scottsgear.com
@scottsgear.com
1,000+ gadgets. 30+ years writing about personal tech history. The phones, PDAs, computers & wonderfully weird devices that got us here — preserved, powered up and put back to work.
Last year, I paid a well reviewed graphic designer on Fivver $100 to design a new logo for one of my sites. This is what he delivered after one week. At first I thought he was joking, but it quickly became clear that he was dead serious. Once Fivver stepped in, I got my money back 🤣
This hobby keeps getting more expensive. Devices that used to sell by the boxload are suddenly being listed as "rare" or "vintage" with exorbitant prices. What used to coat $20 is now listed for $80 🥹
This is My car doctor from STI International, the world's first handheld vehicle OBDII scan tool. The software runs on the TRG pro, a rare PalmIS device that adds features like removable storage to the OG Palm. Amazingly, this combo still works, but definitely struggles to read newer cars.
There was always something incredibly impressive about the mid 80s portable computer. This Sharp PC-1246 has a tiny, almost unusable display, but a wonderfully well designed little dock that adds a cassette deck and printer. This one was used by a life insurance sales person.
One of the downsides of collecting so many gadgets is the need to save different storage devices. From MMC to Smartmedia to Memorystick: my drawer of storage cards keeps getting fuller.
Something shady for the Sunday morning: the Speedtest powered speed test on att.com consistently shows my 2G Xfinity Internet speeds at half those on the Speedtest site or app. Either their test is configured poorly, or they try to make you feel like you are not getting your money's worth.
This is the #Ericsson GH197 "Hotline" from 1993, the second GSM handheld from the Swedish phone giant. It features their distinctive flip-up rubber antenna and a chunky battery. Even though it lacks a phonebook, it has audio components from Bang and Olufsen,
Don't make the same mistake I just made: stupid me forgot that SMA comes in male and female. I plugged the wrong antenna into a pricey SDR board and killed it. Thankfully it just needs a new 0603 SMD fuse and SMA connector. Don't be like me!
Who here is old enough to remember the pesky dongle? Almost every road warrior had am assortment of PCMCIA cards and dongles for network, modem, phone, and more. Thankfully, Xircom fixed that with their Realport card: finally full size jacks without the need for a dongle!
This is the #Kyocera 7135 #PalmOS #smartphone. Released a year after the first Treo Smartphone, this slick device opted for the traditional Graffiti text input method over the hardware keyboard of the Treo. Its display was a meager 160x160 pixels, and it predates faster 3G EVDO network support.
Evolution of a few of my #Ericsson phones. To me, these are some of the best handsets ever made. I'm especially proud of the woodgrain phone, a mod I performed back in 1995!
This is the genesis of Palm PDA's: the 1996 Palm Pilot 1000. Launched at $299 by modem maker US Robotics, the original Palm Pilot was an instant hit. Apps started appearing, new accessories were added, and within 18 months, they sold one million units. #PalmOS #PDA #retrogadget
Remember Cuecat? Those of you not old enough to have owned one of these: this barcode scanner allowed you to scan codes printed in magazines that took you to advertisers websites. Think QR codes, but for the 2000 bubble. Millions were handed out for free. Huge flop of course.
This behemoth is the Imate JasJar from August 2005, one of the largest PocketPC devices ever made. Also known as the HTC Universal, this giant features a swiveling screen, dual cameras (very unique at the time), WiFi, Bluetooth, SD card slot, and support for 3G GSM networks.
Fresh from Japan: The Sharp Zaurus SL-5000D, #PDA. This was the first ever PDA sold running Linux (Qtopia-based Embedix Plus). Unique features include a slide-out keyboard and the ability to be expanded with a *video capture card*, camera, and a wired music player. The device has CF and SD slots.
Before the smartphone camera, there was the #Ericsson CommuniCam from 2001. This add-on camera allowed you to snap a (crappy) photo and send as an MMS. On the popular Ericsson T68m, you could even snap a photo and set it as your background image, something totally unique to the market at the time.
Still high of the sweet success of the Zip and Jazz drives, Iomega tried to score one more hit with Clik! (Later renamed to Pocket Zip). These tiny spinning discs supported an mp3 player, PCMCIA, and a parallel port drive. Of course, it couldn't compete with flash storage and died within a year.
One of the biggest perks of flying on the company 737? Sitting in the #jumpseat up front. #AvGeek #Aviation #Cockpitview
One of the biggest perks of flying on the company 737? Sitting in the #jumpseat up front. #AvGeek #Aviation #Cockpitview
One of the biggest perks of flying on the company 737? Sitting in the #jumpseat up front. #AvGeek #Aviation #Cockpitview
One of the most underappreciated innovations in the past decade: USB-C. Before we had this single connector on almost every device, you had a different damn cable for each of your gadgets. Think about that next time you charge your stuff!
As if you needed another reason to stay away from a "smart fridge": #Samsung Korea pushed a test firmware release by mistake, killing the entire fridge and spoiling the contents. They are sending engineers to unbrick them... Oops.
"The refrigerator is dead": Samsung's AI fridges shut down after update, causes outrage
Samsung has stopped a SmartThings update after Bespoke AI 4-Door fridges shut down when it was installed. As per reports, internal test software reached customers by mistake. Samsung has apologized an...
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There is something incredibly satisfying about popping 2 fresh batteries into a 32 year old Palm Pilot and having it spring back to life, just like the day you bought it. #pda #palm #retrogear #gadget #graffiti
