Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Gadgets Gone Wild?
I have three serious addictions in my life.
Books. Movies. Electronics.
Okay, Cake should be on there, but those are addictions. Cake is an obsession. (Alas, I digress)
Back to the point, I have had literally thousands of books in my time. My movie collection is up over 300 (and includes "300", I might add) But my electronics?
Believe it or not, I'm pretty basic. I spend more time at the stores, drooling over shiny metal things than I do toying with them at home. Just the standard tv/DVD set ups. I have computers just about everywhere, I should admit. There are currently FOUR Macs that work and one that, sadly, I heartlessly overworked until it died. (If I replace the hard drive, I could probably frankenstein that one back too.) And yes, I can actually sit and study a computer supply catalogue and be more engrossed with it than a teenage boy discovering porn.
But methinks I've finally found a limit.
Is it me or are eReaders everywhere? People talk about the Kindle constantly. (Me, I don't trust Amazon any more than I do those creepy people who keep telling me to drink wheat grass. Dude, the only way I'll ingest grass is if I smoke it, and tempting as that is, I don't even do that.) Or their Sony Readers (505? 700? RED!). Or even their iPhones, which they use as an ebookreader, mostly. Aren't they fantastic? Have you SEEN my screen? See my cute, bubbly buttons? See my stylish color, shape and sleekness? More importantly, see my enormous price tag?
*Insert record scratching sound*
For a lot of folks out there, nope...they don't seem to see it. Now, I've discussed in great detail that I'm cheap. I was raised with hand-me-downs and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I was all kinds of excited when hubby's Treo stopped working as a phone and I was finally able to steal it from hubby to make my ebooks mobile. The awesomeness knew no bounds. Did the super bright backlight fry my retinas? Yes, yes it did. And does the touch screen seem a little two touchy when I'm wrestling nursing babies back into submission? Yes, sometimes it is. But I was happy and to a large extent, I still am.
But then...folks started talking about the Sony. And the Kindle 2. They were everywhere. Haunting me. Toying with my two main directives in life: Spending as little money as possible and craving electronics that are just freakin' cool. Throw in that cool electronics allows me to READ. Double Word Score!
I'm so torn. Part of me dearly wants the shiny thing. But am I alone in thinking the prices for these things are absurd? I don't know about you, but 400 bucks goes a long way in this house. I have to talk myself into buying a new bra, much less a reader. So here I sit, on the fence, wondering if my hard earned dollars are going anywhere near this batch of author "musts".
What about you, gang? Are you interested in eReaders? Put off? And if you had the money, would you invest?
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Can't spend the cash...
I'm with you, Dee.
My husband bought me an ipod over my strenuous objections. It sat and sat on my desk unused for almost a year. Then *sigh* I discovered audio books. These things are staggeringly expensive. Especially for a girl who buys most of her books for 50 cents at the library book sale. Now, $20, $29, or *just* $14.95 a month at Audible.com. I keep trying to quit, and every time, they pull me back in with some sort of promo I can't resist.
I guess what I'm saying is, it's not just the gadgets that are pricey, it's the "books," too. I think an e-book should be $1. An audio book, *maybe* $10.
And dh, if you're listening, DO NOT get me an e-reader for mother's day. It's the gift that ends up costing a fortune...
LOL Diana
I'm okay with ebooks being the same price or even ever so slightly less as their counterparts--most readers only buy one copy, so authors should get their share on the royalties, so a dollar wouldn't quite cut it, lol.
I gotta admit, though, An ipod would sit for about .2 seconds if it were mine. I crave an iPod. Or an iPhone. It's on my list for "when I get rich". But you're right, it's easy to buy a book, put it on and not think about how much it costs without the evidence of bookcases glaring at you. (Though, I think that's why I like them.)
I 'splurged' on my birthday a few years back..
on a used Palm. I got it from the opened package store online. Yeah, I'm cheap, aka thrifty. I used it to review e-books for a while. But then the dang thing would become 'screwed up' and I'd have to reload every. thing. The Palm is sitting unused somewhere in my piles.
