It's hard to quantify an entire decade's worth of innovation into a list of so few gadgets. We've seen a multitude of “world's firsts” but few have had a lasting impact felt beyond the initial buzz that surrounds any new gadget launch. We looked for gadgets that either sparked a revolution or did something innovative enough to warrant a nod. Sure, I could have picked Nikon's Coolpix P1 since it was the first digital camera with Wi-Fi, but why not pick the Eye-Fi SD card instead? USB flash drives became commonplace this last decade, but it's just storage and not that sexy. Or what about the Bluetooth headset? I think you can see where I'm going with this.
(More on Techland: The 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade)
I originally wanted to do a Top 10 list, but couldn't nail down the last two, so I'm leaving that up to you, reader. What two gadgets do you think should round out the gadgets of this decade?
Oh, one more thing. Look for the rest of Techland's Best of the Decade lists over the course of this week and next.
More on Time.com:
Cover Story: The Decade From Hell
Special Report: The 10 Worst Things About the Worst Decade Ever
That's a tough question. I'm going to have to think about it for a while.
explosionhead
Dec. 7, 2009 13:29pm
I would say car navigation/GPS units because at the beginning of the decade no one really had one, but they've been minimized and pretty much useless now because of app phones. I also don't know of a particular one that was better than the rest.
yogi
Dec. 7, 2009 14:40pm
See, I didn't include GPS systems because they've petered out in the last few years. And you could get a GPS long before this decade.
Peter Ha
Dec. 7, 2009 14:44pm
Would the foreman grill count? Especially considering every college student in the nation owns at least one.
truevcu
Dec. 7, 2009 15:10pm
I'm aware that the webcam existed in the early 90s, but when did people begin to have the ability to video conference? If video became possible in the 00s, then I think the webcam should qualify for the list. In Japenese society, the webcam has made it onto the humble cell phone, and in western society has allowed firms to save millions if not billions on travel expenses by bringing the meeting to the living room, not halfway across the country.
whenhen
Dec. 7, 2009 21:38pm
It may not be really sexy, but my vote is for the USB flash drive. For those of us who are work-a-holics it has freed us from the endless drudgery of trying shuffle information between the work place and the home work station. Deciding what would fit on a disc, what could travel and what had to stay is now a thing of the past! I can take it all!
Freedom is sexy!
geekgirl58
Dec. 7, 2009 22:56pm
@geekgirl58 I opted to leave USB drives off the list too.
Peter Ha
Dec. 7, 2009 23:55pm
Awwwww....
geekgirl58
Dec. 8, 2009 07:59am
Sad as this may sound. I couldn't live without my bluetooth headset for my mobile. Since I've had it, I hate holding the phone in my hand and don't even really like wired headsets because they catch on stuff.
The sound from the headset is clearer than from the handset.
Doesn't catch on anything.
Light - almost forget you're wearing it.
When they start making bluetooth phone headsets that are also headphones for under £100 I will be happy!
If I had DVR, I would probably say that, because it is awesome that people no longer have to be beholden to the TV schedule but I do wonder if it's changed the way TV works (or if that's just down to network douchebaggery)
geekygirluk
Dec. 8, 2009 09:16am
Sonos Digital Music System gets my vote for one of the top 10 gadgets of the decade....(I think Walt Mossberg may agree on this one!)
Perry Anne Norton
Dec. 9, 2009 19:51pm