High-tech: Then & now- Most technologically advanced gadgets now look archaic next to today's equivalents. Looks for yourself how far technology has come by checking out these old school gadgets and their modern counterparts. Calling feature: three-way calling. +best tech of the decade
Sony Walkman cassette player calling feature: three-way calling You can talk with two people at the same time with a three-way conversation on your wireless phone. Airtime and other charges, which may include toll or long distance charges, will apply for all simultaneous calls until you end one call.
Conventional electric fan
Then: Conventional electric fan Now: Bladeless fan
The latest innovation in fan technology, the bladeless fan is one cool gadget. Rather than featuring rotating blades like a conventional electric fan, the bladeless fan uses this method to exert its cool, refreshing breezes.
electric fan A Waycross shelter where 14 dogs died in extreme heat now has been wired for electricity, and fans are blowing on the animals.
Hoover Constellation vacuum
Then: Hoover Constellation Now: iRobot Roomba
Introduced in the '50s, the Hoover Constellation was the latest in vacuum cleaner technology. Rather than having to push it, the Constellation glided like a hovercraft across the carpet. Nowadays, people can kick up their feet and let modern robot vacuums do the work for them.
Floppy disk
Then: Floppy disks Now: USB flash drives Universal Serial Bus define gigabyte
From their commercial release in 1971 through the late '90s, floppy disks were the best way to store and transfer computer files. The plastic squares have since been replaced with USB flash drives that, though much smaller, can hold up to 256 gigabytes of data.
Fax machine
Then: Fax machines Now: Email and cloud computing Hotmail introduced in 1996 cloud file sharing
It is almost impossible to imagine the world of today without email. Yet it was not until the mid-1990s that email became common in offices and homes. Before email, fax machines were the way to send documents. Today, it's simply a matter of attaching a file to an email or sharing documents and files "in the cloud."
VCR
Then: VCR Now: TiVo
Before VCRs, you had to plan your life around the network schedule. Before DVRs you had to program a timer or ask a friend or family member to insert a blank VHS tape into the VCR and press the record button just before the show aired. Now, it's so easy to record hours of TV that "TiVo" has become a verb.
Atari 2600
Then: Atari 2600 Now: Xbox Kinect
When compared with the Xbox Kinect's facial recognition and motion capture capabilities, the Atari 2600, with its joy-sticks and metal switches seems so basic. Back in 1977 when it was released, the Atari was a groundbreaking, must-have item.
Walkman
Then: Walkman Now: Portable Media Players
Music fans have this company to thank for paving the way in portable media players. A must-have gadget of the '80s, the Walkman made family road trips, gym workouts and afterschool paper routes so much more bearable.
IBM 5100
Then: IBM 5100 Now: Sleek Laptops
Over the years, clunky old computers like the IBM 5100 that looked like cash registers have been replaced with thinner, sleeker models. best lightweight laptops Best Ultraportable Laptops
Ultraportables are small and lightweight laptops, usually with a screen size of 12 inches or less and weigh 3 pounds or less, although some 13-inch laptops may also be categorized as ultraportable. Thin-and-light laptops are typically more expensive than their mainstream-sized counterparts, with a notable exception of Netbooks – small and inexpensive computers with Linux or Windows XP that run on Intel Atom CPUs.
One common denominator is that ultraportable laptops are generally less powerful than larger ones because of their miniaturized hardware, but that’s a compromise you’ll have to live with for excellent mobility.
Electro Gyrocator
Then: Electro Gyrocator Now: Portable Sat-Navs free road maps filling stations Gyroscope
Modern portable satellite navigation systems have had people throwing away their roadmaps over the last decade. However, they weren't always so reliable. The first automotive navigation system, the Electro Gyrocator , used this tool to navigate whereas modern versions use GPS.
PYE Cube Tube TV
Then: PYE Cube Tube TV Now: 3D TV
Long before there were 3D TVs there was the PYE Cube Tube. The six-sided television set was an all-in-one TV, clock radio and cassette player.
Betamax camcorder
Then: Betamax camcorder Now: Pocket video cameras
The ability to make movies in your own home with the Betamax camcorder was a groundbreaking moment in modern technology. Today, capturing video footage is as simple as reaching into your pocket and pressing a button.
VHS camcorder tape adapter
Then: VHS camcorder tape adapter Now: YouTube
Before the Internet, sharing funny home videos required you to have a VHS camcorder tape adapter. Now, you can simply upload videos to YouTube and share them with millions of people across the globe.
Motorola DynaTac
Then: Motorola DynaTac Now: Smart Phones
It's hard to believe that the Motorola DynaTac was once a hot new gadget. When compared with the BlackBerry Android and Windows 7 phone it really looks like something from a cheap sci-fi movie.
