Gadgets: what do yours say about you?
Tablets Laptops Mobiles Handheld games TVs Game consoles
A tailored suit and a firm handshake are no longer the key yardsticks our colleagues and peers may use to judge us.
Instead, the smartphone you keep in your pocket, and the laptop in your briefcase might say far more about the kind of person you really are.
Click for more photos
If gadgets could talk
Apple's iPad. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
This is because popular gadgets have moved from being mere tools and evolved into an extension of our lifestyles. Whether we use them for entertainment, work or communication, we are making a statement about ourselves, say experts.
In a new book called What Makes us Tick, social researcher Hugh Mackay explains that gizmos (along with other luxury items) are commonly used to “draw attention to ourselves and position us as people worthy of admiration or respect”.
“... the cult of celebrity has spawned the idea that, if you aspire to a higher status, the symbols will get you there,” he writes.
And they also serve to set us apart as members of a particular tribe that stand for “particular values, preferences, styles and ways of life.”
A Roy Morgan study on mobile phone ownership demonstrated distinct personality traits associated with different mobile phone brands, even revealing how much their owners earned as well as their work and leisure habits.
“Our research showed different personalities attached to different brands ... LG owners are often price conscious and look for a phone that is reliable and built to last, whilst Samsung users like the fact that they can get a large number of ringtones. Not surprisingly, iPhone owners are heavy users of the mobile internet, GPS functions and also listen to music using the phone,” said Andrew Braun, director of mobile, internet and technology at the research group.
But it isn't just the phone in your pocket that your peers are evaluating. Your new partner will almost certainly have an opinion on the size of your TV, while your colleagues size up the gadgets in your briefcase.
So what are your gadgets telling the world about you?
In your briefcase:
The iPad has been the toast of 2010 and will most certainly feature at the top of many Christmas lists this year. But buyer beware: a study by MyType conducted on 20,000 of its Facebook users characterised early adopters of the device as power hungry, selfish elites that are wealthy and unkind and disproportionately interested in business and finance. Thankfully Samsung has released its Galaxy Tab which means kind people may also own tablets.
Kindle This ebook reader from Amazon hit the market long before the iPad, making it last year's must-have gadget for bright, book-loving road warriors.
MacBook Air Whipping out this razor-thin Apple laptop should leave your colleagues gagging with envy without inciting the “selfish elite” stereotype that has smeared the rich and mean spirited iPad owners. You may indeed be one too – but luckily no-one has thought to do that study yet.
Sony Vaio If you are repelled by the whole PC versus Mac debate - then you may in fact be a Sony. That is someone who likes the reassurance of a big brand name with a solid reputation – but doesn't do much international travel (thus avoiding the vexation caused by Sony's incomprehensible regional coding of DVDs and games).
Dell As one of the key corporate laptop suppliers to business, Dell is the brand of choice for the executive who likes their hardware in shades of metallic grey (although they also come in some funky colours these days). These guys are the solid corporate workhorses who would prefer not to think about the possibility of their laptop spontaneously combusting.
In your pocket:
iPhone An obvious favourite with Apple's loyal legion of fanboys and girls, as well as those who consider themselves cutting edge and fashionable and might once have bought a Nokia. Roy Morgan research found iPhone owners were more likely than the average mobile phone user to agree to the statement “I try to look stylish”. To top it off a recent survey found iPhone users had more sexual partners than the rest of us. So there.
Blackberry It has been the corporate smartphone of choice for many years now, meaning its owners are the guys with the big paychecks. Their average salary was more than double that of other smartphone users at an annual $100,000 according to the Roy Morgan research. But money doesn't buy free time, with users dubbed “crackberry” addicts who take their work with them wherever they go.
Android smartphone The techie crowd, the free spirited crowd, and any other gadget fans who doesn't really like Apple's walled garden of apps and content might well be seen flashing a slinky HTC desire, or Samsung Galaxy S - both of which run on Google's Android open source operating system.
Windows smartphone Luddite or early adopter? Users could be either depending on which Windows operating system drives their phone. Either way – they're probably a comfortable Windows user at home or work which means they would never be spotted wearing a black skivvy.
Clamshell handset circa 2006 The phone in your hand tells the world that you will never be a slave to fashion, but that is a small price to pay for a reliable phone that you only have to charge once every three days. You can also secretly gloat that you've never experienced bill shock or got drunk on virtual beer.
Bluetooth earpiece They tried every trick in the book to make Bluetooth headsets cool – even building them in to trendy sunglasses, and for a short moment in time they almost succeeded. But not even the suits on the high street can be seen chatting into the ether about their latest property deal anymore. Once the iPod was invented, everyone realised this was a much better use for their ears.
Nintendo Dsi A gateway gadget for the kids that are too young to carry mobile phones and haven't yet clapped eyes on the iPad. Featuring games like Nintendogs for puppy lovers, and a camera that draws pig snouts and moustaches onto friends faces – users aged over 25 are in short supply.
Sony PSP Handheld gaming for older kids and game addicted grown-ups who need a quick fix of V8 Supercars while they are out and about. Carries slight risk of a man-child label for anyone brazen enough to whip it out on a first date.
Ipod Apple wiped the floor with other music players when it first introduced the iPod – which has now evolved to become a multitasking monster called the iPod Touch that lets you watch videos, play games, and make WiFi video call with friends. And you can do all this while appearing to the rest of the world to be conducting serious smartphone business – which has sealed its fate as the most popular handheld gaming device on the market.
Dedicated MP3 players like the miniature iPod Shuffle and lightweight iPod Nano may still carry considerable weight among younger music lovers, but Sony is trying to pull in more well heeled and traditional music fans with its substantially revamped Walkman brand that enjoyed its heyday back in the 1980s.
In the loungeroom:
3DTV Just when you had worked out your Dpi from your HDMI, a whole new generation of TVs has flooded into the stores. It may be the next big thing, but impossible price tags, the need to wear silly glasses, and the fact that there is very little 3D content yet, are three good reasons this is a plaything only for tech-infatuated rich guys with loads of spare cash.
LED TV Strictly for the cutting edge and cashed up TV viewer, this wafer thin version of the LCD TV technology is backlit with light emitting diodes instead of whatever LCDs used to be lit with - which means it is better for the environment.
Plasma A super-sized TV for movies, games and sports enthusiasts.
LCD For everyone else wanting a large TV minus the risk of dead pixels and screen burn in that afflicted the older generation of plasmas.
Analogue One of a handful of Australians who didn't spend their 2009 stimulus payment on a giant, spanking new digital TV.
TiVo Along with a bunch of other home entertainment upstarts, TiVo is the ultimate time-shifting toy for time-poor TV enthusiasts who hate missing their favourite shows when they are away, but haven't yet got the hang of BitTorrent.
The Nintendo Wii A kind of group gaming hug for the whole family designed to lure sulking teens back into the lounge room, and help housebound mums get fit. Where you find a Wii – you will also encounter women, children and Mario.
The Xbox 360 For both serious and casual gamers who like to match their wits against a large community of online gamers. (Although the new Kinect motion controller release is threatening to bring in some of Nintendo's beaming families into the fold.)
The Sony PS3 For hard-core gamers that want to hack and modify their console for the ultimate gaming performance, and casual teeny gamers who like to play SingStar and Dance-Dance Revolution while simultaneously watching BluRay movies.
14 comments
More comments
Comments are now closed