I think I might be more than a little obsessed with new technology. People often comment that my house is like a branch of Currys such is the level of technology contained within. The first question that visitors normally ask me is 'what latest gadget have you bought now?'
From giant tablets to the robots (that vacuum my floor and mow the lawn) to pizza makers and more speakers than rooms, I really can't resist buying the latest and greatest gadgets as soon as they hit the market.
Readers and subscribers of Tuesday At 7 have been telling me what item of technology they could not live without when they were entering the recent black Elite Edition Touch Speaker competition..
Having just come out of January and New Year's Resolutions time, I expected a few more votes for fitness tech but bar a few votes for the Fitbit there were very few votes in this category. Has everyone given up on their fitness resolutions already?
There was a huge range of technology nominated by those who voted. Some loved their kitchen gadgets with votes for the Tefal Actifry, coffee makers, kettles and microwaves.
Some loved their bedroom tech by nominating their alarm clocks and electric blankets. There were nominations for games consoles (as an XBox owner, I was pleased to see 3 times as many votes for XBox as there were for PS4).
While for most, they chose the more fun side of tech, for some tech plays a more important role in their lives with votes for cochlear implants, hearing aids and pacemakers.
While a lot of our technology is used for entertainment, it's great to know that technological advancements are having a real positive impact on people's lives.
My favourite answer was from those that voted, not for their device, but for the charger. A truly important piece of technology in it's own right. It doesn't matter how great your device is, without the charger it's just an expensive ornament.
We all know the pain of running out of battery power when you need it the most.
I've compiled the list of all the Technology items that my readers love and I can now reveal the 10 most popular technology items that Tuesday At 7 visitors cannot live without.
10. Camera
At number 10 on our list, 1% of voters said that the item of technology that they could not live without is their camera.
For some time, with the ever increasing quality of phone cameras, tech forecasters were predicting the demise of the standalone camera but while the convenience of taking snaps with your phone is great, the desire for the best quality when capturing special memories means the camera stays top of the list for many people.
In fact, the number of people who are using professional digital SLR cameras for personal use is increasing all the time.
My photograph taking has always been quite sporadic but since Damon arrived I have become snap happy, desperate to preserve every moment we share so my camera has definitely moved up the charts in my own list of technology that I can't be without.
9. Portable music player
Coming in at number 9, another area of technology that has largely shifted to mobile phones for many, is the ability to play music on the go but for 1.5% of our voters, they still rely on their trusty portable music player.
Whether it's a portable radio, an iPod or another MP3 player - used while commuting, travelling or exercising - portable music keeps you motivated and makes the time fly.
I love listening to music on the go and i've gone through a whole range of different devices to do it from portable CD players to MP3 players, iPods, phones and even a PSP. Nowadays, i'm firmly in the camp that use their phone, but with the pressures on your phone battery, I can certainly see what some people still prefer a separate device.
The question is, do you go for subtle earbuds or over the top huge cans like me?
8. Apple Mac
A lot of people think Apple computers are more common than they actually are. Walk into most technology stores and you're likely to see as much space given to Apple computers as to PCs. You'd be forgiven for thinking they are as popular as PCs based on the massive, eye-catching displays. Apple seem to be everywhere, but in reality most of their sales are of iPads and iPhones.
In computing, they are still quite uncommon. In fact, they occupy only 7.6% of the market, with 88% of computer users running a Windows based system.
I'll admit, my knowledge of Apple devices is poor, i've always played on the Windows side of the fence. I used to say i'd never shop in the price range of an Apple Mac and I couldn't really see the benefit of paying such a high price but in actual fact, my last 3 laptop purchases have been high end devices but i've remained loyal to Windows PCs.
I'm currently typing this on the highest spec (at the time of purchase) Microsoft Surface Book. I guess I like the variety of options with a PC rather than the limited lineup of Apple Macs.
The phrase 'you don't know what you are missing' could ring true here based on the fact that i've never used a Mac. Maybe if I got the chance to try one out I could be converted. 2% of our voters definitely think so as they voted their Apple Macs as their number 1 item of technology earning Apple number 8 on the list.
7. TV
The focal point of most sitting rooms and ever increasing in size. Whether yours is humongous and you can barely focus on it as it is too big for your room, whether yours is curved, 3D, hung on the wall or sitting proudly in the corner, the TV is still the favourite go to place for a bit of relaxation for many.
2.5% of our voters agreed, naming the TV as the item of technology that they cannot live without meaning the TV comes in at number 7 on the list.
Traditional TV channels and scheduling might be suffering due to the rise of Netflix and other streaming services, but there's no doubt that most people would still prefer to watch it on their big TV.
I had been searching for a new TV for about 2 years. Not because there was anything wrong with my current one but because... it was black. I had installed a huge white framed mirror on the wall. I wanted my TV hung on the opposite section of the wall and felt I couldn't hang a black TV as it would look out of place against the rest of the white decor.
S thought I was mad (not to mention that white TVs were non-existent) but a new one hit the market from Samsung and I snapped it up immediately. It's not on the wall, yet, but it will go up. All 55 inches of it.
6. Home Audio
Maybe it's the fact that I have been a DJ for 20 years but my love of music and sound systems knows no bounds.
When we bought our new build house, while S was choosing the tiles and worktops from the options booklet, I was stuck on page 1 reading about the in built entertainment system (speakers built into the ceilings, touch panels on the wall to control it and a system controller in the cupboard that pipes all your entertainment around your house).