I would love a Kindle. Did I say I would LOVE a Kindle. I have Kindle envy. Will I pay the current price? Nah. I'm too practical and with basically 3 teens, one in college, one a junior about to be a senior and attending cosmetology school her senior year, clothing and shoes and whatever 'they' need for school and sports. Well, it's not in the budget. But if I didn't have kids...Heck yeah I'd buy one right now. Finding the best deal possible of course.
I'll wait until the price comes down to a reasonable to me price. I think I would pay no more than $200. For me, any amount above that, is just selfish at this time in my life. Someday it will be 'my' turn and dh's turn to spend money on ourselves. If...we live through the teen years ;)
I feel bad when I spend 5 bucks on me...
But yeah, I can occasionally spend on myself up to 200 if it's something that will help me with my career. (Like glasses. Seeing, I think, is imperative to writing properly, lol) I have a healthy distrust of Amazon (esp with them upping prices on you when you get comfy), so I have Sony envy. Sigh. It's so hard to pass them at Target and not touch. But touching leads to buying. (Which is why I'm relieved Target put away their PS3 sample!) But 349? Oy ve! Why can't gadgets cost less?
Pout.
I'm the addict, LOL
As with my previous blog, you know I love gadgets, but I don't buy anything that doesn't get used. We have two iPods, and use them constantly, especially in the car, and the computers, it goes w/out saying they get used.
The Kindle2. I love it without shame, here's why (sorry this is going to sound like a sales pitch, but it's all true, and it sold me): It's expensive, yes. For a writer, it's also a tax expense, and, I figure, it will take about 100-150 books for the thing to pay for itself (I've already bought near 20, so it won't be hard to get there). How? All Kindle books are a little cheaper than regular (if you aren't buying second hand. I always buy new books, usually retail at B&N or local stores), so I save there, and for those of us in NYS, we don't have to pay taxes on Kindle purchases, which I do on every other book purchase (NY is one state that has required us to pay sales tax on all online purchases, unlike other states), so I save there, too, as well as on shipping.
Plus, on many hardcover, new releases that would cost me $18 or more, I pay 9.99. So... I see the Kindle as paying for itself with the purchase of the books (and it reduces piracy and encourages people to buy new books, supporting author's careers). I would be buying those books anyway, so it also reduces clutter in my house, which pleases me to no end. This can't be said for other e-readers. I also read on a Treo, and then a Dell Axim, but the other ebook sites don't sell at discount, charge tax, and so you aren't really getting any deal there. I liked reading on my Axim, but I didn't like having to pay hardcover price for an ebook. With Kindle, I don't have to.
I think, like I said before, you have to know what you will use. If you use it, and if it makes your life better, then it's worth the money. If not, if it will just sit on a table and do nothing, then no. I am at the base, a practical person. I don't spend money on things we don't use, but I will buy something I want, if I know it's something I am really going to use. Especially if it truly will make my life easier (like the Dell mini -- believe me, if you had to haul my regular laptop, a 17", around, you'd see the facility of having a 2lb laptop, LOL).
So, I think it's about what you will use, and what's important to you.
Sam
I made a deal with my niece...
that if my next book makes at least three times the cost of the PS3 in the first month, we'll get that. (Crossing fingers, though do I want the gadget or the book success? So hard to know for sure!)
I don't blame you on the Mini. I love my laptop for it's lightness and mobility. Our problem is that me and hubby both are gadget addicts. It's like hanging out with a pusher right out of rehab.
Shoot, my neck is starting to itch again. :)
gadget corner!
Yup i love gadgets, they are sooo cool. but like everyone else i'm cheap too. Well, i'm a stay at home mother, so with one income coming in you have to be. But last year after drooling over my sisters Palm treo my husband forced me to buy one. I got it on ebay and paid about half what you would new so that wasn't too bad. (Okay so he had to force me tp buy it, i have problems buying things for myself that arent a necessity, except books!)
I havent tried to read books on it, the screen is small and i think it would be aggrivating, so yeah i think a kindle would be cool. Too bad we all werent in oprah's audience the day she gave everyone a free kindle. Arrrg.
I love my laptop, don't have an ipod but want one badly. My mom has one but never uses it.
