Finding the Right Balance with Technology for our needs.
Ever since attending computer club in Secondary School, it was plainly obvious, I was going to be into technology, and find many uses for it.
Music and the walkman, thanks to my parents music is very much the most important thing to me, its a media that has always kept me going and supported me through everything from break ups to hard times. My grandma rest her soul, bought me my first personal stereo cassette player, which thanks to Sony became known as the walkman. It was a piece of technology that allowed me to walk around town with music constantly at my side or should I say in my ears.
My interest in technology did not stop with music devices which for now has me at Hi Res quality music players and Hi Res online music platforms. I was now going to college and getting more interested in computers way beyond the back in the day Commodore 64, remember those? I later went onto building personal computers this was really exciting building something from the ground up and the satisfaction of seeing and hearing it come to life with that now familiar windows logo.
It wasn't long before I was at University studying Information Management and Education, learning how to use the technology to get information and gain knowledge, which included learning how to use search engines like Yahoo, Netscape and Internet Explorer, before of course Google came along in 2008.
For as long as I can remember, I found myself hunting for the best piece of kit that best served the purpose I needed at the time, a very expensive and soul destroying venture at times. A classic mistake I always made was rushing into purchasing the latest gadget, only to realise its shortcomings and regret I did not wait for its successor or another device completely.
This over ambitious frame of mind when it comes to technology hasn’t totally gone away, as I have become what can best be described as gadget vampire constantly scouring the internet to find the next gadget to suck my fangs into.
I believe this is because when it comes to myself I don’t seem to follow the same advice as I do in my career. I work in the Early Years Sector, and one of my passions is to find out what types of children’s technology can support the many aspects of their learning. I would look at the educational need, say supporting a child with English as an additional Language, and what technology might be used to support that ie an e-book with stories children like in various languages or a talking pen from a company called Mantra Lingua that can read various texts or stories in the languages we choose.
If I did follow that same advice, in relation to my own technology needs, things would very clear. What do I want to do, read and write emails, watch videos, play the odd game, read and research a whole range of topics, write notes in meetings by paperless means.
I often get drawn into the reviews, on social media platforms and online blogs, on technology a reviewer has tested and used, resulting in purchasing technology that I either didn’t really need as, I have similar tech already or I find it did not serve the purpose. I`m looking for that all round device that is good for both entertainment and productivity, and most of the time the device fails in one of those areas.
A Laptop is great for portability and they are now as powerful if not more powerful than desktops, but sometimes you might want that extra screen real estate you get from a desktop pc so there is room for both. A tablet is great for social media, browsing the web, watching the odd video but it cannot yet fully replace your computer, no matter how many companies and online bloggers tell you it can, like me you may find it coming up short and end up turning to your laptop or desktop.
Software and operating systems. Usually a piece of software or apps on tablets or smartphone devices, will only ever do so much on a small screen and small form factor over running the full software version on a full pc, photo editing or graphic design packages are two examples, dont get me wrong they are getting better.
Operating systems also can add to the confusion and is a matter of preference or based on the software publishers choice of operating system platform. I am mainly a Windows user and so often struggle with Apple Mac OS, and iOS, and so in my daily use will use either WIndows or Android as I feel with Smartphones I'm more comfortable with the Google platform (each to their own).
To get the right balance you may for now and I believe this is true for me and I believe many of you reading this, still need multiple devices. I could go on forever on this topic, but I will get to the point, get the technology you need to strike the right balance for your needs.
So what is the perfect device for my needs. It’s a piece of technology as good as an iPad Pro tablet, powerful enough for gaming like some of the current top gaming laptops are, and I need to be able to note take in meetings on its lightweight screen and chassis, that is as natural to write on like paper as the Remarkable 2, and fits into my work or weekend laptop bag.
My quest continues for now.
