Aug 24, 2026 · 28 min
Verge journalists put their gadget memories on trial
We play a brutal quiz of our gadget memories
The quiz turns consumer-tech history into a test of how reliably journalists remember the launches that shaped their careers.
- 1A timeline quiz pits four Verge journalists against the release dates of phones, wearables, and other landmark gadgets.
- 2The game doubles as an oral history of tech journalism, with office memories and product-launch experiences shaping the guesses.
- 3Nilay Patel and Sean Hollister finish tied at five points after David Pierce misses the DJI Phantom date.
Don't miss
Nilay Patel and Sean Hollister tie at five points after David Pierce misses the DJI Phantom date.
The brief
David Pierce introduces a playful new format for The Vergecast: a timeline quiz testing whether gadget journalists can remember when major products actually launched.
Nilay Patel, Sean Hollister, and producer Travis Larchuk join Pierce for rounds spanning phones and wearables, then a grab bag of consumer technology.
The guesses become a compact history of tech journalism, as devices such as the Nokia 9000 Communicator, Galaxy Fold, Google Pixel, and Surface Duo trigger workplace memories and launch-day debates.
The anything-goes round widens the timeline to Snap Spectacles, Flickr, Kindle, DJI Phantom, Sonos One, Apple Watch, and Betamax, making nostalgia part of the evidence.
Nilay and Sean finish tied at five points while David lands at four, after missing the DJI Phantom and reflecting on how slippery gadget memory can be.