The year 2000 was a special time for kids with an impressive amount of tech to feel as futuristic as possible. The new Millennium brought in a wave of futuristic clothing, toys, and more importantly, gadgets. The technology of 2000 was impressive for its time and excited everyone from adults to kids.
With cell phones not being as popular as they were, kids in the 2000s relied on toys and new gadgets to pass their time. With gadgets becoming cooler and more accepting at schools for the teenage age range, only the coolest kids had these trendy gadgets.
Hit Clips
Hit Clips became a handheld gadget that all the cool kids had. Kids today wouldn’t recognize something like a Hit Clip but it was all the rage when it came out in 2000.
Hit Clips gave people the ability to listen to a popular song for 60 seconds. It seems silly now to buy something for only a few seconds of a song, but countless cool kids bought their favorite songs to play in their Hit Clip on the bus, while walking to class, or hanging out at home.
Cybiko Xtreme
In 2000, Cybiko Xtreme gave all the cool kids the abilities of a cell phone without actually having one. Since cell phones weren’t widely used yet in 2000, the Cybiko was a happy in-between. Plus, it came in cool, neon colors — making every kid the coolest while carrying this around.
The modern-looking device allowed kids to text other Cybiko users who were nearby, listen to music, play games, and more. It was a small step before getting a cellphone that made kids feel mature and from the future,
T-Mobile Sidekick
2000 was the era where Smartphones weren’t wildly popular but were slowly gaining traction. T-Mobile didn’t just create a mobile phone that had access to the internet, it could shapeshift from a "normal" phone to one that looked like a mini tablet.
While most phones were vertical, the Sidekick could be used vertically or horizontally. When using it horizontally, it had full keyboard users could type on — just like a laptop. The option to switch a phone’s shape made this an amazing gadget at the time. It became a gadget that kids were obsessed with.
Talkabout T900 PIC
The Talkabout series or the Talkabout T900 PIC aren’t popular in 2023, but they were everywhere in 2000. Before kids had access to phones, some would use the T900 PIC.
It was a three-way cross between a beeper, cell phone, and walker-talkie. What made this particular model stand out in 2000 was its keyboard. Unlike other pagers, users could write out full messages instead of coded numbers. Users could also send and receive emails, which was huge at the time.
Nokia 3310
If there was one phone that the cool kids had, it was the Nokia 3310. Countless hilarious Instagram accounts are focused on the 2000s, and the Reels that involve the Nokia 3310 are some of the most relatable because they were so popular.
This cellphone was known for its durability and allowed users to play games, which was very new for the period. Between the shape and the extras, the phone came with, this was a simple phone that kids felt good having.
Microsoft Tablet PC
Just as there were gadgets that ‘90s kids were obsessed with, this was one for the 2000 bunch. Before the iPad went viral and became a necessity for students and teens, the Microsoft Tablet PC was what all the cool kids wanted.
The biggest difference between this tablet and an iPad was that Microsoft did what it could to make this tablet into a personalized computer. It had everything a standard computer had. This included a tech pen for users to use instead of their fingers. A tablet like this would be unfathomable at schools in 2000—unlike today—but teens showed it off to their friends during play dates at home.
StepMania And DDR
While Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) came out in 1998, it didn’t become a cool gadget for kids until StepMania came out and kids could have the gadget at home.
DDR was a dance game that involved a large dance mat with arrows. The dancer had to match the arrows on the screen with the ones on the platform. Before 2000, DDR was only seen in arcades or shopping malls, but when StepMania came out in 2001, fans of DDR were now allowed to have dance parties at their house with their friends. These dance mats also made kids more active and interested in a new type of "gaming."
Heelys
While not a typical gadget from the ‘00s that became a pop culture phenomenon, Heelys became more of a style necessity.
Heelys came out in 2000 and were the shoes of the future. Made for people of all ages, these were shoes and rollerblades combined into one. There were tiny wheels that popped out the bottom of the shoe, allowing the coolest kids to skate their way around town or to class. It did take kids time to get the hang of rolling around and walking simultaneously, but when they did, they looked even cooler.
Razor Scooter
The Razor Scooter was a 2000s invention that made people believe in the future. At the time, kids were used to riding bikes or using rollerblades, but those things could be hard to learn. The Razor Scooter changed all that.
The Razor Scooter was easy to use and transport. It was lightweight and folded in half for easy travel. Kids could keep one foot on the scooter while pushing off the ground with their other foot — like a skateboard with handles. Only the coolest kids scootered around town.
Jabra Bluetooth Earpiece
The concept of Bluetooth was just getting started in 2000, and the Jabra Bluetooth Earpiece was a stepping stone for what it is today.
Kids who had these earphones were super cool because Bluetooth was such a foreign concept. It was the older crowd who were more interested in these headsets instead of the in-kids, but it was the future to anyone who saw them wearing it. The Jabra Bluetooth Earpiece was smaller, chicer, and more modern than the headsets kids were familiar with. It made those using them like they were from the future, which only made them trendier.