"The transistor, more than any other single development, made possible the marriage of computers and communication. Three AT&T Labs researchers - John Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattain - shared the Nobel Prize for their 1947 invention of this tiny, reliable, electronic component.
In the years following its creation, the transistor gradually replaced the bulky, fragile vacuum tubes that had been used to amplify and switch signals. The transistor - and the eventual creation of integrated circuits that contained millions of transistors - served as the foundation for the development of modern electronics."
Before the transistor revolution in the 1950s, tubes were a sonic necessity. They were bulky, hot, and required frequent replacement. They were also magical. The soft yellow glow from the back of the family radio cheerfully illuminated living rooms around the world, and the sound was smoother.
Radio Age refurbishes and sells classic tube radios from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Many feature ornate wooden cases or quaint Bakelite exteriors. Most are AM and shortwave only because they predate the introduction of FM radio.
Take the time to browse this collection - they're beauties.
An online museum based on the unique archive held by Marconi Communications. Dedicated to Guglielmo Marconi and the company's early history, the collection is a treasure trove of equipment, photographs and documents that only a few have ever seen. The website is built using Flash and is visually impressive, but the navigation takes a bit of getting used to! You also have the option to view a more basic HTML version, which I found easier to use.
One of the most famous of all advertising images is the painting of the dog looking at and listening to the gramophone that has become associated with the words His Master's Voice. But not many people these days know the name of the dog, or can tell you the story of this painting and the slogan.
Japan’s first miniature transistor radio, the TR-55, was introduced in mid-1955 by a small company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation). It was sold on the Japanese domestic market and didn’t exhibit the fit, finish, and quality that their later radios were famed for.
All that changed with the international release of their TR-63 “Transistor Six” shirt-pocket radio in 1957. Instead of shoehorning in traditional components, the TR-63 was designed around all-new miniature devices. It was the smallest radio ever manufactured, and went on to sell over 100,000 units in four different colors, and set the standard against which future radio sets were judged. But this was only the tip of the iceberg.
TTK changed their name to Sony Corporation in 1958 (Incidentally, “Sony” is meaningless in Japanese – they took the bold step of creating a name that would exclusively define their brand). In what was to become typical Sony style, their next pocket radio was even smaller and sleeker. The TR-610 sold over 430,000 units – an astounding figure at that time. But, most importantly, Sony established itself as a dominant force in the consumer electronics world.
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