Before and After of Our Favorite Tech-Gadgets and Appliances

Are you tired of hearing your parents saying “Before we only had this and that, but we’re happy?” It’s up to you, what are the things they usually say. However, we often hear this right after we complain about our lagging electronic device as if we’re asking them directly to buy you a new one, but you don’t — you do, just admit it tho’. Well, who wouldn’t want a new toy, right?

Nowadays, most people, even toddlers, have their own smartphone, tablet, or other kinds of gadgets that are all-consuming electricity. But, would it cost us dollars if we look back, understand, and learn the things that made our parents and grandparents apply for cash loans in the past? Certainly, not! Here are some of the most popular gadgets in ancient times — I mean the past century.

Remote Control

Before you start looking for this thing that often disappears when we need it, know that before, there’s no chance that it would get lost as it was connected to the television by wires! Introduced by Zenith Electronics in 1951, and they called it the Lazy Bones. It only has four separate buttons, including one for changing the channel. In 1955, the company released the wireless remote control named Flash-Matic. Yes, one of the best inventions in the world!

Radio

Regency TR-1 by Texas Instruments is the first transistor radio ever made, and it was in 1954. It was “a fantastic pocket-size ‘music player,'” which our grandparents bring wherever they go and listen to their preferred AM radio station. The price of this portable gadget was $50, which is about $480 today. With that price, you can have a decent performing laptop for yourself or your child’s online classes. While the remaining, you can purchase an AM/FM radio on Amazon.

Picturephone

You might scratch your head as you might not recognize this word, but before you do that, this is equivalent to video chat today. This Picturephone from Bell’s Telephone is more like a booth, which was set up in Grand Central Terminal. Here, people can talk to someone or a loved one for example, from Washington or Chicago, while seeing their faces on a small screen. Basically, it’s video chatting, but the bigger version. For a three-minute call, our old family members had to pay $16, which is around $121 today. Without applying for personal loans, we could purchase a smartphone with that amount.

Mobile Phone

Apple, Samsung, and Huawei are some of the biggest phone brands today. However, in the 1970s, Motorola was the biggest player after it released the first mobile phone, Motorola Dynatac, and you might probably know that it’s as big as a milk box, it weighed 800g, and the price, $3,995. Today, you can use your credit card to purchase five iPhone 12 with that figure. However, it hasn’t been adjusted for inflation yet, so expect maybe a dozen or more of this model?

Microwave Oven

The first of this kind was invented in 1955 by the company Tappan. Expect that everything then was huge and heavy, and this is not an exception. It was nearly six feet tall and weighed around 750 pounds. In modern times, they come in numerous sizes and several capabilities. Some of them are over-the-range convection, grill, and countertop microwave oven.

Television

In 1960, the electronic giant Sony launched the T TV-8-301, which is the first complete transistor TV. It weighed around 13lbs and could operate on a couple of six-volt batteries. The production was discontinued after two years. It’s safe to say that we don’t need money loans to buy this type of appliance, since most of our televisions are lightweight and considered portable. Not to mention that there are Livestream and subscription-based video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, in case we missed watching our favorite TV shows.

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