Hand-me-down tech: where old gadgets go
Where do all of your old gadgets go when a new BSO (bright shiny object) arrives? It's an interesting question addressed by Andy on his VoIP Watch blog today. Like Andy (and Om Malik who he cites in his article) and a frighteningly high percentage of the people I tend to hang out with, acquiring new gadgets is an addictive behavior I've accepted and embraced. I see cool gear and I want it. So I get it. And yesterday's gotta-have-it device (or software – I don't discriminate) ends up... where?
Andy describes his outlet – Helene, his lovely bride-to-be who he describes as a "girl geek". I've had the pleasure of getting to know her a bit and she is, indeed, a certified member of the gadget club. In my case, the primary recipient of my well-used former BSOs is my son Jason. My wife is only selectively interested in gadgets (she loves her iMac and her digital camera and her iPod Shuffle but doesn't have any real gadget lust in her heart) and my daughter mostly follows in her mom's footsteps.
Jason, on the other hand, is his father's son and gleefully accepts his role as reaper of the bounty that is my continual stream of gadgets. He's had a variety of PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, cameras, and other goodies land on his desk after I've moved on to the latest greatest.
Where do your old gadgets go?