1986 in your pocket
Here’s a fun little video - I wonder if anyone else remembers seeing this device in the stores in 1986.
A three-in-one personal media player that shows watching video, listening to your music and receiving radio broadcasts on a pocket sized gadget was possible in the 1980s it just took a bit of effort.
There are a couple of sections that are slightly out of focus, but you wouldn’t believe how tricky it was to get any clear shots of this thing at all.
Whilst its fun to look back on - will probably make you appreciate your smartphone a bit more.
RetroTech: SHARP TV CASSETTE - 1986 in your pocket (YouTube)
Comments (14)
Think I last saw one of those in John Lewis in Welwyn Garden City in about 1986!
Why inst my name in the end credits? :(
It's a list of the $5 patrons. It was only intended to be a 'perk' for a few people, but a lot more than I expected were kind enough to support me at this level.
My sister had one of these. The odd thing about her purchase was that she never spent money on the latest electronic gadget. What got her to buy one of these players was that she loved miniatures (mini-TV). I guess this player was more of a novelty to her more than anything. Thanks for bringing up some fun memories.
I actually had one of these devices.. not the same device, as mine didn't have the cassette built in. It was just the flip-up LCD TV and it was sold by Radio Shack. And it was terrible. The contrast was very poor (much like the one you just showed) and it was hard to get a good signal on it. But as a 10-year-old kid, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. The next year I got a Sony Watchman that had the tiny black and white CRT built in, and the quality was enormously better. Signal was still a problem, but the picture was easy to watch because it was bright and had good contrast.
The thing I dislike the most about your videos is when they end.
I'll be interested to see with this one to see how well a really short simple video does. There wasn't really anything else to say about this other than...here's something that most people probably don't remember and here's what it looks like when it's working. I have a feeling shorter videos probably get shared about more...but we'll see.
Well then, Sinclair was 2 years ahead with their TV80...
If you like vintage mini TVs...this website is excellent...there are a few pages to get through...but it's brilliant stuff. <a href="https://visions4netjournal.com/vintage-micro-tv/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://visions4netjournal.com/vintage-micro-tv/</a>
I had the Sony WM-33! (at 4:33) Agreed that this is almost textbook mid-80s gadgetry - ambitious, feature-laden, and wanted by pretty much everyone despite the fact that it didn't really work very well.
Btw,I like the puppets.
Yes sorry they didn't turn up this time. They'll probably be having a break for a few videos...unless a good idea comes up.
Pretty cool for 1986;I had no idea such a thing existed.
Very nice. I remember trying out a slightly usable portable TV while I was growing up.