👇🏼 👩🏾‍🚒 🕠 One Hundred Gadgets Defining the Decade (100

I bring to your attention the first part of the translation of the same article by The Verge.
In the article, the authors of the publication provide brief descriptions of various significant, in their opinion, gadgets of the past decade. Interested please under cat.

Introduction

The article does not include a translation of the opening speech of the editor-in-chief of the publication. I also deleted from the text all external links to English-language resources. Where their presence was critical, I provided additional annotations. In several of them there are links to youtube videos. The translation uses illustrations from the original article. Artwork by Alex Castro and Grayson Blackmon. Enjoy reading.

100. Google Glass (2013)

This 'Face-to-Face' from Google literally dived onto the technology scene during its own presentation. The gadget caused a significant reaction, and even led to the emergence of a new term: 'Glasshole'. And although the device itself did not have a big impact on the still emerging industry of augmented reality, it was an important bell that Big Tech (aka the five tech giants: Google etc. - approx. Per.) Is not just ambitious, but in places and arrogant. Glass also played an innovative role: for Google, this was the first serious attempt to use visual processing in its products - technology that subsequently led to a significant evolution of smartphone cameras. —Dieter Bohn

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99. Amazon Fire Phone (2014)

Amazon Fire Phone - this is perhaps the largest failure among smartphones of the past decade. There were bad smartphones, bad-selling ones, but Fire Phone is unique in its failure in that it was an Amazon product.
The developers have relied too much on the bizarre technology of pseudo-three-dimensional effects (the so-called 'Dinamic Perspective'), and paid little attention to creating a replacement for Google applications. The hardware was nondescript, the software was bad. The only thing that was correctly implemented in the smartphone was the sale of products from Amazon to users.
This failure has not let Amazon go so far: the company, despite its own successes in creating tablets, streaming devices and readers, has never returned to trying to launch a new smartphone. Speaking about the positive side, we can say that the failure with Fire Phone helped them pack up and pave the way for one of their biggest technological successes: Alexa and the smart column Echo. —Chaim Gartenberg

'Dinamic Perspective' worked by tracking the position of the head with five cameras on the outside of the smartphone. Demo video: https://www.youtube.com/

98. Juicero Press (2016)

Given Silicon Valley's generosity in health matters, trying to sell a Wi-Fi juicer for $ 699 doesn't seem like such a bad idea. But Juicero was doomed from the start. First of all, this device was not quite a juicer. To obtain juice, separately sold specially prepared capsules were used. Then the price. Juicero decided to find the maximum that technosoums are ready to spend on their health, but the value, contrary to expectations, turned out to be below $ 699. Thus, the company had to reduce the price of the device to $ 399 a year after the launch. But when it was finally found out that to get juice from the capsules, an expensive juicer is not really needed, you can squeeze it out of the bag with your hands, this was the last straw. Since then Juicero has been an exemplary overpriced product,a symbol of mindless luxury and the use of sophisticated technical innovations where they are not required.—Zoe Schiffer

97. HP TouchPad (2011)

Hey. My name is Dieter Bohn, and I will write about why the HP TouchPad for webOS deserves to be on the list of gadgets of the decade. I’m not one hundred percent sure that he has a place there, but my argument is “for”: when due to poor management and market failures webOS became hopeless for HP, a huge sale of this tablet took place at $ 99 apiece. Many mobile platforms died in the confrontation with Android and iPhone, but some of them with dignity disappeared in the flame of sales. This is a suitable ending and a good example of how even a company like HP turned out to be not large enough to compete in the smartphone market. —Dieter Bohn

96. Magic Leap One (2018)

When Magic Leap first appeared in the news in 2014 after receiving significant funding from Google, their high dreams for augmented reality were understandable, but few imagined what the company essentially planned to create. The information came slowly: “Their device can supposedly project holograms of high realism through breakthrough technology based on the use of photonic chips. The project involves many well-known developers and designers. For example, Neil Stevenson. (science fiction writer - approx. per.) ”True, the bloated expectations created in this way didn’t help the first model of glasses, Magic Leap One, although it was an interesting step towards the future of AR, but it showed serious technical limitations.For several years, these semi-mythical “Magic Leap goggles” still managed to occupy people's minds with fantasies of mixed reality.—Adi Robertson

