10 Gadgets That Changed The World

By AllTechAdvisor

Gadgets continue to play a crucial role in our day-to-day life. For example: cell phones have dramatically changed the way we communicate; television has brought the entire world to our doorsteps; and personal computers have ushered a new era in technology. The 7th edition of Gadget Show Live, which is scheduled to take place from 8-12 April, 2015, will feature the latest from the world of gadgets. Let’s take a look at some of the mind-boggling machines that have made our life easier.

10. Television

Television can undoubtedly be considered as the most famous gadgets of the 20th century. The first commercial televisions were sold between 1930 and 1933. It is estimated that by the end of 2015, close to 500 million television sets will be connected via the internet, according to a report by Statista.

Pictured: (Left) BBC Television Announcer Jasmine Bligh tuning in a Baird 'Televisor' in Sevenoaks, Kent, on September 4, 1936. (Right) A 65-inch Panasonic CX850 4K LED Ultra HD Smart TV is unveiled during the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA, on January 5, 2015.

9. Personal Computers

The arrival of personal computers in the 1970s paved the way for the introduction of some of the most revolutionary products ever seen. The bulky, slow device steadily evolved itself into a lean, superfast, people-friendly machine. According to International Data Corp., 308.6 million units were shipped in 2014.

Pictured: IBM's first commercial personal computer, IBM 5150 PC. (Right) IMac G5

8. Cell phones

Cell phones have undergone a remarkable change since their inception in 1980s. The first commercial cell phone, Motorola’s DynaTAC, was unveiled in 1984 and had a talk time of 30 minutes with 8 hours of standby time. According to Germany-based GfK, 1.2 billion smartphones were sold in 2014.

Pictured: (Left) 1984 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, the world's first commercially available portable cellular phone. (Right) Samsung phones displayed at a special press preview in New York.

7. Portable music players

In 1979, Walkman became the first portable music player when it was introduced by Sony in Japan. The idea of listening to music while on the move soon caught the attention of the entire world and large number of Walkman brands became available in the market. At present, Apple’s iPod is the new kid on the block.

Pictured: (Left) Sony's cassette player TPS-L2, the first Walkman model, produced in 1979. (Right) Apple iPod Shuffle.

6. Gaming Console

From Nintendo's Game Boy to the current edition of PlayStation 4, gaming consoles have come a long way. The PlayStation brand is the leading brand in the industry and so far has sold close to 400 million units around the globe.

Pictured: (Left) Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, holds a Nintendo Game Boy. (Right) A PlayStation 4 virtual reality headset Project Morpheus being tested in a demo area at the Game Developers Conference 2014 in San Francisco, USA.

5. Storage devices

The need to have large spaces to store massive amount of paper files was done away with the advancement of technology. With USB flash drives, gigantic amount of data can now be stored in inches. Recently, a USB flash drive with one-terabyte storage space was unveiled.

Pictured: (left) A clerk searching for personnel information in the filing cabinets stored in the basement of the Pentagon. (Right) SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-I card of 200 GB is displayed during the Mobile World Congress.

4. Camera

It is hard to imagine the time when the use of camera was reserved for only special occasions. Today, selfies have become a rage across the globe. According to a 2014 research, more than 17 million selfies are uploaded on social network every week.

Pictured: (Left) Hasselblad 1000F 120 SLR roll film camera (1952). (Right) A GoPro Hero 4 camera is displayed at the 2015 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6, 2015.

3. Microwave Oven

The idea of using microwaves to cook food has to be one of the defining moments in the history of food processing. The first commercial microwave, Radarange, was introduced in late 1950s and since then it has become an integral member of kitchens around the globe.

Pictured: (Left) A chef using a Raytheon Radarange III, an early commercial microwave oven, circa 1958. (Right) A selection of General Electric Co. microwave oven home appliances in Torrance, California, U.S.

2. Navigation System

From providing directions while driving to tracing missing people in times of natural disasters, navigation devices have steadily become a part of our day-to-day life. In 2008 and 2009, close to 40 million Portable Navigation Device (PND) were being used across the globe.

Pictured: (Left) A Garmin Forerunner Forerunner 310XT. (Right) Garmin Nuvifone G60, a phone featuring a dedicated GPS navigation system.

1. Wrist watch

In 1969, Seiko introduced the first quartz watch, Astron. Since then, a series of features have been added to wrist watches, including facility to make calls and track fitness regime. In March 2015, Apple unveiled its much-awaited smart watch. The new watch comes equipped with a heart rate sensor and vibration sensor for notifications.

Pictured: (Left) The 35-series Quartz Astron. (Right) Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the Apple Watch at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on March 9, 2015 in San Francisco, California.