5 Technology Items Worth the Splurge
This week, I want to talk about technology that is worth spending a little bit more money on and not just buying the cheapest item on the rack.
There are times that buying the cheapest items really doesn’t affect quality (that will be next week’s episode). This week, however, I want to cover some items you should definitely spend a little bit more money on to get quality that will last.
Chargers
First and foremost are chargers. Chargers for phones, laptops, car batteries—you name it. Do not skimp out when buying chargers! There is a reason that you can get an iPhone charger for $1 on eBay, and trust me when I say it that it is not worth it. Although these cheaper chargers might have the same specifications as official chargers, and might even be marketed specifically for your device, not all chargers are created equally.
In fact, a while ago, Apple created a program where you could bring a cheap aftermarket charger and exchange it for an official apple charger for $10. This was in response to a woman who was electrocuted and killed for using a cheap aftermarket charger.
Now, will you die if you use an aftermarket charger? No, most likely not. However, cheap third party chargers could definitely decrease the lifetime of your devices. This is due to the fact that most cheap chargers are not designed as well and to such rigorous standards as most official chargers are. For example, even though a charger you buy online may be rated for 5 volts, it might fail or break, and cause much more electricity to flow into you device which could easily damage batteries, or the device itself.
There’s also the reverse situation where a charger may not provide nearly enough power to the device, which could make it next to useless because your device won’t even hit a full charge even if not used overnight! Now I’m not suggesting you go out and pay full retail. I get most of my chargers off Amazon, and I look for a ton of reviews with no less than 4 stars.
Cables
Now the same goes for cables that you use to charge your devices. If you’re going to buy a cable that you’re going to use frequently, I suggest looking for something of pretty good quality. I’ve seen cheap knock off cables fray, break, and sometimes expose the wires inside of them after just a little bit of use. This can be dangerous, and just a bummer to have a cable that will only charge your device if it’s plugged in, in just the right way.
Now keep in mind this tip is for cables you use frequently, plugging and unplugging on a fairly regular basis. You want to buy something that can easily survive some wear and tear. If this is going to be something you just plug in once and hardly ever move again, it doesn’t really matter, such as for a TV, desktop computer, or behind a desk where it’s not likely to move very often.
Cameras
OK, so we’ve talked about cables and chargers, let’s move on to something a little bit more exciting! If you’re someone who uses a camera frequently, I always recommend splurging on one. It’s impossible to go back in time and be able to catch that split second play, or snap a picture of a night out. Cheap cameras often have a really hard time catching fast events, and events that are low lit (like at night).
For my family at least, we always like to use cameras that are dependable and versatile. This way, we don’t miss out on any moment! Luckily, smartphone cameras are pretty amazing these days so long gone are the days when your average photographer needs to go out and buy a big camera to have some incredible pictures!
I personally use my iPhone 6 camera, and it’s incredible between the rich colors, slow motion, and full HD. It’s far better than most cameras from just a couple of years ago! Plus, if you upgrade your phone to get a better camera, odds are you’ll have your camera on you all the time, and you get a nicer phone, it’s a win-win.
Processors
Now let’s move over to the more geeky side and talk about processors. It seems like after just a year now, people complain that their computer has slowed down, and they always ask what they can do to speed it up. There are a handful of tricks that can help, but probably the biggest boost is to replace the processor of a computer.
The difficult thing about this, though, is that processors are generally buried deep in the heart of a computer, and can be very very difficult to get out. For some laptops, it may even be cheaper to replace the laptop altogether than it would be to find a compatible processor and spend the time or money required to replace it. For this reason, I always spend a little bit more money to get a faster processor.
It will allow you to get a few more miles out of your laptop, or at least keep you from feeling as if it is getting sluggish so soon.
Routers
Next is your router. I used to think run-of-the-mill routers were fine for people who wouldn’t use the extended features on expensive routers, or just didn’t need something big and beefy.
Over the years, that opinion of mine has done a complete turnaround. Now I recommend buying routers that are pretty nice. The reason behind this is because now people are using more bandwidth than ever streaming music, movies, and games in a household where everyone uses their devices at the same time and they need to be able to use it in the backyard, garage, kitchen, you name it.
With some lower-end routers, this amount of traffic will push them to the limit, causing them to slow to a crawl, or just cut out altogether. This can be a killer if you’re playing an online games, or even a family movie night. Plus a good router will last quite a long time!
Do you have anything that you spend a bit more money on? Have you ever wished you had? Do you have anything that you buy cheap?
If so, I’d love to hear about it on Facebook or Twitter. Be sure to check out all my earlier episodes at techtalker.quickanddirtytips.com. And if you have further questions about this podcast or want to make a suggestion for a future episode, post them on Facebook QDTtechtalker.
Until next time, I’m the Tech Talker, keeping technology simple!
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About the Author
Tech Talker demystifies technology and cutting edge devices so that even the most tech illiterate can understand what’s going on with their computer or gadget — and what to do when something goes wrong.