95. Lipstick battery pack

Nowadays, we use electronic devices much more widely - work, games, leisure, urgent tasks - and our devices are always on, always in touch. For them, this means an inevitable discharge. Maintaining a two-way connection over a mobile network to download an article like this one requires energy!
That's why portable batteries - especially ones like this one from Svelte, which looks like a lipstick bottle - are some of the best options to buy. Such a gadget fits easily in your bag, pocket or wherever. Your choice.
The main thing is that now, with a spare charge, you can allow yourself to live (a little) more energetically. Stay overnight with a stranger, for example. Stop worrying about annoying Mosenergo. You are free! You, though partially, have got rid of the fetters of the Power System ... even though you now carry part of it in your pocket. —Bijan Stephen

94. Fake RAM with glowing lights (2018)

Now it is easy to forget that once gaming on a PC was associated with the same type of beige blocks. Because over the past decade, manufacturers of components for gaming PCs have added the ability to shine with all the colors of the rainbow to almost every product. You are free to customize the mouse, keyboard, fan, CPU cooler, GPU cooler, motherboard, power supply, cords, and even memory modules to suit your own mood, as the sets of built-in LEDs allow this. But full awareness of the trend did not come until mid-2018, when Gigabyte began selling RAM dies, devoid of any built-in memory, but containing a full set of RGB whistles. And indeed, who needs empty slots on the motherboard if they can be filled with colorful lights. —Sean Hollister

Gigabyte offered a set of four DDR4 dice. Two of them were 8GB. The other two, 'empty', had the same aluminum casing, and the same set of LEDs as 'full'

93. Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (2011)

A name that evokes a thousand memories. The Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch was one of the variants of the Samsung Galaxy S II model, and it marks the pinnacle of the era of absurdity in Android branding, which began at the dawn of the development of smartphones as the need to rewrite the names of the same devices exclusively released for various network operators.
Despite its ridiculous name, the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch was a significant device. It was a confirmation that Samsung’s achievements in the original Galaxy S were no accident, strengthened the Korean company’s reputation in the smartphone market, and, in many ways, provided all future Galaxy S smartphones with the role of de facto leaders in the race of advanced Android devices. Fortunately, smartphone names have since become more readable. Have you heard about the new Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G?—Chaim Gartenberg

92. Nokia Lumia 1020 (2013)

Nokia's Lumia 1020 with its 41-megapixel camera was released in 2013, at a crucial moment for Nokia, and for Microsoft. Nokia adopted Windows Phone as the main operating system for its smartphones, and the stunning Lumia 1020 camera was supposed to contribute to its popularity. Nokia has fulfilled its hardware obligations, which allowed device owners to take stunning photos, but, unfortunately, there were no Windows or Instagram apps or Snapchat apps that could be used to share images. This showed Nokia's fatal mistake in choosing this OS instead of Android, and perfectly emphasized the lack of an application ecosystem in Windows Phone. A few months after the release of the Lumia 1020, Nokia’s mobile division will be acquired by Microsoft. Well, then you know ...—Tom Warren

The last phrase indicates the fact that in 2017 Windows Phone was officially declared 'dead.'

