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---
slug: gadgets-of-the-ages
title: "Gadgets of the Ages"
date: "2024-07-13T12:30:36-04:00"
pics:
gadgets:
css: "image"
tip: "Gadgets."
sources:
- "/files/posts/gadgets-of-the-ages/gadgets-20240713-1024.webp"
- src: "/files/posts/gadgets-of-the-ages/gadgets-20240713-1024.jpg"
width: 1024
height: 771
more-gadgets:
css: "image"
tip: "More gadgets."
sources:
- "/files/posts/gadgets-of-the-ages/more-gadgets-20240726-1024.webp"
- src: "/files/posts/gadgets-of-the-ages/more-gadgets-20240726-1024.jpg"
width: 1024
height: 771
---
Found while unpacking boxes last night:
[{{< pe-figure "gadgets" >}}][gadgets]
Shown above, top to bottom, left to right:
- [Sony PSP-2000][]: [Handheld game console][]. Mostly used for playing
emulated [SNES][] games. Covered unlocking and installing custom
firmware in [this 2008 blog post][psp-custom-firmware]. Battery
failed ~5 years ago.
- [Nintendo 2DS XL][]: [Handheld game console][]. Also mostly used for
emulated games.
- [Anbernic RG350M][]: [Handheld game console][]. Only used for
emulated games. I liked the build quality but the metal put strain on
my wrists.
- [Nokia N810][]: "internet tablet" (smartphone precursor). Used
quite a bit before I got my first [Android][] phone. Battery failed
at some point, but I only discovered the failed battery last night.
- [Cowon iAUDIO X5 60GB][]: [Portable media player][] with a 60GB
spinning rust (!?!) hard drive. Note: Physical disks in media players
made sense at the time because [flash][]-based players had *extremely*
limited capacity. Had [Rockbox][] installed. Covered in [this 2006
blog post][gadgetopia]. My patches for the [Rockbox][] [Game Boy][]
emulator were covered in [this 2005 blog post][gnuboy-patches].
- [RIM Blackberry][] (model unknown): Old work phone that I never liked
and rarely used. Covered in [this 2007 blog post][blackberry-links].
- [Apple iPod Classic 120GB][]: [Portable media player][]. I didn't
like this thing, rarely used it, and can't remember how I got it.
Maybe a gift or reward?
- [Samsung Galaxy S II (SGH-T989)][]: Used [CyanogenMod][] to add
features, ditch the awful Samsung Android skin, and extend the support
by several years.
- [Google Nexus One][]: My first smartphone without a keyboard. I liked
it, but the screen was too small, the capacitive buttons were hard
to press, and the trackball mostly just got in the way.
- [OnePlus One][]: Good price/performance at the time. Ran [Cyanogen
OS][] out of the box. Novel textured back. Awful camera.
- [OnePlus 5T][]: Great phone at release. Still decent even now (for
me, at least). I liked the rear fingerprint scanner and the slim
bezels. Bad camera. I plan to install [LineageOS][] and continue
using it for non-phone stuff (drone remote control, dubious apps,
etc).
Not shown (lost, [recycled][], or still buried in boxes):
- [Samsung SGH-t809][]: My first cell phone. Bought in 2006. Battery
failed ~10 years ago. Covered in [this 2006 blog post][gadgetopia].
- [Motorola Cliq][cliq]: My first [Android][] smartphone. Not a very
good device in retrospect.
- [Barnes and Noble Nook Color][nook]: Immediately installed
[CyanogenMod][] and used as a cheap [Android][] tablet.
- [Google Nexus 7 (2012)][] and [Nexus 7 (2013)][]: I liked the form
factor of these tablets. The original model was a bit slow so I
upgraded to the 2013 model at release and used it daily until it
stopped booting.
Current gadgets:
- [Google Pixel 8 Pro][]: Current smartphone and the first one I've
owned that is waterproof. I'm very happy with it. Great camera.
Screen is large enough to read [eBooks][]. Used to take the picture
above.
- [Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e (Wi-Fi)][]: Current tablet. Immediately
installed [LineageOS][] because I prefer it to [One UI][]. I use it
to read [eBooks][] and with the detachable keyboard as a second
laptop.
- [PowKiddy RGB10 Max][]: Current [handheld game console][]. Only used
for playing emulated games. Lighter and has a larger screen than the
[Anbernic RG350m][] shown in the picture above. Rarely used.
