Describe something you bought that was difficult to use at first

You should say:

What is it?

When you bought it?

What does it do?

Explain how difficult was it to use?

So as technology progresses you’d think that technological devices and gadgets would become more intuitive and easier to use but that was obviously not the case with the thing I bought. It’s called the gimbal which is kind of a camera stabilizer and I bought it at the HongKong airport, if my memory serves me right.

At the time we were traveling through Hongkong and my wife suggested that I should make travel vlogs. Given that I travel so much and I think we were just browsing around and the salesperson suggested that we should give this a try and I think I paid 300 bucks for it which at the time I thought it was expensive because it was 300 bucks for what was tantamount to basically a selfie stick.

So it was extremely difficult to use at first because of the number of things. First of all, it is the interface. Now, I’m not the most tech savvy person in the world but at the same time I don’t think of myself as a technophobe either but the software that accompanies the device was just really challenging to navigate. The device itself was also really kinda awkward to hold and maneuver, it was really hefty and I guess I was just really inexperienced when it comes to camera equipment. But after a few days of using it, I slowly got the hang of it and it became a lot easier to use. The difference that it makes to the quality of the videos and the vlogs was just night and day. The shots were a lot more stable and it just feels like something that was professionally produced rather than something that an amateur or home vlogger puts out on The Internet.

Từ vựng: 

intuitive /ɪnˈtuː.ɪ.t̬ɪv/ (adj) dựa vào trực giác

gadget /ˈɡædʒ.ət/: thiết bị nhỏ

camera stabilizer /ˈsteɪ.bə.laɪ.zɚ/ = gimbal /ˈɡɪm.bəl/ (n) thiết bị chống rung máy quay cầm tay

one’s memory serves right (phrase) nếu nhớ chính xác…

to browse  /braʊz/ around: lướt (mạng)

buck (tiếng lóng) tiền đô Mỹ (1 buck = 1 dollar)

to give something a try: thử cái gì

tech-savvy /ˈsæv.i/ (adj/ informal) người rành công nghệ

technophobe /ˈtek.nə.foʊb/ (adj) người mù công nghệ

to maneuver /məˈnuː.vɚ/: điều khiển

hefty /ˈhef.ti/ (adj) nặng

night and day: rõ như ban ngày

be professionally produced: được sản xuất chuyên nghiệp

to get the hang of something: dần quen với cái gì

be tantamount /ˈtæn.t̬ə.maʊnt/ to: gần giống như

(Nguồn: The IELTS Workshop)