35 Retro Tech Pictures From The Days Before All Of These Things Were Just In Your Phone
I was born in the 80s, which means I’ve had a front row seat to one of the biggest tech evolutions in human history.
I remember when certain gadgets felt like the absolute future, things you’d show off to your friends because they were so advanced at the time.
Fast forward to now, and most of that same tech has been condensed into a single device that fits in your pocket.
It’s kind of wild to think about how many separate gadgets we used to rely on that are now just basic features on a smartphone. Cameras, calculators, music players, GPS, you name it.
These retro tech photos are a fun reminder of just how far things have come in what honestly feels like no time at all.
1. Weltron 8-Track Cassette Player and Radio (1972)
2. The first ThinkPad (1992), which gave us the TrackPoint
3. Telic Alcatel Minitel 2 (1980s) could access the open French network Teletel through the phone.
4. The KoalaPad (1983) was a 1983 graphics tablet for the Apple II, TRS-80, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64 and PC.
5. Commodore SX-64 (1983). This $995 computer was a briefcase-size “luggable” of the Commodore 64 and is considered the first full-color portable computer.
6. Hewlett Packard HP-01 Calculator Watch (1977)
7. Bang & Olufsen BeoCom 1000 (1989)
8. The Nokia 3310 (2000). My first cell phone.
9. Sharp Model 3LS36P (1986)
10. The Motorola IMfree Personal Instant Messenger
11. Lancia Medusa (1980)
12. The JVC HR3330TR from 1976 was the first mass market VHS-based VCR
13. The Nokia 770 from 2005 was a Linux-based tablet that connected to WiFi. It had a touch sensitive screen.
14. The Sony VAIO Mouse Talk from 2006 was a mouse and VOIP phone combo that could be used for Skype calls. The scroll wheel doubled as the volume control. What would you use as a mouse when someone called?
15. The Motorola Envoy was $1,500 in 1994 and came with a touchscreen and stylus
16. Sony FH3, Compact Hi-Density Component System (1983)
17. The Toshiba DynaBook J-3100SS (1989).
18. The Sony TR-1825 Radio (1970)
19. The Accuratus Mouse Phone was an optical mouse that doubled as a Skype phone
20. The BlackBerry 6710 (2002)
21. The Sansui RA-700 Reverberation Amplifier (1975)
22. This was my first own CD player. The Sony Discman D-E307CK.
23. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Century Music System CD Tape Tuner (1993)
24. The Sharp 902 from 2005 had a screen could swivel 180 degrees and lay flat on the keypad, making it feel more like a point-and-shoot camera for taking photos. Back when people carried around their phone and camera, this phone tried to combine them into one.
25. iPod Classic 4th Gen (2004). My first iPod, and I still have it.
26. Bang & Olufsen Beomaster Control Module (1976)
27. The 1986 Buick Riviera had a CRT touch screen that actually made it to production.
28. Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Ouverture CD-Tape-Tuner (1994)
29. The full version of Doom came on 4 floppy disks
30. Apple VideoPad prototype from MacWorld (1995)
31. The HTC Universal from 2005 ran Windows Mobile and accessed the 3G network, a rare connection at the time
32. The Thinking Machines CM-5 Connection Machine (1993)
33. The $99 TwitterPeek from 2009 was a dedicated handheld that only accessed Twitter. Service cost $8/mo or $199 for lifetime access before shutting down in 2012.
34. Citroën Visa (1978)
35. Dome Zero Concept (1978)
