A Look at Every Phone I’ve Owned and Their Technological Evolution
Introduction
Over the past few decades, mobile technology has evolved at an astonishing rate. From the bulky devices of the 90s to the sleek smartphones of today, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing this evolution firsthand. Here’s a comprehensive look at all the phones I’ve owned, detailing their technology, launch prices, adjusted prices for inflation (2024), operating systems, capacities, speeds, and overarching capabilities.
My journey through the evolution of mobile technology has been a fascinating one. It began with the sturdy Nokia 232, a relic of the AMPS era, and has led me to the cutting-edge Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, a marvel of GSM’s 5G capabilities. Along the way, I’ve witnessed the transition from the monophonic ringtones of the Motorola StarTAC to the high-fidelity soundscapes of the HTC series. Each phone, from the Qualcomm QCP-820 to the OnePlus 8 5G, has been a stepping stone in the ever-advancing river of innovation, marking my personal milestones with their technological leaps.
Eurodance, a vibrant genre of electronic dance music, originated in the late 1980s in central Europe, particularly Germany, where rave parties were gaining popularity. It was heavily influenced by various forms of music such as house, Eurodisco, Hi-NRG, trance, techno, hip hop, and hip house, blending them into a unique sound characterized by rich vocals, rapped verses, and a strong bass rhythm. The genre’s creation was a response to the growing club scene and the desire for a sound that encapsulated the energy and spirit of the time.
Eurodance, a vibrant genre of electronic dance music, originated in the late 1980s in central Europe, particularly Germany, where rave parties were gaining popularity. It was heavily influenced by various forms of music such as house, Eurodisco, Hi-NRG, trance, techno, hip hop, and hip house, blending them into a unique sound characterized by rich vocals, rapped verses, and a strong bass rhythm. The genre’s creation was a response to the growing club scene and the desire for a sound that encapsulated the energy and spirit of the time.
Tracklist:
Aqua – Barbie Girl (1997)
Gina G – Ooh Aah…Just a Little Bit (Motiv8 Radio Edit) (1996)
La Bouche – Be My Lover (1995)
Tina Cousins – Mysterious Times (Album Version) (1997)
Captain Hollywood Project – Only With You (Radio Mix) (1993)
Alice DJ – Better Off Alone (1998)
Little Play – Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! (1999)
Real McCoy – Run Away (Single Version) (1994)
Corona – The Rhythm of the Night (1993)
Whigfield – Think of You (Radio Edit) (1994)
DJ Worris – Dreams (Will Come Alive) (DJ Worris Classic Mix) (1994)
Haddaway – What Is Love (Club Mix) (1993)
Ice Mc – It’s a Rainy Day (1994)
Ice Mc – Think About the Way (1994)
MaxX – Get A Way (1993)
Dj Space – Forever Young (1995)
Dr Alban – It’s My Life (1992)
Bizarre Inc – I’m Gonna Get You (Original Remix Version) (1992)
Faithless – Insomnia (1995)
Magellano – Coming Up (Lead Harmonic Mix) (1993)
Corona – Baby Baby (1995)
Dance Fusion – Sweet Dreams (1996)
New Kids On The Block – Step By Step (The C & C Vocal Club Mix) (1990)
Whigfield – Saturday Night (Radio Mix) (1994)
Sarah Washington – I Will Always Love You (Mighty Mix) (1993)
C & C Music Factory – Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) (1990)
Black Box – Everybody (LeFreak Remix) (1990)
Black Box – Strike It Up (1990)
Black Box – I Don’t Know Anybody Else – Black Box [DJ Lelewel Mix] (1990)
Infinite Hit Band – Good Vibrations (1992)
Double You – We All Need Love (1992)
Double You – With or Without You (1992)
Freddie Mercury – Living On My Own (1993)
2 Unlimited – Get Ready For This (1991)
Another Class – Don’t You( Forget About Me) (A & S Mix) (1991)
A year ago, I started sharing my DJ work on YouTube, including live streaming events. Initially, it was a personal archive for use with YouTube Music and for downloading during air travel. Soon, I noticed that some listeners enjoyed my mixes, so I began uploading content more frequently. To celebrate the one-year anniversary, I decided to stream a mix featuring 80s-90s hits and some 2010s synthpop tracks. Unfortunately, the stream was flagged and removed due to copyright claims, which are stricter for live streams than for regular uploads. This mix includes some of my all-time favorite tracks, especially from my favorite band, the Pet Shop Boys. It’s excellent music from that era, in my opinion.
Tracklist:
Sinéad O’Connor – The Emperor’s New Clothes: Released in 1990.
Chyp-Notic – Nothing Compares 2 U: Originally written by Prince in 1984, but popularized by Sinéad O’Connor in 1990.
New Order – Regret (Fire Island Mix): The original version of “Regret” was released in 1993.
Phil Collins – Sussudio (Extended Remix): “Sussudio” was released in 1985.
Obsession – Never Ending Story (1st Chapter Mix): The song “Never Ending Story” was originally recorded by Limahl in 1984 for the film of the same name.
Dead Or Alive – Brand New Lover (The Dust Monkey’s Love Bubble Club Mix): “Brand New Lover” by Dead Or Alive was released in 1986.
