Yesterday's Tech Challenge

How Many Devices from Yesteryear Did You Use?

- August Garry

Over the course of the 20th and 21st Centuries, technology has been advancing at the speed of a NASA X-43 breaking the sound barrier. Did you know that the X-43 still holds the record for the fastest jet-powered aircraft, despite being developed in the ‘90s?

That’s because oldies are often goodies. While we welcome new technology, let’s take a moment to pay homage to the tech of yesterday and prove our techie bona fides with the Forgotten Tech Challenge! Scroll to the bottom to get your score!

PDAs Who here had Apple’s

Who here had Apple's entry in the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) genre of pocket computer, the Newton? The Newton was introduced in 1992, but before that was the Psion Organiser (made by a UK company; don’t come after me for the spelling), which debuted in 1984. PDAs had features like you would find in a pen-and-paper planner, like calendars and contact lists, and, in fact, when they were first introduced, directly competed with planners like Filofax and Day-Timer. PDAs had their heyday in the ‘90s, but once smartphones came around, there was not much hope left for the humble PDA to survive. If you have a Newton now, get that thing to a museum!

Your score

• I owned a PDA: 4 points

• I owned an Apple Newton: 6 points

• I still own a Newton or PDA, and it still turns on: 10 points

Betamax & VHS