The 15 Best Gadgets From 1995

Ask any high schooler or straight-out-of-college teacher from this era how they survived math and science. Bet you they single out the HP-38G. The programmable calculator utilized aplets, also known as small applications, to store complex equations and formulas, which in turn made algebra and physics a breeze for struggling minds.

In the midst of a severe financial crisis, a majority of the Apple faithful lost interest in the company and converted to Windows. That didn’t stop the company from putting out a top-of-the-line machine with one of the most powerful spec sheets at the time. The Performa 6200 came stacked with a PowerPC 603 CPU running at 75 MHz, 1GB hard drive, 16MB of RAM, 1.44 MB high density floppy, 4x CD-ROM drive, and numerous ports. However, it was the 15-inch color MultiScan panel that stole the show as it was capable of displaying both 16-bit (620x480) or 8-bit (832x624) color resolution. Rib all you like, but the computer lives up to Apple’s premium manufacturing pedigree.

The standard HD580 model was already revered as the top headphone by the mid-90s. So in celebration of the company's 50th anniversary, Sennheiser released a limited edition version that topped the original in terms of performance and design. The Jubilee sported a thermoplastic carbon fiber frame with steel grills as opposed to plastic, along with computer-tuned drivers that enhanced the listening experience. It was also capable of delivering a resistance of 300 ohms. Just imagine, only 4,000 of these were ever produced.

Say what you will about Sega's failed 32-bit console. The Saturn still remains one of the most underrated gaming systems of all time thanks to its graphics performance and ability to play imported games via its RAM expansion slot. Cult titles like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Guardian Heroes, Burning Rangers, and Radiant Silvergun helped draw a hardcore following. Not to mention all the popular 2D fighting games looked and played better on the Saturn: from Street Fighter Alpha 2 to X-Men vs. Street Fighter. If anything, the Saturn was a stepping stone for what would become the Dreamcast.

The world’s first A/V receiver to support Dolby Digital AC-3 and THX 5.1 reproduction blew the minds and eardrums of every audiophile. Carrying over the same DDSC-Digital technology featured in Denon’s universally acclaimed AVP-8000 A/V preamplifier, the AVR-5600 sported a five-channel power app that delivered a max of 700 watts. How many receivers do you know of from the mid-90s that could pull off such a feat? Exactly. Audio beast!

Priced at $35,600, the DCS 460 was, at the time, billed as the highest resolution digital SLR camera on the market. Though we all agree the price tag is beyond absurd, the device’s 6.2MP resolution, continuous-frame capture rate of 12 seconds/image, and ability to snap 250 photos at 300 frames on a single battery charge sounded like photographer’s dream shooter back in 1995. One can only imagine what iconic portraits were captured through the lens of this beauty.

Sony’s 32-inch monster ran for a heavy $3,300 and served as the centerpiece to any baller’s high-end home entertainment center. The KV-32XBR100 introduced what the company referred to as “Twin View,” which allowed viewers to view two programs simultaneously through two 15-inch diagonal boxes and toggle audio between both. It also offered a dual-tuner/video selector box that supported five A/V inputs, meaning owners had the luxury of hooking up several devices to the television: including VCRs, DSS receivers, gaming consoles, and laserdisc players.

Before USB and portable hard drives came on the scene, we stored our media files on the Zip Drive. The super floppy disk drive was a niche format that would soon be embraced by PC enthusiasts, primarily because of its ability to support up to 100 MB of memory. While revolutionary for its time, CD-RWs and external CD writers would later make Iomega’s contraption obsolete. But make no mistake about it—the device clearly left its mark on the portable storage market.

Remember the world’s first two-way pager? Probably not, but Motorola can take credit for setting off the movement with the Tango. Limited in features, the device did allow users to receive text messages and email, as well as reply with standard responses. But what really made it such a groundbreaking device was its ability to connect to a computer and download longer messages. The Tango would soon lead to Moto’s two greatest inventions of the decade: the StarTAC and PageWriter 2000.

Labeled the “grandfather of digital cameras,” the Handycam DCR-VX1000 set the standard for digital video recording with its unparalleled resolution and video output. The lens on this thing captured 410,000 pixels through horizontal resolution. Its ability to transfer video data onto computers (both Windows and Mac) through IEEE 1394 Firewire was also considered a milestone. Plus it was the first to support the MiniDV format and 3CCD color processing technology. Many consider it to be the premier “action sports camera” as the device was known most for capturing stunning live-action footage from X Games-esque events such as motocross and snowboarding.

When originally introduced back in 1995 by Intel, the Universal Serial Bus ran at a measly 12 Mbps. That’s both incomparable and laughable to today’s 5 Gbps speed rate. Nevertheless, the USB is still considered the most successful interconnect device ever and has played a vital role in how we access, store, and transfer data, as well as power devices and connect peripherals such as controllers and mice. The rest is history.

IBM’s legendary laptop set the mold for portable computers with its near-indestructible construction and radical “butterfly keyboard” design. The ThinkPad 701C redefined the user experience by ditching the trackball mechanism in exchange for the joystick pointer, a feature that’s become a signature component to the series and provides better navigation accuracy than most of the trackpads found on today’s Ultrabooks. There's a reason why it was the best selling laptop of 1995.

Digital video discs allowed film studios to store up to 10x more data than video tapes, as well as deliver high-res video and improved audio output on home TV sets. It took a good three years for DVDs to take off. But once it did, the optical disc storage format would shape-shift the entertainment media industry and put VHS to sleep for good heading into the new millennium.

Many iterations of Sony’s CD player found its way onto the market in the ‘90s, though none were more instrumental to pop culture or the time period than the D-Series Discman. The combination of AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System) and Mega Bass technology produced amazing audio, whereas anti-shock protection ensured skip-free music playback when engaged in physical activities.

As big as Nintendo and Sega were at the time, both gaming giants proved to be no match for Sony and its first major gaming console, which went on to become the highest selling system of the decade with over 102 million units sold. That’s practically more than what the SNES and Sega Genesis sold combined, plus nearly a third of the N64 and Sega Saturn’s sales. Strong third-party support and big exclusives such as the Final Fantasy series, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and Gran Turismo sold the system in tremendously high volume.