Are you a technophile?

[cyanide]

A vast majority of us are gamer guys, and I'm pretty sure we're also techie whores. I'm realizing that I have way too many gadgets and it usually starts with one thing before it spirals out with accessories and peripherals. The only cutting I'm planning on is selling my iPod touch and cell phone and get an iPhone instead

How about you guys, are you guilty of having way too many thingamajigs and not feel guilty at all? Are there any that you regret purchasing? Are there any that you're saving up to to buy? Do you rather go for inexpensive while it lasts or pay a premium for quality?

[Oznogrd]

As big a geek as i am im not a huge techie geek. I usually keep something until one of several things happen a) it becomes so obsolete its now unusable (computers, ipod mini). b) Stolen (ipod 80 gig) c) it breaks (various cell phones). i never get top of the line gadgetry because i know eventually, i'll be trading it out or it'll get swiped. I like looking at the stuff and iphones have saved my ass on more than one occasion. But im always that guy who uses a friends rather than buying it myself.

[Andrew]

As big a geek as i am im not a huge techie geek. I usually keep something until one of several things happen a) it becomes so obsolete its now unusable (computers, ipod mini). b) Stolen (ipod 80 gig) c) it breaks (various cell phones). i never get top of the line gadgetry because i know eventually, i'll be trading it out or it'll get swiped. I like looking at the stuff and iphones have saved my ass on more than one occasion. But im always that guy who uses a friends rather than buying it myself.

That's similar to how I'd describe myself. I've still got all the gaming consoles I've ever owned but only buy one per generation, I've got a third generation iPod nano but am not really interested in replacing it anytime soon nor getting an iPhone, I've got a few computers stored away in addition to the PC I'm currently using but they're backup/retro gaming/spare parts machines. On the whole, I'm not really one for gadgets.

[J@3]

I've got 2 sets of Logitech 5.1 speakers, an iPhone, an iPod, a media player, two computers, a 360, a projector/100" screen (can't use it yet, not until I move anyway), a GPS... though I don't drive and a few other things. I like technological stuff but I don't really have that much compared to other people. If I want something enough I'll buy it.

[JaoSming]

I am but I'm a smart technophile. I only buy crap used or when it's cheap after a few months. Learning to be patient has saved me thousands of dollars I bet.

[Patr1ck]

I only buy something of tech if I am going to use it every day. Whatever my next purchase is, I will put good use to it. It may be an itouch, it may be a cellphone, it may be a new computer, or a new car. I am always checking out the new stuff, and procrastinating on buying any of it has saved me a lot of money and made me a smarter buyer since I notice it all gets upgraded to something new within 6 months.

Would love to have a smartphone, but would not pay 100 a month for the services. That would be a waste of a smartphone not to use what it is capable of.

I'm thinking an itouch would be good, as I can use it as a portable gaming machine along as a music and video player, and just grab games through my computer. It's got good battery life (30 hrs music, 6 vid) which is a plus.

[Lamrock]

I am but I'm a smart technophile. I only buy crap used or when it's cheap after a few months. Learning to be patient has saved me thousands of dollars I bet.

Same here for the most part, though its probably saved me a couple hundred since I don't have much to spend on electronics. I have Gamefly though, so I only own a handful of games.

[Rip32]

In my head, I am a technophile, but in reality i'm really not. I've had a refurbished original iPod Video for about two years and it is having the iPod equivalent of epileptic seizures (it freezes and my songs/movies/podcasts get erased pretty regularly). I've poked around and looked at new iPod Touches, but I'm just too much of a wuss to go out and buy one.

I'm also only making a whopping $71.34 a check at work-- so it's financial suicide for me to splurge on anything like that

[el badman]

I like technology and gadgets, but only a few I find necessary. I don't have any mp3 player anymore, I'd much rather pop in a CD in my car or at home. My cell phone is an old piece of shit, I really don't need anything fancy. My computers is pretty good, but most parts have not been upgraded for quite some time. Since I can still play any game I want at max settings with it, that's good enough for me. So I guess I'm not too much of a techie overall.

[cyanide]

I am but I'm a smart technophile. I only buy crap used or when it's cheap after a few months. Learning to be patient has saved me thousands of dollars I bet.

I find that to be a hard thing to balance. I'll buy used and cheap, but when it comes to tech stuff, I have a thing for shelling out an extra few bucks for quality at the lowest price. I find it just lasts longer, but again, technology changes so frequently so I have to be careful about what to buy for the long term. For instance, computers. They generally don't last long before it conks out or becomes too slow. I bought a Mac Pro in 2007, and it's still as fast as I want it to be, and I probably won't have any need to get a new computer for another 3–5 years, which is a pretty good investment. Same with my tv. I waited months for a high-end tv to come down in price, and when I got it, I got a free BluRay player to go with it. Thing is, it's not a $600 tv, but it's 46" at 240Hz, excellent colour gamut, high contrast, and the experience of watching movies is mind blowing. Sure, I could've saved several more hundreds, but there's a trade-off in price for quality and longevity.

[NovU]

I'm into computers, cars, and sports in overall, but never was into gadgets that much. As for now I don't even own MP3 as I only listen to music when I'm driving. If there is something I want, I usually go for previous generation since it could save you $$$. I noticed buying the newest stuff on market sorta is a waste since it gets out dated so quick. As long as it does its function, I don't care how old technology is. That usually goes for gadgets in my case. I frequently upgrade PC and car parts though.