The 90 Best Gadgets of the '90s

Pocket PCs, portable messaging communicators, aerodynamic audio equipment—these are just a few of the many awesome gadgets that signified the 90s. It was a time when companies like Sony were still dominating the home entertainment market, and Motorola was the one ushering in the new wave of mobile devices, while Apple was laying the groundwork for the modern laptop. We experienced two major gaming console wars, welcomed the birth of the digital camera, and even embraced an electronic pet that we nurtured (and neglected) throughout elementary and middle school. You know exactly which one we’re talking about. All in all: the 90s were a tech trip.

As we reflect on the decade's most striking tech achievements, we’re inviting you along for the ride to revisit the hottest and most popular gizmos of the Nineties. Take a trip down memory lane as we rank the 90 Greatest Gadgets of the 90s.

RELATED: 50 Best Movies of The '90s

Year: 1996

Kodak was in a financial rut during the mid 90s, but managed to pull through with the release of its budget-beating digital shooter. The DC25 retailed for an est. $300 (nearly $700 cheaper than the competitor) and featured a 493x373 pixel CCD sensor, 47-mm equivalent lens, and LCD display. It was also one of the first to support CompactFlash cards and a PCMCIA slot. Many Kodak moments were had.

Year: 1991

Years before the Game Boy Color, Sega introduced its Project Mercury to the world. With a 3.2-inch color screen, it allowed gamers to experience their favorite console games on the go. Sure, it was heavy, expensive, went through batteries faster than a 4G smartphone, and sometimes ran hotter than a Brooklyn sidewalk in August—but it was color! How cool was that?

Year: 1995

The Timeblaster packed basic features into a kooky design that only Nickelodeon fans could appreciate. You had radio and light functionality, along with several pre-set alarm noises based on some of the network's trademark shticks: including the Nickelodeon theme. Yes, the "Nick Nick Nick N-Nick" one. Flashbacks of Good Burger and Rugrats continue to run rampant in our minds.

Year: 1994

Sennheiser built a reputation over the years for making some of the most comfortable and best-sounding headsets. The German manufacturer put some serious power and high frequency into the HD-580s, dishing near-liner response speeds of 16Hz to 30kHz. Overall feel was light and cozy on the head, as listeners could adjust the headband and earpieces for a better fit.

Year: 1995

Pioneer upped the ante by creating a multi-CD-ROM drive that brought “seamless playback, crisp graphics, and dynamic sound” to your computer. The DRM-624X made life easier for PC gamers looking to make a quick switch over to different titles, generating data transfer speeds of up to 676KB/sec and averaging seek times of 110ms. Laughable benchmarks for today's standards, but it was futuristic for '95.

Year: 1997

In the 80s, we had the NES Zapper. The early 90s brought about the Super Scope, but let's keep it real, that was as useless as the Power Glove. Namco would revolutionize arcade gaming with the introduction of its handheld light gun: the GunCon. Though the peripheral was only compatible with particular PlayStation gun titles like the Time Crisis series, it made gaming more exciting and intense, at least until Konami dropped the dance pad for Dance Dance Revolution.

Year: 1993

It was in the 90s when the G-Shock brand took on a life of its own, serving as both a digital accessory and fashion statement. No other model stood truer to the culture than the limited edition Frogman from the Master of G series. The premium timepiece was and still is the only the ISO certified 200M water resistant G-Shock, had a unique asymmetric shape, logged dive time data, featured an EL backlight, provided the date and time, and looked good on your arm. What else did you need from a watch at that time period?

Year: 1998

The MessageWatch might have lacked the sleekenss of a G-Shock, but it certainly set a standard for high-tech wristwear. Dick Tracy wannabes dropped close to $200 to strap Seiko's communication device on their wrist. With the ability to receive email, along with voice mails and pages, we'd have dropped two bills on it as well.

Year: 1996

Sesame Street’s furry red monster caused more ruckus at local malls than a Justin Bieber in-store signing. Parents engaged in fistfights and a crowd of 300 people trampled a clerk in one incident. The demand became so ridiculous that stores began jacking up the price due to its limited inventory. In all seriousness, Tickle Me Elmo was a fad that sparked mass hysteria amongst holiday consumers. But you can’t knock a doll with that much hustle.

