What does a connected life take?

Great, now SVreX works for the NSA.

I hesitated about answering this … afraid I might skew the results too much

I don't have a smart phone … I do have a cell phone, I just don't use it very often (it stays turned off most of the time)

I have a desk top (MacMini) only computer … no iPad, tablet, no other electronic type of device (I'm not a hard core gamer … not a gamer at all)

I don't do FaceBook ( I have plenty of social interaction ) don't see where smart phone/facebook/twitter …etc is a MUST (as one responder claims)

I spend a couple of hrs a day on this and other forums

I have cable, land line, and broadband from the cable co

the only "downloading of music I do is 4 or maybe 5 times a yr I "buy" a download from iTunes … I have ~ 300 - 400 cd's and ~ 100 vinyl albums

I've just learned how to use my GoPro …. still don't know how to get pics to move from iPhoto to an online hosting site …

no streaming of movies ..etc…

don't know what "core software packages" are … so I'm betting I don't have any

no Bluetooth stuff? Web TV? Peripheral devices

never purchased any "virtual" products

still subscribe to the local news paper

probably more if I could think of them that would be considered near Luddite by most of the people that have responded so far ..

You don't want my 55 y/o thoughts in your results. But here they are.

I have a dumbphone, two laptops and cable TV. Technically I'm pretty savvy; I can get rid of viruses etc for my friends. I do need broadband for my Internet stuff: wasting time here, paying bills and researching race car parts. I detest Bluetooth. The sound quality is so poor, even with expensive equipment, that to me it's a waste of good money.

I am on FB but very rarely (mostly because I do not like all the drama), I might lurk occasionally just to see what's up and that is mostly because so many people I know (even around my age) have decided everybody is on FB. I nearly missed a get together with some old friends last year because the invites went out on FB only. It took a fellow non FBer to get the word to me. That sucks when you really think about it; what happened to 'reach out and touch someone'?

I don't download music because I don't trust magnetic media for long term storage and I honestly do not want to spend all my time ripping and burning CD's. I have a huge collection of CD's and DVD's and do add to it fairly constantly, all my vinyl disappeared some years ago.

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SVreX wrote: Do you think a laptop is now "typical"? Is more than 1 computer now standard? Broadband service, or would dial-up still be acceptable?

I much prefer a laptop as my only computer. My wife has one as well. Its nothing fancy, its an HP G62 with 4g memory and a 500gb hard drive. Plus, its portable for vacations and such. I could use my smartphone as my computer when I travel, but the laptop is a much nicer keyboard and so much faster. Laptop does everything I need to do, including stream movies, play games, and some light 3D rendering software.

Does pretty much everyone need a smartphone? How about in 10 years? How about an Ipod? Tablet?

I don't think so. I have one and its nice, but I could get by without it. 90% of what I do is phone and text, but it sure is nice to have the extras around. Its amazing what you can do with them. You can be driving along on your way to the challenge, tell your phone to find you the next Motel 6, and it will find one for you. A couple clicks later in the web browser and you've completed a reservation.

How about music downloads? Is 5 a month a reasonable average, or is 50 more like it?

I rarely download music, although I'm going to start up again soon since a hard drive crash caused me to lose about 50% of my music. Once you burn your CDs to the hard drive, I would say it depends on your style. I put my massive CD collection onto my computer and then just download new stuff as I hear something I like. I probably download about 5 songs a year.

Gaming- What's involved? Do most folks put in 10 hours per week for 1 favorite game, or more like 30 for 10 games? Online or offline?

I don't do any online gaming. If you plan on doing it, be prepared to pay a significant amount more for a GOOD video card. In a desktop, that usually means an upgraded card for $80. In a laptop, that usually means buying a fancy "gaming" laptop for an extra $300. That's the bummer about laptops. You can easily upgrade memory and hard drives, but most of the other stuff is soldered integral to the board and not really upgradable. My gaming consists of Angry Birds and Solitaire.

Other devices... Bluetooth stuff? Web TV? Peripheral devices?

Bluetooth is completely a luxury for me which means I don't have it. The only peripheral devices I ever use are headphones, and occasionally a trackball mouse if I'm working with the 3D software. That is all plug-n-play USB. No need for battery-sapping bluetooth IMO.

