xLii

Yeah, I’m tired. I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately, and staring at a computer monitor for hours gets me tired. Also I forget my posture, and my back hurts. Haha. Well actually all of that’s really my fault LOL.

At least I have good music. And speaking of good music! Woohoo! The great iPod!

2001: Apple iPod. There were MP3 players before the iPod. They just weren’t very good. Most MP3 devices stored about eight songs and had a calculator aesthetic rather than high-tone finesse. Then Steve Jobs and Co. came along offering 1,000 songs in a clean, white box the size of a deck of cards. The iPod wildfire didn’t catch full flame, though, until the third-generation model boosted the storage capacity and refined the interface. At that point, Hipsters bought in, and Apple hasn’t looked back: by 2005, more than eight out of 10 digital music players sold at retail were iPods.

I can’t believe it’s been 6 years since the iPod was first released. And now it’s still THE mp3 player. Kinda funny though, looking at how it was in that picture, coz I see a lot of knock-off iPod-wannabe mp3 players out there that look just like that. In fact if you didn’t look twice, you’d think they’re actual iPods heheh.

Well before I got my first one (it was a 1st gen Nano), I had a 128MB mp3 player. When I bought that thing, it cost me the equivalent of about US$80 rofl. Back then, mp3 players weren’t even so popular yet, and I was among the only 2 in class who had them. It got me about 24 songs at a time, which I thought was a good deal. I’d change the songs every night and didn’t consider it a hassle at all.

When I got my 2GB Nano, everything changed. I couldn’t imagine going back to the 128MB player anymore. And soon I was having trouble with the 2Gig one too, since changing the contents seemed like such a sad concept. When the LCD broke, I got an 8GB one, and fast forward…I now have a 60GB one haha. But I didn’t buy it.

I mean, it truly was revolutionary, considering that I can’t imagine what I’d do without it anymore. Or maybe that’s just me being obsessive. Hmm.

Technorati tags: apple, ipod, music, mp3 player, 2001, steve jobs

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Yeah. It’s been raining a lot these days, then it’ll suddenly be really hot in the morning, then rain so hard again by the afternoon. And now me and a lot of my officemates are sick. Not really sick, we can still function well, but we’re using up the supply of tissue here like we’re eating them for lunch. Plus I think I really am coming down with a fever. Yeah I still went to work though.

I’d just like to say that today’s feature isn’t something I can talk about much again, since I never used it.

1999: TiVo. Given how few people ever learned to program a VCR, TiVo was a grand slam idea from the get-go. Forrester Research predicted that TiVo-like devices would slash ad-watching by half within half within a decade, and digital video recorder (DVR) technology quickly spread into competitors’ set-top boxes. Explaining TV time-shifting, including the benefits of pausing live TV, proved tricky at first. But TiVo steadily changed TV viewing habits. The company is now facing mounting competition from cable companies in the U.S. but is spreading its brand into Australia and New Zealand.

These things never really hit our shores, sadly. I know that probably makes me sound like I’m from a forgotten jungle tribe, but really, VCRs weren’t much of a thing here. Well cause HERE, people don’t record the shows they miss, they just make sure they don’t miss it, or don’t watch them at all. For instance, if they get off work or school at 6PM, and the show’s at 6:30PM, you better not get in their way on the road. But if the show’s at around 3PM, they don’t bother even if it sounds like a good show. They get the series season by season instead. Now if it’s a special, like a boxing match or something, you’ve got TVs in the malls and in the offices tuned in. So really, VCRs don’t bear much weight here. Haha :P

Technorati tags: tivo, gadget, television

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Hmm I feel bad about this update, because I again, have never held a Blackberry. So there isn’t much I can say again. Plus I’m not feeling so good, really. And I’ve decided to make this blog a technology blog, I mean I already started anyways, so yeah :)

If you’re wondering about my mood, well…blah. As you probably know, when you lack sleep it’s hard to think. I’d stare at the screen (or whatever) in the middle of what I’m doing and just…be lost. Bleh.

1999: Blackberry. Research in Motion’s Blackberry proved so popular that heavy users complained of finger injuries from endless hours of thumb typing. Blackberries made it easier for mobile professionals to communicate on-the-go with quick e-mails, and they’ve become ubiquitous in government, technology and financial circles. And so addictive that they have been nicknamed “crackberries.”

As I mentioned, I’ve never had a Blackberry, but I always hear about it. I do imagine that they were very useful and practical during their time, and with the format it definitely looked like something professionals would get into. It looks like a pager, doesn’t it? But yeah, a device like this is useful for setting up reminders.

