Congratulations to client Seagate on its successful launches of the FreeAgent Theater+ and the FreeAgent DockStar this week!

Seagate’s storage solutions have gotten such a positive reception from “Today Show” and other consumer press, in addition to the hardcore gadget and IT outlets, that it got me to thinking about the evolution of consumer tech coverage over the years.

Before the days of the Internet, anything related to technology was more in the realm of enthusiast and how-to publications like Popular Mechanics or – to go all cyberpunk on you for a second – alt-culture mags like Mondo 2000.

It’s true that some of those same authors have evolved and reemerged in new roles as bloggers, like Mark Frauenfelder, who founded Boing Boing after writing for Mondo 2000 and Wired, among others. Even Mondo founder R.U. Sirius has a webzine: 10 Zen Monkeys. Nowadays, however, they are joined in their techno-coverage by blogs like HiTechMommy and Dad-o-matic.

Mommy and daddy bloggers have joined geeks and early adopters in covering consumer technology and influencing gadget purchases, just as Gizmodo and CNET do. The audiences may be slightly different, but each outlet exerts influence nonetheless.

Think about the number of electronic devices you use in any given day. Then think about where you yourself go to get insight into product performance, or who you trust to help you make wise purchases.

Technology has moved beyond the labs and the family garages of future computer legends to encroach on many aspects of our everyday lives. We consumers have turned to technology to solve problems, but we’ve adapted those inventions and technologies to match our lives and applications. It’s only fitting that our technology pundits and influencers have changed as well.