Technology may move fast with shiny new versions coming out all the time, but that doesn’t mean you have to own the latest gadget to get the job done. What ancient tech do you still make use of?
Manufacturers are always putting pressure on us to upgrade, but often an old product is still capable of performing just as well as it ever has.
My TV, laptop and digital camera are all over five years old, and while they may miss some of the fancy features found in more up-to-date tech, they all perform perfectly well. I asked around the Which? Tech team to see what tech they were hanging on to…
Dave Holes and his good old VCR
I still have an old VCR at home and don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. Yes, after the digital switchover it won’t record anymore, but it still plays back our library of old tapes. These consist mainly of children’s programmes – Thomas the Tank Engine, Noddy and Percy the Park Keeper are still firm favourites in our household.
The kids don’t mind the poorer picture quality of VHS, they just want to watch their favourite episodes again and again! I won’t be upgrading them all to DVD players, as they’ll eventually move on to other things and thankfully, for now, the VCR keeps working. And long may it continue to do so.
Sarah Kidner can’t let go of her scanner
As editor of Which? Computing magazine, I have a love of print. As such, there are two older bits of tech I couldn’t live without – my stapler and my scanner.
The scanner allows me to scan in documents, such as my daughter’s recent school report and email a copy to her grandfather. I also have an extensive collection of old print photographs I’ve scanned in. I could buy an all-in-one device, but my standalone scanner has stood the test of time.
Catherine West likes her TV a bit chunky
I admit it – I have a gigantic CRT TV in my front room. I live in a shared house and no one wants to pay out for a new one. It’s perfectly watchable – though I must admit I can easily spot the difference on other people’s flat-screen HD TVs.
My housemate picked up our CRT after seeing a Gumtree ad about four years ago and it’s still going strong.
Elisa Roberts is a big fan of vinyl
It’s a bit of a cliché, but I love the crackle under the needle as a record goes round a turntable – funny really, as we wouldn’t tolerate this scratchy sound from a DAB radio or MP3 player.
So I love my record player, and if I ever get fed up of vinyl I can always use a USB turntable to digitise and conveniently transfer them to a PC or MP3 player.
Christopher Christoforou loves his Zen MP3 player
I have an old Creative Zen Stone MP3 player that’s about six years old. For occasional jogging and commutes on the train, it’s perfect.
It’s very light (less than 20g) and since it doesn’t have a screen, I think it looks pretty cool. No screen also saves quite a bit of battery, and there’s no chance it can distract me with lots of touchscreen features. I see no reason to upgrade at all. It works, and I can’t see anything else that could do a better job.
And now here’s your chance to share your stories of ancient tech that you can’t let go of.
What old technology do you still use?
An analogue radio (18%, 372 Votes)
Computer older than five years (14%, 289 Votes)
Record player and vinyls (12%, 247 Votes)
Scanner/printer older than five years (12%, 233 Votes)
VCR and VHS tapes (11%, 230 Votes)
Mobile phone older than five years (10%, 204 Votes)
CRT TV (7%, 135 Votes)
Personal CD/Minidisc player (5%, 107 Votes)
Other – let us know in the comments (5%, 93 Votes)
MP3 player older than five years (4%, 89 Votes)
Retro games console (1%, 23 Votes)
Total Voters: 657
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