Time to Spring Clean: Get Rid of Some Gadgets Too

Photo Credit: Toss Those Old Gadgets

Spring time is the time for cleaning. This means not only dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning windows, but also cleaning out those unneeded gadgets. Admit it; you have some gadgets that you don’t really need any more. We all do. But which gadgets do you give up? An article by Sam Grobart, NYTimes, suggests gadgets to keep and those to throw out or recycle.

Things to Eliminate or Keep:

Desktop Computer—Laptop computers are getting more powerful as well as speedier, so desk top computers are pretty much a thing of the past. They are bulky and take up a lot of room. You can still connect your laptop to an external monitor so you can have a large screen, eliminating the need for the bulky machine. I also have a wireless keyboard and mouse set that makes my laptop more user-friendly.

MP3 Player—digital music players are pretty much a thing of the past (except maybe the iPod). Even the dumbest Smartphone has the ability to play MP3s. There is no need for an additional device. The exception to this is of course if you want a tiny device like the iPod Nano. It has the advantage of being the size of a matchbook, which is especially convenient if you are working out.


GPS Device—a standalone GPS device is redundant. All of our Smartphones have GPS capabilities and with a downloaded app, you are all set. My Droid X uses Google Navigator and Google Maps and is every bit as accurate as a Garmin or Tom-Tom.

Point-and-Shoot Cameras/Camcorders—Again the Smartphone is taking over this role. I have an 8 megapixel camera on my Droid X that is much more convenient than my camera. Unless you are a professional photographer, there is simply no need to haul around another device.

Thumb Drive/Flash Drive—While it is handy sometimes to have a flash drive, the reality is that you can transfer or store files on a cloud server that gives you access to your files anywhere and at any time.

High Speed Internet at home—With Mi-Fi that converts your Smartphone’s 3G mobile signal into Wi-Fi, you may wonder why you are also paying for home Internet. The problem is that the signal from the Smartphone isn’t always reliable and strong and so it really doesn’t work well for streaming videos like Netflix or Hulu. Keep the home Internet.

Alarm Clock—I use my Droid X alarm for everything, but you may just want to have that wind-up alarm for when the power goes out and you haven’t fully charged your phone.

Books—Do you have an e-Reader like the Kindle or Nook or iPad? Should you give up your physical library? There are several reasons that you may want to keep some of your books. They may be collector editions, special gifts from loved ones, or filled with photographs that are best viewed in large size (coffee table book). But if you are hording paperbacks for no apparent reason, sell them on Amazon, sell them to a used book store, or better yet, donate them to a hospital or nursing home.

There was an interview on CNET News. It shows a video of the interview suggesting which gadgets you can dump or keep.



There are many gadgets we can combine and find ways to clean up the gadget clutter in our lives. What are you holding onto that once given up could simplify your life? If you have electronic gadgets to get rid of, consider recycling them or donating them to charity. There are many organizations out there that use the donations for resale to fundraise. These organizations will also give you receipts for tax write-offs so it’s a win-win situation. See the blog Free Cell Phones Taken to Fire Victims. There’s a link there of charities accepting electronic donations.

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