1GB

The year was 2008.

Back then, a 1GB microSD card was all I needed to carry my entire digital life and entertainment. My trusty LG phone was at the center of it all.

With songs averaging around 5MB each (unlike this one), there was more than enough space to save my favorite pirated tunes in multiple genres. Whether commuting or relaxing at the college dorm, music was always within reach on my phone.

Video was also starting to go mobile, and 3GP files were still relatively small by today’s standards. YouTube clips, flash animations, or small movie trailers took up minimal space. I even squeezed a few episodes of certain TV shows into that 1GB memory. I loaded it with content to enjoy whenever I had spare minutes.

Compared to today, where people carry around phones with 128GB or more as a standard, going back to a time with such little storage is almost unimaginable.

I’m 33 years old. If you are 5 or 10 years older than me, you likely have different recollections of how technology has evolved during your lifetime. You may fondly remember the wonder of getting your first {n}GB hard drive or the joy of downloading a single song over dial-up in several minutes.

Reflecting on where we’ve come from helps us understand how transformative devices like smartphones have been and how much more is still to come.