Top 10 Cool Inventions That Were Misunderstood

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Some cool inventions were too far ahead of their time. As such, many cool gadgets have fallen to the wayside because people didn’t properly understand them. Check out the article below for the top 10 cool inventions that were misunderstood because they were ahead of their time.

#10: Sega Game Gear

In 1990, the Sega Game Gear was Sega’s version of the Game Boy. In fact, Sega intended it to be the Nintendo Game Boy killer. At the time, it had all the features that everyone wished was in the current generation of Game Boy. For example, it had a full color screen, a large collection of popular games, and the ability to use the console in conjunction with a TV. At the time, all of these features were revolutionary.

However, the Sega Game Gear never really took off. This misunderstood game console was a failure on several levels. First, it was way too big. While the Game Boy could easily fit in your pocket, you needed a separate bag just to carry the Game Gear around. Furthermore, the device used 6 AA batteries but only lasted for 2 to 3 hours.^[1]Retro Gamers – Sega Game Gear, that BIG misunderstood console

#9: Microsoft Zune

The Microsoft Zune was not a bad product. In fact, it performs the job of a music player very well. However, it came late to the music player market and failed to gain popular traction mainly due to Apple’s monopoly on the music device market. In fact, much of the music industry blindly followed Apple. Even Robbie Bach, the former Head of Microsoft entertainment, said ‘they were so hooked on the drug of what Apple was supplying them that they couldn’t see past hat to realize that they needed something else to actually drive their business. The label business, the music industry, has never recovered from that’.^[2]Digital Spy – Zune was misunderstood, says ex-Microsoft exec In addition, Microsoft was fighting the trend of people moving away from devices that only played music, to smart phones that could play music and do everything else as well.

#8: Google Glass

At the time, tech critics heralded the Google Glass as the next wave of technology. Now you had a computer on you at all times within easy reach. In addition, it was a new kind of virtual assistant that allowed you to interact with the world in new ways. When described like this, you might wonder why it was not more successful especially in our current smart phone carrying culture where everyone is constantly taking pictures to share on social media, or surfing the web.

The Google Glass was one of those cool inventions that did not work out on two levels. First, it was not that stylish to wear. Second, it disrupted our current social norms of behavior. If you were wearing the Google Glass and talking with people, they never knew if you were actually recording them, or doing something else at the same time.^[3]CNET – Google Glass is still misunderstood, says the guy who wore them in the shower Thus the device made it awkward to use in social face to face situations.

#7: Segway

The Segway scooter came out in 2002. It was the promised future of transportation. Taking the car, and even walking were now things of the past. as the Segway scooter provided the perfect medium between these two forms of transportation. The Segway could go as fast as a slow moving car, but could also taken inside a mall or grocery store. However, these cool inventions were a bit ahead of their time. In fact, at the time, most people only saw them as a toy to play with and not really a means of transportation.^[4]Natura Tours – Segway Segway is a Garrotxa? In addition, it was and is very expensive, the Segway was doomed to fail from the start.

#6: Nintendo Virtual Boy

In 1995, Nintendo released the Nintendo Virtual Boy console system. Its selling point was the ability to display graphics with a 3D effect. This was a revolutionary achievement for the time. Unfortunetly, for Nintendo and many gamers, it was a huge failure. However, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Nintendo Virtual Boy, thinks that its commercial failure was not the console system’s fault, but rather people’s misunderstanding it.

Miyamoto saw the nintendo Virtual Boy as a fun toy to play with that show cased the technological capabilities of the time. However, according to him, ‘The Virtual Boy’s name and the fact that it was created by Nintendo had people thinking it was the successor to the Game Boy, and even Nintendo was selling it’^[5]Fast Company – Unraveling The Enigma Of Nintendo’s Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later as such. However, Miyamoto never intended it to be the Game Boy’s successor.

#5: The Blender and Food Processor

Two of the most misunderstood cool inventions that everyone has in their kitchen are the food processor and blender. People commonly misunderstand and misuse the name for each. In fact, in many cases, they are actually using the wrong machine for the job at hand.

The easiest way to distinguish the two devices is based off of their blades. The blender has dull blades and a powerful motor while the food processor has sharp blades and a weaker motor. This is because we use blenders to blend things that are easy to cut up and need to have a really smooth texture.^[6]Reader’s digest – 13 Ways You’re Using Your Kitchen Appliances Wrong However, we use food processors to process harder things (such as nuts and hard vegetables). When we use a food processor, we usually want the final product to have a bit of texture.

#4: Dishwashers

The dishwasher is one of the most misunderstood cool inventions ever. It is very common to put dirty dishes in it to clean, only to still have food particles stuck to your dishes when you take them out. Many times, you have to run that same dish through the dishwasher several times just to get off the caked on food. The main reason that this is happening is because you don’t know how to use it correctly.

A University of Birmingham study, titled The physics of dishwashers: first steps for developing a model to analyse automatic dishwashers (ADW) behavior found that there is actually a perfect spot for each plate and  utensil in the dishwasher.^[7]The physics of dishwashers: first steps for developing a model to analyse automatic dishwashers (ADW) behaviour. They found that when cleaning dishes, high water pressure is most effective with carbohydrate based foods while soap is most effective with protein based food. Therefore, they recommended placing dishes that had carbohydrate rich foods on them in the center of the dishwasher as the water pressure is the greatest in this location. They then recommended to place dishes that had protein rich foods on them at the edges of the dishwasher as the amount of soap is greatest in this location.

#3: The Common Household Oven and Its Broiling Feature

Nothing is better than a broiled steak. You get the crispiness of a grilled steak or chicken without the mess. Most people throw the steak in the oven, set it to broil, and close the door. However, that is not correct. In fact, the oven and its broiling feature is one of the most misunderstood cool inventions. When you keep the door closed, you let the steam in the oven build up. This causes you to loose the desired grilled effect.^[8]myrecpies – Do you have to leave the oven door open when you broil? Furthermore, when you are close the door, the entire dish is cooked verses just the outside layer of the food.

#2: The Toilet Plunger

The toilet always seems to get clogged at the wrong time. Normally the trusted old plunger helps fix the problem. However, you are probably using the wrong type of plunger. In fact, there are two different types of plungers, each of which serve a specific function. Most people usually use the red style plunger; however, they don’t realize that this style of plunger is meant only for the sink. In fact, the plunger with a flange is the correct type of plunger for the toilet.^[9]Popular Mechanics – You’ve Been Using the Wrong Plunger to Unclog Your Toilet The flange on the plunger gives more suction power to help unclog the most clogged of toilets.

#1: The Solo Cup

The red Solo Cup is the go to disposable plastic cup. In addition, it’s synonymous with the American university party culture. In almost every college or a college party film, you can see the famous Solo Cup. However, these cool inventions are very much understood, and has several hidden features. In fact, the lines along the sides of the cup serve a function.

They serve as measuring lines for different types of drinks. The bottom marks the amount for a 1 oz. shot. The second line is for 5 oz. wine. The third line up is for 12 oz. of beer or soda. The fourth line is for a 16 oz. pint of beer. The last line is 18 oz. and helps account for the additional liquid volume due to adding ice.^[10]kitchn – Do You Know the Secret Feature of the Iconic Red Solo Cup?