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MAIN
Technology
Technical
Jargon: A Shopping Challenge
All set to
buy that new computer, cell phone, digital camera or superlight
laptop? Read the ads and start trying to figure out what it all
means.
Just
try.
Is a Pentium
4 better with RAM or ROM - and what do the megahertz have to do
with anything?? And what is a Bluetooth?? Does that mean you'll
have to get dental insurance?
More than
1,500 Internet savvy computer users completed an 11 question quiz
to test their ability to speak tech jargon. The survey was done
in partnership with the Global Consumer Advisory Board (GCAB).
If you'd like
to take the test before you find out how everyone else did just
click on over to the
Terminology and Complexity Test.
The news is
great for all of the non-tech shoppers out there. You are not
alone... no one knows what it all means!
The people
who answered the questions were international:
58%
US (893 respondents)
14% UK (220 respondents)
14% Japan (210 respondents)
14% China (212 respondents)
less than 1% were from Shanghai, Beijingand and Guanzhou.
Only 3% aced
the quiz, correctly identifying 11 of 11 multiple-choice definitions
for various technology terms
Most respondents got only 7 or fewer correct
Less than one quarter (22%) got 5 or fewer
Less than one tenth (9%) got 3 or fewer
The end result
of all of the confusion is that people put off buying any electronics
because they just can't figure out what to buy. It's not very
surprising that 48% of the respondents delay purchasing digital
cameras because they are too complicated, but even microwave ovens
have gotten too complicated for most people to buy.
The full report
is online at here.
Failed
the test? Here's help:
Guides
to Technical Jargon around the Web
Tech
Encyclopedia - Search more than 20,000 computer-age related
terms, get a random definition or just a quick overview with Top
10 Terms.
Helpanswers.com:
- Searchable database of thousands of questions and answers on
operating systems and application software and hardware created
specifically to help computer users, not 'techies.'
Guides
to Buying Electronic Gadgets around the Web
ZD
Net Reviews - ZD
Net is a place where computer saavy people hang out - but their
product reviews are really helpful even if you are not fluent
in computer-ese.
Computer
Buying Help - This is a wonderful site. They explain just
what you need to look for and why. You'll find out why a Mac is
different than a PC and what it means to have ROM or RAM and...
well, all those questions you need answered. Bookmark this one.
Buying
A Computer - The US Federal Government has put together
a very useful pamphlet on computer buying basics. The go over
all of the simple questions, provide a glossary and even give
you a note sheet to take with you when you go shopping!
If
Buying Computers was Like Buying a Car - This one won't
help you make any buying decisions, but it should get a chuckle
or two out of you.
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