If 2000s all the more. Computers became cooler, cell phones were suddenly bedazzled, and kids could take videos of their days on pocket-sized gadgets. All these things were unfathomable at the time (although they're part of everyday life today).
Popular celebrities in the 2000s, like Paris Hilton and Hilary Duff, only pushed these 2000s gadgets more when fans saw them being used in paparazzi photos on the cover of magazines. Today, kids would most likely have no idea how to use these gadgets since they're not used often, but in the 2000s, every kid or young adult needed these gadgets.
T-Mobile Sidekick
It wasn't the early 2000s without a T-Mobile Sidekick. There was (and is) nothing like this mobile phone. Instead of being vertical, the Sidekick blew everyone's minds by being horizontal, having a full keyboard, and a screen that flipped up.
Sidekick s can still hear the sound of the keyboard or the noise the screen made when it was flipped up. What made the Sidekick amazing for its period was that s no longer had to use the T9 keyboard, they could now send messages as if they were on a laptop. Some of the more hilarious nostalgic Instagram s that poke fun at the 2000s the T-Mobile Sidekick is almost always used.
Giga Pets
In the late '90s and early 2000s, handheld, digital pets were released to kids called Tamagotchis. s could add their Tamagotchis to their keychains, backpacks, lockers —anywhere they were.
However, around the same time, Giga Pets were released. Following the same, Giga Pets were pocket-sized pets. What separated the Giga Pet from the Tamagotchi were subtleties. Giga Pets had differently shaped eggs (depending on the pet a person had), more buttons, and the pets were needier. In the 2000s, Tamagotchis vs. Giga Pets was the ultimate rivalry. Just as there are nostalgic movies from the 2000s, Giga Pets is a nostalgic toy from the 2000s.
Creative Zen Touch
Creative Zen was a 2000s brand that released a series of hand-sized techs, including the Create Zen Touch. This MP3 player was released in 2004, according to CNet, and was far more modern than its previous models.
Kids today aren't familiar with MP3 players because cell phones have their ways of playing music. In the 2000s, kids didn't always have phones, and they certainly didn't play music. If someone wanted to listen to music, they needed a separate gadget, which was where the Creative Zen Touch came in. What made this model one of the better ones besides its newer design was the battery life — playing music for 24 hours. For the period, this was a tech product teens loved.
CD Burners
Before MP3 players and iPods, kids and teens had to illegally burn CDs to listen to their favorite songs or playlists on repeat. There were music databases where people could find the song they were searching for and listen to whenever they wanted, they just had to burn that song onto a CD.
CD burners allowed music lovers to place a blank disc in the machine and once it connected to the music database, it would the song from the computer and onto the disc. From there, people could then play that CD in their car or any CD player. It was a lot of effort, but that's what had to be done to have a fun playlist for any occasion.
Cybiko
In 2000, the Cybiko was everything a teenager wanted. It was a handheld organizer that was ahead of its time, and what made it beloved by 2000s kids was the cool design and electric color schemes.
The device was not able to make calls, but it had a radio, email, texting abilities (within a certain number of feet away), an address book, and games among other capabilities. Some of the best teen shows of the 2000s had appearances from Cybiko, which only made 20000s kids want it more. However, if kids today saw a Cybiko on the street, they'd have no idea how to use it or why they'd use it.
Furby
Furbys are a forgotten 1990s toy that kids wouldn't recognize or understand today but in the early 2000s, they were huge. The robotic toy was fuzzy and resembled multiple animals, making it its own creature.
Furbys could blink, move slightly, and talk. At the start, Furbys only spoke "Furbish" but as Tiger Electronics updated the toy, Furbys were able to speak in multiple languages, encouraging their owners to play with them. The Furby was a toy for those who wanted a pet or someone to talk to. And as adorable as they were, kids today wouldn't know where to start with a Furby.
Kodak Zi8
The Kodak Zi8 was a handheld video camera so that s could take videos of anything on a device that could fit into a pocket or purse. For the 2000s, this was an amazing gadget because it wasn't bulky and could be carried anywhere.
It was easy to shoot viral videos in the 2000s thanks to this gadget. Especially since phones didn't have the ability to record footage in this kind of way. Kids today will always shave their phones to record footage, but in the early 2000s, kids used the Kodak Zi8.
Motorola Razr
Before the iPhone made significant improvements in its originality, and before Androids were popular, teenagers in the 2000s desperately wanted the Motorola Razr. After being released in 2003, the phone was unlike any other phone on the market because of how thin (or razor-like) it was.
Later versions of the phone had iTunes attached to it so s could have their music on the go. Another aspect of the Razr that s desired were the colors it came in. s could get matte black, bright pink, gold, etc... However, because of the period, kids wouldn't know how to T9 text with a phone like this.
TiVo
Before there were streaming services and on-demand capabilities where TV viewers could record or pause a show, there was TiVo. TiVo was ahead of its time when it was released in the early 2000s.
Those who had TiVo could record their chosen shows or movies and rewatch them whenever they wanted. There was also a -friendly wish list that allowed TiVo s to save shows, movies, and even actors they were interested in seeing more of. At the time, it was an amazing convenience to watch whatever a person wanted again and again.
iMac G3
The iMac G3 was featured in some of the Disney Channel's best original movies. Before laptops, tablets, and Smartphones were a thing, people in the 2000s relied on their family computers.
At the time, one of the coolest computers to own was the iMac G3. It was completely modernized compared to other computers, simplifying a lot of the confusion and unnecessary quirks from other brands. One of the parts that kids and teens loved most was that the color on the back of the computer was customizable. It came in 13 different colors and was the focus of most sitcom characters' bedrooms. In the 2000s, the iMac G3 was the only computer worth having.