As far as web TV, its probably on youtube. If not, $9 a month gets you Netflix which is awesome in my opinion. One account and I can use it on any Netflix compatible device. I can watch on my smartphone, laptop, TV at home, whatever. I tried Hulu and Amazon and very strongly did not like either one.

Websites- is it reasonable to think people spend 1 hour per day, or more like 7 or 8?

I go through phases. Right now I'm not working, so I probably spend 3-4 hours a day. When I'm working, more like 1-2 hrs. There are sometimes that I discover a new forum or interesting sites and my internet use spikes a lot. I used to be a moderator over at automotiveforums and for about 5 years it was SO neat and exciting, but now its kinda turned into a bunch of young, new, (dumb, non-mechanical) users asking about adding one of those hydrosilator things to get 400 mpg, or asking how to supercharge their car using an A/C compressor.

Online purchases- does this represent a significant part of life, or not so much? Would you make the purchases anyway if there was no internet, or do the forums you visit encourage and influence your purchasing habits?

For me, internet purchasing doesn't usually affect my spending. I will admit to a few times of finding random awesomeness on craigslist or ebay and buying something I didn't know I needed, but for the most part, nah. I live close to a lot of retail in Pittsburgh. If I am headed out to buy a TV, I always use the internet first. First I look over reviews, then I use a website like pricegrabber or amazon to shop pricing. The last TV I bought was a 32" for the bedroom. I used reviews and research to figure out I wanted a Vizio, then I found that the best price was at a sale at Target. I called them up, one left in stock, done. I did the same thing with motorcycle tires and found a cheaper price online with shipping than I could get locally. So, in short, internet doesn't affect my spending... at least not any more than the impulse-buy section at the checkout of a retail store. I decide I need something, then use the internet to research and sometimes purchase it, but I have never been "suckered in" to buying something I didn't need simply because internet shopping was available.

Is buying virtual "products" good clean fun that most people do in small amounts, or is it just plain stupid to pay real money for stuff that doesn't even exist?

There are rare few times that I buy software or downloads. There are often times free software versions of common things that its not really necessary. My computer came with Microsoft Office installed, but not activated. If I want to use it, I have to purchase a license. Screw that. OpenOffice is free software that is 95% as good. There are web browsers out there that are 10 times better than Internet Explorer that are available for free downloads. I'm using Firefox on my laptop and Chrome on my smartphone. Totally free, way safer, and much easier to customize. There are even free anti-virus programs out there that are in some ways better than the big expensive names.

What does a well connected life take? If you had to write a brief description of the average young American's tech life, what would it be?

I would say the minimum is a good computer with at least 4g memory, a good fast processor, and 500gb up to 1tb hard drive. I like to have a smartphone as well. A smartphone won't replace a laptop as far as function is concerned, but in a pinch it does quite fine. I think of it this way: I carry a pocket knife. Its small and unobtrusive. Its not good at killing bears or preventing my wallet from being stolen, but it gets the job done in a pinch. Not having a smartphone is like not carrying a knife at all. Its not the end of the world, but there will be times that you might say, "gee, I wish I had a pocket knife right now."

Aside from that, I have some form of internet-capability on the two main TVs in the house. They get Netflix and other forms of entertainment, but I use rabbit ears for local channels to stay connected. (I actually just added cable TV today because of a screaming deal they were offering)

My internet is fiberoptic. Dial-up is a complete waste of time, and I'm not sure anyone even offers it anymore. Maybe in the Yukon Territory, but its not a viable media anymore. Dial-up uses audio frequency, so it can only really operate between about 120hz and 20k hz. Speeds are therefore heavily limited. DSL uses phone lines, but uses the bandwidth above 20khz so speeds are less limited, but you're still limited by the amount of discreet data you can carry over a few skinny copper conductors. DSL is fine for most residential use, but if you're heavy into online movie streaming (like Netflix), it might be a bit limiting. You can also get DSL through a cable coax, but again, limited by having old-school copper wires.

The benefit to phone DSL over cable DSL is that you have a dedicated line all the way back to the phone company. Cable has one line that services the whole street/road. If you're watching a Netflix movie and five of your neighbors decide to download something of their own at the same time, your speed can suffer alot. That's why they always advertise "speeds up to X." In the past I have paid for "up to 10" and only got 1 or 2. With my fiberoptic service I have now, I pay for 50, and I have always seen 50 or more every time I test.

