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Can you name this vintage tech?

1 of 48 NEXT PREV
  • Think you know old tech?

    Think you know old tech?

    Nowadays, bleeding-edge tech tends to be sleek and small and easy on the eyes. It wasn't always.

    See how well you can do in this ultimate vintage tech quiz.

    Let's start with this porcupine-y thing. Know what it is?

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: TilTuli via YouTube

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • It's a circa-1951 UNIVAC I mercury memory tank ...

    It's a circa-1951 UNIVAC I mercury memory tank ...

    ... by Remington Rand, on display at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZUMA Press/Corbis

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is a detail from ...

    This is a detail from ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The original Fallout game (1997)

    The original Fallout game (1997)

    That's original hero Natalia in the vault suit. She's facing off against a radscorpion.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Bethesda

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is a part of ...

    This is a part of ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • IBM's System/360

    IBM's System/360

    The computer system debuted more than a half-century ago.

    Previous photo by: IBM

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet via Wikipedia

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, England, UK --- Buckinghamshire,Bletchley,Bletchley Park,German Enigma Machine --- Image by © Steven Vidler/Corbis

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Steven Vidler/Corbis

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The WWII Enigma code machine

    The WWII Enigma code machine

    The German device stumped Allies for years ... until Alan Turing and his Bletchley Park team famously helped to cracked it.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Name both the storage media and the hardware ...

    Name both the storage media and the hardware ...

    Here's a close-up of a floppy disk jutting out of an Apple II computer, which was available between 1977 and 1981.

    Right now the All About Apple Museum has no official relationship with Apple. That was not the case in the past. In 2005 the company sent a letter to the association running the museum and eventually invited a few of its representatives to Cupertino.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • An Apple II and Disk II with a 5.25-inch disk

    An Apple II and Disk II with a 5.25-inch disk

    The Apple II computer was available between 1977 and 1981.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Before there was PlayStation, before XBOX, there was the NES. Sure, there were video game systems that came before it, such as the Atari 2600, Intellivision and Colecovision, but none of those really could produce arcade quality graphics and gameplay at home. This was the console that launched the Super Mario empire.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The Nintendo NES game system

    The Nintendo NES game system

    This was the console that launched the Super Mario empire ... and super-geeky messenger bags such as this one.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This happy little face could be found in ...

    This happy little face could be found in ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Rogue

    Rogue

    This dungeon-crawling home computer game (circa 1980) used letters and keyboard symbols to depict walls, passages, monsters and treasure.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Hint: It's one of the first Windows-powered smartphones ever released.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The SPV Orange e100 ...

    The SPV Orange e100 ...

    ... and here's its cousin, the E200.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • IBM Naval Ordnance Research Calculator

    IBM Naval Ordnance Research Calculator

    Also known as NORC, this one-of-a-kind, first-generation vacuum tube computer went live in December 1954 and was likely the most powerful computer at the time.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: IBM

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Steve Benway via YouTube

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • A Sinclair ZX81

    A Sinclair ZX81

    Debuted in 1981, this little computer was designed to be inexpensive. It sold for the 2015 equivalent of about $200. Check out Steve Benway's video for more on this small wonder.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Bonus if you can name both the game and the hardware ...

    Bonus if you can name both the game and the hardware ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Steve Benway via YouTube

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Crazy Kong on a Sinclair Timex 1000

    Crazy Kong on a Sinclair Timex 1000

    Steve Benway demonstrated the gameplay in a 2011 YouTube video. The Sinclair 1000 is a modified version of the ZX81.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Steve Benway via YouTube

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • A Nokia 9000 communicator

    A Nokia 9000 communicator

    If you've never seen this 1996 model, one of the earliest of the smartphones, you're missing out on a wonderfully wacky piece of vintage tech. Check it out in this video.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: MarcCEcases Technologica via YouTube

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is a detail from ...

    This is a detail from ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Apple's eWorld

    Apple's eWorld

    Apple's answer to an AOL-like Internet portal service was available between June 1994 and March 1996.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • A punch card! And here's the IBM 029 Key Punch system

    A punch card! And here's the IBM 029 Key Punch system

    It debuted in 1954.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: IBM

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ....

    This is ....

