil!!! Now I shall torture you!!! You shall be forced to leesten to Terry Jacks seenging Honey (a rare recordink made ven he had a headcold, and accompanied by an out of tune accordion!!!) Zis vill continue until your ears bleed!! Hahahahahahahahah!!!!!! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1782 Registered: 05-2005 |
Yeah, I read it after and it did look like I was protesting too much. I knew troubled waters lay ahead. |