Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Updated Stylophone Electronic Instrument
By James Grahame
What's not to love about the Stylophone? This buzzy miniature electronic instrument first appeared in 1967. It tormented parents for a year or so before gaining notoriety in the hands of David Bowie and Rolf Harris. Thirty years later it made a guest appearance on Erasure's single "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" in 1997. And now it's back!
UK retailer Firebox.com is taking pre-orders for a new £14.95 version that is slated to ship on October 12th, 2007. It features the vintage look of the original, along with two new sounds to accompany the buzzy original. An 'MP3 function' is included with a two way adapter that allows you to mangle accompany your favorite tunes. Hopefully, the modern version uses the same quirky voltage controlled oscillator design as the original, which links each of the metallic 'keys' using a different value resistor. Powered by 3 x AA batteries (not included). Considerable skill required to make good music (also not included).
We first wrote about the vintage Stylophone in 2006, complete with a link to "Particle Man" by They Might Be Giants.
