PC World has put together a list of the 50 greatest gadgets in the last half century, and a fine job they've done of it. Many of the items on the list are a real blast from the past. The Commodore 64 and TRS "Trash" 80 were the first computers I worked on and the Atari game system took many an hour from my younger years. You'll find new gadgets like the iPod and Tivo and older ones like the first Walkman (1979--can you believe it?) and the first TV remote (well before my time--1956). It's a great list. Go check it out.
50 Greatest Gadgets