Your tech check-list: what you should have by now

There comes a time when we're caught with our pants down. A friend starts talking about something, and we have no idea what they're on about. Somebody on television casually throws around some jargon, while everybody but us knows what's going on.

Missing out on the odd world event here and there is something that happens; it's a big world. But wrapping our heads around technology and, more importantly, splashing our hard-earned cash on uninformed purchases can be even more complicated.

To help the technophobes out there, we've compiled a list of gadgets and technologies that are, literally, must-haves. Instead of simply listing them, we've also explained why they're important and given examples of the best in each category. Time to get your tech on, folks!

As much as we'd like to say 'I just need a phone', it's not really practical in today's information age. Smartphones will let you make calls and send text messages, like always, but once you start experimenting with what these multifunctional mobile devices can do, you'll wonder how you got by without one. Aside from checking that Facebook status or posting something on Twitter, they can be useful in ways that are more than just recreational. Cheaper phone calls via Skype for Mobile, business and personal e-mail access and navigation are just a few of the necessary functions that smartphones perform, eliminating the need to whip out a computer or other dedicated device.
Our pick: HTC Desire or Apple iPhone.

Sensible folks like to reason that they can ration their daily Internet intake. We like to reason that the Internet is an endless resource, and shouldn't be consumed in bite-sized chunks.

Send those huge e-mails, download the photos needed for a school project and spend all Saturday watching '80s TV commercials on YouTube. With the arrival of the Seacom cable, Internet service providers have been offering cheap-as-chips uncapped ADSL accounts. It's not a matter of downloading everything you can, but rather the freedom of being able to do what you need and want, without the fear of encroaching on some arbitrary limit.
Our pick: Mweb Uncapped, starting at R219 per month (excl. Telkom rental).

Or, at the least, a basic desktop computer. While first prize would be a basic laptop with wireless capabilities, a Web-enabled desktop computer will suffice. Laptops are just much more convenient. They can be shared, used anywhere and help banish the notion that a computer is something that needs to be confined to a special room, and used only for certain things.

If you're not already using Word, sending e-mails, reading Wikipedia or playing Solitaire, you have some catching up to do, and with Windows XP netbooks going for as little as R2 000, there's no excuse to still rely on 'a friend who's good at computers' to look up something on Google for you.
Our pick: Asus Eee PC netbook or Acer eMachine EZ1601 desktop.

Chances are you've heard about this newfangled HD thing and that it's the bee's knees. Whoever you heard it from is right. HD TVs border on must-have, simply because most people already have televisions and, lacking HD broadcasts, don't see the need to upgrade.

Should you go shopping for a new set, regardless of the circumstances, there's no reason not to get a nice, thin LCD TV. Chances are it will be HD (look for the Full HD or HD Ready stickers) and already boast an HDMI connection (the port used by all modern high definition DVD, Blu-ray and other players).

By the time HD broadcasts come around, you'll be well equipped to reap the benefits, and in the meantime there's a whole world of better-looking DVDs and games to help make the picture clearer, if you'll pardon the pun.
Our pick: LG N2794A 27-inch TV monitor

Digital cameras have come a long way in the eight years since the first two megapixels were called 'awesome'. It's now possible to get a phone with six times that many pixels, though overall quality suffers compared to a dedicated pocket camera. Expect anywhere between 10 and 15 megapixels from a compact camera, with a 3x or 5x optical zoom, with a proper lens. Using a decent photo printer and paper, postcard or A4-sized prints will be indistinguishable from normal film pictures.

Video has improved too. Most pocket cameras can do video, with an increasing number being capable of HD video, too. It's not necessary to carry around two separate cameras, but dedicated digital video cameras are better for all-day use, while still offering up fantastic quality video in digital format.
Our pick: Canon Ixus HS300

Back in the day, portable storage was a briefcase. Now, it's possible to carry 10 000 briefcases' worth of information in a pocket-sized hard drive.

