Hasta La Gadget!

In a world that is changing so rapidly, we tend to think of a gadget as “old” after a year or so when something better comes along. It’s a rare occurrence when you see someone still using an HTC DROID Incredible (my first-ever smartphone) or a laptop from the Windows XP days, but it got me thinking about how many people out there still use old technology on a daily basis. While you could technically count a microwave (for which my parents still have the same one after 20 years), my focus is aimed at consumer electronics, like phones, laptops, TVs, speakers, etc.

Upgrade cycles vary greatly depending on what the product is. Smartphones arguably have the quickest upgrade cycle, with new phones coming out all the time, and while phone contracts keep users on a two-year cycle, it’s becoming more and more popular to upgrade a smartphone every year or even every few months, thanks to off-contract phone plans. Honestly, it’s to the point where people scratch their heads when they see someone still using an iPhone 3GS — a piece of gadgetry that’s only four years old.

Larger items usually have a longer ownership life, though, and things like laptops, televisions, and game consoles can easily last a few years without seeming out of date or “old.” Heck, the Xbox 360 will be turning eight years old in November and it’s still chugging along nicely, with millions of gamers still using it on a daily basis.

But your Xbox 360 surely can’t be the oldest consumer electronics device that you use every day. Maybe you have an old turntable that you still use to play all of your vinyl records on? Perhaps you still use the same landline phone from the 90s?

For me, the oldest piece of technology that I still use on a daily basis is probably an RCA speaker system that I bought with my own cold-hard cash when I was in junior high about 10 years ago. It obviously served as the main portal for playing all my CDs and turning the volume up to 11 because I was a rebel and all. However, it now serves as the speaker system to my home theater, and it still works great to this day.

Then again, speakers are something that practically last forever, and some would say that they’re like fine wine: the longer they’re around, the better they sound. I actually used to have a set of old speakers from when my dad was a DJ back in the 70s, and used them as computer speakers for a while, but they were too big and clunky (as with any older speaker set), so I had to eventually be realistic and get a Logitech 2.1 system.

Take a look at the devices that you use every day (or mostly every day) and see what the oldest one is. I’m sure there will be a lot of answers that will surpass my 10 years with my speaker system, but we look forward to seeing what devices you keep around, either for its simplicity, or the fact that you just can’t seem to part with it.

Leave your answers in the comments below!

What’s the oldest piece of technology you still use every day? is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

For months there have been rumors that Apple will release a less expensive version of the iPhone for the masses – especially in parts of the world where the current gen iPhone is considered too expensive. Images have leaked of colorful, possibly plastic-cased iPhone components, and now we have what appears to be a product name – the iPhone 5C.

This tub of plastic packaging clearly labeled “iPhone 5C” and adorned with the Apple logo was spotted in China and posted on the WeiPhone forums. While they definitely could be boxes for some cheap knock-off iPhones, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this looks legit, and the plastic construction of the packaging would go well with the rumored less-expensive iPhone. Now what the “C” stands for is anyone’s guess – perhaps it stands for “cheap” but I don’t think so. It’s more likely to stand for “colors,” IMHO.

Regardless of the veracity of this image, I don’t think we’ll be waiting too much longer to see the next iPhones emerge from Apple. All signs point to a September or October reveal of both an inexpensive model and an updated iPhone 5, rumored to be called the iPhone 5S – though I’d really love for a surprise reveal of an iPhone 6.

[via Ubergizmo]

If you look hard enough, you will find everything you need in nature. From rust proofing, to anti-bacteria to even bullet resistant material, it can all be found in nature. It so happens, as Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoe of Kova Paint Corporation found, that all four properties were in the humble rice husk. The beauty of it is that it’s the husk, the part that’s discarded once the grain has been removed, not the grain that is used as a staple in Eastern diets.

Modern automobiles benefit from increasingly small and smart computers, which can help control or augment everything from a car’s dashboard display to fundamental functions like steering. But as the world is slowly realizing, if something runs software, that thing can be hacked. That’s what Forbes recently found out thanks to a demonstration by two computer security experts.

Image by Forbes

Forbes’ Andy Greenberg met with Charlie Miller – a security engineer at Twitter – and Chris Valasek – the Director of Security Intelligence at security services consulting firm IOActive – to experience firsthand how today’s high-tech cars can be fooled. Charlie and Chris connected to one of the Electronic Control Units or ECUs of a Toyota Prius and proceeded to do all sorts of dangerous tweaks with it on the fly.

Charlie and Chris are working under a grant from DARPA to expose vulnerabilities in cars. Greenberg also drove a Ford Escape that both security experts hacked in similar ways. When Greenberg spoke to a Toyota spokesperson, he was told that the hack in the video above didn’t really concern them because it involved gaining access to the car and physically connecting a device to it. But the reason why Charlie and Chris didn’t bother to do it wirelessly is because that part has already been proven, way back in 2010:

Yeah these things need to be patched now. These videos are extremely troubling.

[via Forbes via BBC]

The Elements iPad app is one of the best alternatives to the traditional periodic table. But a mobile augmented reality company called DAQRI is working on something more interactive and intuitive. The company calls it Elements 4D, a set of building blocks that make learning about the elements fun and easy.

Elements 4D has a total of six wooden blocks. Each block face is dedicated to a single element. When you view a block face or faces through the Elements 4D iOS app, the block comes to life, showing a virtual representation of the elment. In the image above you see carbon and gold being represented. The app also shows additional information about each element, but its best feature is demonstrating chemical reactions. Simply by putting two block faces side-by-side, you’ll see what chemical compound they become, if any. It’s a virtual chem lab. You’ll need lots of blocks to make meth.

Pledge at least $25 (USD) on Kickstarter to get Elements 4D blocks as a reward. Note that you have to pledge at least $75 to get all six blocks. Aside from being expensive, another significant downside of Elements 4D is that it currently only has six blocks. That’s just 36 faces, but we know of 118 elements. I guess DAQRI can release more blocks in the future, but then that would add up to hundreds of dollars. I’ll stick to The Elements app for now, but Elements 4D is a great example of the educational application of augmented reality.

[via The Next Web]