Greatest gadgets of the last five years (and maybe of all time)
dan tynan on Oct 31 2008 at 12:06 pm | Filed under: Apple, Gadgets, Geekishness, Lists, Music, PC World, Steve Jobs
The best gadgets are simple, elegant, and change your life in ways you don’t expect
Five years ago my Gadget Freak column began with a simple mission. To explore brave new technologies, to seek out new gizmos and gear, and to boldly go where no gadget column had gone before.
Now that mission is over. This is the very last Gadget Freak. But before I bow out, I’d like to talk about what makes a gadget great.
The best gadgets all have certain qualities in common. They change your life in ways you didn’t expect. They solve difficult problems simply and elegantly, without forcing you to open the manual. They’re constantly ahead of the curve, adding new features before you realize you need them. And most important, they put you in control of your digital destiny – so you make decisions about what you want to do and how you want to do it.
Over the last five years there have been five gadgets that really stood out. Of course, they all start with Apple.
Apple iPod and iPhone. Steve Jobs’ true genius is he understands the total user experience, from package design to what’s supposed to happen the first time you press the power button. Few devices have been as innovative. The iPod created today’s digital media marketplace; the iPhone was first pocket-sized device to make untethered Web surfing bearable. Sure, Apple has stumbled (battery problems, easily scratched screens, 3G connection glitches), but overall nobody else comes close. 
TiVo. The beauty of TiVo is it gives you back all that time you used to waste watching commercials and waiting for shows to come on. There are other DVRs, but none can keep up with TiVo. For example, I use a Tivo Series 2 ($150 plus $13 a month, tivo.com) to manage content on my WiFi network. When I want to do a slide show of my recent trip to Reykjavik (whale sashimi, yum), I just fire up my TiVo and access the photos on my PC. I can 
access music or videos, download movies, get weather and traffic reports, play games, and much more. Brilliant.
iRobot Roomba. It’s not just a vacuum cleaner, it’s a friend. These squat, puck-shaped gizmos are so cute millions of Roomba owners have given them names. The latest model, the Roomba 570 ($430, irobot.com), even talks to you when it needs help. They also do a fine job cleaning fl
oors. Years from now, historians will see the introduction of the Roomba as the day robots came into our lives to stay.
Sonos Sound System. Don’t own a Sonos? Then you’re probably still carrying your MP3 player from room to room. This wireless system makes moving digital music around your home a snap, and it continues to improve with smaller, cheaper models like the Sonos Bundle 150 (sonos.com). At $1000 for a two-room starter kit, the Sonos 150 is still a pricey, but its sound quality blows cheaper alternatives like Logitech’s Squeezebox or EOS Wireless system out of the water.
Nintendo Wii. Forget that it’s the first game system you don’t have to be an arrested adolescent to enjoy. The Wii ($249, us.wii.com) brought gesture-based interfaces into the mainstream, managing to emulate real life experience in a convincing way without virtual reality goggles or gloves. Have I also mentioned it’s a heckovalot of fun?
As you roam the aisles this holiday season, you’ll do well to look for gear that’s as simple, innovative, and compelling as these five.
It’s been a great five years. Thanks for reading.
Now, beam me up, Scotty.
This post originally appeared on PCworld.com.
[...] Original post by Tynan on Tech [...]
[...] The best gadgets are simple, elegant, and change your life in ways you don’t expect Five years ago my Gadget Freak column began with a simple mission. To explore brave new technologies, to seek out new gizmos and gear, and to boldly go where no gadget column had gone before. Now that mission is over. This [...] The Rest Of The Story at Technorati … [...]
[...] The best gadgets are simple, elegant, and change your life in ways you don’t expect Five years ago my Gadget Freak column began with a simple mission. To explore brave new technologies, to seek out new gizmos and gear, and to boldly go where no gadget column had gone before. Now that mission is over. This […] Read more… [...]
How could you leave? Things won’t be the same…
Thanks for the kind words.
I didn’t jump, I was pushed. PC World, like virtually every other print publication in the U.S., is going through another contraction. They needed to slash their editorial budget, and the fastest way to do that was to get rid of their most expensive contributors — the columnists. So me, Steve Bass, Steve Manes, all got cut. There were others too, I think.
We’re being replaced by bloggers who work for peanuts. Sad, but true. Will readers notice the difference or even care? That is the question.
I’m still writing for PCW, so far at least. Just not a regular column anymore.
I was truly saddened to see this was your last column. Amidst a sea of tech writing tripe, I always thought yours stood out as smart, funny and socially insightful. I hope the bean counters at PC World soon realize that it is writing like yours that gives them more beans to count. I can count on one nut the number of free or near-free bloggers who are worth reading. Thanks, Dan, for doing what you do.
@GadgetFan
bless you my son. feel free to share that with my friends at pc world. I am still on good terms (I think) and writing for them almost every month. but that still would be good for them to hear.
oh, and the check is in the mail. ;>
dt
[...] I like this thing so much it’s almost embarrassing. It’s one of my top 5 gadgets of the last five years and maybe longer. There’s no more elegant or easier way to spread music throughout your [...]
Way to go, Dan. Tout whale sashimi to your readers – help drive up the demand and price for whale meat, thus encourageing countries like Japan and Iceland to harvest more of the magnificent, endangered animals under the guise of “scientific research.” I hope eating whale meat wasn’t the high point of your trip.
DS
it’s the minke whale — a small breed, not endangered. iceland has been harvesting them for centuries. they actually are pretty responsible about how they go about whaling, unlike the japanese, russians, etc. they were rather upset about the whaling ban imposed a few years ago, feeling like they were treated unfairly. at least the folks I talked to in iceland were.
I know it will still upset some people that I tried whale sashimi. (Actually, I didn’t like it all that much — too gamey — but I didn’t have room to go into here. my wife liked it fine.) look for more whale sashimi references when I repost my january 09 ‘our digital life’ column.
peace.
dt