"all-time top 100 list of gadgets"

Esav Benyamin

Esav Benyamin

MidniteSuperMod
Joined
Apr 6, 2000
Messages
90,915
At least they got one gadget right! :D


Apple laptop is 'greatest gadget'

The Apple Powerbook 100 has been chosen as the greatest gadget of all time, by US magazine Mobile PC.

The 1991 laptop was chosen because it was one of the first "lightweight" portable computers and helped define the layout of all future notebook PCs.

The magazine has compiled an all-time top 100 list of gadgets, which includes the Sony Walkman at number three and the 1956 Zenith remote control at two.

"In general we included only items that were potentially mobile," said the magazine.

TOP 10 'GREATEST GADGETS'

1. Apple Powerbook 100 (1991)
2. Zenith Space Command remote control (1956)
3. Sony Walkman (1979)
4. Motorola Startac (1996)
5. CDI mechanical mouse (1970)
6. Casio QV-10 digital camera (1996)
7. US Robotics Pilot 1000 (1996)
8. Diamond Multimedia Rio 300 (1998)
9. Atari 7600 (1977)
10. Tivo Series 1 (1999)

The oldest "gadget" in the top 100 is the abacus, which the magazine dates at 190 A.D., and put in 60th place.

Other pre-electronic gadgets in the top 100 include the sextant from 1731 (59th position), the marine chronometer from 1761 (42nd position) and the Kodak Brownie camera from 1900 (28th position).

The Tivo personal video recorder is the newest device to make the top 10, which also includes the first flash mp3 player (Diamound Multimedia), as well as the first "successful" digital camera (Casio QV-10) and mobile phone (Motorola Startac).

The most popular gadget of the moment, the Apple iPod, is at number 12 in the list while the first Sony transistor radio is at number 13.

Sony's third entry in the top 20 is the CDP-101 CD player from 1983.

_40851785_swiss203.jpg

The Swiss Arny Knife: A million and one uses
Karl Elsener's knife, the Swiss Army Knife from 1891, is at number 20 in the list.

Gadgets which could be said to feature surprisngly low down in the list include the original telephone (23rd), the Nintendo GameBoy (25th), and the Pulsar quartz digital watch (36th).

The list also contains plenty of oddities: the Pez sweet dispenser (98th), 1980s toy Tamagotchi (86th) and the bizarre Ronco inside the shell egg scrambler (84th).
Click to expand...

(The entire article with reader comments is available at the link above.)​
 
I've owned 8 of the top 10. :o (When the CB radio craze hit, my handle was "Gadgetman")

Being a gadget freak is worse than having a drug addiction - I remember I purchased one of the first StarTAC cellphones _ at dealer cost_ from a good friend of mine, a cellphone distributor.

My cost was Cdn$1,499.

Anyone have a Razr they want to sell? ;)
 
Well, Esav, this thread is disappointing. I thought that it would be YOUR top 100. :p
 
Where's the Leatherman? SAK's are fine as toys, but those pliers are pretty crucial.
 
What about the toilet? Certainly that qualifies as a gadget. Not many people I know would want to live without one of those nearby.
 
That SAK's not an 1891 model either! :D

Planterz, "In general we included only items that were potentially mobile," said the magazine. I know, I know, every hunter's catalog has portable toilets.

I think we could add a few of our own, and ditch a few they listed. But Idon't know if I could come up with 100 really earthshaking gadgets from the last 50,000 years. Some of this stuff is just toys.
 
This reminds me of an issue that's been bugging me for awhile. The way that "gadget" is defined these days is it has to have electronic crap all over it. Sure, electronic toys are fun but I think the success and prevalence of online forums and magazines show that simple knives and tools are just as popular as ever and perhaps even more so.

BTW, a notebook computer is not a gadget. In my mind a gadget is generally something small that can fit in your pocket. A notebook computer is just a portable computer dammit!
 
Where was the original leatherman PST on the list? - that would be my number 1
 
Peter Atwood said:
What do you mean the Prybaby didn't make the list..... :( :p :D
Click to expand...

The Prybaby didn't make the list but it made my keychain! :D They missed a LOT of good stuff :mad:
 
Hm, the flush toilet, the spear, knife, hatchet, wheel, motor (steam, internal combustion or electric), the AC generator (Tesla), transformer, laser, match or lighter, lever, microscope, telescope, aqualung, sextant, paint, carbon arc... well, maybe those are inventions rather than gadgets, but still, something like a microscope or aqualung would be considered a gadget to most people since they are things that most people wouldn't need.
 
Because the list was compiled by a PC magazine, you'd expect a computer to be tops. Personally, I'd name the generic SAK #1 on the list.

Gadget for personal use or for civilization in general? If for civilization, then it's the moveable-type printing press. Not portable, but a gadget nonetheless.
 
Wow, for a second I thought this thread was asking for us to post our personal top 100 gadget lists. And the frightening thing is that many here would have been willing and able to provide such a list! :D
 
akjon said:
Wow, for a second I thought this thread was asking for us to post our personal top 100 gadget lists. And the frightening thing is that many here would have been willing and able to provide such a list! :D
Click to expand...

You'd also have to differentiate between gadgets and inventions. That would require definitions we all could agree upon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top