The GPS unit that I use on my car to help me avoid getting
lost more than I would otherwise here in Portland broke the other day.
At least I think it broke. Who knows about electronics today. When one
small component goes bad (I suspect those components are made to break
sooner than later since electronic device companies make most of their
money today by selling new models of the same junk we buy from them) we
are told to throw it out and buy a new device. Allegedly, planned
obsolescence is good for the economy.
Making cheap products that won't last may be good for the economy, but it is not for my already tenuous mental condition. It frustrates me when I purchase an electronic device that is either too complicated, too filled with un necessary features or too unreliable to last. As an example, take the GPS unit I mentioned. I bought that more than 2 years ago, my first GPS ever because when I lived in New Orleans I already knew where every road was and did not need an electronic lady inside a GPS recalculating for me when I took the roundabout way. Sometimes I prefer to look at pretty scenery instead of arriving at my destination 5 minutes earlier. GPS units are built on the assumption that the driver wants speedy, not aesthetic driving. But I am not a robot and sometimes find too much efficiency to be inhuman.
What happened to my old GPS was that the lighting on the display was too dull, very hard to read. Evidently, the computer chip developed a defect in that because one day when I turned on the GPS I couldn't see the screen well enough to use it. I went through the GPS menu settings and checked the display screen lighting controls, but they did not respond to any changes I made. So, since I was still in the dark when using my GPS, I went on line and tried to find instructions to remedy the problem. You guessed it. I found nothing and decided to surrender to the GPS planned obsolescence theory by buying a new one. Gee, they don't even pretend any more that I can fix instead of replacing a broken electronics device. Sigh...I long for the old fix-it shops, the ones with the old man who charged a pittance and who could fix anything you brought to him.
After doing research on line about the latest GPS units I found that there were plenty more than necessary to choose from, but I bought a highly rated one that was a low price GPS unit but absent the "features" that nerds so love in their devices. Success! Unlike techies, I look for the product that is easiest to use and has the fewest features. I don't want a GPS that plays music, salts my fish or lets me chat with someone in Mongolia. I just want guidance while driving to the Portland destination I am trying to reach. Of course, this puts me in the minority of GPS buyers, because consumers today seem to want as much variety as possible in their electronic products. They are addicted to gadgetry.
Well, I installed the GPS and it works fine (for now). I wonder what electronic gadget will break next. Sometimes I feel like recalculating.....
Making cheap products that won't last may be good for the economy, but it is not for my already tenuous mental condition. It frustrates me when I purchase an electronic device that is either too complicated, too filled with un necessary features or too unreliable to last. As an example, take the GPS unit I mentioned. I bought that more than 2 years ago, my first GPS ever because when I lived in New Orleans I already knew where every road was and did not need an electronic lady inside a GPS recalculating for me when I took the roundabout way. Sometimes I prefer to look at pretty scenery instead of arriving at my destination 5 minutes earlier. GPS units are built on the assumption that the driver wants speedy, not aesthetic driving. But I am not a robot and sometimes find too much efficiency to be inhuman.
What happened to my old GPS was that the lighting on the display was too dull, very hard to read. Evidently, the computer chip developed a defect in that because one day when I turned on the GPS I couldn't see the screen well enough to use it. I went through the GPS menu settings and checked the display screen lighting controls, but they did not respond to any changes I made. So, since I was still in the dark when using my GPS, I went on line and tried to find instructions to remedy the problem. You guessed it. I found nothing and decided to surrender to the GPS planned obsolescence theory by buying a new one. Gee, they don't even pretend any more that I can fix instead of replacing a broken electronics device. Sigh...I long for the old fix-it shops, the ones with the old man who charged a pittance and who could fix anything you brought to him.
After doing research on line about the latest GPS units I found that there were plenty more than necessary to choose from, but I bought a highly rated one that was a low price GPS unit but absent the "features" that nerds so love in their devices. Success! Unlike techies, I look for the product that is easiest to use and has the fewest features. I don't want a GPS that plays music, salts my fish or lets me chat with someone in Mongolia. I just want guidance while driving to the Portland destination I am trying to reach. Of course, this puts me in the minority of GPS buyers, because consumers today seem to want as much variety as possible in their electronic products. They are addicted to gadgetry.
Well, I installed the GPS and it works fine (for now). I wonder what electronic gadget will break next. Sometimes I feel like recalculating.....
No comments:
Post a Comment