A Time Machine Look At Six Gadgets

Technology has made some pretty big changes over the past 50 years. Most of it comes and goes — stuff you don't even remember. Unless, of course, their coolness earns some iconic status you'll never forget.

Thanks to new research from Ebuyer, we were recently treated to how much six classic gadgets would cost in today's dollars and how much some of them are going for in mint condition today. Here's a summary of the six picks they covered, and we'll share their price tags at the end of the article. 

Nokia 3310. This was a piece of tech that reimagined the way people thought about mobile phones and is one of the most iconic gadgets ever created. Praised for its great durability and long-lasting battery life, it became a bestseller for Nokia, selling over 126 million units1, and who can forget playing the game Snake on one of these bad boys when it was released in 1999.* 

Sony PlayStation. The original PlayStation was released by Sony as a "console for adults" to rival Nintendo's gaming consoles during the 1990s. From there, they released four iterations of the console, with the PlayStation 2 holding the record for best-selling gaming console of all time. Classic games released in the UK with the console in 1995 included: Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. 

Sony Walkman. This gadget easily earns the "godfather of portable music player" moniker. It was the first of its kind in terms of simplicity and affordability. It welcomed the common use of headphones in public spaces, and it ran on AA that allowed it to travel fair distances between power sources. The success of the Sony Walkman in 1979 and beyond, selling over 400 million units, led to the creation of other iconic portable music players like portable CD players and even the iPod.

Polaroid Camera. Possibly the most iconic camera of all time, Polaroid allowed people to take instant snapshots of their lives in an easy-to-use, affordable way. This gadget is so iconic that there are modern-day imitations (almost 40 years after the first release!) and apps on smartphones that attempt to replicate the off-color effect of the Polaroid in 1977. It's still cool. 

Nintendo Game Boy. No other gadget revolutionized the way the gaming industry would move forward, freeing players from having to play games at home. With its own power source, the 1989 release of the Game Boy led to a massive shift in gaming that inspired the Sony PSP and even Apple's iPhone. Including the updated model, the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo sold over 200m of these chunky handheld devices, and it was an absolute bestseller throughout the 90s.

IBM Model 5150. Sure, there were personal computers before its release, but the 515 was a home computing pioneer. This piece of historic tech was the starting place for all modern home computers, apart from Apple computers which have all been developed from the original Macintosh. Can you imagine? Its release wasn't even that long ago — 1981. 

So how much did they sell for then? How much would that be today? And what's the value if you kept it? 

Pretty cook. Special thanks to Ebuyer for reaching out with this classic gadget lineup. To find out more about Ebuyer or check out the modern-day versions of these classic gadgets, visit them here.

The Wolf Among Us Is Folklore Noir

If you like fairy tales that are black and seedy, nothing else compares to the recasting of the Vertigo comic series Fables. It's an interactive episodic story that retains the intrigue of, but breaks away from zombies, last year's serial interactive game The Walking Dead.

While The Walking Dead is still very much alive with Telltale Games set to release a second season for iOS fans (console gamers are already playing), there is a new sheriff in town thanks to The Wolf Among Us. His name is Bigby Wolf and his town is the Big Apple.

He doesn't police the entire city, mind you. His jurisdiction is largely confined to the back alleys and broken down buildings where fables go about their daily lives. None of them live happily ever after.

The Wolf Among Us from Telltale is all hard boiled. 

No, these are not the fables you are told as children. Any reasonably innocent veneers that might have been sported in their original stories are stripped away. The content is more mature.

The oldest brother from the Three Little Pigs mooches bourbon. The Woodsman who saved Snow White goes on benders. One of the flying monkeys from the Wizard Of Oz would rather slug down wine than get the job done. And your perspective? You play as the infamous Big Bad Wolf.


It's his job to somehow keep the peace as fables, fairy tales, and legends eek out a living in our world. Most of them exist in Fabletown, a sizable chunk of New York City. The fables themselves blend into the backdrop, using an enchantment called Glamour to make those that aren't human look human.

The last thing they want is to draw attention to themselves. They would rather humans (a.k.a. the mundane or mundys) not know that they escaped their home worlds to live here in exile. To help keep such order, Ichabod Crane serves as Deputy Mayor. Snow White is his assistant.

And then there is Bigby. He is a natural fit as sheriff for his preternaturally powerful senses. But there were several trade offs. Not all of the fables and fairy tales trust him.

They don't always believe that Bigby has overcome his dark past — even if they all agreed to start with a clean slate. Why would they? Most of them have already mucked up their reputations, finding it is easier to be bad than good in their new and marginal lives.

The back story comes from the head of Bill Willingham.

The original series source material was published in 2002 and based on a premise crafted by Bill Willingham. His story takes place after most characters from folklore and fairy tales are ousted from their homelands by a conquering force called The Adversary. Without homes, they found refuge in our world and then attempted to blend in.

