when i was in the Philippines, i was never interested on those promos coz i only texted someone if it was about something important and most of the time i use emails or IM to contact these people so i barely used my cellphone. being a person who loves gadgets or a techie is one thing, and keeping up with the fad or buying gadgets to be "in" or as a status symbol is weak and sorry to say this but stupid. in one of her posts, Connie (Sassy Lawyer), also talked about this and she said that a lot of these persons who have this high-tech gadgets don't even know how to use most of that gadget's functions. funny but true.

here in the US, people carry cellphones coz they need it, not because it's a status symbol. people are on the go and having a cellphone is more convenient that having a landline phone. but companies do also target the students and make them believe that it's something they need and not want. i am not against technology and gadgets. i believe they are very useful and helpful in everyday life.

I've seen over a dozen of highschool students with mobile phones that are way more expensive than the one I currently use, a Nokia 3530. I couldn't believe they owned a Nokia 6600 so I asked how did she acquired that phone, she whisphered, "Nabili po sa pitik." Meaning the phone she bought was stolen. Tsk tsk, only in the Philippines.

Of course, the texting overkill has clouded this basic need.

A PDA, like a Blackberry, could still fall under this usage, as a tool to communicate with others and then some, especially under a work environment.

I built my own PCs because it used to be cheaper that way, and still have, though partially disassembled, a home LAN with over a dozen nodes. Still, I did not find the purchase of a laptop necessary until a few weeks ago when the prices have gone down, way down.

My point? There are still cheaper ways to avail of new technology – even for the young.

@ jeeper: Same here, I'd love to own a PDA someday, but for now my goal is to own a digi-cam.

@ Amadeo: Marketing and consumerism is really hard to beat. In my university, a lot of students own the latest models of mobile phones but most are using the unlimited texting services so popular-essential nowadays. Imagine, a Nokia N90 running on 3-day unlimitxt service. The ironies of life.

@ Jigs: I'm gadget freak my self, too bad my wallet couldn't allow me to be a full pledged one.