What's something you no longer buy due to intrusive, insidious technology being added into it? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) by FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I'll start: printers.

I bought an HP in March 2020 when my job went remote and HP bricked it remotely after only 100 pages because I wouldn't sign up for their subscription program. Ended up trashing a perfectly good printer.

Luckily my library's close by and I can print there remotely.

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[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz 1 points 12 minutes ago

phones. I just fucken hate em. Until I can get my hands on a graphineOS pixel I will just feel like I have a spy device in my pocket. So now I just have a 6 year old one that is mostly offline playing local music and watching/listening to videos from grayjay. Once this device is dead I will have to look at getting a new one and im really not looking forward to it. I never use calling and i only use txt to receive spam and 2fa spam. Kinda want something like the mechaComet instead of a phone.

[-] flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 53 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Cars. Basically every new model is always online, connected, and streaming who knows what data. Not to mention the awful UX of touchscreens.

Why should a car be connected to the internet? The infotainment is justified but should be controllable. And this includes EVs. Just because your wheels are moved by electric motors it doesn't automatically mean the entire car is "tech" and must be connected to everything and anything.

[-] SGGeorwell@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

An acquaintance from NHTSA says the cars save audio from the interior of the vehicle in a type of black box that can be accessed by investigators after wrecks. They frequently analyze this audio, but it’s SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET.

[-] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 1 points 39 minutes ago

How many cars were you buying

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 16 points 2 hours ago

If I had to get a car I would by an old clunker and pay someone to convert it to electric.

Yes I would like a fully electric 1957 Bel-Air please.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 38 minutes ago

fully electric 1957 Bel-Air

That would be gorgeous.

[-] GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago

Convertible in Tropical Turquoise and India Ivory?

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 38 minutes ago

I only saw it in tropical turquoise.

[-] albbi@piefed.ca 3 points 2 hours ago

My recent purchase was a Mazda specifically because the infotainment was not a touchscreen, but instead controlled by a rotating knob joystick.

[-] schwim@piefed.zip 17 points 2 hours ago

I'll start: printers.

Boy, do I have good news for you!

https://www.crowdsupply.com/open-tools/open-printer/

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 9 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Thank you! I'm okay with walking over to the library to print, though.

It's fun getting to express my socialist sensibilities in that way.

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 hours ago

[rant]Same; however, my local library has the shittiiiessssttt system in place for paying. Half the time the cards don't work and they're not reloadable so if there's like 5 cents left you have to print one single page to use it up. I have 4 or 5 cards now with less than ten cents left on them. They say there's a new system in the works but I think they only have enough money to pay one person to do it because it's been a really long time.[/rant]

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

That's aggravating. It's paid for by our taxes here in KC. Each user gets an allotment. (I think it's daily, but not sure.)

[-] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 1 points 1 hour ago

For responsible printing that's wonderful.

At our library I quickly learned that people want to just print entire reams of nonsense, like web pages that were clearly not made for printing and waste entire pages on like one graphic, and then 35 pages of comments because this person didn't know how to select certain pages or use "print preview"

...So they pay 10¢ a page. Lol

[-] Davel23@fedia.io 5 points 2 hours ago

For some reason the open printer uses HP ink cartridges, so I'm sure it'll be great right up until HP decides to jack up the price and/or discontinue them.

[-] schwim@piefed.zip 7 points 2 hours ago

No, they use the generic refillable cartridges as well. They just use that style of cartridge, not a specific brand.

[-] Glowstick@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Why the hell would they use hp cartridges?!

Edit

Oh it's refillable, that's fine then

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

No, it's not. They aren't built to last regardless of being refillable. They'll need to be replaced.

[-] disregardable@lemmy.zip 30 points 3 hours ago

Brother laser printers don't do that. The unfortunate thing is that the word is out, so the prices have skyrocketed. But for me, if I ever need to buy a laundry machine, I'm looking for a decades old, used one. One with a spin cycle and that lets you start and stop it in demand.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 4 points 2 hours ago

Good idea on the washer. My washer and dryer are both 27 years old. Just basic Whirlpool models. I've repaired both myself a few times, it's not hard, and there are directions for every problem online.

New appliances are shit, now. I dread having to replace my fridge. It's about 25 years old and still works perfectly, but nothing lasts forever.

I'll definitely be looking at old used in appliances before buying new from now on. Same for cars.

[-] xenomor@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

I know it’s off topic, but just want to jump on here and brag about my microwave that is still operating everyday, despite dating back to about 1982.

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 13 points 3 hours ago

laundry machine, I’m looking for a decades old, used one. One with a spin cycle and that lets you start and stop it in demand.

Smart.

[-] damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world 16 points 3 hours ago

Any hardware associated with Facebook.

[-] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 32 minutes ago

False.