91. Dyson Supersonic (2016)

A hair dryer was never considered a gadget until Dyson released one that looks more like a sci-fi device than a home appliance. Despite the high price of $ 400, the Supersonic hairdryer has become one of the most loved on the market. People with different types and textures of hair shouted about the device, famous for its fast work thanks to a powerful but silent motor. About how it keeps hair smooth and protects it from damage thanks to the built-in temperature sensor.
In the field of hair care and the topic of personal care, Dyson Supersonic has gained many ardent admirers in the face of fans and bloggers, and has become a symbol of prestige among salons. Subsequently, the company will release a hairdryer in a gift version with a gold coating of 23.75 carats. Then will be released a hair curler - Dyson Airwrep for $ 500. Dyson, perhaps, were not the authors of all the ideas invested in the creation of their product, but they made them the new standard for hair care devices. In addition, Supersonic is the only hair dryer to trigger a week-long wave of chicken roasting news. —Natt Garun

We are talking about a lady who decided to post on Twitter a photo of her drying a chicken with a Supersonic hairdryer before frying. Having collected about 1,600 likes in a week, the post became popular, and the story went around many news publications.

90. Microsoft Kinect (2010)

Microsoft Kinect appeared with a wave of games like Just Dance and Dance Central , and for a moment led us to believe that games that do not use controllers are the future of the industry. But they did not. The inclusion of the expensive Kinect in the set-top box was one of the reasons the Xbox One lost the Playstation 4 championship, and Microsoft soon abandoned the idea. In 2017, the production of Kinect for the Xbox was discontinued, and Microsoft is now preparing to launch a new console, in a more traditional form, in 2020. Despite the lack of success, Kinect is proof that console developers are still willing to take risks on new gaming technologies. Ridding the player of the need to hold the controller was a significant bet. —Julia Alexander

89. Snap Spectacles (2016)

If you sell a camera that you plan to wear on your face, you are immediately faced with two problems. First, it poses significant threats to privacy issues. Second, it looks wretched. During their premiere in 2016, Snap introduced solutions to both problems. Having given the device the format of sunglasses, the developers, as it were, urged users to use them mainly outdoors. Where people are less demanding in terms of privacy. And having completed glasses in an unusual design, made of plastic, Snap added a toy element to the product. With all this, the enthusiasm around Spectacles quickly subsided, and Snap lost millions of dollars on unsold devices. Nevertheless, Spectacles continue to evolve, and almost no one has made such a significant contribution to the task of the development vector of augmented reality like them.—Casey Newton

88. Sphero BB-8 (2015)

Sphero’s small toy robot BB-8 reminded us that gadgets can be ridiculous and also fun. The robot controlled from the telephone application quickly rode around the room, shook its head excitedly, ran around in circles, eventually blowing its head against the wall. Vzhzh, Vzhzh, Boom! His freaks amused adults and cats to the same extent as children. But, as with many games, the popularity of the BB-8 flared up and then faded away. Mine has been in the box under the bed since 2017. Sphero graduated from the toy a year ago. —Helen Havlak

The toy was produced under the Star Wars brand, licensed under Disney. Video review for the curious https://www.youtube.com /

87. Fidget spinner (2017)

When I, upon graduating from my younger sister in college, arrived to see her, she sat in her room, piled with a pile of boxes, and played with a fidget spinner. By that time, I had already heard about the fidget spinner, but I had never seen it live.
A fidget spinner, in general, looks like a modification of a triple spoke key, but each of the blades, instead of something sensible, is occupied by a round weight. The gadget can be assembled from anything strong enough: plastic, brass, stainless steel, or iPhone 7. You hold the center containing the bearing, and then untwist the blades. This brings unusually pleasing tactile sensations that are really hard to describe. Perhaps that is why everyone was so scared.

In 2017, several journalists decided to panic a little about the fact that the fidget spinner destroys the fragile children's psyche. (At least in the case of my sister, she entertained herself instead of packing. On the other hand, packing is sucky.) Fidget spinners “became an excellent materialization of everyday life in the beginning of 2017, both for good and harm, ”exhaled The Atlantic . “Are fidget spinners useful or harmful?” asked Live Science . Even the Catholic Church has become embarrassed: can a fidget spinner serve as the personification of God? (trinity, after all - approx. per.)
But after some time everyone moved on. My sister put down the fidget spinner and packed the rest. And the Catholic Church forgot about the scandal in connection with the receipt of new allegations of sexual abuse of children. So, probably, The Atlantic was close to the truth: the fidget spinner was very “2017”, and after 2017 few of us recall it. —Elizabeth Lopatto