Year: 1999

Sony's magic lantern supported a 0.7-inch LCD panel for SVGA resolution and source signals for video equipment and computers. On top of that, it featured digital keystone correction, zoom lens, and a silent fan. Its multi-purpose design drew some serious attention, as the cover doubled as a stand. Nothing on the market even came close.

Year: 1991

Gym class ring a bell? Phys. Ed instructors had Panasonic's portable system bumping in their offices and the gymnasium, but we remember the “cobra top” boombox being a regular at BBQs and pool parties. Definitely one of the hottest CD-radio-cassette player designs ever.

Year: 1998

The luxury automaker went futuristic on us with the unveiling of its electronic access and control locking system known as SmartKeys. Drivers could now unlock, lock, and start the car without ever taking the key fob out of their pockets. SmartKeys also let you crack the sunroof open once pointing the device at the front driver side door by pressing a command.

Year: 1998

Designed for Air Force pilots, these $1,000 noise-reduction headsets offered amazing sound and ear comfort. Bose integrated its TriPort speaker technology into the Aviation series, supporting lower bass levels, lighter weight, and reduced clamp force. Imagine how surreal the listening experience would have been bumping Hard Knock Life Vol. 2 or playing Doom II with these bad boys on your head. Expensive as hell, but there's a reason why it was voted the #1 headset five years in a row by Professional Pilot magazine.

Year: 1993

Project Cougar made for one cool palmtop computer. It packed a six-row QWERTY keyboard with great tactile feedback, came stocked with Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0, and ran for a good 30 to 40 hours on two AA alkaline cells. Other notable specs include an Intel 8086 CPU with 7.91 MHz speed, 1MB RAM, and mono microphone and loudspeaker. The 100LX would help HP expand its computer product line throughout the decade.

Year: 1996

Stereophile magazine said it best when reviewing this audio gem: “The SFCD-1 validates the idea that first-class musical performance can be realized in a one-box CD player.” Dope sound, awesome bass levels, clear acoustics, and an opulent design—Sonic Frontiers gave us a premium CD player at a moderate value. Bring the noise.

Year: 1993

Macaulay Culkin's favorite toy in Home Alone 2 had children of all ages harassing their parents for the same gift. The audio recorder only had two features, speeding and slowing down recorded vocals, but that was good enough to pull off a few believable pranks. Let's just say it got us out of a few jams involving school absences.

Year: 1998

The VAIO 505GX was a super slim and light subnotebook that offered a 10-inch-wide keyboard for better typing accuracy, along with 32GB of RAM and 2.1 GB hard drive. Sony's creation was viewed as one of the fancier laptops that combined great aesthetics with horsepower—a rarity to say the least in 1998. The only thing that wasn't attractive about the 505GX was its $2,699 price tag. Ouch.

Year: 1995

Even though Polar released the first-ever heart rate monitor back in 1982, the company's brand of high-tech aids didn't catch on until the mid 90s. The Vantage NV was the first of it's kind: a “wrist-based” wireless monitor that measured R-R heart rate variability, which provided awareness for one's physical condition. Polar's invention would encourage fitness freaks and professional athletes to sport the digital monitor on the regular, making it a fashion trend for quite a bit a time.

Year: 1990

If your folks couldn't strap up the cash for Nintendo's portable, chances were they hit you off with one of these LCD electronic games. Tiger managed to port over several Arcade, NES, and Sega games onto its small handhelds, and even though the graphics and sprites were farcical at best, there was still some entertainment value to be found. Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon, The Terminator, Jordan vs. Bird…man we miss the classics.

Year: 1994

The pilot-inspired controller was the only contraption capable of making the Microsoft Flight Simulator series fun. Deny all you want, but it's true. The Wingman Extreme's aerodynamic design made it easy to kick back on the computer chair and play, while the panoramic four-view switch offered a full landscape of the skies on your computer panel. Logitech continues to craft the best PC accessories.

