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Fix It or Toss It? 3

by Dan Reilly on June 26, 2008 at 02:00 PM



How Old Is Your Gadget?

When did you get your gadget? Technology advances so rapidly these days that a lot of what you bought only a few years ago can be way out of date. On the other hand, some old gadgets are worth holding on to. For instance, your 2-megapixel, AA battery-powered camera is probably worth tossing, since the cost of repair is probably equal or more than the price of a significantly more advanced, say, 5-megapixel digicam of today. Meanwhile, that film-based SLR you got back in the '80s (if you were around) could be worth a lot (if it's, say, a Leica) -- either way, don't toss any detachable lenses out, as those can often be worth more than a camera.

As far as TVs are concerned, anything more than six years old that doesn't have at least component or HDMI inputs should probably be tossed and upgraded, as it won't handle HDTV. The general rule is if it costs more than half the price of a new TV, then you should probably just toss it. The features on a replacement could be a big enough improvement to justify spending some extra cash, and repaired older products still run more of a risk of breaking down.

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