Well, for 1999 thus was probably a must for professionals, but now you’ve got all that in your phone anyway. But even so, without this Blackberry, phone companies wouldn’t have gotten the idea to do that (or they would have gotten the idea much later). So indeed, this deserves to be in that list.

Technorati tags: blackberry, crackberry, 1999, gadget, motion

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Well yeah, I’m not feeling too good. I mean, I’m not sick or anything, but sometimes you can just feel bad because of some stuff that’s been going on, but I don’t wanna share the misery (only a fingure of speech btw) Haha :P

1993: Apple Newton Messagepad. Before Personal Digital Assistants were commonplace, Apple took a shot at an electronic organizer that could recognize natural handwriting. It was too bulky and pricey to generate broad interest, though (It was famously lampooned by Doonesbury). Apple paved the way for Palm, however, which profited handsomely when PDAs hit the mainstream. With the iPhone, Apple hopes to have the last laugh.

Now I’ve never held this before, so I wouldn’t know much about it. I don’t even know anyone who’s ever had this, I guess it wasn’t really popular where I’m from during that time. But I do know that PDAs and other gadgets like it are very popular nowadays, so this definitely deserves to be in here. I just didn’t know that it started so early. I thought that was something relatively new, like no earlier than 2000. Hmm. Or I must have my memories all mixed up, time flies by so fast.

Technorati tags: apple, newton, messagepad, 1993, pda, palm, doonesbury

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Hurrrrgh. Yes, hurrrrgh. I need to wake up. Wake up wake up. Anyways halfway through this, and I’m still having fun with it :) Onward!

1989: Nintendo Gameboy. Designers have created hundreds of games for this mini video game player, which gave kids across America a digital way to twiddle their thumbs. The primitive screen — basically black and green — wasn’t anywhere close to today’s standards, but for simple titles like Tetris, the first game packaged with the Game Boy, color wasn’t a big deal. Game Boy has morphed into today’s DS model and faces tough competition from Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP).

I remember when this came out, everyone had their noses stuck to their gameboys. In fact during that time, when I thought of technology, I thought about this device.. since most of my friends (and my brother) had one. And yes, I didn’t. My brother let me borrow sometimes though. Ah Tetris, the classic. Even today there are new versions of Tetris, just some new modes or rules or ways to make the game a little more challenging, but basically the same old game. And it’s awesome, in this way I can really say that Nintendo is more concerned about the gaming experience itself. About having fun. :)

Technorati tags: gameboy, tetris, nintendo, 1989 

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I don’t have enough time to finish everything, I’m serious. :( But anyway, no use talking about that. On with the show!

1984: Apple Macintosh. Steve Jobs was so confident the Macintosh would revolutionize the way we worked he launched a 100-day, $15 million ad blitz touting the Mac as “for the rest of us.” Later, the tagline became “Think Different.” In many ways, the Mac lived up to the hype — and influenced the competition. Its intuitive software, graphics and icons are now commonplaces in personal computing. It was also one of the first mainstream computers to include a mouse, helping popularize it as a pointing device.

My goodness it looks so…oldschool. I mean, when you say “Apple”, what first comes to my mind are the clean lines. I don’t even think about the fruit anymore haha. What I mean is that I always think about stuff like the iPOd, iMac, etc. But I actually still remember seeing one of these up close. I didn’t know that it was the first one to use a mouse though, I guess Apple has always been revolutionizing technology like this. It does today, it did back then. I like that pic btw, “hello.” Hee :D

Technorati tags: apple, macintosh, technology, computer, mouse, mac, steve jobs

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Hmm my scribbles seem extra sloppy today. Anyways, reading this made me remember, I said I’d learn to use the correct corresponding fingers when I type, but until now I don’t use either little finger and I use whatever finger for any key. The typing classes didn’t take haha, but anyway I don’t type that slow, good enough. So let’s move on :P

1982: COMMODORE 64. It stored less than a thumb-drive does today and had just 64KB of RAM, but the first C64 made personal computing possible through an accessible price and friendly, easy-to-use features. The Guinness Book of World Records says the C64 is the best selling single computer model of all time with sales of about 30 million units between 1982 and 1993. Commodore blew it, though, and bigger companies like IBM got into the act. Dell, Apple and other PC manufacturers have since dominated the market. Commodore tanked in the early 1990s.

Doesn’t look too far from our current keyboards :) I wonder what those keys on the right side are for? Well the first computer I ever held was already pretty close to what we have now, well not really but that was 1997.