Year: 1990

Every office, school, and private business had one (or several) of these laser printers shooting out pages by the hundreds. HP welcomed two new technologies that would help transcend the printing field: Resolution Enhancement and PCL 5 technology. The former enhanced print quality and the latter simplified text scaling by expanding point type sizes. Word processing would continue to blow from there.

Year: 1998

Techies were quick to label Alienware's brand of PC-gaming machines an artifice. That was until they actual demoed the computers and drooled over its insane graphics output. The Area-51 packed three video cards and two audio cards (including the new Diamond Monster card), offering a gaming experience like no other. It set you back $3,800, but it was the best way to fully appreciate titles like Half-Life and Unreal on a computer.

Year: 1996

The baton-shaped toy put our cognitive skills to the test by forcing us to follow directions at fast speeds. Once you kicked things off by pressing the large round button in the middle, all hell broke loose. Try toggling switches, pulling handles, and twisting cranks at an insane pace. A lot harder than it looked in the commercials. No other toy challenged (and frustrated) us more.

Year: 1998

The pocket-sized digicam made Canon a forced to be reckoned. Shutter speeds were quick at 1/6 to 1/750 seconds, plus its 810,000-pixel CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) imaging sensor made it one of the premium shutterbugs available at a reasonable cost ($400).

Year: 1997

Apple's low-cost laptop was a PDA geared towards the education sector. The compact organizer shined most for its clamshell design, translucent plastic exterior, and carrying handle. Overall, it was solid notebook substitute with serious potential that never stood a chance on the market. Many experts recognize the eMate as an archetype for the 11-inch MacBook. We can see it.

Year: 1996

Your PC wasn't official unless you had the Cambridge Soundworks three-piece speaker system hooked up to your computer audio jack. Marked at $350, they were the most expensive multimedia speakers out, but you'd have been hard-pressed to find a compact set that could blast 100 watts of sound. Owners also had the benefit of hooking these up to any high-performance audio system, CD Player, or television.

Year: 1998

The big N would continue its handheld reign after launching a smaller and colorized version of the Game Boy. The GBC was the first portable system to integrate backwards compatibility as well, letting gamers play both Color and original GB games. Nintendo's clever strategy helped expand the system's library, where as new titles like Wario Land II and Tetris DX helped bring in a new audience.

Year: 1993

HP gave on-the-go business users the smallest and lightest portable PC available—one with a full-sized keyboard, full VGA screen, Intel 386 CPU, and Microsoft Word and Excel. Surprisingly, the OmniBook 300 stored 2MB of RAM, mainly because all other necessities were installed in ROM and required no memory. Pretty cool. But its biggest attraction was the pop-out mouse that slid out from the right side of the laptop.

Year: 1997

Garmin put satellite navigation in the palm of your hands with the GPSCOM 170. The device combined a GPS navigator with a marine VHF communicator, with a 5-watt transceiver that allowed you to pick up U.S. and International marine channels, as well as 10 weather frequencies. Moving map plotting, dual/tri-watch functions, and programmable scan groups with user comments round out the 170's major fancies.

Year: 1999

Flash memory sticks weren't so popular towards the turn of the Millennium, but Trek initiated the first steps to making the Thumbdrive the status quo for portable storage. And if you haven't notice, USB drives have become the norm for today's tech society. Nuff respect to Trek!

Year: 1996

An expensive price tag ($4,700) and lackluster sales deemed it a bust, but Gateway set the mold for the multimedia PC. The Destination bundled a 31-inch CRT monitor, TV tuner, surround-sound speakers, and wireless keyboard remote. As for the PC itself, it took on the form of a huge box that resembled two stacked VCR players. It was a beast on all ends.

Year: 1998

During the America Online boom, there was no immediate option for uploading images onto the Net. So in order to share pics with strangers via IM or email, it was off to The Wiz PC Richard & Son to pick up a scanner. And owning the ScanExpress made you the cool kid on the block. It ran a good $300–$400, but it was a small price to impress and mack hunnies via email portrait shots.

Year: 1998

Garmin's handheld GPS kept backpackers from getting eaten by Yogi Bear during hiking expeditions and camping trips by locating remote safety spots in the outdoors. The eTrex was waterproof, featherweight, and pulled an insane 22 hours of battery life on just two AA batteries. We can't even stretch half of that out of our iPhone 4S.

