Classic Tech Gadgets That Left as Soon as They Came
Forgotten Inventions that seemed revolutionary, but were short-lived.
Technology is full of inventions that seemed revolutionary, but were short-lived and forgotten. Pagers were indispensable in the 1990s, until cell phones replaced them. The same thing happened with the MiniDisc, touted as the future of portable music, but overshadowed by the CD and later the MP3.
The digital instant cameras of the early 2000s were very useful at the time, but quickly became obsolete. These devices generated enthusiasm and, almost without warning, disappeared, leaving only a fleeting memory.
Younger people probably haven't had their hands on any of the antiques on this list, but the older generation grew up with them and has seen how technological advancements have relegated them to obscurity.
The Neo Geo Pocket Color, a handheld gaming console.
The iPod Classic, 6th Generation.
The Game Boy Advance (GBA), a 32-bit handheld gaming system made by Nintendo.
Sony Walkman WM-41 Cassette Tape Player.
Sony MiniDisc-Player and Recorder MZ-R37.
A Sony Discman Player D-145.
Sony Cybershot Camera DSC W210.
The PalmPilot organizer was a famous and highly successful line of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) from the mid-1990s.
A Nintendo Famicom Machine of the 1990s.
A MP3 Player, typically in a USB stick style, was extremely popular.
Motorola StarTAC Flip Phone. An iconic mobile phone from the mid-1990s.
Motorola Minicall Express From the 1990s.
Leica M (Typ 262). A modern and high-end digital rangefinder camera.
Kodak EasyShare CX7300. An early point-and-shoot digital camera from the early 2000s.
iPod nano. A portable digital music player from Apple.
A late 90s thermal printer accessory for the Nintendo Game Boy.
Old Family Game Console.
Camcorder Panasonic VHS-C NV-RX17.
A Blackberry Bold 9700.
An external Zip Floppy Disk Drive with a corresponding 100-megabyte disk by Fujifilm.
