1990s Technology: Gadgets, Computers And Tech Trends

Dial-up internet, mobile phones for everyone, and the CD-ROM sold as the future.

Below: the gadgets in ordinary 1990s homes, what computing looked like at the time, what changed across the decade, and the details anyone who was there will remember.

Useful for a reminiscence session, a quiz round, or working out what someone grew up using.

Years covered in the 1990s

• 1990 - Thatcher resigned, Gazza cried, and the country spent a fortnight thinking England might actually win it. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1990
• 1991 - Bryan Adams would not get off the top of the chart, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and Freddie Mercury died. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1991
• 1992 - Black Wednesday, a general election nobody predicted correctly, and the Premier League arrived. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1992
• 1993 - Mr Blobby was Christmas number one, which is somehow not the strangest thing about the year. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1993
• 1994 - The Lottery started, the Channel Tunnel opened, and Wet Wet Wet would not leave the number one spot. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1994
• 1995 - Blur against Oasis on the Six O'Clock News, and Toy Story changed films for good. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1995
• 1996 - Football came home, nearly, and the Spice Girls arrived and took the entire decade with them. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1996
• 1997 - A landslide in May, a death in August, and the best-selling single in British history. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1997
• 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement, a World Cup sending off nobody forgave, and Furby. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1998
• 1999 - An eclipse over Cornwall, a millennium everybody was quietly worried about, and boy bands everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1999
• That is every 1990s year we have written up so far: 1990 to 1999.

Gadgets of the 1990s

• Nokia and Motorola phones - the Nokia 3210 arrives in 1999 with Snake on it.
• Game Boy, Mega Drive, SNES, then the PlayStation in 1995.
• Portable CD players that skipped on every bus.
• MiniDisc for the few, and the first MP3 players right at the end.
• Digital cameras appearing, expensive and poor, but obviously the future.

Computers in the 1990s

• Windows 95 makes the PC the standard home computer.
• Dial-up modems, AOL discs and internet access charged by the minute.
• The World Wide Web goes public in 1991 and is everywhere by 1999.
• CD-ROM encyclopedias like Encarta replacing the shelf of books.
• Email at work moving from novelty to necessity.

Tech trends of the 1990s

• Pay-as-you-go mobiles from 1997 putting phones in teenagers' hands.
• Text messaging starting as an afterthought and becoming the point.
• Dot-com money pouring into anything with a website.
• Millennium bug work occupying the entire IT industry for two years.

What people remember

• The dial-up handshake noise, and someone picking up the phone mid-download.
• T9 texting fast enough to do it in your pocket.
• Burning a CD that failed three-quarters of the way through.
• Free AOL discs on magazine covers, used as coasters.

How to use this

• Reminiscence: ask what the first one they owned was, and what it cost - the price always gets a reaction.
• Quiz round: read a gadget and ask for the decade.
• Themed party: put the 1990s playlist on and lay a few old gadgets out on a table.
• Present: a print of the machine they learned on lands better than a generic card.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Prices are the best prompt - work out what a gadget cost in a week's wages and the room goes quiet.
• Ask what broke and how it was fixed; repairs get better stories than purchases.
• Check the dates before using these in a quiz - launch year and the year it reached most homes are rarely the same.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1990
• Look back to 1991
• Look back to 1992
• Look back to 1993
• Look back to 1994
• Look back to 1995
• Look back to 1996
• Look back to 1997
• Look back to 1998
• Look back to 1999
• 1990s calendar: year by year
• 1990s trivia: fun facts
• 1990s holidays and travel
• 1990s food and recipes
• 1990s music: albums, artists and songs
• 1990s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1990s books, films and TV
• 1990s party playlist
• The 1990s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1990s
• 90s kids' TV shows
• 90s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Video shops and late fees
• Saturday morning TV
• Phones before mobiles
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What gadgets did people have in the 1990s?

Nokia and Motorola phones - the Nokia 3210 arrives in 1999 with Snake on it. The full list above covers the equipment found in ordinary homes that decade.

What were computers like in the 1990s?

Windows 95 makes the PC the standard home computer. The computing section above covers the machines and how they were used.

What were the big tech trends of the 1990s?

Pay-as-you-go mobiles from 1997 putting phones in teenagers' hands. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

Do you sell technology or retro gadgets?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a care-home session.