Quantcast
PC World: Technology Advice You Can Trust
Search
Browse by Topic
Subscribe to magazine

Magazine

Subscribe & Get
a Bonus CD

Customer Service

Find a Review
Dads & Grads Gift Guide Audio & Video Business Center Cameras Cell Phones & PDAs Communications Components & Upgrading Desktop PCs DVD & Hard Drives Gaming Hardware & Software HDTV Laptops Macs & iPods Monitors Printers Spyware & Security The PCW Test Center Windows Vista & XP
Resource Centers
Asus Notebook Center
CDW Solution Center
HP Ink Center
Intel Technology Center
Lenovo Laptop Showcase
White Paper Library
Webcast Library
Most Popular Search Terms
Most Popular Products
Most Popular Downloads
Free Newsletters
Receive the latest reviews, how-to's, news, and more.
Digital Gear Review
Digital Focus
Bargain Bulletin
Go
WiFi Finder
Locate wireless services by a specific address, city, state, country, airport, or zip code.
RSS Feeds
Get our latest content via convenient RSS feeds.
Latest News
Today @ PC World
Become a PCW Member
Join the community and start enjoying the benefits:
  • Get tech advice from thousands of PC World Members
  • Rate and recommend the latest tech products
  • Share your thoughts in blog and article comments
  • Get free excerpts and exclusive discounts on Super Guides
Signing up is free and easy.

The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years

Here's PC World's official (and entirely idiosyncratic) list of the top tech gadgets of the last half century.

Dan Tynan, special to PC World, and PC World Staff

Saturday, December 24, 2005 1:00 AM PST
Recommend this story?
Yes
No

The Complete List of PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets

PC World's list of the top 50 tech gadgets of the last half century was assembled after we polled our editors for nominations. We then rated the nominated gadgets for usefulness, design, degree of innovation, influence on subsequent gadgets, and the "cool factor." Here are the results. (For more on our 50 Greatest Gadgets project, see the full story.)

  1. Sony Walkman TPS-L2 (1979)
  2. Apple iPod (2001)
  3. (Tie) ReplayTV RTV2001 and TiVo HDR110 (1999)
  4. PalmPilot 1000 (1996)
  5. Sony CDP-101 (1982)
  6. Motorola StarTAC (1996)
  7. Atari Video Computer System (1977)
  8. Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera (1972)
  9. M-Systems DiskOnKey (2000)
  10. Regency TR-1 (1954)
  11. Sony PlayStation 2 (2000)
  12. Motorola Razr V3 (2004)
  13. Motorola PageWriter (1996)
  14. BlackBerry 850 Wireless Handheld (1998)
  15. Phonemate Model 400 (1971)
  16. Texas Instruments Speak & Spell (1978)
  17. Texas Instruments SR-10 (1973)
  18. Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300 (1998)
  19. Sony Handycam DCR-VX1000 (1995)
  20. Handspring Treo 600 (2003)
  21. Zenith Space Command (1956)
  22. Hamilton Pulsar (1972)
  23. Kodak Instamatic 100 (1963)
  24. MITS Altair 8800 (1975)
  25. Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 (1983)
  26. Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
  27. Commodore 64 (1982)
  28. Apple Newton MessagePad (1994)
  29. Sony Betamax (1975)
  30. Sanyo SCP-5300 (2002)
  31. iRobot Roomba Intelligent Floorvac (2002)
  32. Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (1999)
  33. Franklin Rolodex Electronics REX PC Companion (1997)
  34. Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 1.0 (1998)
  35. Motorola DynaTAC 8000X (1983)
  36. Iomega Zip Drive (1995)
  37. Magnavox Magnavision Model 8000 DiscoVision Videodisc Player (1978)
  38. Milton Bradley Simon (1978)
  39. Play, Inc. Snappy Video Snapshot (1996)
  40. Connectix QuickCam (1994)
  41. BellSouth/IBM Simon Personal Communicator (1993)
  42. Motorola Handie Talkie HT-220 Slimline (1969)
  43. Polaroid Swinger (1965)
  44. Sony Aibo ERS-110 (1999)
  45. Sony Mavica MVC-FD5 (1997)
  46. Learjet Stereo-8 (1965)
  47. Timex/Sinclair 1000 (1982)
  48. Sharp Wizard OZ-7000 (1989)
  49. Jakks Pacific TV Games (2002)
  50. Poqet PC Model PQ-0164 (1990)

The Top 50 Tech Gadgets
Introduction to PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets, Plus the #1 Gadget
Greatest Gadgets #2-#10
Greatest Gadgets #11-#20
Greatest Gadgets #21-#30
Greatest Gadgets #31-#40
Greatest Gadgets #41-#50
The Complete List of PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets
PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets, by Decade


Next page: PC World's 50 Greatest Gadgets, by the Decade
Recommend this story?
Yes
No
Related Searches: gadget • gadgets • greatest gadgets • tech gadgets • sony walkman

Comments
Related Content
VoIP Web Demo
Join Altigen for a Live Web Demo and learn how VoIP technology can improve your business communications.
The Future Sales Force - A Consultative Approach
This white paper discusses the challenges of selling complex products and services, and the new skill sets sales professionals must employ.
Latest News
EDS Buy Could Give HP Edge Over Dell, Analysts Say
Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Electronic Data Systems won't hurt Dell in the next few years, but it could affect Dell's... 16-May-2008
Microsoft Pulls Windows Home Server Backup Feature
Microsoft confirms that it has yanked parts of a backup feature from a major upgrade to its Windows Home Server. 16-May-2008
HP Confirms XP SP3 Endless Reboot Snafu, Promises Patch
HP confirms that some users of its AMD-based desktops have had problems after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3. 16-May-2008
Say Goodbye to Muni-Fi
The days of imagining Wi-Fi blanketing a city are over with the exit of the last major municipally focused Wi-Fi service provider. 16-May-2008
Microsoft: Don't Misunderstand UAC, Other Vista Features
In its continued attempt to convince business customers to adopt Vista, Microsoft has outlined and tried to explain some of... 16-May-2008
Sony Reveals 2008-2009 PlayStation Software List
Sony Friday revealed a list of 15 upcoming games for the PlayStation 3, PS2 and PSP. 16-May-2008
HP-EDS Buy, Icahn Strikes Again, China Quakes
This was a big IT news week, with the massive earthquake in China on Monday showing once again the role that the Internet... 16-May-2008
Universal Battery Charger Debuts for Apple Laptops
FastMac on Friday announced its new U-Charge. It's a universal battery charger for Apple laptops and it costs US$69.95; it... 16-May-2008
Optimizing Windows on Your Mac
The June 2008 issue of Macworld includes a feature article on running Windows on your Mac--and how to do it in the most... 16-May-2008
TapDex 3.3.2
Apple's Address Book utility is a handy place to store information for your contacts, especially since it integrates so well... 16-May-2008

PC World's Marketplace

PC World's Free Whitepapers

Name City
Address 1 State Zip
Address 2 E-mail (optional)