re: Name and discuss something that exploded in popularity and then crashed

quote:

---

Smart phones rendered them obsolete.

---

Yep. Smart phones rendered a lot of things obsolete (or close to it):

-ipods/mp3 players/disc walkman
-CDs
-radios
-GPS/navigators
-alarm clocks
-flashlights
-wired landlines
-roadside pay phones/phone booths
-non-smart flip-phones
-answering machines
-calculators/calculator watches
-beepers/pagers
-walkie talkies
-digital cameras/point & shoot/disposable cameras
-camcorders
-paper checks
-paper tickets
-paper maps
-document scanners
-address book

...then indirectly, because smart phones carry the internet, there's no need for physical encyclopedias, dictionaries, letter mail, paper bills, recipe books, books/bookstores, telephone books, faxes, newspapers, magazines, mall/store/grocery shopping, etc..