Video for atheists: https://www.youtube.com/

86. Coolest Cooler (2014)

Coolest Cooler gathered everyone’s crowdfunding dreams and smashed them. The campaign received more than $ 13 million on Kickstarter, began selling the gadget on Amazon even before the initial orders were completed, and after five years closed the shop, leaving tens of thousands of backers with nothing. At some point, the personal data of the developers were disclosed and they began to threaten. This is an unpleasant story that marked a shift in crowdfunding: yes, developers can get millions and realize the idea, but the model as a whole puts beckers at risk. Countless Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects have gone wrong, but Coolest Cooler is one of the greatest failures. This is still the second largest crowdfunding project on Kickstarter. —Ashley Carman

– Bluetooth , USB-, , , etc.

85. Beats Pill (2012)

These days, Beats is associated with full-sized, over-ear headphones. But with bluetooth speakers? Not so much, despite all the efforts. In 2012, the most popular speakers on the Bluetooth market were the Jawbone (RIP) Jambox, and Beats' first unsuccessful shot was the launch of the massive Beatbox Portable, powered by six D-batteries. Later that year, Beats will release Pill, a more compact, elaborate version of the speakers that can already compete for their level of influence on the industry. Not that Pill managed to take over the world, but Beats helped to strengthen the then-emerging market for portable Bluetooth speakers, which in the future became the dominant place for companies like Ultimate Ears. —Cameron Faulkner

84. Fujifilm X100 (2011)

In 2009, the 60s-styled Olympus E-P1 ushered in a new era in camera design where large sensors can be packaged in small volumes to look appealingly hanging around your neck. True, that camera was a little in a hurry with the release and did not enter the decade under review, so here I bring the Fujifilm X100 - a true classic design that fully embodies the retro style in the mechanisms and aesthetics.
With an independent shutter speed head and aperture ring, as well as a unique hybrid electronic / optical viewfinder, the X100 returned Fujifilm a prominent place in the world of digital photography and formed the foundation for the success of the X-Series cameras. Let's not pay attention to the fact that their ancestor showed a slight flaw in a form of extremely poor autofocus - the idea was good enough for today's more functional models to maintain an almost identical external design. —Sam Byford

83. Nintendo 3DS (2011)

Nintendo has always been the first among portable device manufacturers. The original Nintendo DS became the best-selling portable console of all time, and in 2011 Nintendo decided to switch from the achievements of the old model to the release of a new, more powerful one, supplemented by one low-functional feature (creating the effect of a three-dimensional image - approx. Wiki). Most often, when you did not play something like Zelda: A Link Between Worlds , where the 3D effect helped you navigate the dungeons, the function became useless, and sometimes even annoying. However, the console was marked by the emergence of such catchy games as Animal Crossing: New Leaf and the Pokémon seriestitles that could be played on the train or in the car. Which was the original reason why people wanted to buy 3DS. —Makena Kelly

82. Citi Bike (2013)

Even if you have never used a bike rental system, you must have met them in any major city. Citi Bike in New York, Indego Philadelphia, Los Angeles Metro Bike Share, and many other rental systems have made significant changes to the transport culture of the past decade, making the bike a convenient solution for an even larger circle of people. The idea, in its way, is revolutionary: you do not need to take care of the bicycle or even have your own, forget about fastening it with a lock to the fence and worrying about thieves - just ride it wherever you want, and do not forget to return it before the appointed time. —Aliya Chaudhry

81. Starkey Livio AI (2018)

By the end of 2019, walking along the street with a mobile headset has become the norm, and sound control through the functions of noise reduction and equalization has become commonplace. The technology areas of user devices and traditional hearing aids are getting closer and closer, and Starkey with the release of Livio AI indicates a further development vector.

