Off-Topic: Can we ban links which redirect to advertising domains?
When I click this link, due to uMatrix I see that it redirects to <a href="https://guce.advertising.com/collectIdentifiers?sessionId=3_cc-session_4cf21ef9-2a5f-4f96-9010-faca569779de" rel="nofollow">https://guce.advertising.com/collectIdentifiers?sessionId=3_...</a>
Which doesn't sound like something I would want to visit.
Gamecube controllers.<p>Three console generations later, Nintendo keeps re-releasing them.<p>I'm not sure why they don't lean in harder and embrace the design as the standard Nintendo controller. It is the most ergonomic and intuitive game controller I've ever used. The asymmetric layout and shape of the A, B, X, and Y buttons make it impossible to forget which is which. All the controller needs for a 2020 refresh is a ZL button, a true analog for the C-Stick, and a slightly larger D-Pad.<p>The electronics underneath are rock solid--a favorite for modders. Nothing has really changed except the cord length and the omission of metal braces in the triggers.
This site slams me in the face with a popup that tries to get me to "Agree" to all kinds of trackers. I tried to "Learn More", but there is no way to disagree, so, I guess no article for me. Goodbye.
My Bose QC15s have lasted so long. AA batteries are easily replaced and cheap aftermarket parts on ebay keep is going. It is now my backup as having Bluetooth and better noise cancelling is worth upgrading for but they still work incredibly well on flights.<p>Sadly lithium batteries kill gadgets these days. I have an old gen kindle and I can't find a replacement battery for it. Seems such a waste for a device that is otherwise in excellent shape.
I still use an IBM Model M keyboard every day, made in 1993. I'm currently looking for a new keyboard that takes less desk space and doesn't require a PS/2 adapter, but the Model M still works fine and is a pleasure to type on.<p>Keyboard rant: I'm appalled that it's so hard to find a good mechanical keyboard that is not meant for gamers with those RGB lights. Part of the problem is Europe, some options either don't get here or are usually out of stock. But even looking at the total market there are just not that many mechanical keyboards with quality switches, a simple backlight light and a USB hub with a couple ports in the keyboard.
Another product with a much longer time horizon is those electronic dial pads on apartment buildings and entry gates: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=apartment+door+dial+pad&tbm=isch" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.com/search?q=apartment+door+dial+pad&tbm=...</a><p>These things are running on technology from the late 90's virtually unchanged. Even the most advanced ones are low end silicon with terrible thermal designs and horrible user interfaces (scrolling through pages of residents on a bad monochrome display one line at a time). Nothing competes with them. They have no high-failure parts and can last for decades. (And some have.)
I couldn't read the article because of ad blocker issues, but Logitech Squeezebox is going strong in this household. You can pick up the physical devices reasonably cheaply on ebay as people replace them with functionally worse and privacy invasive modern alternatives.
I still wear my Pebble Time Round every day. The form factor is unequaled. Less than 8mm thick is just not where other companies are going with their watches, and I'm sad about that.
I really regret not picking up a Little Printer when I had the chance. I've considered building a networked thermal printer, but its not quite the same.<p>My dream is to have a 2" impact printer (e.g. receipt printer) for to-do, grocery, etc, lists.<p>I really don't want to have a life of joy and pure bliss that relies on a thermal printer. I love the concept so much.<p>With the others, I've still got three Pebbles and I love them all equally. The two OG Pebbles needed a piece of paper between the vibrating part and the screen, but the 2HR has been perfect.<p>These concepts are all so great. Chumby is another I've always admired.
Sansa Fuze mp3 players are still kicking around, with open source replacement firmware like Rockbox still under active development.<p>I'm kicking myself that I gave mine to a friend around 2012 when I got my first smartphone.I feel like the used price on them has actually gone <i>up</i> in recent years, as nearly all smartphones have since removed their headphone jacks, and battery life on smartphones can't hold a candle to dedicated mp3 players.
For me it’s film cameras. Because they were not a rapidly obsoleting product, they were built for decades upon decades of use. The mechanical perfection is just a joy to use in every knob and click. My two favorites are a Canon F-1 with 85mm f1.2 Lens, and a 1953 Rolleiflex with a 75mm Schneider f3.5 lens. Neither one needs a battery. A modern camera is built with the expectation that its sensor will be obsolete in 5-10 years so nobody will pay for the build quality for a 50 year service life.<p>As I tell people when they ask about them, I’m not a photography enthusiast, I’m a camera enthusiast, taking pictures is just what I do to find an excuse to use these exquisite pieces of machinery.
I never heard about Chumby before but oh my it's one of the most ugly and hideous product designs I have ever seen, I don't know why but looking at it makes me uneasy... something about the way that leather is cut, combined with the colors and overall shape, even the name is strange
For me its my Sony MiniDisc Player(s) and the MiniDisc format in general. Such a great medium, durable, great haptics. Works perfectly all these years later and still looks and feels like something from the future.<p>Still angry at Sony though for basically killing it from the beginning with all their DRM.
I know it's not that old but after ~7 years on paper books I recently went back to my Kindle Paperwhite 1st generation which I bought in 2012 ... I was pretty shocked that it just booted up and I was able to start buying and reading books again. I had a software update or two but I didn't even have to sign in to my Amazon account again.