As for my laptop i had to buy one, my old pc was freezing up and acting very cooky. But after building my own system on dell and adding it to my wish list it still took me a week to hit they buy button, i felt so guilty spending 600 on me when i could have paid a bill or bought stuff for my son.
Oh well, I'll feel less guilty when i get published and use this for work and not just surfing favorite sites. (like this one!!!)
later fellow techies.
jody
New comps...
are a scary purchase, no matter what. But if it makes you feel better, that 600 is likely to pay for itself AND be used for family stuff. Don't feel bad.
My only prob with reading on Treo is in the dark. It's really bright, even on low setting, afterward, I'm literally blind for whole minutes. (I'm light sensitive) Otherwise, you can make the text really big and you're good. Plus, if you get Mobi-maker, you can convert all kinds of things to .prc format and read it there. Easy peasy, excellent!
If money were no object
I'd have an iPhone, a Kindle, a Macbook Air, and a Dodge Charger. As things stand I have NONE of the gadgets and a Honda Civic. A 4 cylinder Honda Civic with a cracked bumper and mud all over the back seat. I also need new bras. Woe is me...except life is grand, even without the gadgets!
Oh, and a Pfaff. But I digress.
Ha!
So true about the bras! Hilarious!
Don't even get me started on sewing machine envy. My mother just got a new Bernina and I'm buying her a case for it for mother's day. Y'know, in case anyone wants to borrow it....like me, e.g...
ROFL!
Oh, if only Money were no object! Sadly, I need new bras too. Babies are wolverines when I don't cough up the milk. They've torn mine to kingdom come. I'm just afraid to buy something pretty until I get them off me. :)
E-readers and books
I think ebooks are WAY overpriced (amazon I"m looking at YOU) and at this point, I just can't justify the expense. Not when I need a new fence, and both bathrooms need to be retiled and I really need new floors (no I really do) and I can buy a REALLY NICE new toilet for the cost of an ereader. I could probably buy enough tile for one bathroom, I could do 1/3 of my fence (guessing here).
The cost of an e-reader would pay to get half a tree trimmed (now there's something worth blogging about. Why the HELL does it cost so much to have trees trimmed?). Or I could get both the dogs fixed (which, yes, I will do because I am a responsible owner). Or I could pay off my credit card, and hide it from myself (which I'll be doing soon anyway).
Yeah, not high on my list of things to buy. And honestly, I have enough problems saying no to books, I don't need to make the buying any easier on myself!
With you on trees...
We had 8 trees taken down last year. We got a very good price, but the good price was still really pricey. I can respect it though, because three of the trees were 80-90 feet tall, and the guys had to climb and de-limb them, so I think they did earn it.
Let's talk dirt, however. We need 60 cubic yards (a lot) of dirt fill for part of our yard, and then we would need topsoil over that. Now, as far as I know, dirt is pretty much free. All someone has to do is dig it up and bring it from place to place for the cost of gas and labor. So, for these 60 cy of dirt (not even the topsoil or the grading) why should it cost $1200?
Anyway, I hear you. We are always doing this balancing act, though truthfully, the ebook deals at amazon are better than when I was buying ebooks elsewhere at full retail. (Check into th SPCA and other reduced price pet spaying/neutering programs, btw -- some are way cheaper than a vet)
Sam
I would love to have an
I would love to have an ebook reader, but food comes first at my house.
Hmm...
I'm not too big on gadgets (my husband is more a gadget kind of guy, and usually gets us onto newer technology--then he has to explain the whole thing to me so I can use it. It took forever before I understood how to actually watch TV in our house :)) BUT I'd probably like an e-reader! It would make reading e-books way more convenient (now I have to do it at the computer, and that kinda cuts down on the whole portability thing!) On the other hand, it's harder to justify the initial purchase, plus I can totally see myself doing something dumb like dropping in the tub or running it over with the car... (uh, don't ask about the camera we had to replace a year ago...)
As I always say...
better to run over electronics than pets or people. (You'd be surprised how many people do the latter.)
LOL!
OK, if you put it *that* way... ;) Thanks for the perspective, Dee!