The Toms Tech Toys - How To Guide – Gotchas On Gizmos

It's that time of year again – the tech companies are having trade shows, and there's a World Wide Developer's Conference for Apple products. Everyone is starting up the press release machines for the latest, coolest, and most in demand tech toys out there. (To be fair, for those of us in technology journalism, this season never really ends; it just has slow times and frantic times.)

Computex just ended – this is the Asian equivalent of the Consumer Electronics Show that we had in January, and Mobile World ended last month. We've now had nearly nine weeks talking about the Biggest And Best (or Smallest and Fastest) gear on the planet, everyone's pumped up about this or that gadget…and it's time to take stock. What follows are some questions that every gadget buyer should have; while the companies that make this stuff kind of wish you'd just buy everything and buy the next new thing three months later, the demands of a sensible pocketbook should also be listened to.

Necessity Is The Mother of Gadgetry

First and foremost, you should be looking at your gadget purchases in the context of need. You may want a new cell phone – but do you actually need it? If you buy a new cell phone, ask yourself if you're really going to use all the functions on it. This used to be a much simpler decision before Apple's iPhone revamped the smart phone market by combining a cell phone with a handheld media player that also serves as a decent pocket computer. But ask yourself if you really need (or want) the ability to read your email on the cramped digital screen of your cell phone.

Likewise, remember that better than is the enemy of good enough. Your digital camera may be three years old, but if you're still cropping down every photo you shoot to put it on the internet, it may be more than enough for what you need.

Another truism is that unless the people doing the software design are brilliant (see Apple), multi-function devices usually don't work as well as two dedicated devices with separate functions. There are limited exceptions, but we still remember when cell phones just made phone calls.

Glitches Can Wreck The Fun

Unless you're a major techie, avoid being the early adopter. Find out from others if, for example, the battery life is less than advertised (it almost certainly is). Find out from others what the connectivity range is for that new wireless doodad, and read the forums – especially the support forums, before paying for something.

If you get the chance to try before you buy, look into it. Especially with, say, a laptop computer or netbook. Make sure that you like the keyboard; you're going to be using it a lot over the next few months. Make sure that you like the display. Again, a little due diligence here is worth the saved frustration later.

In conclusion, take the time to research any gadget before you buy – make the time to read the negative reviews first; every negative review tells you about something that was a deal breaker that someone else experienced. As a wise man once said – learn from the mistakes of others, you don't have the time to make them all yourself.