Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Forget The Cans & String - Get Stylish With These Toshiba Walkie-Talkies
By bohus
I remember this distinctly... when I was a kid, I desperately wanted Walkie-Talkies. My neighbor somehow found out, and set me up doing chores around his place so I could earn some scratch and join the wireless communication revolution of the 70s (could a CB radio or shortwave be far behind?). It took forever, but I finally earned enough quarters to get a pair of cool Walkies. I could talk with my friends without having to go in and beg to use the phone! I remember the "serious gear" styling, and the many summer adventures I had, whether I was the Six Million Dollar Man (my value probably rung up around a buck sixty-eight), or Spider-Man. We were spacemen sometimes, but with these amazingly stylish Toshiba Walkies, I think we'd have been from space EVERY time.
Among the walkie-talkie cognoscenti, these are a desirable collectible. Made around 1965, these totally tubular transmitters (and receivers... I know, I know...) are all metal, and even have a battery meter to keep tabs on the wallet-draining six AA batts that power the beast. Initially I wondered whether these were intended for kids because they're so well built, but I'm pretty sure that the single channel nature confines these units to backyard adventuring. Though I suppose there could have been a more "advanced" model with more controls... that probably would have required even more batteries.
These rarely come up on Ebay, and when they do they command real bucks. A single unit (so you have to find a collector friend with another one) finished last month on Ebay for nearly $150. The accompanying video was part of the auction listing, and gives a great look at the details of this magnificent spaced-out communicator. Really nice voice on the narrator there... he's clearly into his walkie talkies. Though I suppose it would have been more authentic to deliver his lines over a scratchy walkie-talkie transmission, with a few inscrutable morse-code beeps added in for good measure.
These rarely come up on Ebay, and when they do they command real bucks. A single unit (so you have to find a collector friend with another one) finished last month on Ebay for nearly $150. The accompanying video was part of the auction listing, and gives a great look at the details of this magnificent spaced-out communicator. Really nice voice on the narrator there... he's clearly into his walkie talkies. Though I suppose it would have been more authentic to deliver his lines over a scratchy walkie-talkie transmission, with a few inscrutable morse-code beeps added in for good measure.