Kodak Tele Disc camera
Then: Kodak Tele Disc camera Now: SLR digital cameras
In the late '80s, the Kodak Tele Disc and its cool zoom feature made it a must-have item. Since then, digital camera technology has changed the game. Today, the quality and affordability of SLR Digital Cameras allows even the most amateur photographers to take professional-looking snaps.
3-Way Calling
Then: 3-way calling Now: Skype video conferencing
Three-way calling was a major hit in the late '80s, but conference calling has gotten even better with Skype's video call capabilities. Now, a group of people can talk as if they were in the same room.
Chat rooms
Then: Chat rooms Now: Social networking websites
Back before hashtags and profile pictures, chat rooms were a major hub of social interaction on the Internet. These virtual rooms still exist though they've mainly been replaced with more modern social networking sites and text messaging. Still, some things haven't changed.
Nintendo Game Boy
Then: Ninetendo Game Boy Now: Nintendo DSi XL
Though hand-held video gaming consoles have clearly progressed over the years, what's remained constant is their popularity. Over 100 million Game Boys have sold in the years since its 1989 release and the Ninetindo DSi's release in 2008 inspired several midnight launch events at gaming stores across the country.
CD-ROM encyclopedias
Then: CD-ROM encyclopedias Now: Search engines
Search engines have become so ingrained in our lives that it's hard to remember a time when they weren't around. Back before Bing, you had to hunt for your answers in CD-ROM encyclopedias such as Microsoft Encarta. the history of search engines History of Search Engines: From 1945 to Google Today As We May Think (1945):
The concept of hypertext and a memory extension really came to life in July of 1945, when after enjoying the scientific camaraderie that was a side effect of WWII, Vannevar Bush's As We May Think was published in The Atlantic Monthly.
+Compact Disc Read-only memory
Dial-up modem
Then: Dial-up modem Now: Internet dongle
There was once a time when connecting to the Internet meant having to listen to a high-pitched dial-up tone. With today's wireless dongles people can take the Internet with them anywhere they go and they'll never have to hear a dial-up tone again.
Apple Newton tablet computer
Then: Apple Newton Now: Modern tablet computers
Though they've been advanced in recent years, tablet computers aren't an entirely new invention. A tablet computer called "Newton" was introduced in the late '80s and touted as a "personal digital assistant."
Sony Walkman cassette player calling feature: three-way calling You can talk with two people at the same time with a three-way conversation on your wireless phone. Airtime and other charges, which may include toll or long distance charges, will apply for all simultaneous calls until you end one call.
Then: Conventional electric fan Now: Bladeless fan
The latest innovation in fan technology, the bladeless fan is one cool gadget. Rather than featuring rotating blades like a conventional electric fan, the bladeless fan uses this method to exert its cool, refreshing breezes.
electric fan A Waycross shelter where 14 dogs died in extreme heat now has been wired for electricity, and fans are blowing on the animals.
Then: Hoover Constellation Now: iRobot Roomba
Introduced in the '50s, the Hoover Constellation was the latest in vacuum cleaner technology. Rather than having to push it, the Constellation glided like a hovercraft across the carpet. Nowadays, people can kick up their feet and let modern robot vacuums do the work for them.
Then: Floppy disks Now: USB flash drives Universal Serial Bus define gigabyte
From their commercial release in 1971 through the late '90s, floppy disks were the best way to store and transfer computer files. The plastic squares have since been replaced with USB flash drives that, though much smaller, can hold up to 256 gigabytes of data.
Cassette boombox
Then: Cassette boombox Now: MP3 docks ghetto blaster
The cassette boombox was a classic feature of the '80s. Though quite bulky compared to today's small mp3 docks people were not deterred from carrying the music players on their shoulders.
Then: Cassette boombox Now: MP3 docks ghetto blaster
The cassette boombox was a classic feature of the '80s. Though quite bulky compared to today's small mp3 docks people were not deterred from carrying the music players on their shoulders.
Fax machine
Then: Fax machines Now: Email and cloud computing Hotmail introduced in 1996 cloud file sharing
It is almost impossible to imagine the world of today without email. Yet it was not until the mid-1990s that email became common in offices and homes. Before email, fax machines were the way to send documents. Today, it's simply a matter of attaching a file to an email or sharing documents and files "in the cloud."
Then: VCR Now: TiVo
Before VCRs, you had to plan your life around the network schedule. Before DVRs you had to program a timer or ask a friend or family member to insert a blank VHS tape into the VCR and press the record button just before the show aired. Now, it's so easy to record hours of TV that "TiVo" has become a verb.
