De-Evolving

I find it sickly ironic that this semester I am de-evolving in a way.

I've spent the past few years amassing a rather large assortment of gadgets -- all in the name of making my life more convenient, easier, or just more fun. The list looks something like this:

Custom-built desktop computer (for gaming / file server)
Dell laptop (writing, school projects, mobile computing)
Eee PC Laptop (ultraportable, replaces Dell for mobility)
iPaq PDA (for digitally organizing my life)
Samsung Camera Phone (to replace my outdated handset)
Verizon XV6700 smartphone (to replace the above two at once)
Zen Vision M MP3 player (for mobile music)
Nintendo DS (for mobile gaming)
Nintendo Wii (latest and greatest for cool gaming!)

What I'm finding about this list is that the newest and greatest isn't really serving me like I would like. The XV6700 smartphone is a wonderful concept: replace my aging PDA and my cell phone at once, and carry just one device. Thing is, the XV6700 isn't serving me on either front: the battery life is terribly short, so using it as a phone doesn't work. The PDA functionality is just fine, but exactly the same as my old PDA was. In other words, I want a better phone. I'll be "downgrading" back to two devices soon: an LG VX 10000 multimedia phone ("Voyager") and my old PDA, which has fantastic battery life and simple, unobtrusive functionality. In this case, two simple devices are better than one complicated device.

Also of note is my Eee PC. Rather than "downgrade" to an older laptop, I'm finding all three of my computers each filling a niche in my daily life. My desktop is the center of my computing life, bar none: as it houses all my music, videos, files, and games, it's where my day starts and ends. My Dell laptop, far too bug to lug around with me, is a excellent writing machine: the keyboard is well-built and laid out, the screen large, sharp, and bright enough to starve off fatigue, and the computer just portable enough to move around my house when I need a change of scenery. MYyAsus Eee PC is the opposite of my desktop: easy enough to take anywhere, quick to use as an internet communications device, and with a half-decent keyboard for random creative writing sessions. Rather than try to replace one or the other, I simply now use all three computers based on their strengths, and I thus completely avoid each of their individual weaknesses. It took me a while to realize this, however, as I spent a lot of time trying to make the Eee PC my new laptop, although it's small screen frustrated me. Nevertheless, I've achieved balance finally!

Okay, enough rambling (and geeking out). Time for dinner, my one and only class for the day, then maybe working (or the exact opposite: Dairy Queen), and then it'll be off to bed early :-)

B3 out.