Year: 1994

Every PDA manufacturer owes a ton of gratitude to the MessagePad. Apple's electronic organizer proved to be ahead of its time in terms of design and technology, featuring handwriting recognition assisted by a stylus. Software was another story. It might not have pushed units, but it was definitely the coolest gadget of '94.

Year: 1992

Sony's CRT televisions broke new ground for the home entertainment industry: delivering amazing visuals and sound that had never been seen or heard before the inception of the Trinitron. You might remember it more for having a bigger ass than J-Lo. Still, it's definitely one of the most revered TV sets ever assembled. The manufacturer made a promise with its motto: “TV reborn.”

Year: 1994

The Quicktake was one of the first digital cameras ever built and produced high-res 640 x 480 color shots, while strutting a built-in flash. Apple's shooter let photographers change the resolution of each shot and save it as multiple media formats (JPEG, PICT, and TIFF), each decompressed with the assistance of QuickTime. It was a unique design that would shape-shift the digicam industry.

Year: 1997

Always wondered what the first commercial color-screen cellular was? Here you go. The Siemens S10 was able to display up to six lines of information in four colors (white, red, green, and blue) on its screen. Aside from its visual novelties, the S10 featured a 20-second voice memo, SMS, phone book, and alarm. All deal breakers for 1997.

Year: 1994

A toy gun capable of launching 15 balls in less than six seconds: Oh yes. Unlike most Nerf weapons, the Ballzooka didn't have a trigger and let you unload foam darts using a pullback handle. Accuracy wasn't always spot-on, but it dumped ammo faster than your average plastic gun. Makes you want to start a Nerf war at this very moment, doesn't it?

Year: 1994

Audiophiles with money to blow decked their living room with Bose's first complete home theater system. The Lifestyle 12 Series I boasted different listening options (2-, 3-, and 5-speaker mode) suited for radio, CD, Tape, and AUX output, plus it featured an enhanced mode specifically designed for “proper playback of movie soundtracks.”

Year: 1990

The $2,000 pocket PC carried a number of sweet features other than its 640x200 graphics LCD screen and durable keyboard. It was able to resume operations just by pressing the power button, and lasted up to about three weeks on two AA batteries. Some of the Poqet's preinstalled apps were considered essentials, especially the note editing PoqetWrite and PoqetTalk—a communications program that let users access dial-up services and connect to a computer.

Year: 1994

The successor to the 100 series became the company's high-end model, issuing faster processing speeds and fitted with a slimmer and smoother profile. It was the first laptop to come with built-in Ethernet networking, 16-bit stereo speakers, and a trackpad. And that's just half of the PowerBook 500's sick attributes. Apple also managed to integrate the PC Card slot and the first nickel metal hydride battery, which worked hand-in-hand with the CPU to inform users of battery status. With so many firsts, it's clear the 500 series was second to none.

Year: 1999

Robot toys were popular near the end of the decade and the Aibo (Artificial Intelligence robot) led the pack. The digi-pup was capable of developing a personality and learning behaviors via head sensor, plus it captured video from other sensors. Aibo could also detect contact, acceleration, heat, and several other actions. That's a good doggy.

Year: 1996

Graphic designers developed a Love Jones for the video capturing device, which allowed them to capture 24-bit, 1500 x 1125 pixel shots from any analog video source. In other words, still photos from videos. Picture quality was pretty impressive, nearly emulating the same results you would have gotten from a digital scanner. The Snappy clearly came in handy as an inexpensive digital photography tool.

Year: 1998

Philips shifted the plane of television design when it revealed the first flat-screen TV. The 42-inch beast had sports fans and media buffs looking to trade-in their CRTs, as the flat panels dished out great visuals, and audio thanks to its built-in Pro-Logic surround amp. It all came at an astronomical price: $15,000.