I would say a good internet speed for general streaming and internet would be 15Mbps download and 5Mbps upload. Usually expressed as 15/5. If you're going to get into gaming or multiple streaming, step up to something in the 50/25Mbps range. Serious gamers, home businesses, or small motels often go in the 100-200Mbps download range. You can expect to pay $30-50 for entry level like the 15Mbps. I was paying $69 for my 50/25 until I bundled phone and TV in today. Now I'm paying $89 plus a little extra for extra boxes on the other TVs.

But I will say, I have never hit a wall with internet speed. My wife and I can both be watching different movies on different TVs, surfing the web, and downloading things at the same time and never have so much as a hiccup. We even have software on our computers and smartphones that lets us use the internet as a phone so we can call our friends overseas for free, and it never runs out of bandwidth.

I don't even have a cell phone, not even an Amish one. I have Broadband, desktop, two iPads...and whatever the kids have. No Twitter, no texting., no Instagram..nada.

I use FB to connect with a lot of people from all over. Friends, Writers, Racers etc., but I also use it for Diabetes Awareness...both my page, and my Diabetes page.One thing that I like about FB is that the feedback is instantaneous. I am on LinkedIn as well for Diabetes.

tuna55 wrote: I don't get 'content' or understand why people need to constantly be 'connected' and sometimes I really enjoy power outages.

Agreed. Although I do use the internet a ton, I love cuddling up with a good book and a candle when the power goes out.

The internet has everything, and some people think that their lives can be lived there. Just because it HAS everything doesn't mean you need to USE it for everything.

somebody has to say it, "Bacon"

Do you think a laptop is now "typical"? Is more than 1 computer now standard? Broadband service, or would dial-up still be acceptable?

Typical, yes, but I still prefer a desktop. For most of my home computing, I still use my desktop. Decent machine about 2 years old, Windows 7, 16gb RAM, 3 drives, SSD main drive, 24" LCD monitor. I like a real mouse, full size keyboard, desk, big monitor, etc for daily computing. Also do some schematics and design in Solidworks so its nice to have a real PC. Also have a Netbook (anyone remember those) I use for EFI Live, Dynojet Commander, and a few things in the garage. Also have an HP Elitebook with an SSD, 8GB of RAM, all the bells and whistles loaded up with work software (Solidworks, etc) that work gave me. I take it just about everywhere.

Does pretty much everyone need a smartphone? How about in 10 years? How about an Ipod? Tablet?

Yes to a smartphone. Instant connection to anything. I dont do much on mine but email/text, fantasy football, facebook, Dilbert comics. I have had one for about 8 years now and would never go back to a dumbphone. Have an Ipod Touch Gen 1 in the car, but I never use it. I might buy a tablet if I got on more airline flights for watching movies and such. Neither laptop I have has good battery life.

Do most people require 2 or three core software packages, or is it more like 20 or 30? How many of these are "free", and how many are paid?

Real MS Office (not that OpenOffice crap), Solidworks, and Firefox or Chrome are all I really use, other than some specialized clients for work.

How about music downloads? Is 5 a month a reasonable average, or is 50 more like it?

I get my music from torrents. Download the whole CD or discography and load what I want on a USB drive or burn to DVD (both cars have DVD players that can play MP3s from disk)

Gaming- What's involved? Do most folks put in 10 hours per week for 1 favorite game, or more like 30 for 10 games? Online or offline?

Aint nobody got time for that!

Do most people require 2 or Other devices... Bluetooth stuff? Web TV? Peripheral devices?

I have a PS3 just to play 8 bit games on an emulator, stream from the server to the TV, and also have a Logitech Revue with full size keyboard for Youtube and Netflix. You can do Netflix on a PS3, but I would have to un-jailbreak it. I like having a real keyboard for the TV. The Logitech Revue is dirty cheap for what it does. I think mine was around $75.

I had a Western Digital set top box before I got the PS3. The PS3 is far superior. Faster, smoother, better quality outputs.

Do most people require 2 or Websites- is it reasonable to think people spend 1 hour per day, or more like 7 or 8?

Spend a few hours when I have the time. Corvette Forum, GRM, local DSM club forum, facebook, urban exploration sites. Spend time researching projects and reading tutorials. I dont look at funny sites every day or check Facebook every day.

