tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post3137800081957484859..comments2024-03-15T02:16:44.476-05:00Comments on Leyden Techies: Chromebook Announcement at FETC 2012Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03366883537261504551noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-69063211163845830152012-05-10T15:05:56.181-05:002012-05-10T15:05:56.181-05:00Three tech gadgets you might be tempted to buy, bu...Three tech gadgets you might be tempted to buy, but shouldn't<br /><br />Some products just aren't worth the hassle, even when they're a bargain.<br />Tech It Up! – Wed, May 9, 2012.. .<br /><br />By Rick Broida, CNET<br /><br />You know the old saying: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.<br /><br />For example, yesterday I received a PR pitch from Jabra, which is offering a $15 Amazon MP3 credit when you buy the Jabra Clipper Bluetooth stereo headset -- in your choice of four colors -- for $59.99.<br /><br />Here's the funny part: there's a fifth color, black, that sells for $39.99 -- right there on the same Amazon product page. I'm no math whiz, but that plus $15 works out to less than $59.99.<br /><br />This got me to thinking about other "deals" that aren't. Though it's easy to be tempted by huge price cuts and/or new technologies, some products are losers at any price. I've rounded up three I recommend avoiding.<br /><br />1. AirPlay speakers<br /><br />2. Chromebooks<br /><br />Chromebooks were a sucky idea from the get-go. Take everything that's crummy about Netbooks -- weak processors, limited storage, a cut-rate operating system -- and pack it into a laptop that requires Internet access for it to be of any real use, then charge $500 for it? Yeah, can't imagine why that idea tanked.<br /><br />Maybe that's why Amazon is now selling the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook for $299.99. Even at that price, you're looking at a seriously under-powered PC that's useful only for Web browsing, e-mail, and some light, Google Docs-driven office work.<br /><br />In my mind, a Chromebook offers exactly one advantage over a traditional, Windows-powered laptop: fast start-up. Everything else is compromise, compromise, compromise. For all of $10 more, you can buy a full-featured Toshiba Satellite laptop (currently on sale for $309.99) that blows the Samsung out of the water at nearly every turn.<br /><br />Trust me: Chromebooks will be a forgotten footnote in computing history, just like Netbooks.<br /><br />3. Off-brand tabletsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-39433815108302590572012-01-31T09:10:21.076-06:002012-01-31T09:10:21.076-06:00Thanks for everything, Jes. And may I say I love t...Thanks for everything, Jes. And may I say I love the new threaded comments within Blogger! :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04230779302324391058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542978543085200233.post-10380969330857266842012-01-26T06:40:46.133-06:002012-01-26T06:40:46.133-06:00It was such an excellent event made even more spec...It was such an excellent event made even more special by your participation and passion. Thanks for being here and for sharing your stories.Jeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13324949875058967247noreply@blogger.com