Year: 1998

The Dreamcast was Sega's swan song. Gamers alike lined up for days outside of Software Etc. Electronic Boutique and Toys “R” Us to purchase the the console. Launch titles like NFL 2K and Sonic Adventure propelled the console to the top of everyone's Christmas list, while games like SoulCalibur displayed phenomenal graphics that were unparallel to anything at the time. Sadly, it became a casualty of the next-gen console wars due to Sega's weak marketing and miniscule library. The console still lives on as hardcore gamers and developers continue to put it to good use.

Year: 1999

Audio Rockefellers dropped five grand to take this top-of-the-line Super Audio CD Player home. The 52 lb. seven-cast iron behemoth produced phenomenal sound and fidelity, turning the average living room into a real-life soundstage. Whoever had this going into the New Year brought 2K in on a loud note.

Year: 1998

Bundled with two touch sensors, two motors, one light sensor, and programming software, LEGO's robotic kit let you create your own live android. Each robot reacted to program commands and also communicated with other Mindstorm creations within a certain perimeter. High-tech LEGOs are dope!

Year: 1998

Iridium's device was the first satellite mobile to offer global coverage. The company sent 66 satellites into orbit in order for subscribers to receive and make phone calls across the globe. It was an innovative concept that just never took off. The phone retailed for $1,300 and had a service cost of $7.00 per minute. Iridium still gets props for reforming the mobile landscape.

Year: 1998

For those who don't know, Panasonic did create the first-ever portable DVD player. While it was a heavy sucker to carry on the go, it came equipped with a crisp 5-inch LCD screen and good stereo sound. If the L10 hadn't come along when it did, you'd probably still be cursing out the bootleggers on the A train who sold you that jacked up copy of Armageddon.

Year: 1996

While Sega and Sony decided to release 32-bit consoles, Nintendo thought two steps ahead by launching the most technologically advanced system of the fifth generating gaming era: the N64. Super Mario 64 is still considered the most revolutionary 3D game of all time, and we can't forget the endless weekends we spend playing Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye, and WWF No Mercy with the homies. The N64 would become a catalyst for Nintendo's future (and wacky) systems.

Year: 1993

Instead of carrying a little black book, techies carried a Psion 3A with them to score (and store) digits. The palmtop computer was one of the better QWERTY devices, sporting larger and more spacious keys than the HP OmniGo 100, along with eight application buttons. The display was fairly impressive and the slim form factor made it a perfect pocket fit. It even offered Auto Shutdown modes for battery preservation.

Year: 1997

As audio manufacturers continued to release bulky headphones, Sony pushed the envelope by unveiling “the first neckband headphones.” CD player owners across the globe became smitten over the MDR-G61, as its wrap-around design was considered genius, sturdy, and more comfortable than any over-ear headphone out. We made sure they never came off our head.

Year: 1996

Palm already had the PDA market on lock, but Casio turned the heat up with its Windows CE-operated Palm-sized PC. The Cassiopeia E10 was well liked most for its Windows 95-based UI and porting over pocket versions of Word and Excel. Speak and sound quality was also great, plus the addition of a compact flash slot opened the lane for more memory.

Year: 1994

SanDisk created the first CompactFlash card for Kodak's new line of cameras. As time progressed, most portable media devices would embrace the flash memory format, making it the most essential storage media tool of the decade. Fast-forward to 2012 and you'll find tinier versions of the company's memory cards installed in most smartphones and digital cameras. Some things never change.

Year: 1993

Some consider it the first true smartphone, and with a touchscreen interface and stylus input to carry out functions, you'd have to agree. IBM and BellSouth's collaborative effort allowed users to make calls, write memos, and send faxes with the push of a few buttons. It was big on lengths, literally.

Year: 1994

Most of you thought the former Heavyweight Champ caught way too many shots to the dome when he announced his own line of home cooking appliances. Little did we know his portable electrical grill would go on to become a worldwide smash selling over 100 million units. The machine does an awesome job of draining fat from cooked products, and unlike the frying pan, its non-stick coating leaves little to nothing stuck on the grill. George showed us how to live a healthy and hearty lifestyle.