Haha it’s pretty fat though. 64KB of RAM? Wow you can’t do anything with that anymore. It’s interesting to know that it’s the best selling single computer model of all time. I guess people were just so excited about this new idea, and it’s like that till now anyways when some new revolutionary technology comes out.

Technorati tags: commodore 64, 1982, ram, guinness, world records, technology, dell, apple

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Yes, I was guilty of the Boyband fever too. So sue me. Hahaha. Anyways, sorry for the pause, let’s continue :)

1979: Sony Walkman. Originally called the “Soundabout” in the U.S., “Freestyle” in Australia and “Stowaway” in England, the Walkman’s true breakthrough was lightweight headphones that made it easy to carry around. Sony has sold 186 million of the tape players, such a hit that the Oxford English Dictionary included it as an entry in 1986. Not all Walkman sequels worked out as well. The MiniDisc Walkman never gained mass appeal.

I didn’t know that it was originally called those things, all I know is that “Walkman” became a household name. Like even if another model from another brand came out, it would still be called a “Walkman”. I remember my first and only Walkman, it was a Christmas present, and I was literally jumping around the room when I got it. I’d listen to it whenever I could, I’d even stay up past my bedtime a little (just a little) so I could finish the TOP 10 countdown on the radio. And my mom wouldn’t know coz I’d be under my blanket listening. Ah yes, good childhood memories…

Technorati tags: music, walkman, sony, soundabout, freestyle, stowaway, headphones

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Well we’re still in the olden days of gadgets, so you’d have to be at least in your 20s to know what I’m talking about now (yeah like that’s so old…LOL) Anyways onwards, backwards, to the early days of gaming :)

1977: Atari 2600. The first game system with plug-in cartridges had gaming aficionados salivating over the immediate proliferation of video games. More than 40 manufacturers created over 200 games for the system, including the future classics Pac-Man and Asteroids. Amid its success, however, Atari neglected game developers and many defected to rival game companies. Eventually, Nintendo picked up where Atari left off.

Okay, I never really had an Atari. My first console was the Famicom (more popularly known outside Asia as the NES), so I didn’t really get a chance to use the Atari 2600. I didn’t really know about that part in the excerpt, that they’d neglected the game developers. It’s really a shame, but I guess it’s their fault as well. Now Nintendo has overshadowed them completely, I guess that’s why I never really got to play the Atari. In fact, my earliest recollection of Pac-Man was with in DOS already.

But this still deserves the title for being this influential. I mean, it may not have been around for long, but I guess it’s basically the godfather of game systems with replaceable games :) Haaa.. I miss the Donkey Kong and Ice Climber days hehehe.

Technorati tags: atari 2600, atari, nes, famicom, time, gadget, gizmo

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I found this nice article on TIME’s 12 Most Influential Gadgets and Gizmos. I thought it would be interesting to post something in relation to them, one by one. Not necessarily about the gadgets, just whatever comes to mind. So let’s get started :)

1976: JVC HR-3300. Weighing in at a chunky 30 pounds, JVC’s hulk of a videocassette recorder was one of the first to work with VHS tapes, and helped sink the rival Betamax format. Movie producers at first fought the spread of taped movies, fearing home viewing would cut into box office receipts. Their fears proved unfounded and opened a whole new market of home entertainment profits for Hollywood, paving the way for DVDs and movie and TV downloads.

I still remember when I was a kid, there was a nearby video rental, and we’d always pass by it on our way home. I’d bug my dad to rent movies, I didn’t really care what movie, as long as it was entertaining. Every once in a while, he’d give in and get some family flick. I didn’t really care about the movie itself, it was the fact that we had something to watch together that really mattered to me. We didn’t go out to have fun much, so those weekends when we’d watch rented videos were good enough for me.

Then the VHS came out, and the Betamax soon became obsolete. By then I kinda cared about what movies we were watching, haha. First VHS tape I personally owned was a “Lion King” tape. I loved that movie, and I still think that in terms of story, it’s the best Disney animated movie to date. Well, that’s my opinion of course heheh.

How time flies. I can’t believe that was so long ago. And now the VHS is obsolete. In fact, VCDs are quickly becoming obsolete, replaced by DVDs, and soon Blue Ray… Wow. We still have some old VHS tapes at home, in a box under the stairs, but I doubt they’re any good to watch now. I guess we just don’t get rid of them, for old times sake.

Technorati tags: jvc, vhs, betamax, technology, video

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