My Most Disappointing Tech Purchases in 2024

[@xugio]

A good habit to have is to sell BEFORE you buy the next thing. Depends what you’re trading but you can make back 80-90% of the next purchase, even on new items. I do this when upgrading consoles particularly, I probably haven’t spent more than $200 on a new console since 2010, but always have the latest one.

[@charles.personal]

honestly i kinda just wish there was a phone that was just a updated mid 2000's flip phone or 'feature phone', like faster processor, support for modern features like digital wallet or maps, but otherwise isn't a modern smart phone form factor

[@charles.personal]

also with the ipod it sounds like the charging port is likely broken, which sucks, i would get in contact with Elite Obsolete and see what they can do

[@waveflow11]

I recently learned about your channel from KZbin recommendations. The problem of overconsumption of social media is of great concern to me. I am also trying to get out of this addiction. I'll be waiting for new videos. Good luck in the new year 2025!

[@colonelcyma]

It's pretty refreshing to see disappointed videos from reviewers. Love it!

[@CagedInSilence]

My big regret of 2024 was the Unihertz Titan Pocket. It wasn’t the BlackBerry substitute I was hoping for. It almost sounds like Elite Obsolete didn’t swap out your battery during the mod. Have you contact them about this? You may want to mention you have a KZbin Channel. They will sometimes sponsor videos.

[@waverazor]

heey! i got a titan pocket like 4? 3 years ago? i cant remember when it was; when it launched. i kinda liked the device.. but the size of it really sucked for apps. and the camera.. when my friends asked for pictures, they always made fun and hated my picture quality. i kinda miss my titan pocket now.. too bad its out of date already, they never do firmware updates

[@CagedInSilence]

@waverazor - That three finger pull from the top of the screen was a good work around for the square screen, but it made the buttons and text a bit too small for me, and I'm known for being tolerant with tiny devices. I liked that you could also force apps to use the capacitive keyboard for scrolling. I ultimately hated the button placement and just how thick the device was. The keys also starting going pretty fast. Pressing "D" once usually results in "Ddd" instead. Some of the other letters started doing that. I also had to turn on the double tap the home button option because it was even easier than the BlackBerry phones to accidentally hit home. Ultimately, all the work they put into software didn't fix the sloppy edges of the product. They could probably cut the battery life a lot and come up with a more practical design and button layout. I don't know. It was almost good, but was more annoying than useful.

[@ConradAquilina]

You can, and should see the disappointing tech purchases as sources for your YT content. If you attach a positive to a negative, it just might balance it out! An observation on the Aliexpress section; there are a lot of "decent" products and brands on the platform, which are too small to have proper brand recognition, so they rely on the platform for their sales and marketing. Microwear is an example. I do have a similar watch to your disappointing one, which I do not use as a phone substitute but just as a watch. What I do to support the small brands is to follow their website and when they have a newsletter, I subsribe to it. Brands like DT No1, Blackview come to mind. Happy new year!

[@RobbieBarclay]

Just found you channel in the last few weeks of 2024 and have been catching up. Love what you do and your moral, ethical and mental stance on modern and retro tech. As someone who lives with both old and new tech and keeps a close eye on emerging and revived tech with the goal of digital minmalism I relate to a lot of your ongoing journey. Will be sticking around in 2025! Blessings from the UK 🙂‍↕️👍

[@LauraMalvoyante]

Thanks for the kind words and welcome to the channel.

[@richardreiman8202]

I guess there is a risk to returning tech and then regretting that decision as well. I purchased a Kindle PaperWhite 2024 at a black Friday price two months ago, and then decided I did not like the lack of page-turn buttons and especially Amazon's disregard for consumers asking for this. I returned it and got the Boox Palma which I love. I just purchased the Boox Note Air 4C, and we will see. But now I am regretting having no e reader in the middle form factor between the Palma and the 10.3 inch Boox, in which the PaperWhite fitted neatly. The good news about keeping unsatisfactory tech is that you can review the heck out of it and get a sharper sense of what a digitally minimalist device ought to be. Great video.

