Ditch These 10 Devices in 2012

[MULTIZ321]

Ditch These 10 Devices in 2012 - by Deborah Netburn/ Chicago Tribune/ Tribune Newspapers


Richard

 

[dioxide45]

Ten? I only see nine, one slide was an advertisement.

 

[MuranoJo]

Me, too. Something with Warren's mugshot on it. Now what's that missing tenth thing we should ditch, or is it Warren?

 

[MULTIZ321]

Ten? I only see nine, one slide was an advertisement.

1. The Flip Cam

2. The Portable DVD Player

3. Flash Drives

4. GPS Devices for your car

5. The (small) Digital Camera

6. The Fax Machine

7. Netbooks

8. CD Player

9. Voice Recorders

10. PDA

On the Slide Number you chose that gave you the advertisement which blocked the item, click the small x in the upper corner of the add. If the Ad doesn't disappear, click to the next slide, then go back to the slide with the Ad
which should now be gone.

Richard

 

[glypnirsgirl]

Except for fax machines, PDA and a flash drive or two. I never owned these things. I call myself a techno-igno.

Now, I find attorneys that still send me faxes maddening! Who does that? Why can't they just send a PDF file. Faxes drive me crazy.

elaine

 

[ausman]

So many of these items have been replaced by a smart phone.

I have stayed away from those, I have little use for them and don't want to pay about $50/mth to have one. A simple phone only works for me, as does a netbook at times.

The GPS unit also may hang around for users like me but do agree with the tone of the article, I probably won't be buying another flash drive item for instance and the fax has been replaced a long time ago with a scan and email capability.

I think some items will stay on and then gradually go.

I wouldn't be buying shares however in any Company selling these products.

 

[m61376]

Funny thing is that faxes are considered more secure than e-mails, and I think they'll be around for the short term at least. I know in the medical field faxes with a cover sheet are acceptable while e-mails can only be through special security sites.

 

[riverdees05]

I must be old, but will hold on and use some of these as long as I can!

 

[bccash63]

I have a 'dumb' phone not a SMART phone so will be hanging onto my gps. dawn

 

[ronparise]

I know Im getting old, but I dont care for the multi function smart phones and tablets.....and for the same reason I prefer listining to a performance by a full orchestra over a one man band.. I still prefer several single purpose devices over the multi purpose smart phone. And dont tell me how good you are at multi tasking...all that means is that you are doing a lousy job at several things at the same time

I have a camera, a phone, a flash drive and a cd player (in the car) and like lawyers and doctors we real estate agents still use faxes. And my next digital purchase will be a notebook, rather than a smart phone or a tablet.

 

[persia]

Changing the name from Facsimile machine to fax machine doesn't change the fact that it's World War 2 era technology, I'm glad to see it go away.

 

[Laurie]

Call me a luddite, but I still love my netbook and had to replace one recently. It's getting hard to find the smallest fastest kind w/long battery life, but I managed. Maybe sometime I'll want a tablet as well, but not as a substitute, they really have different primary uses. For instance I can't imagine using a tablet for lots of typing or for having multiple tabs and browsers open, using frequent copy and paste, and some Windows programs I need. If you have to add a keyboard, what's the diff, really, other than higher cost, and maybe fewer things I need?

Then again, I haven't loved my smart phone either - except as a tether for my netbook where I can't get wifi.

 

[Ridewithme38]

Carrying a portable keyboard and a tablet doesn't compare to the portability of an all in one device like my netbook...i'm going to stick with it for awhile

Same with my hang on the windshield GPS, i've tried the android app for GPS, its just not as convenient and not something i see converting to anytime soon

 

[Elan]

The article obviously omits a few points. Such as:

Most smartphone GPS solutions do not work as well nor are they as easy to use as a dedicated device.

Smartphone camera performance is not anywhere close to that of a discrete camera.

A tablet with a keyboard is no more practical than a netbook.

The "cloud" doesn't do anyone any good if they can't access it.

 

[Sea Six]

I still have an 8 track player, a cassette player, and a VHS. WHY? I have absolutely NO IDEA. Haven't used them in YEARS. I guess I am a pack-rat.

 

[laurac260]

get rid of your fax machine? Try asking your kid's pediatrician to e-mail you a pdf of your kids annual exam form, you know the one that the state requires the school to require you to require your doctor to fill out so you can give it to the school so the school can tell the state that your kid went to the doctor so they can go to the school. Try asking the receptionist to scan in, convert to pdf form, and e-mail you THAT form.

I've sent things in pdf format before that took days longer to be found, accessed, downloaded, printed, etc, etc, as it took to just send an "old fashioned" fax and be done with it. The technology may be there to get rid of the fax machine, but until everyone is on board with it, I'll keep my machine (which is also my printer and scanner as well).

 

[dioxide45]

For receiving faxes only, I think the fax machine is obsolete. You can use one of plenty of online services to receive your faxes. Now that many PCs don't have modems and are no longer connected to land line telephone, that fax software is no longer of any use and probably not even available any more.

For sending faxes, I think a fax machine still holds relevance. It is far easier to use a fax machine to send a document instead of scanning, saving, sending. Sending via a machine is a one step process.