Year: 1991

It's no fluke that Apple cornered 40 percent of the laptop market during the 90s. The Cupertino Clan redefined portable computing when it ushered in its portable subnotebook: the PowerBook 100. It was considered the ideal machine for college students and writers due to its affordable price tag, word processing capabilities, and keyboard positioning, which moved the keys closer to the screen for better typing. The trackball was also a staple found in advanced models that we all conformed to for years to come.

Year: 1996

The QV-10 was the first digital camera to sport an LCD screen on the back; allowing photogs to frame and view captured shots instantly. Images were stored on the camera's 2MB of flash RAM, giving you 96 pics to work with. Another dope feature was its ability to upload images from a PC to the shooter. Instant snapshots, great picture quality.

Year: 1997

Toshiba blessed the world with what many experts believe to be the first consumer DVD player on the market. While it's still up for debate, acknowledging the SD-3000 as the best model is an open-and-shut case. DVDs weren't flying off the shelves at this point, though whoever invested in the $700 media player took pleasure in boxing up the old VHS player and enjoying top-notch picture quality and sound.

Year: 1994

The ergonomic keyboard gained mass appeal among the PC crowd for its unique split-keyboard design and additional context menu keys. Microsoft sold these at a convenient price value and built the keyboard to restrain carpal tunnel syndrome and insure correct posture when typing on a PC. As it grew in popularity, chiropractors began recommending it.

Year: 1999

These PDAs were the creation of Palm inventors Jeff Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan. The Visor came installed with Palm OS 3.1H, which allowed it to run hundreds of Palm applications, while adopting an enhanced datebook, advanced calculator, and graphical world clock. It faired well against the competition, and though Handspring was acquired by Palm later on, the Visor would stand out as a quintessential component to the company's biggest imaginings: the PalmOne and Palm Treo.

Year: 1994

Before webcams were integrated into Macs and PCs, you had to purchase one separately and hook it up to a serial port. What started out as a graduate research project became one of the 90s biggest gadgets, as the QuickCam made it possible to video chat with others online—recording up to 15 frames per second and generating 320x240 pixel resolution. Now you could see if the person on the other end of your IM was a hot chick or Buffalo Bill.

Year: 1991

Message machines have been on the scene since the 60s, but AT&T brought the first digital model to the market in the early 90s. The days of magnetic tapes would become a thing of the past as users could now store and playback messages at anytime, while quickly deleting voicemails from annoying creditors and fatal attractions. Thanks, Ma Bell.

Year: 1995

Another dope creation from the Japanese electronics giant, the Handycam DCR-VX1000 was set to become the next great digital video recorder because of its ability to transfer video info onto computers through IEEE 1394 firewire. Resolution and video clarity was unmatched, leaving Sony conformists to dub it the "grandfather of digital cameras".

Year: 1991

The biggest hip-hop producers in the 90s live and died by the MPC beat machine. DJ Premier was even quoted saying, “'I gave it a try and have been addicted to it ever since.” AKAI helped combine MIDI sequencing and audio samples using soft-touch performance pads, optimizing the sound for “use as a drum machine.” It could store 20 songs, 99 sequences, 99 tracks, and 60,000-note capacity. Chances are Preemo used this to construct some of his Classic Records.

Year: 1995

We didn't have the great pleasure of storing media files on flash drives back then, so we had to make due with the Zip Drive. The super floppy disk format gave us up to 100 MB of memory to work with—a major increase over the two diskette drives that came with most PCs, which didn't take anything larger than 1.2MB. CD-RWs would close the coffin on the Zip Drive years later, but Iomega's contraption has played a major influence on the thumb drive era.

Year: 1996

The image alone might scare up a few algebra and graphic equation nightmares. Though truth be told, we all depended on the TI-83 to get us through high school and college. And the fact that it could store formulas on the backend was a godsend during Regents Week. Oh, it felt so good ditching these after finals.

Year: 1999

Many photogs credit the D1 for changing the face of the digital SLR market, and you'd be a dunce to go against the grain. Nikon's shutterbug captured stunning images on its 2.7 MP image sensor, sported a premium build, offered a wide range of custom functions, and was the first SLR to take JPEG shots. The D1 would go on to inspire a number of other industry-leading SLRs courtesy of the Nikon brand.