[@betweenthehammerandanvil]

Get a sunbeam phone and call it a day lol. I was going to purchase one but I think I’ll just wait for the light phone 3 because the camera seems very good for a “dumb phone”

[@ksc_iv]

I love the Punkt phone, the aesthetic, the buttons, the form factor, etc. I bought one used on ebay but ultimately sent it back. For the price, it couldn’t cut it as a digital detox phone. I just don’t want to deal with the friction of no group texting, no photos, and no maps/weather - for a $200 price tag. Sticking with the Nokia 6300 until my LP3 arrives. Are you going to be doing a review on the LP3? Would like to hear your thoughts

[@LauraMalvoyante]

Yes I will do a review on the LP3. I can't wait to get it!

[@NoogahOogah]

This is a well made video with a cool and interesting premise. I watched it nearly the whole way through before noticing it had less than a thousand views. You bring design/aesthetic into a lot of your reviews and obviously represent a more feminine perspective on tech - that's a small niche without a lot of competition that I think you could do very well in. I'm not your target audience, but just wanted to leave this comment as encouragement. I always enjoy finding small creators who put a lot of effort into their content.

[@LauraMalvoyante]

Thanks for this. It's nice to get comments like this, it's much appreciated 👍

[@jeremykrall1694]

+1 for a Punkt regret, though for me it was in 2023. It didn't even last a month and sent it back because I couldn't get it to work right with Signal, the reason I bought it. Also regret the Cat22 flip that I got last year. I think that lasted about 24 hours. I had not seen that it was Android Go and I couldn't even get it setup with the apps I wanted to use. But I think my biggest disappointment (probably because it is the most recent) has been the Ultrahuman Air ring. Having too much trouble with the data and possibly the Android app, since the concerns continued across a replacement device. And yes the company was good for getting me a replacement (though I had to go through email support as their chat based support in the app was one of the things not working right) but now I have two rings sitting here that don't work.

[@LauraMalvoyante]

I'm glad I'm not alone. I haven't tried any connected rings yet but good to know the feedback about this particular one.

[@buttercup5470]

I regret purchasing the TCL Flip 2. It cost me $20 USD.., I failed to research what OS it had and if it had voice to text. I don't know what to do with it. Now my iPhone 11 is degrading, I have had it for 6 years my husband keeps felling.me I can't purchase a new.phone.

[@LauraMalvoyante]

Oh no. I'm sorry about this. You could still sell your iPhone 11 and get a refurbished phone for not that much.

[@theretrouniverse]

That is a huge bummer about the iPod. Do you know if it was a replaced battery or the original one? I had to replace the battery on my original black iPod Classic 5th gen. It is super easy to replace the battery as long as you have some some tools.

[@LauraMalvoyante]

It's a hybrid 6th and 7th gen classic. I think it's a charging port issue more than a faulty battery. I may get the courage and contact them directly but I always feel bad 😔

[@theretrouniverse]

@@LauraMalvoyante Don't feel bad about contacting them. They may have provided you a defective item. They are not cheap either so it's worth it to reach out.

[@TheFeyClan]

@@LauraMalvoyante definitely try to reach them and let them know, especially since you spent so much money on it.

[@rtyt2007]

Use a 5w usb charger. I had the same issue with my old iPod classic which wouldn’t charge on a regular 10w charger. Switching to an old apple charger fixed my problem and the device powered up. You could also try a FireWire charger if this doesn’t work for you

[@definitelynotclickbait8283]

does the punkt phone get updates?

[@LauraMalvoyante]

Yes they do get updates

[@bautiabaro]

I didn’t watch it, but you have my like already 👍

[@MrHYDRO84]

Crosscall interesting, didn't know you had one of them I have had 2 of them both Spiders, they have launched a S5 now is 4G and doesn't run that rubbish KaiOS it runs Moccor RTOS go check it out I am looking at maybe getting one.

[@EInkUnplugged]

I regret buying Bigme HiBreak b/w and color 😂

[@LauraMalvoyante]

I don't regret cancelling my order then, thaks for sharing!

[@px8867]

@@LauraMalvoyante What do you think about the Bigme Hibreak Pro?

[@MrHYDRO84]

Iphone ssshhhh we don't mention that parasite of a company in the digital minimalism world lol

[@MrHYDRO84]

Bloody Punkt no thanks overpriced and not good

[@Rfpepe7295]

I bought the Punkt MP02.. very disappointed.. really a piece of junk..