For some time now, technology has been growing faster than
at any other point in human history. For most of our time on this planet,
revolutionary changes were centuries apart, if not longer. Horseback travel was
the norm for thousands of years before the steam locomotive came around, and it
took another century after that for the automobile to gain mass production.
In our modern computer age, new technology is developed,
popularized, and then replaced with crushingly fast speed. If you’ve spent the
last few years avoiding gadgets like smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and more,
you may find it a bit of a challenge to understand all the various models and
improvements of the last five years. So if you’re looking to jump into the
brave new tech world of 2013, here are 3 entry-level versions of modern devices
that will get you up to speed without overwhelming you:
The Original E-Ink Kindle
At the unbelievable bargain of $69, the ground floor version
of Amazon’s popular e-reader will let you dive into our current age by
modernizing one of the oldest surviving mediums of entertainment—reading. If
you’ve never experienced the e-book phenomenon, now is the time to get started.
Hundreds of thousands of books are available with the press of a button, all on
a device that weighs less than a paperback, is more comfortable to hold, and
can be read in direct sunlight with a perfect simulation of real paper. If you
don’t need video streaming, web browsing, or hundreds of gaming apps, the
original Kindle will make you feel guilty about abandoning your bookstores.
HP Slate 7 Tablet
Reportedly hitting retail shelves in the United States
sometime around April of this year, Hewlett Packard’s new gadget is looking to
be a strong contender in the bargain-priced tablet arena. At an agreeable $169,
the Slate 7 is poised to compete with the similarly priced Kindle Fire. With a
few custom tricks up its sleeve—including an impressive aluminum casing and highly
polished overall features—the Slate 7 may become the best way to enter the tablet
world without dropping $400 or more.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey
Among the crowd of modern gadget marvels, none stand higher
than the smartphone. Combining the greatest advances in telecommunications and
computers of the last few decades into one powerful little package, the
smartphone has done the seeming impossible: made Internet access 100% portable,
constant, and pocket-sized.
If you’re looking to dip your toes into the smartphone
market, but feel knocked over by the incredible range of choices, features, and
price tags, you should definitely consider Samsung’s ATIV Odyssey. You won’t be
able to stream HD video, or run the endless catalog of apps that transform your
phone into a dog whistle, flashlight, palm-sized gaming machine, and more. But
you’ll have a very serviceable 4 inch screen that will let you surf the web
wherever you are (on a 4G network, no less), send emails, and experience the
general benefits of having the web available to you at all times. All at the
incredible price of $49.99. If you’re new to smartphones, you might be
surprised by the bump in monthly price that your cell phone plan will require,
but with the unit itself available for a cool fifty bucks, there’s no better
way to test the smartphone waters.
All of these gadgets are fun, powerful, useful, and priced
to move. They’ll get you up to speed on what the modern tech world has to
offer, without chasing you away with high cost and complexity.
Author bio:
John is a blogger who still counts his 1st
generation Kindle as the greatest gadget of the last 10 years. He writes for online insurer protectyourbubble.com,
a company that provides protection for smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and
everything else from the modern world that you might want to try.