Online purchases- does this represent a significant part of life, or not so much? Would you make the purchases anyway if there was no internet, or do the forums you visit encourage and influence your purchasing habits?

I would buy everything from Amazon if I could. Sometimes I go to a store to check out the items then buy online if they wont price match. Best Buy is Amazon's showroom. Forums dont do a damn thing and I never click ads. Buy a decent amount of stuff off Craigs as well.

Is buying virtual "products" good clean fun that most people do in small amounts, or is it just plain stupid to pay real money for stuff that doesn't even exist?

Stupid unless you are using bitcoins to buy drugs or other such items. Really stupid for games.

I'm 41 and a reluctant embracer of tech.

Old desktop that needs replacement and 2 laptops.

Eventually a tablet. I'm anti-Apple, so I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 ($29 at Target). Smartphones just make life easier. They combine so many tools into one easy package that it's easy to wonder how I ever lived without one. That said, my life doesn't revolve around it.

That said, most people text me instead of calling these days.

That said, my wife has an iphone (4, soon to be a 5C)

As an anti-Apple contrarian, I use Amazon mp3 to download music, which I now do with my phone and send it to my computer and mp3 player (an old Creative Zen Mosaic--I like the tactile buttons on it) through the cloud. Super easy.

Reluctantly got on facebook (as I discussed with you) for business. Hasn't been much use for business, though. More people find me through my regular website via google. I'm not too deep into facebook so far. I'm VERY selective about who I add.

Got on twitter not long ago. More for my music students. I do a music digest. @iamchrisgam for those who are interested. I keep it mostly music and a teeny bit of web culture. Great way to get information, though. I don't see it as a necessity.

Mind you, my brother is about to be worth millions in the tech industry. I'm his polar opposite.

Wanna get connected? Look at the people you care about, make eye contact, and tell them you love them. twitter is for twats.

Brett_Murphy wrote: Great, now SVreX works for the NSA.

LOL!

Like most people, I am best at talking about myself.

Age: 26 My "connectivity suite:" iPhone, laptop, smartTV, wifi b&w laser printer, all connected over a fiber optic internet. The smartTV was a recent decision on a whim; it incorporates a lot of set top boxes into the hardware. I can find a video on Youtube using my phone, and with a simple stroke, have it appear on the 47" screen. I do not have cable, but I do have an antenna to catch OTA HDTV signals, and my girlfriend has Netflix.

Now that I am no longer a student, I use my laptop less and less.

As screens increase in size, quality, and abundance, I realize that I have no need to print anything in color, hence the black and white printer. I still prefer to use recipes printer on paper.

My iPhone is the Swiss Army Knife of my right pocket. I am actually typing this on my laptop, which is rare; more than 90% of my web browsing is on my smartphone. I use Facebook only rarely; until a few years ago, it was an excellent event planning device, but it has become polluted over the years. I use an app called Groupme to keep in touch with a core group of friends to BS or to see who is in town; it is like a blend between text messaging and a chat room. I periodically use LinkedIn just to see what past colleagues are up to.

I don't have a gaming console anymore. I periodically download (sometimes even purchase) games for my iPhone. Tetris continues to be my weakness.

<== luddite and old fart

Even I have gotten rid of land lines and cable TV.....I still use cable as my internet service provider, but (like nearly everybody else here) stream stuff to my TV from netflix.

93gsxturbo wrote: ...urban exploration sites...

Dammit, someone else I need to match up across forums.

desktops are for offices.

my wife can do almost anything on her tablet that her 2 year old laptop can do until it comes to business stuff.

twitter is only useful to me for keeping up on my sports teams. i only follow people that report on them. i'll crack a joke on there occasionally or use it for twitter contests on the radio trying to win tickets to something, but my joke cracking has been curtailed since my mom decided to follow me. do not let your mom know your twitter handle.

i use my iphone for work. if i'm on a job and need to know where the closest place to go to grab a specific piece of hardware is, i can do that. i can look up addresses, phone numbers, get warranty info, match caulk or siding colors, take clear pictures of serial number tags. I can look up any building codes that i'm unsure of, and even find engineering specs on things like trusses or laminated beams.

the other use of my phone is surfing craigslist if i'm in a new area with a little time. you'd be amazed what you can snag if you search for cars under $1000 or free stuff wherever you are at and you can get there quick.

what is this app that i can use to turn the volume down on any tv? i need that for restaurants that feel the need to crank the tv up over the conversation volume level.

