Technology of yesterday that you still use today

[Luseth 2,049]

So just been looking at portable stereos as I could do with something that could do everything i.e. bluetooth but also DAB and being able to play my cd's which I still enjoy time to time. This got me thinking about technology that I enjoy or use that seems to have been around for ages and it also got me reading articles online about how tape cassette's are on an upwards trend (even today I can't see what the fascination would be with them).

 

But it made me think, in my car I still have a small ipod that get's used every now and again with songs from my younger years, everything being streamed from your phone today it is probably outdated tech but tech that is still pretty useful in today's world i.e. not draining my phone battery in the car playing music on longer journeys and such. I have also seen the Polaroid cameras recently, they seem to be sold everywhere again (the one's where you print out instant photos). So is there any tech that you still have lying around in use which might be considered outdated or any tech you would like to see make a bif of a comeback?

[J4MES OX4D 10,117]

I don't use it much now but I have an iPod Nano which has hundreds of songs on it that doesn't require an internet connection, has a headphone jack, has a battery that would last longer than a day and is so easy to use by its smart design.

 

If I want to do that now with a modern device, I have to use my phone, carry around separate bluetooth headphones, connect to the internet, obtain some subscription service and then drain the fuck out the battery streaming a fraction of songs.  

 

Also if I had the time and space, I'd be playing on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The last 10 years of console gaming has been dismal. 

[phil bottle 9,892]

I have a record player and listen to vinyl. Not regularly but every once in a while. I have maybe 300 records, mostly punk, indie and reggae/ska/dub.

[LordBaguette 849]

I still have a 80gb ipod video I take on trips as a back up incase I lose my phone

[slamminbones 1,829]

Somewhere I still have a Walkman that I use for tape packs I have.

[GazzaGarratt 11,126]

CDs are coming back out for me. The ease of Spotify and streaming music is great for certain scenarios but if I'm chilling at home in the shed, then a CD in the background is a far better option as its a choice to do something you want to do specifically rather than get a curated playlist continually retune your needs.

 

On 11/23/2024 at 11:08 AM, slamminbones said:

Somewhere I still have a Walkman that I use for tape packs I have.

 

ooo I'd love to see tapes make a comeback! Probably not worth the hassle unfortunately but would be ace to play on the odd occasion.

 

As we love games, I'll obviously say all my old consoles and handheld devices are a great alternative for an evening of gaming. Makes you appreciate the gaming industry, especially when lately it feels like new good games are a thing of the past.

 

Actually, to finish I'd also say one more thing...I got Hayley a Tamogochi for Christmas! 🤣 They were ace back in the day, just to pass abit of time. These days we use continuous never ending free games on our phone but this feels like a cool way to get off those things to help you back into the real world and not lose too much time into the those awful mobile games.

 

[Plumbers Crack 4,083]

Not quite a technology of yesterday but Blu-Ray DVDs.

Instead of streaming old films (and some new ones) that I want to watch I buy them on E-Bay for about the same cost of a stream and then I own them. They won't disappear overnight if I leave Netflix, etc or the streaming service doesn't host them any more

[Luseth 2,049]

2 hours ago, Plumbers Crack said:

Not quite a technology of yesterday but Blu-Ray DVDs.

Instead of streaming old films (and some new ones) that I want to watch I buy them on E-Bay for about the same cost of a stream and then I own them. They won't disappear overnight if I leave Netflix, etc or the streaming service doesn't host them any more

I have started doing this with blu rays for the same reason, I dont have to worry about them disappearing on me. I have a little collection should the internet ever go down n such and generally the quality is better along with extra features n such

[J4MES OX4D 10,117]

13 hours ago, Plumbers Crack said:

Not quite a technology of yesterday but Blu-Ray DVDs.

Instead of streaming old films (and some new ones) that I want to watch I buy them on E-Bay for about the same cost of a stream and then I own them. They won't disappear overnight if I leave Netflix, etc or the streaming service doesn't host them any more

I used to have a huge collection of DVD's but ended up offing most to Music Magpie to declutter years ago. I'm tempted to start rebuilding again as streaming just feels so soulless and even if you 'own' a purchase that is streamed, it can still be taken away from you at any time down the line *cough Sony. Some DVD's used to have awesome extras on them especially the James Bond films. 

[Plumbers Crack 4,083]

On 1/14/2025 at 9:52 AM, J4MES OX4D said:

I used to have a huge collection of DVD's but ended up offing most to Music Magpie to declutter years ago. I'm tempted to start rebuilding again as streaming just feels so soulless and even if you 'own' a purchase that is streamed, it can still be taken away from you at any time down the line *cough Sony. Some DVD's used to have awesome extras on them especially the James Bond films. 

I treated myself to the Bond box set at Christmas so I’ll look out for those 👍

[GazzaGarratt 11,126]

I think in the 1990s to 2000s, I recall going into HMV and similar places and they used to sell music on these specific players that played music on like a square shaped disk? Does anybody remember what they were called? The talk back then was it would take over CDs but it never did, but i can't remember for the life of me what the format was called! Any help?

[Luseth 2,049]

47 minutes ago, GazzaGarratt said:

I think in the 1990s to 2000s, I recall going into HMV and similar places and they used to sell music on these specific players that played music on like a square shaped disk? Does anybody remember what they were called? The talk back then was it would take over CDs but it never did, but i can't remember for the life of me what the format was called! Any help?

 

Minidiscs? I remember our music teacher saying the above back in secondary school? Then I never saw them again 😄 

[GazzaGarratt 11,126]

17 hours ago, Luseth said:

Minidiscs? I remember our music teacher saying the above back in secondary school? Then I never saw them again 😄 

 

That's the one!! Haha, just had a look and they were supposed to be the next gen thing. Mad how they crashed, burned and removed within about 10 years. Kind of a cool idea now I look back at them.

[Luseth 2,049]

1 minute ago, GazzaGarratt said:

 

That's the one!! Haha, just had a look and they were supposed to be the next gen thing. Mad how they crashed, burned and removed within about 10 years. Kind of a cool idea now I look back at them.

 

Is it the same technology as the PSP UMD discs? It seems so?

[GazzaGarratt 11,126]

On 1/23/2025 at 8:53 AM, Luseth said:

Is it the same technology as the PSP UMD discs? It seems so?

 

Good point mate, never really researched it tbh. They look more like Atari Lynx games and quite cool boxes wise. They all go for at least £40 though and higher which is mental given there won't be many classic albums redone in that period these were going. Remastering old albums feel like something thats happened way more in the last 10 years.