- [Sony WF-1000XM4][]: Current [Bluetooth][] headphones. I use these
daily for meetings and to listen to music and to watch TV shows past
my bedtime. Great audio quality, battery life, and charging speed.
My only complaint is the phone app tries to railroad you into an
unnecessary Sony account during installation. **Update (2024-08-25):**
I had to [send these in for repair][headphone repair] because the
battery life deteriorated rapidly.
**Update (2024-07-26):** I found the [Nook][], [Cliq][], both Nexus 7
tablets, an iPaq, and two digital cameras. Everything except the
[Cliq][] is shown below:
[{{< pe-figure "more-gadgets" >}}][more-gadgets]
Those are some massive bezels!
[gadgets]: /files/posts/gadgets-of-the-ages/gadgets-20240713.jpg
"Gadgets"
[more-gadgets]: /files/posts/gadgets-of-the-ages/more-gadgets-20240726.jpg
"More gadgets"
[portable media player]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_media_player
"Portable media player."
[handheld game console]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handheld_game_console
"Handheld game console."
[sony psp-2000]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable#PSP-2000
"Sony PSP-2000"
[psp-custom-firmware]: {{< relref "posts/2008-02-16-custom-firmware-on-the-psp" >}}
"Custom Firmware on the PSP"
[nintendo 2ds xl]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_2DS#New_Nintendo_2DS_XL
"Nintendo 2DS XL"
[anbernic rg350m]: https://anbernic.com/products/rg351m-anbernic-retro-game-rg350m-video-games-game-console-ps1-game-64bit-opendingux-3-5-inch-2500-games-rg351-emulator
"Anbernic RG350M"
[nokia n810]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N810
"Nokia N810"
[samsung sgh-t809]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_SGH-D820
"Samsung SGH-T809"
[cliq]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Cliq
"Motorola Cliq"
[Cowon iAUDIO X5 60GB]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAUDIO#iAUDIO_X5
"Cowon iAUDIO X5 60GB"
[gadgetopia]: {{< relref "posts/2006-12-27-gadgetopia" >}}
"Gadgetopia"
[snes]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System
"Super Nintendo Entertainment System"
[android]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
"Android operating system"
[flash]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_memory
"Flash memory"
[rockbox]: http://rockbox.org/
"Rockbox: custom firmware for media players"
[game boy]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy
"Game Boy handheld game console"
[gnuboy-patches]: http://localhost:1313/2005/03/04/rockbox-on-my-iriver-h120/
"My patches to add a menu and load/save support to Rockboy."
[Apple iPod Classic 120GB]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Classic
"Apple iPod Classic 120GB"
[rim blackberry]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry
"RIM Blackberry"
[blackberry-links]: {{< relref "2007-09-19-blackberry-links-and-a-rant-about-thieving-bastards" >}}
"Blackberry Links and a Rant About Thieving Bastards"
[Samsung Galaxy S II (SGH-T989)]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_II
"Samsung Galaxy S II (SGH-T989)"
[cyanogenmod]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanogenMod
"Discontinued open-source fork of Android Open Source Project."
[google nexus one]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexus_One
"Google Nexus One"
[oneplus one]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnePlus_One
"OnePlus One"
[cyanogen os]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CyanogenMod#Cyanogen_OS
"Cyanogen OS"
[oneplus 5t]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnePlus_5T
"OnePlus 5T"
[lineageos]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LineageOS
"Opens-source fork of Android."
[nook]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nook_Color
"Barnes and Noble Nook (Wi-Fi)"
[google nexus 7 (2012)]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexus_7_(2012)
"Google Nexus 7 (2012)"
[nexus 7 (2013)]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexus_7_(2013)
"Google Nexus 7 (2013)"
[google pixel 8 pro]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_8
"Google Pixel 8 Pro"
[ebooks]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebook
"eBook"
[samsung galaxy tab s5e (wi-fi)]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_S5e
"Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e (Wi-Fi)"
[one ui]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_UI
"One UI"
[powkiddy rgb10 max]: https://powkiddy.com/products/powkiddy-rgb10-max-handheld-game-players
"PowKiddy RGB10 Max"
[Sony WF-1000XM4]: https://www.sony.com/lr/headphones/products/wf-1000xm4
"Sony WF-1000XM4"
[bluetooth]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
"Bluetooth short-range wireless technology"
[recycled]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_waste_recycling
"Electronic waste recycling"
[headphone repair]: {{< relref "posts/2024-08-25-sony-wf-1000xm4-battery-failure" >}}
"Sony WF-1000XM4 Battery Failure"
|
