What do your smartphones and laptops say about you?

SYDNEY - What your colleagues and peers think about you as a person is largely reflected by the smartphone you keep in your pocket, and the laptop in your briefcase.

In a new book called ‘What Makes us Tick,’ social researcher Hugh Mackay has explained that gizmos (along with other luxury items) are commonly used to “draw attention to ourselves and position us as people worthy of admiration or respect”.

“… the cult of celebrity has spawned the idea that, if you aspire to a higher status, the symbols will get you there,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as writing.

So here’s how you are judged on the basis of gadgets you own.

In your briefcase

Tablets

The iPad has been the toast of 2010 and will most certainly feature at the top of many Christmas lists this year.

Laptops

MacBook Air Whipping out this razor-thin Apple laptop should leave your colleagues gagging with envy without inciting the “selfish elite” stereotype that has smeared the rich and mean spirited iPad owners.

In your pocket

Mobiles

IPhone, an obvious favourite with Apple’s loyal legion of fanboys and girls, as well as those who consider themselves cutting edge and fashionable and might once have bought a Nokia.

Roy Morgan research found iPhone owners were more likely than the average mobile phone user to agree to the statement “I try to look stylish”.

Blackberry has been the corporate smartphone of choice for many years now, meaning its owners are the guys with the big paychecks.

Android smartphone, the techie crowd, the free spirited crowd, and any other gadget fans who doesn’t really like Apple’s walled garden of apps and content might well be seen flashing a slinky HTC desire, or Samsung Galaxy S - both of which run on Google’s Android open source operating system.

Windows smartphone Luddite or early adopter? Users could be either depending on which Windows operating system drives their phone. Either way - they’re probably a comfortable Windows user at home or work which means they would never be spotted wearing a trendy black skivvy.

In your lounge room

TVs

3DTV-Just when you had worked out your Dpi from your HDMI, a whole new generation of TVs has flooded into the stores. It may be the next big thing, but impossible price tags, the need to wear silly glasses, and the fact that there is very little 3D content yet, are three good reasons this is a plaything only for tech-infatuated rich guys with loads of spare cash.

LED TV-Strictly for the cutting edge and cashed up TV viewer, this wafer thin version of the LCD TV technology is backlit with light emitting diodes instead of whatever LCDs used to be lit with - which means it is better for the environment.

Plasma-A super-sized TV for movies, games and sports enthusiasts. LCD For everyone else wanting a large TV minus the risk of dead pixels and screen burn in that afflicted the older generation of plasmas.

Entertainment devices

TiVo-Along with a bunch of other home entertainment upstarts, TiVo is the ultimate time-shifting toy for time-poor TV enthusiasts who hate missing their favourite shows when they are away, but haven’t yet got the hang of BitTorrent.

The Nintendo Wii-A kind of group gaming hug for the whole family designed to lure sulking teens back into the lounge room, and help housebound mums get fit. Where you find a Wii - you will also encounter women, children and Mario.

The Xbox 360- For both serious and casual gamers who like to match their wits against a large community of online gamers.

The Sony PS3-For hard-core gamers that want to hack and modify their console for the ultimate gaming performance, and casual teeny gamers who like to play SingStar and Dance-Dance Revolution while simultaneously watching BluRay movies. (ANI)