Scottish inventor Alexander Bain was able to first reproduce graphics using a fax-like technique back in 1846. Through line-by-line scanning of a message written with special ink on a metallic surface, electrical impressions of the original and a telegraph circuit could be used to transmit the information at a distance.
The birth of commercial inkjet printing can be traced all the way back to 1984, when thermal inkjet technology developed at HP was introduced in a high-quality, low-price personal printer known as the ThinkJet.
The CD-ROM (compact disc, read-only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is designed to store computer data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi stereo sound.
Before smartphones came to the fore not just in the technology world, we were enamoured with a slightly smaller and simpler device, the Motorola Tango, the world’s first two-way pager.
The year 1992 saw the launch of Windows 3.1, a version not too far thrown from the likes of Windows 95 in appearance (minus the ‘Start’ menu).
The R380 was the first device to be marketed as a ‘smartphone’ after the term was coined in 1997, despite arguments that the Nokia 9000 (released in 1996) and the IBM Simon (released even earlier – in 1994) held the same capabilities.
The release of the Toshiba T3100 in 1986 struck a fine balance between strong computing power, whilst also being durable and portable – though some may say it wasn’t technically ‘portable’ as it still required an external power source.
Before the iPod, the iconic Walkman ruled the roost. Released in July 1979 by Sony Corp. the Walkman TPS-L2 was a 14 ounce, blue and silver, portable cassette player.
In 1972, Kodak launched its Pocket Instamatic series of cameras, which flaunted a 110 cartridge format. The release of the gadget …
This month’s Vintage Tech features an object that we’re sure still gives many CIO’s nightmares, and others fond nostalgia.
