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The world is filled with gadgets—and it has been for a long time.
Some tech gadgets have stood the test of time, but others have long been forgotten.
Some things that were commonplace only a decade ago are relics today.
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Some old gadgets—such as theGameboyoriPod—are still remembered fondly.
However, many only saw a brief period of popularity.
You’ve probably forgotten about a lot of gadgets, so let’s refresh that memory.
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Pagers—or “beepers”—were commonly used as a way to tell someone to call you.
Pretty weird to think about now.
They were finicky and needed to be cleaned occasionally.
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Themodern laser miceare much nicer.
They used light to project transparent slides and handwriting with markers into larger images.
Nowadays, we use digital projectors connected to computer displays.
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Car Phones
Acar phoneis exactly what it sounds like—a phone wired into a car.
There was a time when car phones and mobile phones existed side-by-side…but car phones were more popular.
Mobile phones were big and clunky, but having a phone you could use while driving made sense.
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Nowadays, we all have phones we can use while driving—and everywhere else.
Also, you shouldwatch this video.
Phone Shoulder Rest
Speaking of phones, remember landlines?
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You probably do, but there was a whole world of accessories around them, too.
For long calls, holding the phone to your ear got tiring.
“The Clapper” was a machine turned things on and off with the clap of your hands.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek Hannah Stryker / Review Geek Hannah Stryker / LifeSavvy
Sound cool?The Clapper still exists today, surprisingly.
Talkboy Deluxe
The year was 1992.
Macaulay Culkin was starring in Home Alone 2, the sequel to the immensely popular original.
In the movie, he uses a super cool toy that can record audio and apply effects to it.
Nowadays, it could be replicated with a phone app.
However, a big part of CDs was “burning” your own.
It was the modern equivalent ofcassette mix tapes.
For most people, though, these gadgets have long been replaced.
It’s fun to remember what we don’t need anymore.
