Remember Radio Shack, fax machines, and the Zune? No? Well, congrats on not being old.
All that retro tech seems like ages ago, yet in some ways, not much has changed. Sure, today’s technology is miles ahead of what we had in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, but is it really that different? The internet was slow, but it existed. Computer screens could show up to 256 colors (if you were lucky), but they still opened doors to cool virtual worlds. If you looked in the right places (and had the budget), you could even find touchscreens, laptops, and yes, robots!
Check out these not-too-distant reminders of old-school technology and be sure to make sure your mom is off the phone before getting online!
1. 3D Maze
2. Universal Studios’ website (1995)
3. Encarta Encyclopedia 99
4. StarCraft (1998)
5. Sony CLIÉ NR Series
6. PowerBook G3 (1998)
7. AOL CDs
8. Blade Runner (1997)
9. Caesar 3 (1999)
10. Bryce (1994)
11. DOOM (1993)
12. Download dot com’s top game downloads (1996)
13. Napster
14. Fallout 2 (1998)
15. iTunes (2001)
16. Southwest Airline’s website, 1999
17. Windows XP Plus! Aquarium
18. Accuratus Mouse Phone, an optical mouse that doubled as a Skype phone.
19. Half-Life (1998)
20. WebFerrett
21. SimCity 2000 theme pack
22. JPL’s website from 1995
23. Windows 98 Plus: Underwater
24. IBM ThinkPad 240X with a 10.4″ screen
25. Sony Aibo (1999)
26. Rogue Squadron 3D (1998)
27. CyberSpot Internet Cafe
28. DoomEd, the DOOM mapping software from id Software
29. The Hewlett Packard 200LX (1994)
30. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)
31. Tracing images in the 1980s
32. Setting up Windows 98
33. Hampster Dance
