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Photo: Kamal Narang

Techno bling The in thing

Welcome to the world where fashion ranks above function! Techno Bling gadgets are what we manufacture, desire and finally own these days. Whether it is the crystal beaded charm on your mobile phone or your mobile phone itself, the trend of marrying hi-fashion to technology has begun to create waves the world over. If you thought being tech savvy was all that mattered, think again. You might feel the need to recheck your fashion quotient as well.

Business Management student Abhimannue Srikishan says: “A gadget is an extension of one’s personality. Therefore, although personally I feel function precedes fashion, a lot of others believe fashion has come to be a decisive factor as far as gadgets are concerned.”

Consider the Bluetooth headset. The concept of the periodically flashing blue light and the fact that the innovation is meant to be worn over the ear only confirms the immense potential of techno bling.

Ezra Kanavalli, another student asserts, “It’s all about making impressions. Considering the price range of these trendy gizmos, we can conclude that the gadget itself becomes a status symbol of sorts.”

He says, “If we look closely at automobiles, we realise that modifying a car by adding alloys, rims, mufflers and filters enhances its look as well as performance, a perfect case of style marrying technology!”

Those were the days when we would dedicate half our living room space to the big, bulky idiot box! Now with the invention of the plasma TV, life for many seems more luxurious and less complex than ever before. Then of course hi-tech laptops. “As soon as I saw the Sony VAIO ad, I decided I must have it,” says Suprithi Bhatia, a fine arts teacher. “The colour, the sleekness and the overall appearance are attention grabbers,” she adds.

Does this mean fashion has become the USP of gadgets today?

“Quite so,” agrees Abhimannue. “But we must remember it’s all about fashion only when technology of a gadget has reached saturation point,” he says.

When the iPod became famous for its relatively complex standard of technology, manufacturers would have decided to shift focus and would have then capitalised mostly on the looks, without allowing the technological standard to fall, obviously. Ask designer Tanvi Gupta what she has to say about fashion playing the lead role in the making of gadgets, and she replies , “Apart from people becoming fashion conscious today, the fat salaries and high bank balances enable them to purchase the latest techno bling in the market.”

Says Bhushan, an advertising professional, “I was surfing the Net recently when I found that a particular laptop comes with a bag that has on it a rectangular display that indicates whether the laptop has connectivity or not, all this without having to take the laptop out of the bag.”

As far as purchase of trinkets and charms for mobile phones are concerned, it is mainly youngsters who are enthusiastic about these little decorative pieces. Antara Bhima, a housewife, is of the same opinion and adds that “it is the female population that goes in for miniature embellishments for their average looking phones. Men usually do not adorn their phones but, on the contrary, buy smart looking phones.”

Call it the effect of diversity in the field of science or the infiltration of fashion into technology’s domain; we can almost safely infer that the techno-fashion wedlock is bound to last forever.

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