We’ve spent seven other articles counting down the 80 most unbelievably awesome gadgets from the ’80s, and now we’re at the final countdown. (Cue the song, which was appropriately made in the ’80s!) Check out the final 10 most unbelievable gadgets from the ’80s below, and be sure to check out our other installments if you haven’t already!
Number Ten: Casio G-Shock DW-5000C. Introduced in 1983, this watch was basically indestructible. It could survive a fall of 10 meters and a dive in water of up to 200 meters deep.
Number Nine: Sony Watchman. The Watchman was Sony’s answer to a portable television, and it didn’t disappoint. Introduced in 1982, the Watchman had a five-centimeter display and could fit in just about any pocket.
Number Eight: Speak & Spell. Introduced in 1980, this gadget was an educational tool that kids actually enjoyed playing with. A voice synthesizer would recite words that kids could then spell on its keyboard.
Number Seven: Promax J-1 Super Jumbo. The iconic Super Jumbo very quickly became representative of the hip hop genre of music. It was introduced in 1987 and boasted an impressive display of flashing lights.
Number Six: Fujifilm Quick Snap Disposable Camera. Introduced in 1986, this 33 mm single-use shooter was not only easy to use, but it wasn’t too expensive either. This easy-to-use gadget allowed laypeople to feel like professional photographers without having to invest in a professional camera.
Number Five: Commodore 64. Would you believe that the Commodore 64 is the highest-selling PC of all time? More than 17 million units of this gadget, which was created in 1982, were sold to the public.
Number Four: Motorola DynatTAC 8000X. You knew another cell phone would make it on this list! The Motorola DynatTAC 8000X, released in 1984, was the prototype that eventually led to phones like the BlackBerry and iPhone. Mad respect, Motorola.
Number Three: VHS Player. Introduced in 1980, the VHS player is still used today by some people. Though the people using it are most likely living in the past or attempting to be an obnoxious hipster, nobody can deny the power of the VHS player, which replaced the Betamax as the best media player of its time.
Number Two: Nintendo Entertainment System. Ah, the good old NES. Still cherished today, Nintendo introduced this console in 1985, and it set the standard for all consoles to come.
Number One: Sony Walkman TPS-L2. Finally, the most unbelievably awesome gadget of the ’80s has to be Sony’s Walkman TPS-L2. Introduced in 1980, this device revolutionized the way we listen to music. One of the most interesting features of this model were its two headphone jacks so more than one person could listen at a time. Little did Sony know how ubiquitous the Walkman would eventually become.
