Top tech ideas through the decade

Just when you thought you could enjoy your iPhone 3G, along comes the iPhone 3GS. VCRs are all but gone, replaced by DVRs. DVDs are on their way out, and Blu-ray discs are in.

Betamax and VHS. Eight-track tapes.

Cassettes and CDs. With technology, nothing lasts forever. As soon as something gets replaced by The Next Big Thing, the next Next Big Thing comes along.

So, before they disappear, here are 10 advances in consumer technology this past decade worth remembering.

Blue in the face

Say what you will about Bluetooth: It's unreliable. It's too expensive. A Bluetooth ear piece makes you look like a geek. The wireless system that lets devices talk to each other over short distances has changed how we use our phones, computers and MP3 players. Since the technology hit shelves in 2000, at least 2 billion devices have become Bluetooth-enabled, according to the company.

Sex, lies and DVRs

The digital video recorder came of age this decade, offering TV watchers the chance to pause programming and resume the show at will, which meant - among other things - the power to skip commercials. Consumers bought them in droves. Today, some 33 million homes have DVRs, according to industry estimates. What's been happening since is predictable - Americans are watching more television than ever. How much? A recent Nielsen study pegged it at 151 hours a month.

Men behaving gladly

Men who won't ask for directions collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief in 2000. That's when the accuracy of Global Positioning System technology was significantly improved for public use. Since then, GPS has become so popular that it's a standard feature in many new cars.

We like to watch

The bulky machine that broke your back. The protruding mike. The cassette tape. That was how video cameras used to be. The past decade, however, saw cameras that became smaller and simpler each year. The Flip Camcorder ($150) embodies how far the technology has come - a device that fits into the palm of your hand, uses just one button to stop and start and takes high-quality video.

But we've seen the future: Apple's latest iPod nano ($149-$179), which comes with a camera and built-in microphone, all while being slightly larger than a car key.

Edge of your seat

There was a time - and you younger readers might need to ask your parents about this - when all there was to do on road trips was look out the window. The past few years, however, have seen the advent of something that's changing travel: built-in DVD players. As in built into the dashboard. Or the headrests. Or overhead. Roughing it now means bringing a portable DVD player. For a new generation, moving pictures means inside the car, not out.

iPod, therefore I am

After eight years, a memorable U2 commercial and more than 220 million iPods sold worldwide, there's only one thing left to say: Thank you.

The tiny music players and their companion, iTunes, and competing MP3 players and sites, have given consumers much more control over what they listen to and when - and changed the music industry.

Game on

Video games have come a long way since "Pong." They pulled in a record $21.3 billion this time last year, cementing the industry's reputation as one that's recession-proof and ripe for continuous milking. The decade saw a slew of new systems, each one delivering better graphics and a more realistic experience than the last. Sony's PlayStation 2 debuted in 2000 and Microsoft's Xbox in 2001, only to be replaced within years by PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Then came Nintendo's Wii in 2006, whose motion controller revolutionized the industry.

Can a PlayStation 4 with a motion controller be far behind?

Air waves

Pay radio. It was a novel idea when XM Satellite Radio launched in 2001, followed by Sirius Satellite Radio in 2002.

But would people buy a subscription for something they can get for free? Few believed they would.

Think of satellite radio like cable TV without the visuals. Within clicks of each other on the dial, you can find R-rated comedy, an NFL football game, the Playboy Channel, CNN and Martha Stewart. Consumers got hooked - some 18 million and still growing. Meanwhile, XM and Sirius Merged to form the second-largest radio company in the country.

Must-see TVs

It was a good decade for practitioners of America's favorite pastime - watching TV.

The upside was that electronics giants offered more high-definition TVs than you could shake a remote at.

The downside: Picking one felt like trying to buy a car. LCD or plasma? 1080i or 1080p? HD ready or not? Americans figured it out along the way. About one-third of U.S. households now own at least one high-def TV, according to Consumer Reports.

Can you hear me now?

Ten years ago, the cell phone looked like a brick and weighed about as much. But what once cost thousands and offered little now starts as low as $50, weighs a few ounces and comes with a calculator and calendar. And Internet access. And a video camera. And countess "apps." Oh, yeah. It makes something called a phone call, too.

Mike Kernels, (757) 446-2277, mike.kernels@pilotonline.com