Engadget at 15: A look at how much tech has changed

These tiny, handheld pieces of tech are TVs, HiFis and game consoles, even running zeitgeisty games like Fortnite.Thanks to NFC payments, you can buy stuff without taking out your wallet, and thanks to map apps, you can use your phone to get around the city. As well as connecting with your smartphone and tracking your movement, some can make calls without a phone, and some can even save your life.In the olden days of yore, people used to use paper maps to find their way in unfamiliar territory. Now people had a whole host of ways to step into the virtual world and experience something new.And then there's the advent of augmented reality, where people can use head-mounted goggles, or their smartphone, to project digital information onto the real world. These outfits are now so big and so powerful that they're winning Oscars and making billions in profits every year.Social media existed before Engadget was born -- Friendster started in 2002 and MySpace in 2003 -- but it wasn't until the past decade that it swallowed the world. More than that, Facebook and Twitter were also instrumental in helping people make new connections with like-minded folks, build communities and even meet potential romantic interests.The power of social media became known to all during the Arab Spring, when protestors used the platforms to protest oppressive regimes in the Middle East. Its aims may not be bad, but more effort needs to be made by those in charge to keep people safer.It wasn't the first 3D printer or the first company to sell its wares, but MakerBot's arrival still feels like a watershed moment. It's used to help lower the cost of dentures for prisoners, and it even helps companies create customized products, like Gillette's branded razors.We're not at the point where everybody needs a 3D printer, but it's certainly a technology that will continue to quietly evolve. And they were far cheaper than laptops, making them great ways to get kids and the elderly online.These days, the tablet has gone from a tinker toy to a post-PC device that people can try to use instead of a PC. One of the first e-readers to come on the market was the Sony Librie in 2004, which was also one of a few to incorporate electronic paper, a digital ink and display technology that had the look of the real thing and was gentler on the eyes than your smartphone or tablet.Sony succeeded the Librie with the Reader line of e-book devices, and other rival e-readers emerged over the next few years, such as Kobo, Barnes & Noble's Nook and, of course, the Amazon Kindle, which debuted in 2007. The Kindle is without question the king of the e-readers right now, thanks to how easy it is to buy and download digital books straight from the web to the device, as long as you have an Amazon account.It's always been possible to have a home that's smarter than most; you just needed a series of remote controls to make it work. Of course, Patreon appears to be designed for content creators who are churning out work on a regular basis -- like podcasters or artists -- and not quite for those who are making only one project at a time. Today, Engadget hosts the archives and expertise of early digital publishing players like Joystiq, TUAW and gdgt, and produces the Internet's most compelling videos, reviews, features and breaking news about the people, products and ideas shaping our world.