Every blog I see is posting their top 10 tech list so here is mine.
- Titanium Powerbook – as a former IBMer and lifelong PC user, switching to Apple was a big deal. It took the Titanium Powerbook to make it happen. It went beyond function and performance with a beautiful design which sparked lust at first sight.
- Canon Elph Camera – My first digital camera. Once you go digital you don’t go back. I was not a camera person – too lazy to take film in for developing and too cheap to pay for lots of unwanted photos. This camera changed all that.
- Vonage Voip – Before you laugh, understand that my wife’s parents live overseas and she talks to them everyday. They have zero computer skills and can’t use skype. Vonage service with normal phone is simple and doesn’t require them to learn anything new.
- TiVo Series 2 – I owned and loved the original Tivo and upgraded to series 2 as soon as it came out despite the fact I couldn’t transfer my lifetime subscription. Loved using remote scheduling to make sure I didn’t miss events when I was traveling. I would be a millionaire if I got a commission on all the Tivos I helped sell through my constant singing of it praises.
- Slingbox – Allows me to watch my TV when I’m traveling for work or visiting inlaws in morocco. Use it around the house where laptop acts as kitchen tv.
- Playstation 2 – Took gaming to another level. Madden, Tekken, etc became a social activity rather than a solitary pursuit.
- MacBook Pro – had to retire the Titanium PowerBook at some point and the intel mbp with backlit keyboard is a worthy successor.
- Flip video – Right before my daughter was born I ran over to J&R and brought a Sony Hard drive HD video camera. I have used it no more than 3 or 4 times. I brought a flip video camera and used it constantly. As the saying goes – the best camera is the one you have with you. Flip made video simple and accessible.
- Blackberry Bold – I got hooked on blackberry late in the decade. Once on it, I didn’t know how I went so long without it. Now I take being continously synched to office email and calender for granted.
- Apple iPhone – Similar to my switch from PC to mac, I would not have traded in my BB for any other device than the iPhone. The iPhone sparked the same kind of gadget lust I felt for my PowerBook. Initially I was double wielding BB for work and iPhone for personal use but once I became proficient with the soft keyboard it was iPhone all the way. It has also displaced my flip and canon as my regular video and photo device.
Overall it has been a great decade for gadgets. But I have been around tech long enough to know that it only gets better. Let’s see what the next year and decade bring.