Commitment.

Although a nice suit helps too.

TRoglodyte wrote: Wanna get connected? Look at the people you care about, make eye contact, and tell them you love them. twitter is for twats.

This. It saddens me sometimes that the allegedly most 'connected' generation ever does it in such an impersonal way.

patgizz wrote: what is this app that i can use to turn the volume down on any tv? i need that for restaurants that feel the need to crank the tv up over the conversation volume level.

I don't know if iphones have an ir transmitter in them. My htc one does. The app is called htc ir remote.

Curmudgeon wrote:

TRoglodyte wrote: Wanna get connected? Look at the people you care about, make eye contact, and tell them you love them. twitter is for twats.

This. It saddens me sometimes that the allegedly most 'connected' generation ever does it in such an impersonal way.

Check out the Facebook ads. The people in the ads don't realize that they're massive shiny happy people, but do the people the ads are targeted at realize that the person in the ad is a massive shiny happy person? I hope so.

29, continual student until now. We have broadband, streaming Netflix etc via our BD player, one dying netbook, and a smartphone each. I use my phone for 90% off my web browsing. I don't know anybody with a desktop in my peer group. Most have a laptop left over from college, a smartphone, and a tablet.

I would like a desktop with a nice big screen, but a tablet would probably get way more use.

I thought netbooks were a great idea, but our current one is falling apart and the last one died. The laptops my wife and I had in college both died too. As did the cheap desktop I built. I hate disposable modern electronics.

Most people I know stream music, buying is rare. Some Facebook, little e Twitter. I'm well past my college days though and probably not a typical young American adult.

I'm 29 and sort of social media resistant. I have FB but go on it maybe once every three months just to check in. I don't keep up on who does what and who does who on it. Twitter? Not for me. Mrs DX just got a Twitter account a couple weeks ago. 90% of web surfing is done by I Phone. Both of us have an I Phone 4s. It also serves as gps, restaurant finder, entertainer when waiting in line and settler of stupid questions. I use a Chrome notebook for school work, surfing and watching tv shows I missed during the week. I used to download music but stopped doing it and went back to buying albums. I listen to music on youtube when doing my homework.

Sonofabitch. I have finally 'upgraded' (depends on your POV) to a damn smartphone, mostly so I can take pics at work then email them to customers. Doesn't mean I like it.

Curmudgeon wrote: Sonofabitch. I have finally 'upgraded' (depends on your POV) to a damn smartphone, mostly so I can take pics at work then email them to customers. Doesn't mean I like it.

Just think of it as having GRM in your pocket.

I'm 46. I have a desktop at the office, a laptop in my lap, 10" tablet I use for books and music, a smartphone I use for work, FB, Instagram, Google+, GRM and as a hotspot when needed. I usually stop by FB, G+ and Instagram at least once a day. Anyone that specializes in drama or stupidity get's deleted. I stop by GRM every chance I get. Strangely enough, I don't text. I find them annoying.

The house has the fastest internet connection we can get, we stream all TV from the internet and don't have cable. I don't use a Bluetooth headset, but I do use Bluetooth to connect my phone and tablet to the stereo in my bedroom and shop, and to transfer files and pictures between my tablet, laptop and phone.

I like connectivity that makes my life easier.

I have sat on my porch and streamed a TV show on my phone, because my wife had the TV tied up with something stupid.

Ditching the cables for Bluetooth is a good thing.

FB can be funny.

Everyone on my Instagram is from this board. We post some pretty cool pictures of food, beer and cars.

Google+ is like FB without all the useless noise. I'm sure that will change over time. The only friends I have over there, so far, are the IT guys that race cars.

Do I need any of it? Other than the phone for work, no. It's a convenience for me, nothing more. I managed to spend most of the afternoon in the Francis Marion National Forest. No cell service, no people, nothing but trees, birds and dirt roads. I'll post some pictures in the hotlink thread after I get them uploaded. It was wonderful. I'll have to wash my work van Monday morning.

I used to love spending time out there too, away from all the world. Wonder if I can find similar places in the Sumter NF up here?