A while back I made a post on TechnologyEvangelist.com talking about how I was a Technoholic. I came to this conclusion because I buy a lot of technology right as it comes out, which is probably the worst time to buy.
The Palm Pre release is imminent and as such I started thinking about how I would acquire one. Then I started wondering why. I have an iPhone, I really like my iPhone and I have no need for a Pre. The Sprint network does not work in my house and I’m still in an AT&T contract. What benefit would a Palm Pre bring me?
As I pondered this I realized that I’m not a technoholic but rather an infoholic. The reason I buy this technology is because I like to know first hand what it is and isn’t good at, how it performs in real life situations and if I can suggest it to other people. I become the go-to guy for all things tech because *I* have the information on the technology. Not just information based on reviews and other users opinions, first hand opinions. I love having the info, but I’m too stupid to monetize that information. Information is power, duh!
Reviews and opinions are great although usually too shallow. When people talk about the iPhone keyboard and they mention how much it sucks, but they don’t mention that after you learn to use it you can type very quickly on it, although rarely one handed and rarely in a car. They forget to mention that because it is virtual they can do a lot more in that space than they could with a physical keyboard. These details are usually left out of the reviews and instead all we get to read is, “keyboard sucks”. So here I am, eager for the real life scoop on the products, paying for all of them out-of-pocket and not making anything in return. Seems to be a bad habit of mine.
In the end it comes down to wanting the most information possible and I have found that to be an expensive habit. When it comes to the Palm Pre I may just have to leave it to my friends at TreoCentral.com to review it for me and just trust that the tools I’m using today and good enough.
As a final note, I hope Apple learns a bit about the cool factor that Palm is bringing to the table such as wireless power, unified address books from Exchange to Facebook, community networking, background apps and understanding that an incoming phone call or SMS message shouldn’t abruptly stop whatever it is I’m doing!
I’m not quite a technoholic, but maybe one level down. I like to find the infoholics and read their reviews before I spend hard earned money. It’s not as rewarding, but there is nothing wrong with saving yourself from potential hazards of being an early adopter.