TIME technology editor Peter Ha picks the 100 greatest and most influential gadgets from 1923 to the present
The world's first MP3 player was announced in 1996 by Audio Highway CEO Nathan Schulhof. The Listen Up didn't ship until 1997 — if it shipped at all. An eBay listing from October 2009 indicates that only 25 units were produced. The seller was asking for $75,000 but failed to find any bidders. Very little is known about the first-ever MP3 player.