-
Typewriters
A typewriter is a machine that was historically used to produce text on paper. The user would hit a key, which would cause a steel type to hit a ribbon and transfer ink to the paper. The first commercially made typewriter was patented in 1868 by Christopher Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule. Typewriters stopped being used in the 1980s due to the new tech coming out (Computers). -
Phone Booths
The user of the booth pays for the call by depositing coins into a slot on the telephone. Depending on the telephone, the coins are either deposited before making the call or if the call attempt is unsuccessful (busy, no answer, etc.), the coins are returned. The first phone booth was invented in Berlin in 1881 and was officially opened in the same year. Later that year it was a worldwide product. Pay telephones are becoming less common, as they are replaced by non-enclosed pay phones. -
35mm Film
35mm film is used in cameras to capture images. When the shutter is opened, light enters the camera and prints the image onto the surface of the film. The film is then rolled forward so that an unexposed section is ready for your next photo. Oskar Barnack is credited as the inventor of 35 mm movie film in 1889 when the Edison company was using Eastman film. It is an obsolete product, but people still make it, and you can still get it for $10 in almost any shop. -
Portable Radios
A battery-powered handset has a transmitter that sends and receives radio waves, a loudspeaker that also often functions as a microphone and a 'push-to-talk' button. Portable radios were invented in the early 1940s and have been in use ever since. Portable radios are small enough to fit in a pocket but are also powerful enough to be used for radio transmission. Portable radios are still used today, especially in remote locations where other forms of communication are not available. -
Sepia-tone photos / Polaroid "instant" photos
"Sepia-toning" is a chemical process that converts the metallic silver in the emulsion of a photographic print into a silver sulfide compound. In 1947 Edwin H. Land introduced the Polaroid-Land process, which produced sepia-tone photos. A negative sheet inside the camera, then lined up with a positive sheet and squeezed through a set of rollers which spread a reagent between two layers, creating a developing film "sandwich". Polaroid no longer manufactures instant photos. -
Laser Discs
The LaserDisc was an analog medium that stored more information than a CD or DVD. It used FM stereo sound and also digital audio like a computer. This made it possible to store more information on a disc, which made it more popular. Optical video recording technology, using a transparency disc, was invented by David Paul Gregg and James Russell in 1963(and patented in 1970 and 1990). In 2009 3.6 million LaserDisc players had been sold before its discontinuation -
Fax Machines
The telephone fax is a technology that uses sound waves to send text or images via telephone lines. The first recognizable version of this technology was invented in 1964 by the Xerox company, but the technology that led to that advancement was created much earlier. In fact, it was Alexander Baine in 1843 who invented the electric printing telegraph. By the 2000's fax machines stopped being produced due to fewer customers buying them. -
Boombox
A boombox typically includes a cassette player/recorder and an AM/FM radio. It is often designed with a carrying handle for portability. The first 8-track boombox was invented in 1975. Boomboxes still exist, but now they use Bluetooth. -
Dumb Phones
Dumb Phones are able to multi-tapping or text on nine keys (T9), some Dumb Phones include features such as MP3 players and simple games. Motorola's MICROTAC 9800X became the first “non-brick” portable phone. The flip design makes it possible to put it in shirt or trouser pockets. Complete with a red LED display, it weighs 350 gm. Nokia 1011 became the world's first mass-produced GSM phone. Right now Gen Z continues to buy Dumb Phones to limit screen time. -
Talkboy
A tape recorder that used a cassette tape to record sounds. It also had a built-in microphone for users to speak into. The Talkboy was a toy created for the movie Home Alone 2 that was used by the lead character, Kevin MacCallister, to outsmart robbers. Tiger designed and built the prop, which was a big hit with audiences. After 7 years in 1999, Talkboy production stopped due to unpopularity.