Enough with the iPod already

Yes, we get it: iPods are the "in" gadget.  It doesn't take a whole lot of searching to realize that.  Just check out the Technorati Gadgets homepage if you don't believe me.  They're everywhere, and no, they're not going anywhere soon.  But do they have to be all we read (and write) about?

Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing at all against Apple.  I am of the generation that grew up on Oregon Trail running on an Apple IIe.  My first computer (thanks Dad!) was an Apple II+, which I used to learn BASIC and assembly language.  I wouldn't be the pillar of a geek that I am today without my introduction to computing on Apples years ago.  But I've grown up, and I realize there's more to the world than iPhone, iPod, and Macintosh computers.

And so do a lot of other people.  It stinks trying to find news or information about your Zune, your HP DV7-1270US laptop, your ASUS M2N-E SLI motherboard, or your LG Glimmer (just in case you're curious about my own personal gear, there's a bit of a rundown) amidst the cacophony of web-chatter concerning Apple products.  And it really only gets worse in the world of blog.

Yes, Apple's gear is the badge of the "hip".  I get that, and I understand that the stuff I use isn't quite as cool as all that.  But I use it.  And so do quite a number of other people who couldn't (or just didn't want to) pay Apple's over-the-top prices.  We're here, and we're ready for something to read.