Top 7 Most Influential Tech Gadgets of All Time
Every year, it seems like there’s a new cool tech gadget to buy. Flip phones are making a comeback, action cameras are getting bigger and better, and smartwatches are getting, well, smarter.
But which ones have actually made a real difference? In this article, we’ll look at 7 of the most influential gadgets of all time.
1. Fitbit Tracker
Fitbit is one of the most famous brands in wearable tech, and it makes a wide range of fitness trackers that vary by price, function, and style. Most of the company’s devices track steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and sleep activity, while others (like the Fitbit Charge 5) monitor your heart rate, skin temperature, and stress levels with photoplethysmography technology.
The Fitbit Sense 2 is the brand’s flagship tracker, offering a full suite of advanced health and fitness features in a compact design that lasts up to six days on a single charge. The Versa 4 offers the same great tracking and smart features, but adds Google Pay support and YouTube Music controls. It’s a solid alternative to the Pixel Watch. And the Fitbit Aria Air is a scale that tracks your weight and displays it on your smartwatch.
2. Roku
Roku is a popular name in streaming TV technology. It’s not just a device, though — it’s also an OS and a platform that offers hundreds of channels with movies, television shows, outdoor sports, fitness programs, religious offerings, and more.
Roku’s streamers include sleek boxes and USB-type sticks that add to your home theater setup, as well as TVs with the platform built in. These Roku TVs come with faster streaming, an easy-to-use home screen, and access to major apps as well as free content.
A Roku TV can even improve picture quality with features like backlighting and uniformity control based on the apps you’re streaming. It’s a simple way to get a big-screen TV with all the latest tech. It’s an essential part of a smart home.
3. Nest
Google’s in-house smart home brand, Nest encompasses everything from thermostats to smart displays to cameras and Wi-Fi extenders. Most of its products integrate with Google Assistant, letting users control them hands-free through voice commands.
The Nest Learning Thermostat is a popular smart thermostat that can learn your habits to automatically adjust your home’s temperature, potentially saving you energy and money. Its stylish design and intuitive software make it a standout gadget.
The company’s line of smart home products includes smoke and CO detectors, cameras and doorbells. Its subscription-based camera service, Nest Aware, provides 30 days of event recording and “familiar face” recognition. It’s also compatible with Chromecast audio devices, making it easy to play music throughout your home. Its newest product is the Nest Hub Max.
4. GPS
The GPS (Global Positioning System) is the technology that powers the navigation apps in your smartphone. This navigation service relies on a constellation of satellites that transmit signals to your device, allowing it to pinpoint your location down to a few meters or inches.
It was originally intended for military use, but in 1983, Ronald Reagan approved the GPS to be made available to civilians as well. It’s become essential for both consumer and business travel, helping people navigate unfamiliar cities and avoiding the most congested roads.
It’s not as famous as the iPhone, but the e-scooter is still a popular means of transportation worldwide. These motorized scooters are transforming urban landscapes and encouraging people to choose a more eco-friendly way of getting around.
5. AirPods
AirPods are wireless earbuds that connect to iPhones for streaming music, phone calls and Siri. They’re also designed to work as hearing aids and can monitor health metrics.
They feature optical sensors that let you see where your buds are in the case, a built-in accelerometer for gesture control and force sensing that detects when you’re speaking to Siri. They’re available in multiple colors, offer MagSafe charging and come with a wireless case that can also help you find your AirPods by emitting a tone.
They’re more expensive than competitors like Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II but deliver the best ANC and hands-free voice controls out of any headset in this category. Plus, they’re backed by Apple, which could mean a better chance at compatibility with other products you own.
6. Halo
Halo is a small, comfortable band that uses multiple sensors to deliver personalized health and wellness insights. It includes a heart rate monitor, accelerometer, temperature sensor, and two microphones for body scanning and voice analysis (Tone). Health data is encrypted in transit and in the cloud, and customers can download or delete it at any time. Body scan images are automatically deleted from the cloud after processing and only the customer sees them.
With Amazon Halo Labs, customers can try science-backed challenges and experiments to discover what habits are most beneficial for them, such as experimenting with cutting out caffeine in the afternoon or trying different at-home workouts. Labs feature experts and brands they know and trust including 8fit, Aaptiv, American Heart Association, Harvard Health Publishing, Headspace, Lifesum, P.volve, Russell Wilson, and more.
7. Segway
Many technology enthusiasts get excited about gadgets that promise to reshape some aspect of society as we know it. For Dean Kamen, that meant his Segway, a two-wheeled electric scooter that people ride by leaning forward or backward.
At launch, the Segway cost thousands of dollars and was mostly a toy for rich nerds. But the underlying technology was good, and Kamen kept working on it. Its balancing system was adapted from the iBot, a robotic wheelchair that could stand up and climb stairs.
Today, Segways and similar e-scooters are popular with tourists who take Segway tours. They’re also used for commuters in places like the UK, where companies such as Bird and Lime are deploying them on public roads. They’re powered by electricity, so they’re one of the most environmentally friendly ways to get around.