Wired Tools 2006: 107 Cool Upgrades To Your Holiday Wish List ... for who?
Thursday, 23. November 2006, 21:41:57
Wired 14.12 (aka the December issue) contains a section titled Wired Tools 2006 - 107 Cool Upgrades To Your Holiday Wish List. I'm curious who can afford this stuff. Better yet, who would want to?
In particular, the wish list starts off with a $700 Nokia cell phone. This triple-jointed wonder can plug into your TV and playback MP4 video. Am I impressed enough to think this is cooler than a portable video player or PSP? No! In fact, I could buy a cell phone, portable DVD/MP4 video player, and PSP for less than this cell phone.
Moving on, we arrive at the video section with a $20,000 projector (bulbs for this overpriced behemoth run between $3,000-$15,000). If a 20 foot screen doesn't float your boat, the following page should get you salivating. The next offering is a $70,000 Panasonic TH-103PZ600U plasma television. Yep, all those zeros are not a mistake. Not all of us are CEOs, so page 136 has a few video options ranging between $4,000-$15,000 for those of us with modest salaries -to put on layaway.
Are there really people dim enough to believe a $70,000 television will enrich their lives more than a model under $2500? If a 103 inch screen is that much more rewarding, why not plug a pair of 52 inch plasmas into a dual-head video card on a Media Center PC and save $60,000? You'll not only have 1 inch more endowment, you'll have DVR and the ability to playback all kinds of media. The $70,000 model doesn't offer DVR or any other features over that of an ordinary TV.
I realize there are people in the world who need $70,000 televisions and $700 cell phones. These same people, who apparently write for Wired, drive Hummers but will never take them beyond a gravel road. This magazine is quickly becoming Glamour for the wanna-be tech community. It's more about image than actual information. It may be time for me to cancel my subscription so I can start getting Popular Science and Consumer Reports.
In particular, the wish list starts off with a $700 Nokia cell phone. This triple-jointed wonder can plug into your TV and playback MP4 video. Am I impressed enough to think this is cooler than a portable video player or PSP? No! In fact, I could buy a cell phone, portable DVD/MP4 video player, and PSP for less than this cell phone.
Moving on, we arrive at the video section with a $20,000 projector (bulbs for this overpriced behemoth run between $3,000-$15,000). If a 20 foot screen doesn't float your boat, the following page should get you salivating. The next offering is a $70,000 Panasonic TH-103PZ600U plasma television. Yep, all those zeros are not a mistake. Not all of us are CEOs, so page 136 has a few video options ranging between $4,000-$15,000 for those of us with modest salaries -to put on layaway.
Are there really people dim enough to believe a $70,000 television will enrich their lives more than a model under $2500? If a 103 inch screen is that much more rewarding, why not plug a pair of 52 inch plasmas into a dual-head video card on a Media Center PC and save $60,000? You'll not only have 1 inch more endowment, you'll have DVR and the ability to playback all kinds of media. The $70,000 model doesn't offer DVR or any other features over that of an ordinary TV.
I realize there are people in the world who need $70,000 televisions and $700 cell phones. These same people, who apparently write for Wired, drive Hummers but will never take them beyond a gravel road. This magazine is quickly becoming Glamour for the wanna-be tech community. It's more about image than actual information. It may be time for me to cancel my subscription so I can start getting Popular Science and Consumer Reports.
WIDGETIZE