Interesting or weird tech finds

[Sinclair-Speccy]

I thought it would be an awesome idea to start a discussion about the most exciting or downright weird tech finds that people come across. These can be eBay listings or something similar however don't try to advertise stuff here as this is not for that.

To kick things off, have this odd camera from the 90s that has a jelly feel to it. This is a legit thing that can take pictures on film!



I first saw this on Tumblr and it was being sold on eBay for like USD 19.99

[CableCat]

Since they are basically over 20 years old, I'm gonna say hit clips!

Microchips with only 60 second songs, and only one earbud?? The microchips were like on cell phone charm pieces or key rings of sorts, and it was a weird flex (that is to say, a statement piece and show of popularity) to have a bunch of them and carry them around. At least, that's what I remember.

Also they had commercials on kids networks targeting young teens. They had these covers/skins for the device that would make it look like a big smiley face or flower button. It already clipped onto your shirt or jeans, so it would supposedly look like a big pin or button. And the commercials basically advertised that you could use that to get away with listening to your hit clips in class and fool your teachers... As if the volume wasn't stuck at max and there wasn't a long black cord with a super thick ear bud on the end!

Not adjustable, super limited... And yet, I loved it as a little girl! I listened to Britney Spears' "Stronger" 60 seconds at a time. The device was heavy clipped onto my shirt so it turned my shirts into V-necks!

There were all kinds of weird little media players that came out and were marketed to kids in the years right before YouTube started and iPods and iPhones took over! It was a great time.

I had the VideoNow too!

[DiffydaDude]

Omg, guuuyys,,,,,, my camera is made of jellyyyy
This sounds like the exact kind of thing that DankPods would review. The whole jelly thing just sounds so dumb and silly and I love it, even if its not that useful or great.
I have found a couple things of weird tech, but theyre not super weird. Mostly stuff like a Watchman, a VHS rewinder, a bluetooth speaker in the shape of a cassette, quadrophonic records, etc. Nothing that would totally blow your mind away
But for exciting tech finds, I have a lot of those. I found a Sony CFD-440 in the school gym's storage closet and I got to keep it, and its right next to me :). I found a Sony Mavica in my art class, and I currently have it and am planning to take some photos with it. I got a Sony Dream Machine cassette player which is right next to my bed. I got my portable CD player from the thrift store too, for pretty cheap, and I've found plenty of unwrapped blanks at my thrift store too. Not to mention the time I found a FREAKIN AUTOGRAPHED RECORD at the THRIFT STORE for a DOLLAR!! Signed by Gerald Alston of the Manhattans, it's probably one of my best finds yet.

[kurohaato]

Tooth Tunes. Tooth Tunes? Tooth Tunes. They were these little tooth brushes that played a song for 2 minutes to encourage kids to brush their teeth. I've heard they also have the fun little quirk of playing the music louder the more pressure you put on the brush. I have some extremely vivid memories of seeing their commercials on nick and cartoon network back in 2010/2011.

[wygolvillage]

I think I had a friend who owned a We Will Rock You toothbrush. I always really wanted one of them but didn't really find a music choice that clicked with me, so I never got one.

[Sinclair-Speccy]

Tooth Tunes. Tooth Tunes? Tooth Tunes. They were these little tooth brushes that played a song for 2 minutes to encourage kids to brush their teeth. I've heard they also have the fun little quirk of playing the music louder the more pressure you put on the brush. I have some extremely vivid memories of seeing their commercials on nick and cartoon network back in 2010/2011.

We feel like we have faint memories of these in stores

[myleszey]

Tooth Tunes.

I remember this only because I had the clean version of a very popular Black Eyed Peas song on one of these toothbrushes. Took many many years until I found out what the original song was

[TheNothingMonster]

I just recalled a weird kind of piggy banks: The Face Banks. They work just like every piggy bank out there, but to insert money in them, you have to "feed" them. They can detect when a coin is near their face (I think) and play a little chewing animation in order to eat the coins. Sounds cute until you see them in practice.

I reckon the only issue with them is the designer's choice, ha ha!

[Sinclair-Speccy]

I just recalled a weird kind of piggy banks: The Face Banks. They work just like every piggy bank out there, but to insert money in them, you have to "feed" them. They can detect when a coin is near their face (I think) and play a little chewing animation in order to eat the coins. Sounds cute until you see them in practice.

I reckon the only issue with them is the designer's choice, ha ha!

Oh no! We know of those o.o;

[Cobra!]

I found this alarm clock that is also a tetris handheld by Tamashi, a company I can't find any information about online. I needed an alarm clock as my phone battery isn't very reliable, so I picked it up. It's nostalgic seeing a handheld like this again! It's also loud enough as an alarm clock. Gonna test it tonight and see if it works!

I did the initial test and I thought it would have made you play a game to stop the alarm, but it just makes a very loud noise. That's fine, but I'm a little disappointed.

[PurpleHello98]

Forgive me if this isn't as bizarre as y'all's! This is about the only photo I could find of these, but I remember when I was younger, my pediatric dentist's office had one with reskinned clones of Angry Birds and other similar popular games. I always thought they were really bizarre.

[Fish]

Tooth Tunes. Tooth Tunes? Tooth Tunes. They were these little tooth brushes that played a song for 2 minutes to encourage kids to brush their teeth. I've heard they also have the fun little quirk of playing the music louder the more pressure you put on the brush. I have some extremely vivid memories of seeing their commercials on nick and cartoon network back in 2010/2011.

I REMEMBER!!! I always wanted one of these as a kid lol


Anyways, what was up with those weird themed computer mice?





I never had one myself, but maybe I could find one on ebay

[Cobra!]

I never had one myself, but maybe I could find one on ebay

Oh my god I want one of those so bad! I'm gonna be on the lookout for one!

[nintendowii99]

I REMEMBER!!! I always wanted one of these as a kid lol


Anyways, what was up with those weird themed computer mice?





I never had one myself, but maybe I could find one on ebay

I love these mice! I never had one as a kid, but I always wanted one. I found one on ebay a few years ago that has a little orca whale inside the water. Unfortunately it's a pretty crappy mouse, but it's cute enough that I don't care!

I've been wanting to collect more, but unfortunately I haven't seen too many on ebay recently. I don't know if i'm not searching the right terms or what, but only a few pop up and they're all >50$, some even going for $250! When I bought mine in 2020 there were hundreds of listings and they were all 10-25$. I don't know, did they all of a sudden get super popular?!

[nintendowii99]

Going to thrift stores and finding old technology is one of my favorite hobbies! I've been lucky enough to find some really cool things. Some of my favorites are my baby CRTs, tiny CRT televisions with 5" screens. I love my ikea spoka lamps, tiny ghost (?) shaped lamps that ikea made around 2007-2008. I've found 7 of them at my local thrift shops.

However, my absolute favorite find is a Crayola CRT television. It is the perfect blobject. I found it in a super tiny thrift store, it was completely new, everything wrapped in plastic still. It was truly a holy grail find. There's hardly any information about it online, so I think it was a super rare find!