Life today without gadgets is unthinkable, isn’t it? Be it smartphones, tablets, laptops or a wide plethora of other goods and gadgets, we cannot imagine a single moment bereft of them. Without these gadgets would be like going back to the Stone Age! So take a moment to imagine how life would have been in the ’80s and ’90s when all these were just a dream and kids and teenagers were more than happy and content using the gadgets of that time (and going out more to play). Here are some gadgets which were hit back at that time-
- Cameras
Remember the Kodak/Yashika camera running on reels? Before the advent of its digital counterparts, these cameras ruled our world, well our albums at least. With a limited photo quantity (Read: 36) these were our travelling companions and definitely the keeper of memories. Nowadays we have digital cameras, DSLRs and mobiles which can take umpteen photos. With a 47 mm lens and no pixel CCD sensor, photographers would have to look through the tiny glass hole present at the upward portion of the camera for adjustments as there was no screen on the camera.
- Boom box/Tape Recorder
Another one of our favourites, the boom box was our constant companion over to the gym/aerobics class and also the best way to kill time. What could be more pleasant than sitting back and listening to your favourite song at high volume? The same instrument also served as a recorder and we did record the voices of our near and dear ones, even of our own! These boom boxes or tape recorders had different kinds of cassettes; unlike the CDs and DVDs which we see flooding the market these days. They had magnetic tapes.
- Video Games
Another great addictive addition to this list, we all loved playing video games as children. Be it Super Mario, Duck Shooting, Olympic Games or Contra we were addicted to these games throughout our childhood. Who knew these video games would be replaced with computers and laptops in the coming decade. My personal favourite was the shooting games like Duck Hunt and Clay Shooting using the fake plastic gun which possibly contained an infrared mechanism attached to the video game CPU. My favourite companies were Nintendo, Sony, Sega and a couple of Indian version brands.
- Pager
Before mobile phones took the world by storm and made it even smaller, pagers were the closest to their mobile counterparts. They could deliver alphanumeric messages or even voice messages in costlier models. I still remember how people with pagers would fondly and proudly display their device which was (most of the time) attached to their belts. Pagers have a small green screen where the messages flash on. Pagers support direct connection protocols and are faster than cellular-based communication and cannot be traced. Some of the popular companies which manufactured them were Motorola, Sony, Beetel etc.
- Walkmans and Headphones
This golden period also gave birth to headphones and walkman companies like Sennheiser, Bose, Sony Walkman and many others. The first step towards iPods these walkmans were our first personalized music companions and I remember starting to headbang with my first walkman!
Thus in addition to the above-mentioned gadgets, there were other gadgets too that rocked and ruled our world in the ’80s and ’90s. Listing them all would be a tough job to do! These were the top ones according to me.
Biswa Writes 
