Time to toss that gadget? Or not? (photos)

By Andy Smith March 27, 2011, 8:40 PM PDT

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Time to toss that gadget? Or not? (photos)

ntDitch the desktop? Cut the cable? Drop the alarm clock? ZDNet’s Andrew Nusca took on The New York Times‘ Sam Grobart’s view on u201cGadgets you should get rid of (or not).u201d Here are 10 common items that might be on their way to a museum. Add yours in Talkback. For more read 10 gadgets you should actually get rid of – or not.

nt1. The desktop computer

ntGrobart’s take: u201cLose it”

ntNusca’s take: I gave up my desktop in 2005, and haven’t looked back.

ntNext: Broadband Internet

nt2.) Broadband Internet

ntGrobart’s take: u201cKeep itu201d

ntNusca’s take: Broadband is more Internet than most homes need, but 3G isn’t enough.

ntNext: Cable TV

nt3. Cable TV

ntGrobart’s take: u201cDepends”

ntNusca’s take: Keep it. Setting up TV service without calling the cable company is about as easy as setting up a home network with Windows 95.

ntNext: Point and shoot cameras

nt4. Point-and-shoot cameras.

ntGrobart’s take: u201cLose it”

ntNusca’s take: Depends” For candid photos around town and of the kids, a current-generation smartphone handles this task

ntNext: Camcorders

nt5. Camcorder.

ntGrobart’s take: u201cLose it”

ntNusca’s take: Keep it” assuming it’s a Flip-type model.

ntNext: USB thumb drive

nt6. USB thumb drive

ntGrobart’s take: u201cLose it”

ntNusca’s take: Keep it” Connectivity problems and speed (large photos, home videos, applications) aren’t worth taking the time to upload to the cloud, just to bring back down again.

ntNext: Digital music player

nt7. Digital music player.

ntGrobart’s take: u201cLose it”

ntNusca’s take: “Keep it” Only gym rats would consider a small player like the Apple iPod nano.

ntNext: Alarm clocks

nt8. Alarm clock.

ntGrobart’s take: u201cKeep it”

ntNusca’s take: “Lose it” Modern smartphones can offer shortcuts.

ntNext: GPS devices

nt9. GPS device.

ntGrobart’s take: u201cLose it”

ntNusca’s take: “Keep it” It’s still far too early to ditch your cheap, windshield-mounted unit.

ntNext: Books

nt10. Books

ntGrobart’s take: u201cKeep them”

ntNusca’s take: “Depends” For beachgoers, paperback books can handle sand and sun and humidity without giving you heart palpitations.

By Andy Smith

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