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Guess What's the Fastest-Adopted Gadget of the Last 50 Years

theatlantic.com

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Re: Guess What's the Fastest-Adopted Gadget of the Last 50 Years

#51

Post by borism »

ohashi wrote: post #17
jd wrote: post #13

And the cool thing is that a smartphone now serves the function of all of these gadgets. It's a music player, video player, camcorder, digital camera, answering machine, and so on. Internet TV replaces the need for satellite TV and a cellphone camera + email replaces the need for a FAX machine. It's astonishing how few appliances you need aside from a smartphone.

But it does a poor job replacing the boombox. You need some other device or attachment to really share that sound.

the new breed of smartphones with their tiny mono speakers on the back do a poor job at it.

a lot of old style smartphones from nokia had such unheard today feature as builtin stereo speakers. but I've even seen low-range handsets used as boomboxes in the developing world.

Re: Guess What's the Fastest-Adopted Gadget of the Last 50 Years

#52

Post by dfrey »

pawosty wrote: post #12
cperciva wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, it's 7 years after first introduction to market . There are lots of products which spent a long time going nowhere and then suddenly exploded once they became sufficiently refined.

Such as the iPod? Or are you thinking of a different example? Actually I might be way off with the iPod...

The iPod doesn't really count because it's a portable digital media player, not a product category on it's own. The first portable digital media players hit the market in 1997, but the first iPod reached the market in 2001.

Re: Guess What's the Fastest-Adopted Gadget of the Last 50 Years

#53

Post by gcb »

vectorpush wrote: post #38
gcb wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It already does a pretty good job at annoying me in the bus with other people's dance/rap "music"

Certainly, if you don't personally enjoy it then it doesn't qualify as music.

it could be my favourite tune, hearing it in a bus via a maxed out phone speaker from someone 5 rows behind will hardly be considered music

Re: Guess What's the Fastest-Adopted Gadget of the Last 50 Years

#54

Post by prince_hakeem »

The best part of this article is the troll who's a pedantic douche about how a coffee maker isn't an electronic gadget and battles everyone in the comment section. The best is the comment that's 2 columns wide because it's shifted so far to the right because the thread is so deep. I clicked like on it even though it's illegible. Someone else did too. I think you should too :-)

Re: Guess What's the Fastest-Adopted Gadget of the Last 50 Years

#55

Post by tincholio »

ohashi wrote: post #17
jd wrote: post #13

And the cool thing is that a smartphone now serves the function of all of these gadgets. It's a music player, video player, camcorder, digital camera, answering machine, and so on. Internet TV replaces the need for satellite TV and a cellphone camera + email replaces the need for a FAX machine. It's astonishing how few appliances you need aside from a smartphone.

But it does a poor job replacing the boombox. You need some other device or attachment to really share that sound.

Plus, one looks rather moronic carrying his smartphone on top of a shoulder and walking n a funky style :P
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