World Changing Gadgets

Found here, this is a predictable list that leaves for little arguing. If it were written now, I suppose it would also include the iPad. Certainly, Apple products have a mass appeal but I’ve always been put off by the closed systems of Apple devices. I have an issue with Kindle for the same reason although it is a nice ereader.

The Palm Pilot was maybe the most exciting for me of the devices on this list. I never owned one, but I would go to a local computer store that had one on display and practice writing the special alphabet that Palm used at the time.

I noticed that some of the devices on this list were specific brands – SONY Walkman, APPLE iPod, AMAZON Kindle – but some are generic such as wireless routers and personal GPS. As a child of the Walkman generation, I don’t recall much debate as to whether the Walkman (cassette player or CD player) was the best or not (it was). The other devices each had strong competitors and were not necessarily the best device of its kind. The Barnes and Noble Nook consistently gets better reviews from consumers and from technical reviewers but Amazon’s device has captured the market and Nook struggles to catch up. I’ve never heard anyone say how much they love iTunes as a media player, but it is so strong as a store and content delivery service that people prefer Apple anyway. If you like your music with DRM, iTunes is a good place to get it and Apple devices are the most friendly with iTunes.

I wouldn’t have put wireless routers on my list but it would have been an error. I remember working as a network administrator for a small (50 computers) organization back in the late 1990s. The president of the organization was quite visionary in the area of technology and using it to help workflow. The entire office was largely paperless – using networked faxing and an intranet for messaging. We also had scanners to digitize documents and further reduce paper clutter. He would talk about wireless networking like it was just around the corner but I just didn’t get it. I had heard of the possibility, but didn’t think it would be able to compete with cabled networks. Truly, the first commercial versions of WiFi had security issues and were S-L-O-W. But Mr. Smith soon got his wish as most of the office moved to WiFi a few months after I left. I’m glad that I had regular conversations with a visionary person and I still like to get together with others like Mr. Smith to talk about what might be coming next.