As a hearing aid, Livio AI is a complete example of a modern gadget: it tracks your steps, falls, streams music, and has a built-in digital assistant. “Livio, to some extent, is a fusion of hearing aid technology and traditional audio technology, and what it is likely to look like in the future,” says Jeff Cooling, a hearing care specialist who also writes for Hearing Aid Know .

Opinions differ on how Starkey sees the future of hearing aids. David Owen, who talks about the evolution of hearing aids in his book Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World , sees what is happening as the promotion of the cost- effective technology of these devices to the market of low-cost consumer devices. “It seems to me that the moment is coming when the traditional hearing aid developers, few in their group, decide to share their best practices for improving hearing,” Owen says. In any case, the technology of intra-channel devices is acquiring an increasingly significant role, and the future seems quite similar to that outlined by Starkey. —Jacob Kastrenakes

80. Backup camera (2018)

Rear view cameras, or backup cameras, have been an optional solution for over ten years now. (My 2010 Subaru Outback has one.) But the 2018 federal law establishes the need for mandatory equipment for all new cars, trucks, and vans with rear-view surveillance devices. And this suggests that backup cameras are clearly not going to disappear. While rear-view mirrors have been known for over a century, their field of view is limited by the rear window frames and they do not provide a wide-angle view. This flaw can be dangerous, even fatal: 210 deaths and 15,000 injuries annually are the result of a collision with a light-wheeled vehicle when reversing, in a third of cases children under five are involved. Backup cameras are not only help with parallel parking,they can save lives.—Andrew J. Hawkins

79. Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 (2017)

Nostalgia reigned supreme in this decade. Which means that some technical solutions of the past have largely returned to our lives. And one of the most noteworthy examples was instant cameras (aka instant cameras - approx. Per.). Meanwhile, someone was tormented by the question of which Instagram filters to apply to give the image the effect of antiquity or cinematography, others bought compact cameras with instant printing, like the good old Polaroid. Fujifilm, of course, led by His Holiness Instax Mini 9, dominated this trend. This square little colorful camera ruled all home parties, wedding ceremonies, and nasty gatherings. —Loren Grush

78. Google Nexus 5 (2013)

Despite the fact that the first Pixel smartphone from Google appeared no earlier than 2016, the Nexus 5 was proof that the birth of Google’s own park of Android-backgrounds has already begun. Designed in collaboration with LG, it was the first Nexus with a unique, non-borrowed design. Also, at the time of its appearance in 2013, the Nexus 5 had a significantly lower, compared with competitors, primary price of $ 349. Despite Nexus 5’s initial problems with taking photos, the device laid the foundation for Google’s further comprehensive growth in hardware solutions, and ultimately for their famous Pixel 2. —Nick Statt

77. RED DSMC2 (2016)

Whether you like it or not, this camera has become the beginning of many new trends in digital photography. In the earlier years of this decade, RED's DSMC2 series of cameras focused on capturing high-resolution images using the RAW format and a rich set of different compression ratios. This camera was everywhere, used by Michael Bay and Steven Soderbergh, Kendrick Lamar's videos were shot with it, and simple youtuber took it in their hands just to express admiration for the appearance of the device. The latter is of particular importance, since it was it that gave rise to a new question that subsequently changed the market: “Does it know how to play in 4K?” —Brennan King

76. Square Reader (2010)

Over the past decade, the world has become poor as never before. All thanks to the advent of mobile wallets, banking applications, and peer-to-peer payment systems. The best option for the physical embodiment of this cultural shift will probably be Square Reader, which has found its place in almost every area of small business, from spontaneous markets to fast-food restaurants. Square helped customers make purchases without having to carry cash with them, and sellers accept credit card payments without installing large-sized terminals and slow payment services, conducting the entire operation through a smartphone. This tiny card reader ultimately changed the very nature of the service industry, giving companies a penchant for a smoother, more ergonomic design. The shelves of almost all the cafes in the USA are proof of this.—Natt Garun

This small device is a magnetic stripe reader connected via audiojack and provided with special software in the form of a virtual store.

One Hundred Gadgets Defining the Decade (100 - 76)