tech e blog

You've seen our futuristic gadgets list, now check out the "Top 10 Strangest (or Coolest) Gadgets of the Past". Which ones are your favorites?

10. Mirage 2000 - 1976 (?)

The physical object to be converted to a hologram is placed in the concave centre of the bottom mirror. A hologram instantly projects up through this aperture, appearing to the viewer as a truly solid object.

9. Wrist-Watch Radio - 1947

This world’s smallest microtube was made possible by the elimination of bulky wires, which have been replaced by a silver chloride circuit stenciled on a slice of plastic or ceramic material. Developed as a result of co-operative research with industry, the miniature tube has various military applications aside from its use in the wrist-watch radio

8. Micro TV - 1979

The Sinclair TV comes complete with an American AC adapter and charger, ear phones, carrying case, rechargeable batteries and a built-in antenna for both VHF and UHF. It also comes with a cigarette lighter power converter, so you can watch all your favorite TV channels from your boat, plane, motor home or car without even using your batteries

7. Wrist Watch Camera - 1939

6. "LASER" CD Player from 1983

You've heard stereo before, but never like this. Treat your ears to music that sounds so real, you might just think it's the original. Our Compact Digital Audio Disc Player (CD) uses a sophisticated laser system to delicately lift the sound off compact discs for phenomenal sound.

5. Clock Phonograph

Both phonograph and clock motor is contained in a box the size of a large camera, and the hour for the morning serenade is set by knob as in an alarm clock. When out of use the case is folded up to make a neat and attractive table or mantel ornament.

4. World's First Hard Drive - 1956

These disks are mounted so as to rotate about a vertical axis, with a spacing of three tenths of an inch between disks. This spacing permits two magnetic heads to be positioned to any one of the 100 concentric tracks which are available on each side of each disk. Each track contains 500 alphanumeric characters. Total storage capacity: 5,000,000 characters. The two recording heads are mounted in a pair of arms which are moved, by a feed-back control system, in a radial direction to straddle a selected disk.

3. Stapleless Japanese Stapler - 1986

But from the users point of view, you just push the stapler down as if it was a normal stapler - the clever mechanism does the rest.

2. Flying Saucer Camera - 1935

1. Flat Screen TV - 1958

The picture tube, only 2-5/8 inches thick, is made of two rectangular pieces of plate glass with about an inch of space between them. The edges are sealed with powdered-glass solder to hold the vacuum. The surface of the thin tube is the equivalent of a 21-inch conventional screen

Honorable Mention - Duck Hunt-Style Game - 1935

Photo-electric cells are mounted in the bodies of duck targets which move across a panelled opening at one end of the room. Each gun has its source of light which flashes on when the trigger is pressed. If a marksman “hits” the photo-electric cell directly in the center of the bird’s body, the duck falls and the number of respective hits is registered automatically in light.

Honorable Mention - 14 Ton Camera - 1934

Two years’ time was needed to build the camera which can take photographs with microscopic exactness. It is equipped to make nautical and airway charts with a precision of less than l/1000th of an inch. The camera can hold plates as large as 50 inches square.