The Facebook Portal TV was, and still is, gorgeous. The voice control is dead, the streaming services removed, the Alexa link dead, but as a video conf device that uses your TV really well, it's a life-changer.

We chat with people on the other Coast weekly, and we get to see people in their living room from ours. We can't go visit, but we can stay in touch.

We paid like $100 each for 4 of these. I'd've paid 5 times that for one with upgradeable assistant access and vanilla open video chat so it's fb free. They're all still running but they tether us to Fb since the zoom was ass.

[-] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 4 points 1 hour ago

And software, while we're at it. Web plugins included. Basically just Facebook.

It could've stopped at "Lets people share things with friends and family" but they'll never be satisfied, ~~until~~ even if they have the entire world's money, attention, and data in their clutches.

What they've done to VR pisses me off to the core.

[-] damnthefilibuster@lemmy.world 1 points 25 minutes ago

I never understood why people think VR can be a mass market product. It’s literally single user. It cannot be looked at by two people at the same time. Such a silly concept. It’s good for gaming, some work, robotics, remote access, etc. But mass market? iPhone-killer? Price-accessible to all? I don’t get it.

[-] ExtremeDullard@piefed.social 2 points 1 hour ago

A car.

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 hours ago

New cars, Adobe suite, meta suite, and most restaurants.

[-] RoidingOldMan@lemmy.world 17 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Printers are a loss leader for selling ink cartridges. I have done my recent printing at Walgreens. It's about 25 cents per page and I don't need it very often.

Video games. I stopped buying games because they started requiring a monthly subscription to play.

[-] Float@startrek.website 7 points 2 hours ago

Yea lately I've been playing a bunch of Quake and Doom mods/wads/paks. There are probably tens of thousands of hours worth of free content available for both of these games. Kinda makes it hard to justify buying a new game when I could go download some masterpiece Quake campaign for free.

[-] Guitar@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I stopped using a smart watch I used to use all the time because Samsung started requiring location services to be on to use it. Immediately made me drop it and I stopped buying anything Samsung after that. Not only would I never be okay with having that on all the time, it's fucking insane to start making that a requirement for a device that never required that out of the box.

As a bonus one, I'll never buy anything Playstation ever again for obvious reasons.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

The problem with every laser printer is, eventually, they'll stop making toner cartridges for them. That's what made my perfectly serviceable Samsung printer garbage.

I was looking today at buying a cheap Brother laser printer, for the rare times when I want to print something. But, I saw that it was introduced in 2019, and I can just imagine what will happen. I still might get it and just stock up on cartridges, I haven't decided.

[-] nocturne@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 hour ago

I got a Brother MFCL2750DW back in 2018. It is still going strong. My most recent toner refill was from an off brand. Zero issues with that.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 hours ago

HP printer, cars, appliances.

Dryer drum seals broke and bushings worn. I just bought parts and spent the time fixing it, to avoid the IOT new ones. Probably coat me 30% of getting a new one

Car: we were due for a new one, but we found a 2004 car in mint shape so we downgraded purposely. I wanted to be able to have easy repairs and no phone-home garbage of a new car, and never any SaaS nonsense.

For the Printer: the drugstore guy alerted me to the HP ink nonsense, so I went with a Canon.

[-] baldingpudenda@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

I've been slowly doing more and more car repair. I just hope they don't stop producing replacement parts to force you into buying new cars.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 hours ago

I was thinking of this this morning, so looked up electric motor kits to retro fit cars. https://ev-evolution.eu/solution/ev-kit/

https://electricgt.com/shop/

[-] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 1 points 1 hour ago

I'm so bummed out that this wasn't around yet when I accidentally ruined my Honda Element's motor.

But then again, it seems even these wouldn't wanna push that frame around very much yet. :p

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 hours ago

Eventually we'll all either be riding bicycles or constantly repairing homemade vehicles like they do in Cuba.

[-] baldingpudenda@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

It seems like the way things are going. We are also gonna need those cooling shirts with ice packs in them to prevent heat exhaustion.

[-] DrBob@lemmy.ca 13 points 3 hours ago

I have an old Brother laser printer which absolutely rocks. But I also have an HP flatbed scanner that has never come out of the box because of their bullshit.

[-] everett@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 hour ago

Is there scanner bullshit now too?

[-] DrBob@lemmy.ca 2 points 57 minutes ago

Scanner is fine but there are layers of bullshit with needing to install their app and store stuff in their cloud.

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 4 points 3 hours ago

Yup, if I were still a buyer of printers, that's what I'd get.

[-] SnailMagnitude@mander.xyz 9 points 3 hours ago

Software, but full disclosure: I did go wild and spend £5 on Symfonium a few years back which I don't grudge.

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 9 points 3 hours ago

Hell yeah, and there's so much great FOSS software, makes me wonder why I didn't switch off paid subs for so many things sooner.

this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2026

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