Buying & Researching Gadgets

These resources were compiled for the "Buying a Technology Gadget" workshop conducted at the Simmons GSLIS Tech Lab in May 2006. This is in no way intended to be a comprehensive document—with the exception of "Other Places to Check," these sites are those that the workshop instructors have used in the past or evaluated for the workshop and felt were good sources of information. There's more out there! Please let me know if you find something particularly good: alison (dot) cody (at) simmons (dot) edu. Please note: Myself, the other instructors and the GSLIS Tech Lab cannot be held responsible for any problems or bad experiences you may run into as a result of using the information provided here or from purchasing an item from any of these vendors.

General Sources

These sources have information on all kinds of gadgets and might be a good starting point.

CNet.com: A respected and well-known site with tons of reviews and buying guides.
Consumer Reports and the Consumer Reports Buying Guide. You'll need a Simmons login to access these. If you don't have one, there's an excellent chance that your local public library subscribes to at least one of these.
Froogle: Google's comparison shopper
Yahoo! Tech: Yahoo's! tech section debuted in spring 2006

Laptops

In the market for a laptop? The Simmons Technology Office recommends that you purchase a laptop meeting certain minimum specifications. Learn more: Recommended Computer Specifications.

Flash Drives

Better than rewriteable CDs, flash drives can hold a ton of information and can live on your keychain.

Hardware Secrets: USB Drive Roundup
Ars Technica: Son of the USB 2.0 Hi-speed Flash Drive Roundup (2005)
USB Mini Desktop Aquarium and USB Beverage Chiller from ThinkGeek, a great site for geeky gifts. Do more with your USB ports!

Digital Cameras

The digital camera market is hot -- new cameras are constantly being introduced and models that are just a few months old become quite hard to find. Once you know you definitely want to get one, move quickly, and keep an eye on review and release dates.

dpreview.com: An excellent source for digital camera reviews.
Hardware Secrets: Memory Cards Tutorial
Media Card Basics: brought to you by the AARP.
the-digital-picture.com: A good review site for Canon lenses (in case you're REALLY into photography).

Retailers

A short list of retailers you might want to check out. Current Simmons students are eligible for discounts from Apple, Dell, and Academic Superstore. Check it out!

B&H Photo and Video: "In my experience a low-priced and very reliable vendor. I've bought two digital cameras, a bunch of lenses, an iPod, and my Powerbook from them. They're very reliable." - Dave
Buydig.com: "I bought my digital camera there. After doing a bunch of research, I discovered that Nikon was phasing out the one I really wanted. Buydig was just about the only place was still carrying it at a reasonable price and seemed reputable. I had no problems." -Alison
Newegg.com: Newegg sells a pretty wide variety of hardware, including USB flash drives.

Warranties

You're already spending enough money on the gadget - do you need the warranty? There's no one answer, but these sources might prove helpful as you try to decide.

Other Places to Check

We haven't checked these out, but they were recommended by others. See what you think!