Reason #49: New, shiny tech
Photo by Edward Hands on WikiMedia Commons
In what will be a surprise to literally no one who knows me: I have this tendency of accruing random tech. It is a mixture of actually useful stuff I no longer use, such as a Nintendo Switch OLED which has since been superseded by a Steam Deck OLED, and things that were impulse buys that I really shouldn't have kept gathering dust for so long, such as my Google PixelBook.
So this week I decided enough was enough, gathered all of my random tech, and took it all to CeX. Now CeX will absolutely not give you the best rate for all of your belongings, but in my case I had so many random bits and pieces that the reduced payout was worth the reduced effort. I took a backpack loaded with tech, and walked away with just over £700 worth of CeX vouchers. This was used to fund my next cycle of tech spending!
With that £700 so far I have acquired:
Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones
I already own a pair of Bose QC35 II headphones, but they are my last non USB-C charging devices. In what can only be described as a bit of a silly reason to spend £170, I got myself the Bose Quiet Comfort (2023) almost exclusively because they have a USB-C port. Sure they last slightly longer, and have slightly better mic quality, and do Noise Cancelling slightly better, but 99% of the reason for my purchase was the USB-C port.
Logitech MX Brio Webcam
I haven't owned a webcam in about 5 years, a mix of using a small mirrorless camera or my iPhone 13 Pro Max with Continuity Camera has meant I haven't felt like I needed one. I want to move away from both of those to a plug-and-play solution, and the MX Brio is a 4K capable webcam that will be more than overkill for any Zoom calls, and will even let me stream occasionally. On the subject of which...
Elgato HD60 X
I haven't had a gaming PC in 3 years now, and that has been a large part of the reason I have barely streamed in that time. I do, however, have an xbox Series S, so hopefully my new Elgato capture card combined with my Brio will mean I have the setup to stream if I feel like it. Something that is looking a lot more plausible with all of this free time I'm finding myself with thanks to my new job!
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
I had the TicWatch Pro 3, and found the dual-screen and dual-SOC architechture to be really interesting, but it was ultiamately let down by shoddy software support from Mobvoi. The TicWatch Pro 5 has the same stunning battery life but is sporting Wear OS 4.0. This could be the watch that once again pulls me away from my Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, something that will be a consideration should I move away from my S23 Ultra (currently eyeing up the Honor Magic V3).
Approximately £125 of CeX Vouchers
With all of this fun new tech, I still have approximately £125. I have a few ideas on what I want to spend it on. A Stream Deck maybe? Or something super out there like a Blackberry Key2? For the timebeing I'm keeping the voucher in my back pocket, because I will innevitably be looking at all of the random tech you come across inside CeX and something will catch my eye. When it does, I'll be ready!
This series of purchases is definitely less whimsical than I'd normally go for, but I now have my Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and QC35 IIs to sell, so the money from those will almost certainly fund some more questionable items. Sure, CeX isn't the most money-wise way to get rid of (or acquire) tech, but boy is it fun!
Today was an 8/10
This post is part of a series called "The Reason". I haven't committed to living forever, but I find a reason to live for one more day every day. Read the rest of the series here.