Gallery of Gadgets Which Inspired Modern Day Tech

Over at the Atlantic, ex-Wired.com science nerd Alexis Madrigal brings us a look at the gadgets which inspired the iPad, the touch-screen and that disappearing computer, the iPad. The selection is curated by Microsoft Research scientist Bill Buxton, and contains such gems as the Dieter Rams-designed T3 radio seen above, next to the eerily similar […]
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Engineer David Murray gets a spray tan in Bravo's "Start-Up: Silicon Valley." Image via Bravo.

Over at the Atlantic, ex-Wired.com science nerd Alexis Madrigal brings us a look at the gadgets which inspired the iPad, the touch-screen and that disappearing computer, the iPad. The selection is curated by Microsoft Research scientist Bill Buxton, and contains such gems as the Dieter Rams-designed T3 radio seen above, next to the eerily similar iPod.

While the iPod is clearly aesthetically inspired by Rams' transistor radio, but other devices have been more subtly mined for their ideas. The Data Rover 840 form 1998, for example, may have a stylus but the row of icons along the bottom of the touch screen and its minimal amount of hardware buttons seem rather familiar.

My favorite, though, has to be the Psion Series 5, a true classic. I used to have one of these clamshell, handheld computers and happily typed whole articles on it. According to Alexis, "Buxton says he dreams about loading modern components onto the Psion chassis so that he could use the keyboard and form factor." I couldn't agree more.

The Crazy Old Gadgets That Presaged the iPod, iPhone and a Whole Lot More [The Atlantic]

The Buxton Collection [Microsoft Research]

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