What is a gadget?

November 5, 8:15 AMGadgets ExaminerDan Appleman

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Dictionary.com defines a gadget as:

“a mechanical contrivance or device; any ingenious article.”

Well, we’ll ignore the mechanical part – today’s gadgets are clearly more about electrons than gears. In fact, in this column I’ll be taking a fairly broad definition of gadget: it might be software, it might be hardware, it could be high tech or low tech, small or large, cheap or expensive. But it should be ingenious, and it should be useful – because after all, if it’s not something you can use, it’s obviously not a gadget.

In this column, I’ll be writing about technology and gadgets with a close eye to the budget. In today’s economy most of us can’t afford to waste money on things that just look cool. Reliability, support and total cost of ownership will be given equal weight to features and design. And whether it’s a consumer product, tech toy, or web site, the value and usefulness of the technology will always trump marketing hype.

And if you’re wondering what gadget you’ll read about first… it’s already been covered! Dictionary.com is as useful a gadget as you’ll find for looking up definitions. It’s always up to date, easy to use, and it’s free. Now that’s my kind of gadget.