3G Gadgets
This technology promised to serve users with broadband-speed internet reception anywhere where there was a cell phone reception. The speed of the connection is not really noticeable on mobile phones yet even though the plan to get 3G is more expensive. Downloading a film for example on 3G can be very time costly and speeds don’t live up to the hype.
Satellite radio Gadgets
Satellite radio was supposed to be a way of listening to over 200 radio channels that all offered different music offerings and entertainment. Yet it seems like there are just too many channels to choose from and the quality of many radio channels are not up to par. Many of them seem to be playing on auto-pilot and provide uninspiring listening; others repeat the same kinds of songs over and over again. You can lose reception often and the sound is perhaps overly digitalized and unnatural. What with Wi-Fi soon to be installed in cars internet radio may become the best next thing and with the opportunities for using the ipod in car the popularity of the satellite radio looks set to wane.
Bluetooth Gadgets
Bluetooth is used to connect devices to each other so they can work in sync. For example you may want to print pictures on a printer by connecting your camera by Bluetooth to the printer. Or you may want to play music on speakers from your computer without connecting them. Bluetooth is the way people connect their headphones to their phone so they can chat to people without phones. Sometimes this syncing goes wrong however making for the ‘pairing’ of the gadgets to become ‘unpaired’. Fixing this can be very frustrating and sometimes the process seems illogical. Using proper cables is the only way to be sure that you will be able to do what you want to do, which kind of negates the whole purpose of Bluetooth in the first place.
iPhone 3G
OK, OK, this is a bit controversial ! The iPhone promised new speeds since it is on a 3G network. However, although it will cost you less to buy a new iphone 3G than the original iphone, monthly phone company charges work out as being more in the long run. Some have described the new iPhone as having unreliable signal strength. Having to restore your iPhone is the only way to fix it if it malfunctions and this is proving to be annoying for users. The App store was said to be one of the great attractions of the new iphone as Apple was allowing third party users to create apps for the first time. However, Apple still controls who is allowed to market on the app store and has shut these new developers out of underlying systems and advanced features, meaning third party apps are often limited in their usefulness.
GPS Gadgets
These satellite navigation systems can be found in standalone portable GPS devices, cell phones and cars with the idea to get you from point A to point B in the fastest most efficient way. Perhaps this boast is a little too much to promise, since GPS can often try to make you turn on a one way street and lead you into obstacles like incoming traffic and train tracks or rivers. It’s always good to watch out for problems like using GPS although it does seem to improve each year.