I have an HP TouchPad, the tablet that ran WebOS. Almost ten years later there are still people that are making Android versions for it. The battery sucks by now and the CPU is not very powerful so it’s not snappy but it’s still usable for light apps.
I dislike gadgets as in "tech objects which primary function is to be perceived as cool and to make the owner feel good as owning it".<p>I think tools can survive more than gadgets. I have an old HP LaserJet 4l which I think was manufactured in '90s and which still works like a charm. I also have a Nikon D300 DSLR which still works. My car is 16 years old.
Reading this article got me wistful for my Peek <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peek_(mobile_Internet_device)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peek_(mobile_Internet_device)</a>. You can do so much with email (todo lists, news, etc) and the device just felt good. It had a physical keyboard (!) and a real scroll wheel on the side.<p>Peek was also created by a small company but doesn't have the community support that the Chumby or Pebble has now. Maybe that's a product of being connected only to a cellular network?
iPod Classics also refuse to die, I'm using a used one I got cheap on eBay. You can also mod them with open source software (escaping the clutches of iTunes), install a higher capacity battery, replace the case and install a power-sipping micro SD card - if you so wish. It helps that it's not tied to a cloud service, you can get an older version of iTunes if you really need it. More details[1]<p>[1] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19712077" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19712077</a>
Gadgets don't die, their users do.<p>Every single computer that was ever made is still out there, and a use could be found for them, somewhere in the world. We just don't have the resources to distribute 'old' computers for which find no use, to those who would find a use - so we throw them away, usually with the excuse 'archaic/outdated, consumes too much power, etc' - excuses that were as equally valid the day the machine came out of the box, but are only really issued when a human decision has been made.<p>You can still pick up a stone axe and use it to feed your family, even if its original user died tens of thousands of years ago. The same is true of every single tool ever made - its only the arbitrary decision making of humans which make an inanimate object useful or otherwise.<p>disclaimer: grumpy old retro computing enthusiast who really wants people to stop throwing functioning electronic gear in the landfill...
Interesting list...I didn't own any of those, though I would guess most of us here can name many others.<p>Last weekend while I was putting the finishing touches on a Bionic Puppy install on my MSI Wind (purchased through a Linux computer company years ago), I started to realize I need to get more serious about active care for my devices or get rid of them. From the Cybiko Extremes to the N810 to the Casio pocket organizers.<p>For now I'm going to move to a basic stance and just start text files for each set of devices. That usually gets me moving in a more organized direction. It feels good to be taking care of (some) things from my past, and I can tell my kids all kinds of stories about how I courted my wife via Cybiko text chat in University classes, etc. :-)
It's the nostalgia of ye good olde days of when those devices where perceived as good ideas or the best in town when there was a early market growing when they were around.<p>Their existence was tested by the competition and found to have been commercial failures but can still live on as useful toys, like the Commodore Amiga days, BeOS days and the CHIP days and so on.<p>They are remembered and kept alive by niche communities around 'what if' they survived with open source alternatives, aftermarket additions or more additions. Very happy to see this and good luck to them.
> “The Chumby was introduced shortly after WiFi was introduced," Andrew "bunnie" Huang, Chumby's founder, told Engadget. "To rewind to those times, there were no smartphones, and if you wanted to use your computer away from your desk, it meant dragging an ethernet cord to your bedside."<p>The first PowerBook with WiFi was released in 1999. The Chumby in 2006.
I still using my Sony Smartwatch 2 (2014), not even changed the wristband. The only thing is lack of software updates and support.<p>Sony made very good hardware. But they are not good updating their software. Just like the Sony Xperia Play, they don't even upgrade their Android version when they could.
While I think it is dead now, the 3Com Audrey was another gadget that was hacker/user supported and lived on long after its official demise. A mini (mostly) functional web terminal was a pretty novel thing when it was released.
My Boxee Box still works and I use it occasionally<p><a href="https://github.com/boxeehacks/boxeehack" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/boxeehacks/boxeehack</a><p>The remote still works great too.
iPods. I have several friends who have, within the last year, sourced out classic iPods for personal use - I personally find my first-gen iPod shuffle to be one of the most useful digital devices in my collection.<p>Next - old game consoles. My Nintendo DS and Sega Saturn consistently get the most use out of any console I've ever had, to the point where I've stopped buying new consoles. Best part - I turn it on, pop in the game, no waiting for updates. It's amazing. Not to mention top-notch games like Animal Crossing: Wild World, Scribblenauts, New Super Mario Bros, Sonic Rush, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Mario Kart DS, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS Into Dreams, Street Fighter II Alpha (which I am constantly playing with friends) - the list goes on and on.<p>I could turn on my Dreamcast if I wanted to bask in Crazy Taxi, Skies of Arcadia, Jet Grind Radio, etc...but there's enough great games for these systems alone I haven't played that it makes it completely irrelevant to buy a new system.<p>Because in 20 years since I bought my Dreamcast I have still yet to siphon all the value out of it I can get.
The Audio-Technica ATH A500 headphones I bought in 2008 are still going strong. The adhesive for the sodt ear muff degraded but that was easy enough to fix. I thought the novel headband design would cause issues but it has lasted just fine.
Some people in the UK kept their early Tivos going for a while after Sky shut down the service. I think they found a way to supply the programme guide.
This article is nonsense. The gadgets aren't refusing to die due to fan support - it's companies buying old nonsense tech and then trying to resell it. We'll be see these on late night infomercials soon.