4 ms·

You say "we forget", but the overwhelming majority never even heard of a Danger Hiphop. Which is essential, because the OP isn't writing historical reference ma

You say "we forget", but the overwhelming majority never even heard of a Danger Hiphop. Which is essential, because the OP isn't writing historical reference materials, they're providing an (apt, IMHO) _analogy_ about trends and popular / common experiences. Thus I kinda inferred the OP meant "... which device crossed the threshold into mainstream awareness". So your "glazed" dismissal seems a little harsh. That said, I think you're right to make note of the Hiptop (TIL!), and I agree that it was the touchscreen (albeit also not truly firat of its kind either) that was a transformative experience for the masses. I'll never forget the first time I interacted with an iPhone.

Kuinox 6y ago
There was myPalm that ran windows and was touch based.
stickfigure 6y ago
While I understand what you're trying to say, I still think it's incorrect. The Hiptop (branded as the T-Mobile Sidekick) was very popular in the US - it was widely advertised on TV and "all the cool kids" had one. Literally kids - it was popular with a younger generation, and advertising played that up. The hiptop unquestionably crossed the threshold into mainstream awareness at the time. It's just been forgotten because the iPhone overshadowed it. On a personal note, I had a few generations of Hiptop before I switched to the 1st gen iPhone. Yes, my first experience with the iPhone was memorable... but still not as memorable as my first Hiptop. "You mean I have the internet everywhere??" That was incredible in 2002. We just take it for granted now.
- FalconSensei 6y ago
  > It's just been forgotten because the iPhone overshadowed it. Or maybe because it never successfully left US and reached the rest of the world.
- megameter 6y ago
  You say that, but...what were you going to do with mobile internet in 2002, exactly? The connected devices at the time were all still struggling with the early adopter chicken-and-egg issues of an emerging network of services. There weren't "apps" and web sites had not centralized themselves. And cost, speed and service coverage remained very limited. You couldn't justify a data plan just for Mapquest when you could print it out at home. Most kids, myself included, wouldn't be getting any phone for a few years yet. The mobile phone's purpose in the 2000's was served well with what was in feature phones: call, text, Snake, maybe email. In contrast, the iPod, a rough contemporary with the Hiptop, addressed something more immediately compelling with a two-sided, integrated marketplace when paired with iTunes. There was a value proposition in that since not everyone was or wanted to be a savvy song pirate, and you could buy singles instead of albums. Internet speeds and access were ready for that use case. Apple's success at the time, both with iPod and with iPhone, rested on timing and quality of integration, which returns again to that which the article alludes - we have a lot of early-adopter developer services, and some of these are in a position to be more like an iPod/iTunes. But I don't think the article goes deep enough in recognizing that even the iPhone was capitalizing on underlying infrastructure developments to channel them through a specific product and service mix.
  - stickfigure 6y ago
    You're vastly underselling the value of mobile internet in 2002 (and through the period up until the iPhone launch in 2007). Email was (and still is) the killer app, and it worked great. Instant messaging worked great - and at the time, Maxis (where I worked) ran on AOL IM the way people use Slack now. Danger's web browser actually worked through a proxy that chopped up pages and served them in a reduced format, which was effective in 2002 but was a liability by 2007. You could even edit your contacts online with full syncing! The Hiptop was popular and "quality of the integration" was better than anything Apple had produced right up until the iPhone. However, by 2007 the data networks had gotten fast enough that the Hiptop's web browser was feeling a bit antiquated, and navigating web pages with a scroll wheel was cumbersome. The capacitive touchscreen was a major leapfrog, and coming up with all the UI behaviors to leverage that was a major feat - Apple deserves a lot of credit! But maybe not quite as much credit as the OP suggests.
- Ma8ee 6y ago
  Maybe because I'm European, but this is the first time I learn about the Hiptop.

Kuinox 6y ago

There was myPalm that ran windows and was touch based.

stickfigure 6y ago

While I understand what you're trying to say, I still think it's incorrect. The Hiptop (branded as the T-Mobile Sidekick) was very popular in the US - it was widely advertised on TV and "all the cool kids" had one. Literally kids - it was popular with a younger generation, and advertising played that up. The hiptop unquestionably crossed the threshold into mainstream awareness at the time. It's just been forgotten because the iPhone overshadowed it. On a personal note, I had a few generations of Hiptop before I switched to the 1st gen iPhone. Yes, my first experience with the iPhone was memorable... but still not as memorable as my first Hiptop. "You mean I have the internet everywhere??" That was incredible in 2002. We just take it for granted now.

FalconSensei 6y ago
> It's just been forgotten because the iPhone overshadowed it. Or maybe because it never successfully left US and reached the rest of the world.
megameter 6y ago
You say that, but...what were you going to do with mobile internet in 2002, exactly? The connected devices at the time were all still struggling with the early adopter chicken-and-egg issues of an emerging network of services. There weren't "apps" and web sites had not centralized themselves. And cost, speed and service coverage remained very limited. You couldn't justify a data plan just for Mapquest when you could print it out at home. Most kids, myself included, wouldn't be getting any phone for a few years yet. The mobile phone's purpose in the 2000's was served well with what was in feature phones: call, text, Snake, maybe email. In contrast, the iPod, a rough contemporary with the Hiptop, addressed something more immediately compelling with a two-sided, integrated marketplace when paired with iTunes. There was a value proposition in that since not everyone was or wanted to be a savvy song pirate, and you could buy singles instead of albums. Internet speeds and access were ready for that use case. Apple's success at the time, both with iPod and with iPhone, rested on timing and quality of integration, which returns again to that which the article alludes - we have a lot of early-adopter developer services, and some of these are in a position to be more like an iPod/iTunes. But I don't think the article goes deep enough in recognizing that even the iPhone was capitalizing on underlying infrastructure developments to channel them through a specific product and service mix.
- stickfigure 6y ago
  You're vastly underselling the value of mobile internet in 2002 (and through the period up until the iPhone launch in 2007). Email was (and still is) the killer app, and it worked great. Instant messaging worked great - and at the time, Maxis (where I worked) ran on AOL IM the way people use Slack now. Danger's web browser actually worked through a proxy that chopped up pages and served them in a reduced format, which was effective in 2002 but was a liability by 2007. You could even edit your contacts online with full syncing! The Hiptop was popular and "quality of the integration" was better than anything Apple had produced right up until the iPhone. However, by 2007 the data networks had gotten fast enough that the Hiptop's web browser was feeling a bit antiquated, and navigating web pages with a scroll wheel was cumbersome. The capacitive touchscreen was a major leapfrog, and coming up with all the UI behaviors to leverage that was a major feat - Apple deserves a lot of credit! But maybe not quite as much credit as the OP suggests.
Ma8ee 6y ago
Maybe because I'm European, but this is the first time I learn about the Hiptop.