Year: 1990 (Worldwide)

Nintendo fanboys will tell you otherwise, but Sega's second gaming console dominated most of the 16-bit era. The Mega Drive brought us some of the most memorable franchises of the early 90s: including Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, and the Phantasy Star sequels. In addition, all the EA sports games (the huge cartridges with the yellow clips on the side) looked and played better on the system. The Genesis also welcomed the most prestige apparatus for fighting fans: the six-button controller. Sega fans can relive their memories by checking out our list of The 100 Best Sega Genesis Games.

Year: 1996

RIM's pager was the company's first breakthrough invention. The Inter@active became a must-own for messaging mongers, allowing them to send and receive messages over the Internet through a wireless service. It beat owning one of those Motorola Advisor pagers. In 2003, RIM would advance to new mobile heights with the release of the first smartphone BlackBerry.

Year: 1991

The pressurized water gun became a pop culture phenomenon in the early 90s, placing creator Lonnie Johnson amongst the greatest black tech pioneers of the past century (read our top 25 list here). Kids across America pumped each other full of H2O during those blazing heat waves, while pervs caught cheap thrills by soaking scantly clad women on the streets or at the beach. Wet T-shirt contests would never be the same. Good looks, Lonnie!

Year: 1992

Sony's MD Walkman was heralded as the cassette Walkman killer and became a popular media fixture in Japan, mainly because of its editing and tech features like anti-skipping. Despite its great media playback, the MD Player never caught on outside of the Land of the Rising Sun due to its expensive cost, limited music library, and the birth of the CD-R. It was officially killed in 2011. Lost, however, never forgotten.

Year: 1991

In terms of graphics and sound capabilities, no video game console left a bigger impression in the 90s than the SNES. Landmark Nintendo franchises (Mario, Metroid, Zelda), along with some awesome RPGs (Chrono Trigger) and first-dib arcade ports (Street Fighter II) helped Nintendo surpass Sega in the console wars in the long run—becoming the best-selling game system of the 16-bit era.

Year: 1992

These weren't your garbage wedding band keyboards. The Ensoniq ASR-10 was a sampling keyboard popularized during the Second Golden Era of Hip-Hop by such producers as Wu-Tang's The RZA, No ID, and Large Professor. It allowed beatmakers to sample rates of 30 to 44.1 kHz and came with the same sampling editing tools (autolooping, crossfading, volume smoothing, etc.) as high-end music programs. It's become so influential to the music genre that Kanye still puts it to use when he's cooking up beats in the lab.

Year: 1998

Portable MP3 players gained some momentum going into the Y2K, as music lovers searched for a cooler and smaller media player to hold their massive music library. The Rio fit the bill, giving us the perfect device to store our Napster downloads with 32MB to 64MB worth of storage. The RIAA caught wind of Diamond's gizmo and sued the company fearing the device would promote music piracy. And so it began.

Year: 1996

Who would of thought taking care of a digital pet on an egg-shaped device would become such a cultural phenomenon? Bandai, that's who. Kids (and adults) treated the Tamagotchi as if it was their real-life child, obsessing over nurturing needs such as giving praise and cleaning its crap. We can't recall how many times we failed to provide sustenance and let our pets die. Can you?

Year: 1997

It wasn't the most attractive camera out there, but Sony's gizmo was able to accomplish something most others failed to execute. It plastered a larger LCD in the rear (2.5-inch), longer battery life, and simplified the process of transferring photos by recording directly to a floppy disk. It was also priced cheaper than the competition, too. Now you know why the Mavica cornered a large portion of the digital camera market by 1999.

Year: 1998

One of the many iconic Nokia designs that have stood the test of time, the 5510 should earn a spot as one of manufacturer's top five phones ever created. It's all coming back to you now, isn't it? The snap-on covers that fooled everyone into thinking you had a new celly every other day. The infamous Snake game programmed into the handset that got us through many detentions. Oh yeah, it was also great at making calls. Remember phone calls?

Year: 1998

The CrackBerry era began once RIM unveiled its BlackBerry 850 model. The wireless messaging handset took the form of a pager and wielded a full keyboard, an addition that would become synonymous with the BlackBerry brand for years to come. Messages, emails, and organizer privileges: the mobile communication device did it all, except make phone calls.

