I just ran across this article today: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108504/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010
It talks about the 10 things you shouldn’t spend money on in 2010 and while I mostly agree, I think you should be aware that there are some factor that this articles does not take into account. My goal with this blog is to keep everyone informed of complex issues with simple ideas. And so this is a good example of how I can do that for you.
- DVDs. I will agree that spending money on DVDs is an outdated concept. I don’t think I’ve bought a DVD in years as I’m a rental kind of guy. I have considered buying “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog” and “the Guild” (to free up space on my Xbox 360), but those are different issues. For me, the idea of owning movies that I may not watch more than a few times a year (at best) is not cost effective. Why not rent? But what this article fails to mention is that Blockbuster.com also offers a feature like Netflix.Blockbuster not only ships movies to your house, but they also have stores where you can exchange your online rental for an in store one. So, if you’ve got Benjamin Button and No Country for Old Men sitting around, but are really in the mood for ANY Comedy, you just take one of the two into a store and swap it out. Put the movie you just exchanged back in your queue and bump it to the top. No mess, no fuss! When you take the in store copy back (no late fees!) the next available in your queue is shipped. I’ve done this countless times over the last year and a half. Some people like Netflix, others liked RedBox — but Blockbuster.com is like Netflix and RedBox rolled into one.
- External Hard Drives. Oh! Fancy online services for $20 less per year than just buying a hard drive. But consider this — how many computers do you expect to buy in the next year? Yes, there is a 10% chance that your hard drive will crash every year. I’ve known some people to run the same hard drive for 10 years and others to go through a hard drive every year. When you buy a $70 external drive, you buy it once. If you need it 3 years later, that’s less than $24 a year you spent on your external. Compare that to the $160 you’d spend with an online service. If money is no object, and your data is THAT important then by all means. But don’t get into something for a long haul when you don’t need to. Most of what you want is in your “my documents” anyway.
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one "iPhone killer"
“Smartphone also-rans”. What does that even mean? The article states that you should probably get a Blackberry or iPhone because they have the most apps. Well, yeah! Blackberry has been around for 10 years and is a back bone to most offices since 2002. You think those guys ONLY use it for work? No. So obviously there are toys for it too. the iPhone is the biggest fad since Atkins. It was so revolutionary that everyone jumped on it. But when the person who washes your rental car sits down and pulls out an iPhone to send a text you start to realize just how commonplace the phone has become since it’s release in June of 2007. And to say that only 5% of people said they would purchase the My Touch is a very misleading statement. That’s like asking “How many people plan to buy a Toyota Corolla in 2010″? because the My Touch is a T-Mobile only phone. People want AT&T, Verizon and Sprint as well. Sprint has the Hero, Verizon has the Droid, AT&T is working with HTC (makers of the original G1 Android phone) for their own Google Phone. The first Android came out in Oct of 2008? And so limited to only T-Mobile users that it’s still taking time to catch on.My advice is not to limit yourself to just Blackberry or iPhone. Go out, look at the phones that has features YOU want. With the Cliqs, Droids, Heroes and Touches out there I’m betting you’ll see more Android apps hitting the market very soon. Unlike the iPhone, which is only with AT&T, programmers of the Android apps know they will be hitting larger audiences. Just like Blackberry.
Every thing else I agree with, except the idea that you’re advised to buy a bulkier alternative to a digital camera with a 500% higher price tag. Yeah, I think I’ll stick with the $70 Nikon that’s about a thick as my wallet. Thank you!