Gadgets have a wide variety of functions and styles, but have you ever thought about what gadgets were supposed to change the world but flopped horribly? Breath-taking revolutions in technology have brought us game-changing gadgets that became wildly successful, both critically and commercially.

Do you know what gadget is? A gadget is a new, often expensive, and relatively unknown hardware device or accessory that makes your life or the use of another device easier or more enjoyable. Some of them were supposed to change the world, but they flopped horribly. Did you expect that one of them comes from Samsung family? Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Whatever Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KRX:005930)’s expectations for the Galaxy Note 7 were, they never anticipated that the latest, highly-anticipated flagship phablet would be recalled two months after launch. Another one is Nintendo Virtual Boy. Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR) (OTCMKTS: NTDOY) is poised to launch a new console, the Switch, in 2017. The device is rumored to eventually feature VR technology, at least based on the company’s patents, which showed the use of the upcoming console’s detachable tablet with a VR headset. Did you know that gadgets were made in the 19th century? The origins of the word gadget trace back to the 19th century. A widely circulated story holds that the word gadget was invented when Gaget, Gauthier & Cie, the company behind the repoussé construction of the Statue of Liberty, made a small-scale version of the monument and named it after their firm. In the software industry, the word gadget refers to computer programs that provide services without needing an independent application to be launched for each one, but instead run in an environment that manages multiple gadgets. There are several implementations based on existing software development techniques, like JavaScript, form input and various image formats. It is not known whether other software companies are explicitly drawing on that inspiration when featuring the word in names of their technologies or only referring to the generic meaning. The word widget is older in this context.

If you want to see what gadgets were supposed to change the world but flopped horribly, check Insider Monkey’s list of 5 Gadgets That Were Supposed to Change the World but Flopped Horribly and find out more about this interesting topic.

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