Updated gimmick feature list 2007

My list of gimmick features continues to grow. Gimmick features are features that companies add to technology to sell a product but don't do what they claim to do in the way you expect them to do it.

One of of the first gimmick features I began discussing years ago were gimmick buttons on a scanner. These are buttons that say "email" or "scan and save", etc. All these buttons do is activate the software the same as if you clicked on the icon. It is usually more work to reach over and hit the buttons than it is to double-click on the appropriate scanner icon.

Another problem with gimmick buttons is that they may not be associated with the programs or features you want to use. This is very common with the gimmick buttons on a keyboard. Many keyboards have links to the Internet, email, shopping, music, etc. In concept, when you press one of these keyboard buttons, the appropriate program will open up. There are two problems with this: 1. often the buttons don't do anything because of a driver problem or 2. The buttons have been sold by the manufacturer and pressing on Internet may only open up an Internet provider's software that you don't use such as AOL or Earthlink. Sometimes these button associations can be changed, sometimes they can't.

Digital Zoom is another gimmick feature that is found in digital cameras. Optical zoom is the legitimate zoom. While optical zoom moves the glass lens to bring the object closer or farther, digital zoom just makes the pixels in the image bigger or adds more pixels. This doesn't improve the image quality at all. Any benefit you might get from it can be duplicated on a computer after the photo is taken. If your camera offers digital zoom, you can typically disable it in the printer.

The latest gimmick feature that I have added to my list is printers that print from your camera card. This is a big seller for printers and can increase the price by $50 or more. These printers allow you to print photos directly from the camera card. They were originally an OK idea as many people did not have computers but they wanted to get into digital photography.

Why don't I like them?
1. You can't tell if the picture is in focus, eyes are open etc before you print
2. You are very limited in custom cropping options
3. Enhancement options (if they are offered) are very generic and often make a photo worse
4. Do the math - they cost more than a photo lab and will not stand the test of time compared to lab-processed prints

These printers are fun and handy, but in the long run they are very expensive and often more complicated than printing out the photos with Picasa or some other basic image editor.

These printers are designed to encourage you to print out bad prints that you will have to print several times, thus wasting paper, ink and other consumables.

I am sure that I left some Gimmick features off my list, but here is a short version of the ones I mentioned, plus a few more.

1. Gimmick buttons (scanners, keyboards, etc)
2. Digital Zoom
3. Printers that print from camera card
3. Norton/McAfee Antivirus
4. Registry cleaners
5. Third Party Defrag programs
6. Digital cameras under $50
7. Still picture mode on a video camera
8. HDTV Upscaling (think digital zoom for standard definition signals)

Here are some items that used to be on my list, but have since evolved into useful features or devices.

1. Video mode on your digital camera
2. Computer microphones
3. Webcams
4. Non-photoshop image editors

If you can think of more gimmick technology, or technology that has evolved from gimmick to essential, post a comment.

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