Kon Kan – I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) [12″ Remix]: Released in 1989.
OMD – Pandoras Box (12 inch remix): “Pandora’s Box” by OMD was released in 1991.
Erasure – A Little Respect (12 inch Vocal): Released in 1988.
Big Audio Dynamite – The Bottom Line ((12 Inch Remix) [Edit Version]): Released in 1985.
Book Of Love – Boy (Extended Mix Version): Released in 1985.
New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep Pettibone 12″ Remix): The original version of “Bizarre Love Triangle” was released in 1986.
Baxter – Proof (Lifelike Remix): Released in 2007.
Moby – Mistake (LIFELIKE Remix): Released in 2009.
REFLEX – Wavering (JBAG Remix): Released in 2013.
Kon Kan – Move To Move (Club Remix): Released in 1989.
Sunscreem – Perfect Motion (Boys Own Mix): Released in 1991.
Pet Shop Boys – Always on My Mind (Extended Dance Version) [2018 Remaster]: The original version of “Always on My Mind” was released in 1987.
Pet Shop Boys – What Have I Done to Deserve This? (Shep Pettibone Disco Remix): The original version of “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” was released in 1987.
Pet Shop Boys – Flamboyant (Tomcraft Extended Mix): Released in 2004.
Pet Shop Boys – Can You Forgive Her? (Rollo Remix): Released in 1993.
Anything Box – Living In Oblivion: Released in 1989.
Human League – Tell Me When: Released in 1995.
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (Steve Angello Remix Edit): The original version of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” was released in 1983.
If you are a DJ who uses rekordbox to manage your music library, you might want to sync your catalog and music files with cloud storage. This way, you can access your library from any device and have a backup in case something happens to your local storage. In this blog post, I will show you how to configure rekordbox with cloud storage using OneDrive or Google Drive.
Step 1 – Create Folders on Cloud Storage
The first step is to create a folder in your cloud storage where you want to store your rekordbox catalog and music files. For example, you can create a folder called “Rekordbox” and inside it create two subfolders: “Catalog” and “Music”. You can name them whatever you want, but make sure to remember them for later.
Step 2 – Map Drive Letters to the folders
The second step is to use the SUBST command in Windows to create virtual drives that point to these subfolders. The SUBST command allows you to assign a drive letter to any folder on your computer or network. This way, you can trick rekordbox into thinking that your cloud storage is a local drive (this is supported by rekordbox).
To use the SUBST command, open the Command Prompt as an administrator and type the following:
Replace YourName with your Windows username and Onedrive with Google Drive if you are using that service. Also, replace R: and M: with any available drive letters that you want to use for your catalog and music folders. You can check which drive letters are available by opening File Explorer and looking at the list of drives.
Step 3 – Point to new folders in Rekordbox
The third step is to configure rekordbox to use these virtual drives. Open rekordbox and go to Preferences > Advanced > Database Management. Click on the Change button next to the Database Location field and select the R: drive (or whichever drive letter you used for your catalog folder). Click OK and then Apply.
Next, go to Preferences > Advanced > Library Management. Click on the Change button next to the Library Location field and select the M: drive (or whichever drive letter you used for your music folder). Click OK and then Apply.
Step 4 – Drag and drop your music files to rekordbox
The fourth step is to add your music files to rekordbox. You can either drag and drop them from File Explorer or use the Import function in rekordbox. Make sure that you import them from the M: drive (or whichever drive letter you used for your music folder). This way, rekordbox will store the file paths as M:\Music\Artist\Album\Song.mp3 instead of C:\Users\YourName\Onedrive\Rekordbox\Music\Artist\Album\Song.mp3. This is important because if you use the full path, rekordbox will not be able to find your files if you switch devices or change your cloud storage settings.
The fifth step is to test your setup. Close rekordbox and reopen it. Check if your catalog and music files are still there and if they play correctly. You can also try accessing your library from another device that has rekordbox installed and has access to your cloud storage. Just repeat steps 2 and 3 on that device and you should be good to go.
Step 6 – Trigger a Drive Mapping on every Windows start
The final step is to make sure that the SUBST command runs automatically every time you start Windows. This way, you don’t have to manually enter it every time you want to use rekordbox. To do this, you need to create a shortcut that executes the SUBST command and place it in the Startup folder.
To create a shortcut, right-click on an empty space on your desktop and select New > Shortcut. In the location field, type cmd /c subst R: “C:\Users\YourName\Onedrive\Rekordbox\Catalog” & subst M: “C:\Users\YourName\Onedrive\Rekordbox\Music”. Replace YourName with your Windows username and Onedrive with Google Drive if you are using that service. Also, replace R: and M: with the drive letters that you used for your catalog and music folders. Click Next and give a name to your shortcut, such as Rekordbox Cloud Sync. Click Finish.
To place the shortcut in the Startup folder, press Windows + R on your keyboard and type shell:startup in the Run dialog box. Click OK and a folder will open. Drag and drop your shortcut into this folder.
That’s it! You have successfully configured rekordbox with cloud storage using Onedrive or Google Drive. Now you can enjoy the benefits of having a synced and backed up library across all your devices.
Versioning preserves prior snapshots of files changed by rekordbox