12 Boomboxes, Pagers, and Other Devices That Defined a Generation
Some gadgets weren’t just technology—they were a lifestyle, and if you had one, you were automatically cool.
- Sophia Zapanta
- 4 min read
Before smartphones did everything, we had separate devices for music, messaging, and even just looking important. Boomboxes blasted tunes, pagers made you feel like a VIP, and Walkmans were your personal soundtrack. Let’s rewind and relive the gadgets that once ruled the world.
1. Boomboxes
Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden on Wikimedia Commons
Carrying a boombox on your shoulder wasn’t just about music—it was a statement. The bigger the speakers, the cooler you were. You had to pop in cassette tapes, rewind manually, and pray the batteries didn’t die mid-song. Now, Bluetooth speakers fit in your pocket, but they don’t have the same swagger.
2. Pagers
MohammedLombardia on Wikimedia Commons
If you had a pager, you were either a doctor, a drug dealer, or just really popular. You’d get a message and have to find a pay phone or a landline to call back. Numeric codes like 143 (I love you) turned them into an early version of texting. Once cell phones took over, pagers became relics overnight.
3. Walkman Cassette Players
Anna Gerdén on Wikimedia Commons
Sliding in your favorite tape and snapping the Walkman shut felt like a ritual. If you wanted to skip a song, you had to fast-forward blindly and hope you stopped in the right place. The real struggle? When your tape got tangled, you had to fix it with a pencil. MP3 players and streaming made all this obsolete, but nothing will ever feel as satisfying.
4. Discman CD Players
MiNe on Wikimedia Commons
The Discman was the next evolution, but it came with its own struggles. If you moved too much, your CD would skip, completely ruining the vibe. Anti-skip technology helped, but running with a Discman was still a risky game. We traded scratched CDs for playlists but lost the thrill of making the perfect burned mix.
5. Game Boy
Evan-Amos on Wikimedia Commons
Owning a Game Boy meant you were the king of road trips and recess. The screen was tiny, and the graphics were simple, but it was pure magic. If you didn’t have extra AA batteries, your fun was over. Modern gaming is flashy, but nothing beats the nostalgia of playing Tetris on a chunky handheld.
6. Camcorders
Jacek Halicki on Wikimedia Commons
Filming home videos meant lugging around a bulky camcorder. You had to squint through the tiny viewfinder and hope the lighting wasn’t terrible. Every family had at least one shaky, zoom-heavy recording of a birthday or holiday. Now, our phones do it all, but there was something special about those grainy old tapes.
7. TVs with Built-in VCRs
George Arriola on Wikimedia Commons
A TV with a built-in VCR was the ultimate convenience. No more hunting for cables or trying to connect extra devices. The downside? If the VCR broke, you had an awkwardly heavy TV with a useless slot. Streaming killed VCRs, but those chunky TVs had a charm that flat screens just don’t.
8. Home Landline Phones with Cordless Handsets
Ron Lach on Wikimedia Commons
The first time you used a cordless phone felt like pure freedom. You could walk around the house while talking—until you went too far and lost signal. If the battery died mid-call, you had to scramble back to the charging base. Now, landlines are nearly extinct, and we barely even make calls anymore.
9. PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)
Nathan Wood on Wikimedia Commons
PDAs were basically prehistoric smartphones. You used a stylus to scribble notes, check your calendar, and pretend you were busy. If you lost the stylus, good luck getting anything done. Smartphones absorbed all their functions, but early adopters of PDAs looked like futuristic geniuses.
10. Answering Machines
phreakindee on Wikimedia Commons
Missing a call meant waiting until you got home to hear your messages. A blinking red light meant either an important update or a telemarketer ruining your day. Re-recording your outgoing message required getting through the awkward “beep” without messing up. Now, we just let calls go to voicemail and never check them.
11. Car CD Changers
Zuzu on WIkimedia Commons
If your car had a six-disc CD changer, you were fancy. You had to pick your CDs carefully because switching them while driving wasn’t an option. If one got stuck, it was a nightmare to fix. Streaming and Bluetooth killed the car CD changer, but nothing beats the feeling of hitting shuffle on a solid mix.
12. Fax Machines
Pittigrilli on Wikimedia Commons
Faxing something felt important, even if it was just a random document. The screechy dial-up sound was weirdly satisfying, like your machine was working hard. If your fax didn’t go through, you had to start the whole process over again. Email replaced it, but somehow, faxes still won’t fully die.