Technology That Almost Made It But Failed Miserably

April 17, 2023

We use all sorts of fancy technology in our daily lives, but whatever happened to the Sony Minidisk, HD DVDs, or the promising Sega Saturn? And that’s without mentioning all the products that slowly faded away thanks to Apple’s iPod and iPhone. In our top story, we go over all the incredible technology that almost made it but ultimately failed.

Other Highlights:

• Did you know there’s a Mario Bros phone number you can call?
• Seagate launched an impressive new 22TB NAS drive.
• NASA is sending four people to a Mars habitat built on Earth.
• … and more!

-Cory

History is littered with devices that may have been great if the timing of their release was a little better. In some cases, technology wasn’t at a point where the device could do what it promised. In others, something better came along at the exact same time and blew the device out of the water. Read More »

Invest in Elegoo’s PHECDA laser engraver and cutter and save during their Kickstarter campaign, happening now through May 22, 2023. This machine features a revolutionary design that purifies the air while creating a large and safe engraving environment. You can get the 10W laser engraver for the early bird price of $240 ($160 off) or the 20W version for only $400 ($267 off). There are only 500 units of each model available at this price, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone. Buy Now »

I’ve walked up to my apartment door countless times with too many bags of groceries or other stuff piled up in my arms. And every time I do this, I find myself wishing my door could just open itself. So I was super excited to try out the SwitchBot Lock system and have it exceed my expectations! Read More »

A VPN service may seem like just another frivolous subscription, like your video streaming services or a meal delivery service. On the contrary, a VPN service is a worthwhile investment, especially if you spend a lot of time using public Wi-Fi, experience slow internet speeds, or just want to avoid targeted advertising. Read More »

January is the magical time of year when movie buffs from around the world gather at the Sundance Film Festival to enjoy what the best indie filmmakers created the previous year. If you dream about being one of them but don’t know where to begin, we’ve got a list of gear to get you started. Read More »

Vacuum storage bags seem like an infomercial gimmick, but, despite appearing in more than a few infomercials, they’re actually really fantastic and perfect for home storage and travel. Here are our favorites. Read More »

With the warmer months quickly approaching, most of you are probably looking forward to relaxing nights on the patio. If you’re trying to get into the summer vibes and spruce up the patio decor, look no further than this battery-powered LED flame that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker.

Yes, you’ll have a nice animated flame patio lantern that’ll give off just enough light to relax and enjoy a beverage while enjoying your favorite tunes. Grab this neat little speaker from the Amazon link below.

Wordle was just too easy, wasn’t it? You probably left that behind and moved on to Quordle, the true “hard mode” of the word-guessing game format. But now you’re stuck and so close to failing. Don’t worry, we’re here to help with a hint—and if you really need it, today’s Quordle Answers. Read More »

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably seen the outrageous trade-in deals offered by carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. These deals show up in TV advertisements, automated emails and text messages, and even on billboards. But why are carriers so desperate to buy your old phone? Read More »

Are you a huge fan of Wordle and absolutely stuck today? Let me guess; you’re hanging out on guess four or five and feeling the pressure. We get it entirely: nothing feels worse than losing your streak. If you’re not ready to outright cheat, we have you covered with hints and today’s Wordle answer. Read More »

Windows 11 is getting a new privacy feature, “Presence Sensing,” according to a report by Bleeping Computer. The new technology will be able to notice if someone is using the computer and automatically lock the device when the user is away. Read More »

Ahead of NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission and its eventual goal of putting humans on Mars, the company has constructed a 3D-printed Mars habitat. More importantly, four people will live inside the biodome for an entire year. Read More »

The cult-favorite Fairphone 3 is about to get another major software update. While most big brands only support phones for 3-5 years, Fairphone takes software support to a new level with its devices, and now the aging Fairphone 3 and 3+ are about to get Android 13. Read More »

The quality of Bluetooth audio has increased over the last few years, largely thanks to high-bitrate wireless codecs. But as you may know, full-sized speakers often stream audio over Wi-Fi for increased reliability and lossless quality—why don’t any headphones offer Wi-Fi streaming? Read More »

It’s easy to forget now, but kids’ movies used to be accompanied by some very weird promotional campaigns. You may remember calling cartoon characters on the phone or fooling around with the Space Jam website. Well, the Super Mario Bros. Movie brings these old tricks to the modern day. Read More »

This week, Seagate announced the company’s highest capacity 22TB hard drive, a solid option for the enterprise market or those looking to build their own NAS. The new Seagate IronWolf Pro 22TB has high-end specs and plenty to offer. And with an initial $399 price tag, it’s far more affordable than expected. Read More »

Microsoft’s SwiftKey is arguably the smartest keyboard app. It allows you to quickly type using gestures, and its predictive text algorithm is surprisingly effective. But SwiftKey is getting even smarter thanks to new Bing AI integration, now available in the Android SwiftKey Beta. Read More »

Many products have the word “gamer” slapped on to attract a few misguided purchases with spurious claims of better performance or coolness. Gaming gloves feel like they should belong to this product category, but they could be worth it. Here’s why. Read More »

Wireless charging is really convenient, but is it bad for your phone’s battery to charge it wirelessly? Here’s why people worry about it and whether or not their worries are justified. Read More »