Willingham originally received his break as a graphic artist and storyteller in the late 1970s. He worked for TSR, Inc. as a staff artist. Later, he gained attention in the comic world with his series Elementals, which was published by Comico.

Another quick graph or two to cover the game play. 

While the game play is very similar to The Walking Dead, there are some differences. The most compelling includes Telltale Games' continued attempt to break away from the linear nature of storytelling games. In this case, not only does what you do make a difference, but also when you do it.

Another significant change is the underlying psychological objective of the game. Whereas The Walking Dead often presented moral challenegs, The Wolf Among Us seems to balance itself between being a loner or part of a social group as Bigby solves a murder mystery.

The Wolf Among Us Transforms 7.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

While the first episode might seem short in terms of the game play, Telltale Games does a phenomenal job at moving interactive game stories forward. The illustrative work, story lines, and increasing adaptability to players choices continues to be outstanding.

For portable iOS platforms, The Wolf Among Us is compatible with iPad 2, iPhone 4S, and iOS 6. You can find all of the console and software offerings on Amazon (digital codes). Most players consider it a worthy successor to The Walking Dead. Not everyone appreciates the niche, but there is no question that Telltale has found a future in adapting graphic novels.

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Has An Edge As A Racer

Last November, when Electronic Arts (EA) came out with its Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (Hot Pursuit), it added a dimension to racer games that is hard to beat. Hot Pursuit did exactly what it promised to do. It redefined open road racing with its stunning graphics and a variety of choices for game play.

The ability to play as a racer or play as the police creates an added challenge that many racers don't have — someone is out to not only beat you, but someone is out to wreck you in a game that falls somewhere between Mad Max (minus the post-apocalyptic world) and the underworld subculture of street racers from the Fast and The Furious.

Real car modeling and dynamic landscapes bring it all together.

The beauty of the game relies in part on the immersive landscape and real car modeling. EA Games gives a nod to Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Koeningsegg, and McLaren to name a few. Many of them are featured as racers and cops, with the fictitious Seacrest County PD having only a few less options.

Seacrest County is loosely based on Southern California's diverse landscape, with deserts, coastal roads, forests, and mountains. Each of the landscapes creates some rich environments with trafficked roads for high-speed chases during the day, dusk, or night, no matter what console, computer, tablet, or phone you play the game on.


Depending on whether you play as a racer or an officer, you will have a variety of objectives. Officers are primarily charged with shutting down racers using whatever means necessary, including ElectroMagnetic Pulse, road blocks, and (my favorite) spikes. However, there are other challenges, including timed response times and competition with other police.

Racers play the opposite objective. They either play to win, play to avoid police, or break as many speed laws as possible. Unlike playing the police (who primarily keep their eyes in front of them unless playing live opponents), racers have the dual challenge of avoiding traffic and natural obstacles while police cars follow tightly behind and attempt to run you off the road.

Game play adds portability to the experience with the iPhone and iPad.

I was originally introduce to the game because EA Games recently added Need For Speed Hot Pursuit LITE for the iPad in April. It's also available for the iPhone.

The free download gives you an opportunity to play one round as a racer and one round as an officer. One round is about all it takes to addict anyone who enjoys high speed gaming to purchase the full higher priced games ($4.99 for the iPhone; $9.99 for iPad). However, before you do make the purchase, you need to know that neither are full versions of the game.


While the landscape conversions are impressive, the vehicles do sacrifice considerable graphic quality (making it feel like a Wii adaption, although still slightly better). The game play is also stripped down, with a little less happening on the highway. This is somewhat disappointing given Firemint's Real Racing 2 HD proves you don't have to drop graphic quality. In fact, Firemint was the first to demonstrate the game play power of the iPad 2. It ports video at 1080p, making the tablet feel like a console game. (It also plays on the iPad and iPhone too.)

Even if there are more dynamics to Hot Pursuit, Real Racing 2 proves it is a plausible possibility. Still, while Real Racing 2 has the graphic edge and one of the most fluid racing experiences ever, there is something more of an adrenaline rush of a high speed pursuit that gives the EA game an edge even on the iPad.

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Roars To An 8.9 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

For the iPhone or iPad, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit might drop to 4.2, which is still solid on the scale. However, even with some of the sacrifices that EA Games made to make the game portable, it still provides all of the excitement you'll find on a console or PC.

The Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (Xbox 360) is available from EA Games. You can also find it for the PC, Wii, and Playstation 3. For Apple fans like me, head over to iTunes for The Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for iPad or The Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for iPhone. You can also pick up Real Racing 2 while you are there. Or, if you're still hesitant about the price of either game, try Uber Racer 3D Sandstorm for 99 cents.