Technology has progressed in leaps and bounds since the days of swapping floppy disks, with flash drives easily replacing them by being fast, reliable and more capacious: a photo from a modern camera can be larger than 2.5MB, where an old magnetic disc could only store 1.4MB on average. A 2GB USB flash drive costs R110, and can store 800 of those photos. Pocket hard drives have also made life easier. While external desktop hard drives can be had in much larger capacities - up to two terabytes, or 2 000 gigabytes - they still need bulky power supplies. Portable hard drives get power from the USB port, but lag behind in size. Sadly, their capacities are currently limited to about one terabyte.
Our pick: Sandisk Cruzer Micro 16GB or Western Digital Passport 500GB

Think 'TV games' are just for kids? How wrong you would be. A lot of modern gamers are the same guys who were old enough to feed coins into the Pac-Man arcade cabinets when those first surfaced in 1980.

Game developers and hardware companies are throwing money at making video games more accessible to people of all ages. Nintendo's Wii proved that non-gamers can be drawn into spending a few hours playing with virtual balls in front of their TVs, and now Microsoft and Sony are also adding motion peripherals of their own.

Even traditional hold-the-controller games have grown up, with a select few titles offering engaging storylines that are more than just 'kill this alien with this big gun'. There's no shame in, erm, older folks picking up and finishing games like Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2 or Alan Wake.

That said, all of the above require a modern games console, and a bit of patience for first-timers. The Wii is good for casual players, but lacks HD, while the Xbox and PS3 are probably best suited to those looking for a new hobby, and want all the pretty moving pictures on their new HD TVs.
Our picks: PS3, Wii or Xbox 360

If you hear 'iPod' and draw a blank, we're sorry to have to inform you about September 11, global warming and Justin Bieber. Never mind Apple's music player, there are bigger issues to deal with.

Seriously though, this portable music player is as ubiquitous as Coca Cola and McDonald's. Many folks might not know what an iPod is, but have at least heard of it. It's the portable music device that revolutionised the way we listen to and buy music, and everybody else has been left playing catch-up since it took off in 2003 (when iTunes for Windows came out, and the music store debuted).

There are still alternatives available from Sony, Sandisk, Samsung, JNC and Microsoft - though its Zune player is still not available locally - but happily for Apple, and unfortunately for our wallets, 'iPod' and 'MP3' player are synonymous.

There's a strong ecosystem, with many accessories available, and Apple products are the must-have brand, nowadays. Plus, expensive needn't be a huge issue, since the screen-less shuffle costs less than R1 000.
Our pick: iPod Classic or iPod Touch

We're not saying you should do the 'in' thing and jump on the Facebook bandwagon. Nor should Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit necessarily feature on your radar. But an online presence can remain anonymous, while still providing many benefits. Google has the most complete online suite available, offering free e-mail via Gmail, and an online-based office suite through Google Docs. This in addition to its customisable iGoogle home page (www.google.com/ig) and ability to store all the searches you perform - handy for tracking down a page you were sure you saw, a few weeks or months ago. It also offers the free Picasa image library software, which integrates with the Picasa Web albums.

Yahoo also offers similar services, and Microsoft, through its Live.com portal, has some amazing file-sharing and Web-extensibility features. Sadly, none of these services are interoperable, and sometimes it's a matter of placing all your eggs in one basket. Having off-line backups of files and programs is still the best way to work. Just don't discount the power of the Web, and its ever-changing rules of operation.
Our pick: Google

While you're online, configuring your e-mail and sharing photos, you'll also come across Skype. Almost everybody has a friend or relative in a far-off country - most likely Australia or England, if our emigration figures are accurate - and it's always nice to keep in touch with loved ones.

In the same way that phone calls are superior to writing letters, a video call can make plain old voice chat seem oh-so-2005. With our uncapped Internet access and speedy ADSL lines, videoconferencing has never been easier.

Of course, even these things can evolve: high definition Web cams bring our conversations one step closer to reality, with brighter colours and crisper edges. While these new Web cams have great built-in microphones, a decent headset is still needed for normal voice calls, and is pretty much essential for team communications gaming online.
Our pick: Logitech HD Pro Web cam C910 and Microsoft Lifechat LX-3000

Progress isn't progress if you can't use something on your terms. Why be tethered to a desk in a study when you could have a PC, laptop or any wireless device access the Internet from anywhere in the home?

Wireless networks are fast and reliable, with modern operating systems and wireless routers making configuration super-simple. The newest wireless equipment will all support the 802.11n standard, which is good for up to 270Mbps - fast enough to stream HD video from a PC to a TV, assuming the right equipment is used.
Our pick: Netgear DGN-2000