Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Rare Tomy Vinyl Recorder Commands A Stratospheric Price
By James Grahame
Eric from miniorgan.com just gave us a heads up on an auction for a rare Tomy Voice-Corder. Released in 1972, this complicated and pricey toy allowed kids to record one-off dub plates on colorful plastic-covered cards which could be sent to friends and family as 33 RPM audio postcards.
The blue recording arm features two needles -- an inner guide needle runs along an inner groove molded into the white center spindle of the platter. The outer needle records your future hit single onto the blank card. The red tonearm is used for playback, although the records are also compatible with standard turntables.
The complete set is currently listed on the Yahoo! Japan auction site. It includes the Voice-Corder with handheld microphone, original box and eight recording cards featuring bewilderingly cute photos of children and animals. Want it? It's yours for the staggering sum of 500,000 Yen -- about $6500.
Voice-Corder Auction on Yahoo! Japan [in Japanese, oddly enough]