There was no way I was going to get past that page without agreeing to buy it although, choosing to have additional speakers on the wall outside pointing into the garden was maybe pushing it a bit too far, but push it I certainly did.
Despite all that equipment already installed, it hasn't stopped me from adding even more speakers to the setup with Sonos being the most common receiver of my money as I have gradually added another 8 speakers to my home audio setup.
Even Damon's nursery now has 4 speakers installed in there (2 in the ceiling and 2 on the shelves) for full surround sound nursery rhymes!
3% of voters share my love of home audio (although possibly not my obsessive addiction to increasing my setup) as they voted home audio as the technology they couldn't live without earning it number 6 on the list.
Some spoke about their radios, others their bluetooth speakers while there was also some votes for their vinyl record players as vinyl continues to make a comeback. There were maybe a few too many different suggestions as it just gave me ideas on how to increase my setup further.
5. Wifi Router
In life, there are those who are always at the forefront who need to be the centre of attention. Then there are those who prefer to stay in the background, getting the work done and making things happen. At number 5 the technology equivalent of the latter is honoured.
While most people voted for the more exciting tech, 3.5% of our voters recognised the workhorse behind the scenes. With all the smart technology in our lives these days, it's easy to forget that none of it works without a solid internet connection.
From our computers and phones to now fridges, ovens and even bins, we live in a connected world these days. More and more of our devices are connected and they are all rendered obsolete if that connection is taken away.
So at number 5 we have the humble wifi router. It may not be exciting, it may not be flashy but it sure is essential and without it, most of our devices would become useless meaning it is definitely an item of technology that most of us couldn't live without.
4. PC
Portability vs power has been a technology debate that has raged for a long time and while portable devices keep getting more powerful all the time, for some, there's no substitute for a full spec PC.
Whether you need the top specification for gaming, the ability to edit high quality photos and videos or you just prefer the experience of sitting at a desk using your PC, 5% of our voters love the full power, full performance and full capability of a PC earning it number 4 on our list.
Forecasters have been predicting the death of the PC for years. Firstly, in favour of laptops and in recent years due to the rise of tablets but the PC market remains strong as the PC fans refuse to settle for anything less.
3. Tablet
The rise of tablets was quite meteoric therefore it's no surprise that they hold an important place in the hearts of many of the voters. 12% of voters said their tablet was the item of technology that they could not live without earning it a place just inside the top 3.
It'll come as no surprise that the most common tablet amongst my readers was the iPad, in fact 77% of those who voted for their tablet said that it was an iPad (shout out to the 1 voter who mentioned their Windows tablet, I too am a Windows tablet fan).
Tablets get more powerful all the time and with them being so portable, versatile and easy to pick up and do what you need to do quickly (not to mention the fact that some are ridiculously cheap these days), it's no wonder they are the go to device for many people.
2. Laptop
If I had voted myself, I would have joined the 19% of voters who chose their laptop as their favourite item of technology, earning laptops the number 2 spot.
As I said before, my current laptop is a Microsoft Surface Book and it's great. It does convert into a tablet but I rarely do that, I much prefer the experience of using it as a laptop.
Tablets are great, but when I need to get stuff done, there's no better way than on my trusty laptop. For me, bigger screens are better than smaller, keyboard is better than touch screen when trying to get things done, and i'm more than a little impatient so I definitely need the extra speed that a top laptop can provide.
1. Phone
And so to the number 1 spot on our list. The voters have spoken and with 44% of the votes the mobile phone was voted the number 1 item of technology that my visitors couldn't live without.
I remember when I was younger agreeing to meet a friend outside Woolworths in town. 30 minutes I waited outside the shop and he didn't turn up so I left and went home in a huff. It turned out that he was looking after his little sister that morning.
His mum was late back so he couldn't leave to come and meet me. Nowadays, a quick text or a call would have let me know he wasn't going to make it, but back then that option wasn't available without a mobile phone.
OK, a great friend with some common sense might have tried to phone Woolworths and ask a staff member to let me know rather than have me waiting and not knowing, but my friend wasn't clever enough to think about something like that.
I made sure to remind him of that time and the fact that he owed me one every time I needed something. I think I cashed in that one i was owed about a dozen times.
It's hard to imagine how anything got organised without the mobile phone. Staying in touch with people was just one of the reasons voters cited for their love of their phones though.
Taking photos to capture every moment. Using the calendar and setting reminders to stop you forgetting things. Making to do lists to keep you organised. Maps to stop you getting lost. Setting an alarm to get you up in the morning. Playing games and listening to music to keep you entertained and having the answer to everything in your pocket, the list was endless making the phone the ultimate convenience device.
Since Damon arrived, I've definitely found myself using my phone more. It's more difficult to get time to sit down with the laptop so the ease and convenience of picking up the phone to Google something or to check my emails and social media has proved very useful.
It's also the best way to quickly capture some of the precious little moments. I do still love my laptop though.
So there you have it, a rundown of our visitors' items of technology that they cannot live without. I love technology and I am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest gadgets to add to my collection. You just never know what could be topping this sort of list in the not too distant future.
One piece of advice for the inventors and technology makers out there though - just be careful what you name you new product. Advice that the makers of these fans really should have taken. If only I could think of something to call the person who made such a silly mistake.
Happy Half Birthday Damon!
