by Thomas Wailgum

Tech: 9 Things I Still Hate About You

News
Oct 26, 2009
Consumer ElectronicsEnterprise ApplicationsSocial Networking Apps

Sure, we all claim to love technology. But there's just as much to loathe about the world of tech and techies - whether it's internal users suffering from PEBKAC, IT workers lost in their own acronym-filled worlds, Apple devotees, or early-adopter consumers who love themselves a little too much.

Mobile Devices’ Exorbitant TCO

How about the insanely high cost of owning a smartphone? And we’re not talking just about the devices themselves—there are the wireless service contracts, monthly taxes, roaming charges, surcharges and other fees on many of these carrier- and network-“exclusive” devices. One industry estimate: $3,800 for two years of service. “For a lot of folks,” notes a CIO.com article, “the monthly smartphone bill can be as big as, say, a car payment.”

Mass Insecurity on the Web

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Two decades of security research and it often still feels you’re just one unfortunate click away from infecting your computer with some virus, having your identity stolen by Eastern European hackers, or spreading malware to hundreds of millions of others on Facebook. Using public Wi-Fi at a restaurant today? It feels like a sailor going into a South Pacific port-of-call and not bringing any “protection.”

Annoying Early Adopters

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Don’t you just hate those early adopters who love nothing better than to brag to anyone who will listen about how they’re early adopters. Whether it’s the Kindle or the Tandy TRS-80 from Radio Shack back in the late 1970s—it was just as annoying back then as it is now.