Gadgets That Helped Shape The Decade
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With Apple's release of the iPad and iPhone 4, Google's Android platform taking over the smartphone market and hardware manufacturers announcing their plans to release tablet computing solutions over the next year, it is fair to say that technology has come a long way over the last 10 years.
In light of these new releases, we have decided to go back in time and look at the gadgets that have helped shape the last decade.
iPhone
In June 2007, Apple's iPhone redefined the mobile phone experience. Its touch-screen, ease of use and handy features set the new standard for phone design and function. Thanks to the revolutionary features within the iPhone, consumers can now send and receive e-mail, play games, watch video and access the Internet all from their mobile phone. And thanks to Apple's App Store and the Android Marketplace, consumers now look to their handheld devices for a range of practical and entertaining functions.
iPod
For most people the gadget of the last decade is the iPod. When it was first released many could not predict the way in which it would change the way we listen to music and the music industry itself. The white earphones of the iPod soon became a regular feature for people on tubes, trains, in classrooms and gyms and jogging around their local park.
While the iPod has been blamed for the death of the traditional CD album, the iPod made it possible to carry your entire music collection with you. Since the first release where you could store up to 1,000 songs, Apple have released a new version every year and can now hold 40,000 of your favourite songs. It also works as an internet browsing device, a GPS and much more.
GPS
A long time ago, if you wanted to get from A to B, you had to use a map. You also had to be able to find a way around traffic jams at a moment's notice. All that was forgotten with the release of the GPS. Almost overnight, GPS users could pinpoint locations up to 10 times more accurately than before. Following this revolution it wasn't long until GPS systems were featured as standard in new car dashboards and even in mobile phones and iPods.
Digital cameras
At the turn of the millennium, think about all those special occasions you attended - birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and Christmas. Now think about how you recorded those events so that you could remember them in years to come. Chances are you used a camera, with film, that took a few days to get developed.
Though the introduction of the digital camera, owners can now relive their memories instantly and even develop their own photo albums on their home computer.
Although the digital camera was introduced in the 1990s, it really became mainstream and affordable in the 2000s, finding its way into the hands of millions around the world. Because of the affordability and quality of the photos offered by the digital camera, the traditional camera is certainly becoming extinct.
USB
The USB, aka The memory disk, the jump drive or the pendrive, sent the traditional floppy disk to its grave. At the turn of the millennium IBM released DiskOnKey which was able to store 8mb of memory. Seen as the pinnacle of removable storage, the modern USB can hold gigabytes of data. Flash drives help us carry documents, photos and more between work and home. Although not as iconic as some other gadgets on the list, you would be hard pressed to find a more useful gadget.
Netbook
Many have predicted the decline of the PC industry. The reason? The introduction of the netbook. Smaller and cheaper than a traditional PC, The netbooks can't compete with fully-functional laptops and desktops when it comes to memory, power and battery life but they can compete on price - with entry level models starting at 150.
The popularity can be traced back to the release of a single model, the Asus Eee PC. For less than 200, it was an ultralight, ultraportable laptop that was low-spec but designed for sending emails, accessing the internet, and carrying out simple word-processing tasks on the go.
Although the hardware contained within this first release was far from impressive, the models released today come very close in performance to the traditional desktop.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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