RIM, Apple and Garmin Create Need to Spend

Smartphone manufacturers have certainly worked hard over the past year to convince me that I actually need what they're selling. They're succeeding.

Research In MotionRIMM announced its new Blackberry Bold on Monday, another gadget in the smartphone revolution that will probably motivate more consumers like me -- who are somewhat reserved about electronics spending -- to indulge in the new technology. The Blackberry Bold could be available this summer.

Recent hype about smartphones and fierce competition among manufacturers such as Research in Motion, AppleAAPL, and GarminGRMN is persuading me to upgrade mine. It's only a year old and works perfectly fine, but it lacks some of the newer bells and whistles that would certainly be nice to carry in my purse.

Innovation is both the blessing and curse of the electronics industry. I'm usually loath to buy something when companies bill their new technologies as yet another big thing that consumers should want to own. But I can't think of an electronics item that doesn't perform better than it would have five years ago. However, I just can't stomach the thought of junking a product that's still in good working condition and parting with cash just because there's something new on the market.

Every few years, however, I resign myself to the process -- and find that I even enjoy the shopping. My $1,500 Samsung flat-panel LCD television is perhaps the best example. Did I need it? Absolutely not. I had a 32-inch Sony that worked just fine. But I realized the benefits of enjoying new technology when I had the new set mounted on my wall and no longer needed to waste space on a large cabinet (a.k.a. "the TV altar") to hold my old set.