Gadget of the decade!

[Trebor]

I was watching a brilliant show on Five yesterday called the Gadget Show and during the programme they explained that at the end of this year they'll be doing a feature on what they and people who vote at their website think the best gadget of the last 10 years is. If you're interested in voting here's the link: FiveFWD - Gadget of the decade - vote now!! by The Gadget Show.

The reason I'm posting this is because I'd like to know your opinion. When watching the little featurette they did on last nights show they mentioned that in 1999 people were listening to music on their portable CD players and watching SD television with a recorded programme on VHS. If you think about it technology has come quite along way in such a short space of time, even if we still don't have flying cars and space age houses with pill capsule meals etc. The way we live our lives today is very different than we did 10 years ago especially for members of Digiex seeing as most of us are heavily involved in technology and gadgets.

As of right now I can't really decide on what has been the biggest factor on my life within the last ten years. It could be broadband as thanks to that it introduced me to playing games online and getting to know people like Nimrod and InsaneNutter better (MSN Messenger, Xbox Live, Steam). Those 3 things I mentioned there could also be what I think has been the best bit of tech released in the last ten years. What are your thoughts?

 

[InsaneNutter]

I don’t agree with a lot of the choices on the gadget show website however for each section I voted:

Computing: Windows XP as it was revolutionary at the time and is still massively popular 9 years later. If it was an option I would have probably voted broadband and Windows Live Messenger... I guess it’s as much as “gadget” as Windows XP is.

Photography: Photoshop elements as it’s the closest thing to Photoshop on the list.
Entertainment: Xbox 360 as its brought HD and online gaming to everyone, would have gone with Home theatre PC’s if the option was there.

Music: 1st gen Ipod as that started the MP3 player craze

Phone: Nokia N95 as it was the first smart phone that did everything, GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi, 3.5g, 8gb of storage, 5mb camera, 640x480 video recording, applications, mobile gaming and so on.

Gadget of the decade: Asus Eee PC as that started the Netbook / Nettop / low power computing craze – I would probably still vote broadband if it was an option

 

[Trebor]

Thanks for the reply InsaneNutter. You don't have to go with what the Gadget show has put up on it's website. That's why I posted this. So we could all discuss what we think is the best gadget in 10 years. It doesn't have to be an actual pyhsical gadget either. It could be anything technological that you couldn't live without that wasn't around 10 years ago.

 

[InsaneNutter]

It could be anything technological that you couldn't live without that wasn't around 10 years ago.

That has to be broadband and mobile phones, to me both have made our lives a lot more easier, broadband has made more than just IM and Email communication possible over the internet, now anyone can do video conferencing, use voip services like skype and online game services such as Steam, Xbox Live and the PSN from there home. Not forgetting all the other multimedia services the internet has to offer such as HD movie rentals, the BBC iplayer and so on.

Mobile phones have taken all I listed above and made it mobile so you can access it any time anywhere.

What do you guys think? agree / disagree?

 

[Nimrod]

I think the best thing to come in the last 10 years is a mix of both things you said Insanenutter, broadband and mobile phones, and that is 3G mobile data.

When 3G licenses were made, the networks went down the video calling route as the main feature, little did they think about how important data is. Data on the go anywhere is really important to me, and I dont know how people like yourself who have only just got it could have lived without it for so long. It really changes everything A computer for me isnt used anymore to check emails and browsing the internet for directions or other useful things, thats what my phone is for.

 

[KillerWhiteMan]

Nimrod and his iPhone . I would have to agree that mobile phones and 3G networks have become a huge part of our society. I personally can't believe that we ever got along without them .

 

[MasterChief]

The internet as it has evolved so much over the last 10 years, I wonder what the next 10 years will bring?

 

[Trebor]

God knows MasterChief, I couldn't have predicted what it would have done 10 years ago let alone what the future could hold. OK so most of us agree that broadband is probably one of the best tech "gadgets" to come out in the last 10 years. Following on from this is there anything else internet or software based or a physical gadget you think is the best from the last 10 years?

 

[InsaneNutter]

The results of this will be on The Gadget Show tonight for anyone who is interested.

Following on from this is there anything else internet or software based or a physical gadget you think is the best from the last 10 years?

The mobile phone probably has to be the best physical gadget, software wise its really hard to say just one... Windows 7, Office 2007, Windows Live Messenger, Xbox Media Center. Open Source software has also come a really long way since 1999.

 

[Trebor]

The gadget people chose as the best of the decade was the Iphone. Not having one of my own I'm not too sure whether I'd agree with that but I'm hoping to get one in the New Year (in 2010, oh the irony lol) so who knows.

 

[KillerWhiteMan]

I can see why people chose the iPhone. I myself was thinking about switching carriers so I can get one, but I have also been looking the new Motorla Droid. A mobile with the Android OS is sure to give the iPhone a run for its money.

 

[P.KID]

i just go an iphone recently and OMG its amazin... cant get off it all its too good.