Then: Atari 2600 Now: Xbox Kinect
When compared with the Xbox Kinect's facial recognition and motion capture capabilities, the Atari 2600, with its joy-sticks and metal switches seems so basic. Back in 1977 when it was released, the Atari was a groundbreaking, must-have item.
Then: Walkman Now: Portable Media Players
Music fans have this company to thank for paving the way in portable media players. A must-have gadget of the '80s, the Walkman made family road trips, gym workouts and afterschool paper routes so much more bearable.
Then: IBM 5100 Now: Sleek Laptops
Over the years, clunky old computers like the IBM 5100 that looked like cash registers have been replaced with thinner, sleeker models. best lightweight laptops Best Ultraportable Laptops
Ultraportables are small and lightweight laptops, usually with a screen size of 12 inches or less and weigh 3 pounds or less, although some 13-inch laptops may also be categorized as ultraportable. Thin-and-light laptops are typically more expensive than their mainstream-sized counterparts, with a notable exception of Netbooks – small and inexpensive computers with Linux or Windows XP that run on Intel Atom CPUs.
One common denominator is that ultraportable laptops are generally less powerful than larger ones because of their miniaturized hardware, but that’s a compromise you’ll have to live with for excellent mobility.
Then: Electro Gyrocator Now: Portable Sat-Navs free road maps filling stations Gyroscope
Modern portable satellite navigation systems have had people throwing away their roadmaps over the last decade. However, they weren't always so reliable. The first automotive navigation system, the Electro Gyrocator , used this tool to navigate whereas modern versions use GPS.
Then: PYE Cube Tube TV Now: 3D TV
Long before there were 3D TVs there was the PYE Cube Tube. The six-sided television set was an all-in-one TV, clock radio and cassette player.
Then: Betamax camcorder Now: Pocket video cameras
The ability to make movies in your own home with the Betamax camcorder was a groundbreaking moment in modern technology. Today, capturing video footage is as simple as reaching into your pocket and pressing a button.
Then: VHS camcorder tape adapter Now: YouTube
Before the Internet, sharing funny home videos required you to have a VHS camcorder tape adapter. Now, you can simply upload videos to YouTube and share them with millions of people across the globe.
Then: Motorola DynaTac Now: Smart Phones
It's hard to believe that the Motorola DynaTac was once a hot new gadget. When compared with the BlackBerry Android and Windows 7 phone it really looks like something from a cheap sci-fi movie.
Then: Kodak Tele Disc camera Now: SLR digital cameras
In the late '80s, the Kodak Tele Disc and its cool zoom feature made it a must-have item. Since then, digital camera technology has changed the game. Today, the quality and affordability of SLR Digital Cameras allows even the most amateur photographers to take professional-looking snaps.
Then: 3-way calling Now: Skype video conferencing
Three-way calling was a major hit in the late '80s, but conference calling has gotten even better with Skype's video call capabilities. Now, a group of people can talk as if they were in the same room.
Then: Chat rooms Now: Social networking websites
Back before hashtags and profile pictures, chat rooms were a major hub of social interaction on the Internet. These virtual rooms still exist though they've mainly been replaced with more modern social networking sites and text messaging. Still, some things haven't changed.
Then: Ninetendo Game Boy Now: Nintendo DSi XL
Though hand-held video gaming consoles have clearly progressed over the years, what's remained constant is their popularity. Over 100 million Game Boys have sold in the years since its 1989 release and the Ninetindo DSi's release in 2008 inspired several midnight launch events at gaming stores across the country.
Then: CD-ROM encyclopedias Now: Search engines
Search engines have become so ingrained in our lives that it's hard to remember a time when they weren't around. Back before Bing, you had to hunt for your answers in CD-ROM encyclopedias such as Microsoft Encarta. the history of search engines History of Search Engines: From 1945 to Google Today As We May Think (1945):
The concept of hypertext and a memory extension really came to life in July of 1945, when after enjoying the scientific camaraderie that was a side effect of WWII, Vannevar Bush's As We May Think was published in The Atlantic Monthly.
+Compact Disc Read-only memory
Then: Dial-up modem Now: Internet dongle
There was once a time when connecting to the Internet meant having to listen to a high-pitched dial-up tone. With today's wireless dongles people can take the Internet with them anywhere they go and they'll never have to hear a dial-up tone again.
Then: Apple Newton Now: Modern tablet computers
Though they've been advanced in recent years, tablet computers aren't an entirely new invention. A tablet computer called "Newton" was introduced in the late '80s and touted as a "personal digital assistant."
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