Year: 1995

Cutting-edge doesn't even begin to describe the ThinkPad 701C. The laptop nicknamed “the Butterfly” donned a foldout keyboard that stretched further than the actual screen and a centered joystick pointer that worked better than most trackpads. Once closed shut, IBM claimed the machine was smaller than a sheet of typing paper. It also rocked some of the most durable casing ever created for a mobile PC. Laptop engineering at its finest.

Year: 1998

The first iMac set the bar for the all-in-one PC landscape, combining the system unit and monitor into a single commodity. It also acquainted us with our favorite OS of the past decade: Mac OS X. Throughout the millennium, the iMac would become a mainstream fixture appearing in several TV shows and blockbuster films. The design was so modern, Steve Jobs was even quoted saying “It looks so good you kinda' wanna lick it,” according to Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson. We don't know about all of that, but it was a freaking sweet piece of hardware.

Year: 1999

Microsoft's optical mouse enhanced the way we would navigate on the PC by abandoning the trackball in exchange for a opitcal sensor that delivered better results. The scroll wheel made it much faster to scroll through web pages and documents. Its arched-shaped build was also a comfort fit. Fast-forward 12 years later, the Redmond, Washington empire still reigns as the best mouse manufacturers.

Year: 1996

Before the first BlackBerry was introduced to the mainstream, Motorola welcomed the first smartpager. Owners had the distinct honor of shooting out emails, faxes, and emails, as well as typing up drafts on the sturdy 47-key QWERTY. The PageWriter 2000 shipped with productive programs such as messaging, contacts, and a notepad, and it offered downloadable apps via PC connection.

Year: 1990 (Worldwide)

One word: Tetris. That game alone put the Game Boy on all of our birthday and holiday wish lists. Nintendo's 8-bit handheld was a huge slab of gray hardware that ate up batteries quicker than Radio Raheem's boom box, but we still succumbed to the portable madness just to play our favorite NES ports and new games like Super Mario Land. The Game Boy put those Game & Watch handhelds to shame and cement its legacy as the perennial handheld system ever created.

Year: 1995

The 32-bit generation would be defined by one system: the Sony PlayStation. With the incorporation of CD-ROM technology, the PS was able to produce stunning 3D graphics, create broad virtual environments, and expand gameplay functionality. Strong third-party support, along with its own division (Sony Computer Entertainment) made it the gaming console of choice. There's no denying some of the system's greatest hits: Final Fantasy VIII, Resident Evil 2, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo…the list goes on.

Year: 1999

Everyone's favorite DVR left its imprint in '99 and forever changed the way we would view television programming. The ingenious concept of recoding shows onto a hard drive was convincing enough for us to ditch our VCR in favor of a TiVo.

Year: 1998

The G3 WallStreet was the sexiest looking laptop of the 90s. But its redesigned jet-black casing wasn't the machine's best feature. Apple's PowerBook was an amazing piece of computing hardware that rocked a 14-inch active matrix screen, Mac OS 9, 2 PC card slots, and dual expansion bays for CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Floppy, and Zip drive support. Owning one of these made the statement that you were ballin'.

Year: 1995

Sony released a number of CD players in the past, but none were more impactful than the Discman. Mega Bass and AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System) technology helped deliver high-quality audio, while the hold and anti-shock protection features kept music playback running without any hiccups. How many of these did you run through?

Year: 1996

The industry's most successful and prominent PDA made a huge impact straight out the gate, shipping 1 million units in its first 18 months. Handwriting recognition flourished, contact storage maxed out at 500, and the device could sync with both PCs and Macs. Before smartphones became people's lifeblood, Palm Pilots had cats in a frenzy.

Year: 1996

From its compact form to its slick design, the StarTAC is the one gadget that best defines the 90s. It was the cell phone to own. Period. Motorola said goodbye to the Zack Morris DynaTAC series and created a fashionable flip phone that was seen hanging off the waist of every adult who could afford the new Verizon contract. Simply put, there would be no RAZR or any flip top mobile for that matter without the StarTAC.