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WWW (World Wide Web) | Tim Berners-Lee
While working at CERN Tim Berners-Lee developed the protocol and back bone that would allow users to access the internet. Initially it was only accessible by CERN and other research institutions then, in late 1991, to the general public. His work helped to connect not just schools but users all around the world allowing the sharing of information instantaneously. -
First Commercial SSD (Solid-State Drive) | SanDisk
SSD’s were developed as an alternative to the more common magnetic disk storage of Hard disk drives, or HDD. Due to their lack of moving parts, they provide faster read and write speeds and are more reliable than spinning electromechanical HDD’s. These early SSD’s were much more expensive though price and physical size has decreased over time while available storage size has increased. Today they are much more ubiquitous and are found in most modern computers. -
PlayStation | Sony
The Sony PlayStation was a game console released in Japan in 1994. Instead of using cartridges like most consoles of the time, the original PlayStation used optical CD’s. This allowed the use of full motion video in games due to the CD”s greater capacity. The original PlayStation’s advanced 3D rendering capabilities also influenced a shift from 2D to true 3D gaming. -
DVD – Digital Versatile Discs | Sony/Philips
DVD’s are an optical disc format similar to CD’s but with a greater storage capacity. Though usable for many applications including data storage and high-definition audio they became most known for being used as a movie or video distribution medium (Digital Video Discs). It is still a very popular format today even after the release of its successor the Blu-ray in 2006. -
First Commercial Camera Phone | Kyocera
The Kyocera VP-210 was the first commercially available camera phone and was initially released to the Japanese market in May of ’99. The quality of the images it took were poor by modern standards, its front facing camera had a resolution of only 110,000 pixels. This device would set in motion a change that would lead to the decline of the point and shoot camera market and a change in our expectations of what was once just a portable communication device.