The 5 Coolest Retro Tech Gadgets from the Past

August 25, 2011, By Bill Fulks 0 comments

In this day and age, our lives are so inundated with technology that it's easy to forget just how far we have come over the past few decades. Here's a look at some of the retro gadgets that helped pave the way for the things we use now. How much longer do you think it will be before people look back on the BlackBerry or iPod with nostalgia?

Boom Box, aka Ghetto Blaster

The ultimate retro gadget is the boom box. It was a staple of the 80s and they do still exist in various forms, but you won't see anyone carrying them on their shoulder these days. When I think of retro, I think of the 70s and 80s, and the boom box is an icon of that time period. Boom boxes have appeared in various movies from the era, most notably when John Cusack hoisted one above his head in the climactic scene of Say Anything.

Calculator Watches

Back in elementary school, you were something special if you had a calculator watch. Some kids with these watches had devious plans of cheating on math tests, but those plans were often thwarted by loud beeps that played every time you pressed a button. While people were still being mesmerized by the glorious graphics of the Atari 2600, it was the really cool people who had a watch with a calculator right on the face. What's really funny is that these watches are still available, but they aren't nearly as cool as they used to be. OK, maybe they never were that cool at all.

The Original Nintendo Gameboy

Prior to Nintendo releasing the original Gameboy, the only portable video games you could get were those really crummy little button mashers that were poor knock-offs of popular Atari games. When the Gameboy and its monochrome screen came out, it sold like mad because it offered the ability to carry a portable game system with swappable cartridges, including Tetris. Who doesn't love Tetris? Nintendo is still making bundles of cash from this gold mine.

NEXT: Portable Cassette Players