“It’s sad people are going broke but will still stand in line for hours for a new phone,” says Facebook user Bob Goad.
Sad, indeed. Technology, especially mobile phones, has such a strange hold on some of us that we’re getting our priorities all jumbled up. When I saw this comment on Huffington Post Facebook thread, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
Cable channel CNBC recently conducted a nationwide survey; and it has uncovered some troubling results. According to the All-America Economic Survey, some people are cutting back on food and health care for technology.
What Are They Cutting Back for Technology?
Based on 805 respondents:
- 59% on entertainment (such as movies and restaurants)
- 20% on clothing
- 11% on food
- 10% on health care.
While the survey, “with margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent”, doesn’t give an accurate indication on the consumer spending data, it still pose a worrying trend.
Ever since I’ve read about this dude who rents his girlfriend just so he can get an iPhone 6, a revelation like this shouldn’t surprise me. I don’t have any issue with people spending less on clothing and entertainment, but people not eating enough? That’s another story.
The bottom line: always know when to draw the line. You need good food. You need proper health care. These things should hold a greater importance over technology. Your health is your greatest asset; you shouldn’t jeopardise it. As Kirsten Salyer from Bloomberg View says, “We need to eat; we don’t need a watch with an app that tells us how many calories we’ve consumed.”
You really don’t need to starve yourself to get the latest technology craze. Not only is not eating enough an intolerable feeling, it also (knock on wood) causes potential health risks. There are a couple of Smartphones on the market that work equally good, as well.
Great Smartphone Alternatives
HTC Desire 610
This is a budget smartphone with remarkable features. Equipped with dynamic speakers, splendid battery life and a solid camera, this is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, going straight to the list. Described as the “cheaper sibling to the flagship HTC One M8 and the successor to the HTC Desire 601” by PC Advisor, the reviews on HTC Desire 610 has been great so far.
Just don’t listen to PCWorld (the writer gave it a pretty harsh review, oh well, there’s no accounting for taste). This smartphone is actually pretty good.
ASUS ZENFONE 5
A glossy smartphone with an 8 megapixels camera that costs less than SGD$300 is something to be pleased about. Some of the high points of ASUS ZenFone 5, as mentioned on CNET, are the minimalist design and pocket-friendly price.
A 145g phone packed with above average features and an 8.2 overall rating from 300 users? I don’t know about you, but that must mean something.
Nokia Lumia 635
The Lumia series was introduced back in November 2011 and it has been going strong ever since. Nokia Lumia 635, which runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, is equipped with a 5 megapixels camera and 4.5 display.
If you seldom splurge on technology, and would like to own a capable phone without the hefty price tag, the Nokia Lumia 635 is another smartphone you should look into.
Xiaomi Redmi
I got my very own Redmi right after my 2-year contract has ended. As I got this free-of-charge from a promotion, I naturally didn’t have any high expectations for this. Imagine my surprise when I found out its impressive audio output and Corning Gorilla Glass 2 screen.
I did a drop test for this, by accident (clearly, a classy way of covering up my clumsy mistake). It still works great, and that’s high praise. If you recall, we also did a review on Xiaomi Redmi a while back. Here’s the link if you’re still not convinced about this smartphone.