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The WS2000 modem

    The WS2000 modem

    This 80s-era modem, a favorite of early hackers, is now on display in Britain's National Museum of Computing.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Miracle Technology

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Want to see a working model? Sure you do.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • A Tandy 1400 laptop

    A Tandy 1400 laptop

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Tandy/Radio Shack

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    The first PDA, the reason why this

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The Apple Newton

    The Apple Newton

    An early entry in the PDA category, this cute little personal organizer debuted in 1993, but Steve Jobs killed the platform about five years later.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The Colonel's Bequest

    The Colonel's Bequest

    The 1989 graphic-adventure game starred 1920s-era sleuth Laura Bow.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Sierra On-Line

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    The eMate 300 running the Newton operating system isn't one of the most successful Apple products: designed for the education market, it didn't last long. The item, the curators said, was donated to the museum by a collector who obtained it after a tough bargaining session with a Texan collector.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Apple eMate running a Newton OS

    Apple eMate running a Newton OS

    Designed for the education market, this PDA didn't last long after its 1997 debut.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Tandy TRS-80 model 100

    Tandy TRS-80 model 100

    Released in 1983, this is one of the world's first truly portable computers. Want to see a teardown? Sure you do.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Cyan

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Riven

    Riven

    The 1997 game was the follow-up to the hit title Myst.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    While home video was introduced in the form of VHS and Sony BetaMax years earlier, if you really wanted to enjoy the highest fidelity in home entertainment, you had to go LaserDisc, which was introduced by Pioneer Corporation in 1979. LaserDisc never caught on en masse due to the fact the players and the titles were expensive, but if you wanted the best sound and best video quality, nothing would beat it until DVD arrived 10 years later, in 1995.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • A LaserDisc

    A LaserDisc

    Introduced by Pioneer Corporation in 1979, this storage media enjoyed a lot of hype before VCRs eventually won.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: ZDNet

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: U.S. Army

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • The ENIAC

    The ENIAC

    The Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) was built between 1943 and 1945. It was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer, and it stretched 150 feet wide.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: U.S. Army

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • This is ...

    This is ...

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

  • Scorched Earth

    Scorched Earth

    Designed in Borland C++, this turn-based artillery-combat game debuted in 1991.

    Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

    Photo by: Wendell Hicken

    Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

1 of 48 NEXT PREV
Leslie Gornstein

By Leslie Gornstein | March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT) | Topic: Networking

  • Think you know old tech?
  • It's a circa-1951 UNIVAC I mercury memory tank ...
  • This is a detail from ...
  • The original Fallout game (1997)
  • This is a part of ...
  • IBM's System/360
  • This is ...
  • The WWII Enigma code machine
  • Name both the storage media and the hardware ...
  • An Apple II and Disk II with a 5.25-inch disk
  • This is ...
  • The Nintendo NES game system
  • This happy little face could be found in ...
  • Rogue
  • This is ...
  • The SPV Orange e100 ...
  • This is ...
  • IBM Naval Ordnance Research Calculator
  • This is ...
  • A Sinclair ZX81
  • Bonus if you can name both the game and the hardware ...
  • Crazy Kong on a Sinclair Timex 1000
  • This is ...
  • A Nokia 9000 communicator
  • This is a detail from ...
  • Apple's eWorld
  • This is ...
  • A punch card! And here's the IBM 029 Key Punch system
  • This is ....
  • The WS2000 modem
  • This is ...
  • A Tandy 1400 laptop
  • This is ...
  • The Apple Newton
  • This is ...
  • The Colonel's Bequest
  • This is ...
  • Apple eMate running a Newton OS
  • This is ...
  • Tandy TRS-80 model 100
  • This is ...
  • Riven
  • This is ...
  • A LaserDisc
  • This is ...
  • The ENIAC
  • This is ...
  • Scorched Earth

From early calculators to WWII cryptography machines, if you can name this old hardware, software and storage media, you really know your stuff

Read More Read Less

Think you know old tech?

Nowadays, bleeding-edge tech tends to be sleek and small and easy on the eyes. It wasn't always.

See how well you can do in this ultimate vintage tech quiz.

Let's start with this porcupine-y thing. Know what it is?

Published: March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT)

Caption by: Leslie Gornstein

1 of 48 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Networking Hardware Cloud Internet of Things Security Data Centers
Leslie Gornstein

By Leslie Gornstein | March 25, 2016 -- 09:09 GMT (02:09 PDT) | Topic: Networking

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