In December 1996, the sexiest gear of the year apparently included US Robotics’ Pilot 512k (later renamed the Palm Pilot after a lawsuit), the Iomega Jaz removable disk drive and the Ricochet Wireless Modem…
http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/157892411638/tech-backissues-in-december-1996-the-sexiest