eBaumsWorld: Funny Videos, Pictures, Soundboards and Jokes
Spicy Funny Galleries Funny Videos Games Time Wasters Internet Classics
eBaumsWorld: Funny Videos, Pictures, Soundboards and Jokes
  • Spicy
  • Funny Galleries
  • Funny Videos
  • Games
  • Time Wasters
  • Internet Classics
SpicyFunny GalleriesFunny VideosGamesTime WastersInternet Classics
  • 1 - 10
  • 11 - 20
  • 21 - 23

Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

Ever since technology was invented, it has been a human desire to put it in your pocket and take it with you.

By Cameron_Fetter

Published 6 months ago in Wow

Ever since technology was invented, it has been a human desire to put it in your pocket and take it with you. And taking a look at the history of portable electronics, it seems like many inventors and designers may have jumped the gun when using the word ‘portable’ for some of these products.


Many early ‘laptops’ would probably crush your legs if you actually used them in your lap as we do nowadays. And today it’s hard to imagine needing to carry around a briefcase-sized transceiver in order to make a mobile phone call. But this was the reality for most of history.


Take a look at some of these chunky portable technologies from times past and be glad we live in an era when we can listen to music off of our phones, instead of lugging around a suitcase-sized machine.

  • 1

    First ever portable camera, invented by Louis Daguerre in 1839.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 2

    The Blickensdorfer, nicknamed the “Blick” was the first truly portable typewriter. It was patented in 1892.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 3

    First portable superheterodyne radio receiver, created in 1923.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 4

    The Mikiphone. A pocket-sized phonograph invented in 1924. It was powered by hand-crank and could play 10-inch records.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 5

    Edison P-1. An unsuccessful portable record player from 1929.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 6

    The Peter Pan Alarm Clock Gramophone. A self-contained portable record player invented in Britain in the 1930s. It could also be used as an alarm clock.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 7

    Regency TR-1. The first portable transistor radio from 1954.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 8

    Emerson Model 1232 Television-Radio. Released in 1956. It weighed just over 20 pounds and featured a built-in AM radio.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 9

    Vintage Soviet-made portable record player that folds into a suitcase. Circa late 1950s.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 10

    Sony TV8-301, an early portable black-and-white television. Released on the market in 1960, it was prone to malfunction and was discontinued after only two years.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 11

    Canon Pocketronic. The first handheld calculator, launched in 1971. It weighed 2.5 pounds and originally cost $250.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 12

    The IBM 5100. One of the first portable computers, released in 1975. It weighed 55 pounds.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 13

    Mattel Auto Race. The first handheld electronic game, released in 1976.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 14

    TRS-80 Pocket Computer. Introduced in 1980. It was mostly a calculator, with a cassette tape interface.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 15

    Osborne-1. The first commercially successful portable computer, from 1982. It weighed 24.5 pounds and was sold for $1795.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 16

    Toshiba T1100. The first mass market laptop computer, released in 1985. It weighed 9 pounds and had a whopping 720 kilobytes of internal storage.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 17

    Sony WM W800 Walkman. A double cassette Walkman from 1986 with the ability to copy tapes.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 18

    Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. The first commercially available mobile phone, from 1983.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 19

    NEC PowerMate Portable SX. A “laptop” from 1988

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 20

    Motorola Bag Phone. Produced from 1988 to 2000, they were big bulky portable phones stored in bags that were powered either by battery pack or the cigarette lighter outlet in a car.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 21

    Colby WalkMac. A modded Mac computer from 1990 to make it portable, predating actual portable Macintoshes.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 22

    IBM Simon Personal Communicator, released in 1994. The first PDA/smartphone, featuring a touchscreen and many different ‘apps’.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

  • 23

    Panasonic DVD-L10. The first portable DVD player, from 1998. Featured a 5-inch color screen and a rechargeable battery pack that could be attached for portable use.

    Vintage Portable Tech Giving New Meaning to the Word

Categories:

Wow Science & Technology Trending

Tags:

tech history retro
Scroll Down For More


Most Popular

42 Cursed Randoms That Are Like Bleach for Your Eyes

42 Cursed Randoms That Are Like Bleach for Your Eyes

Wednesday Morning Randomness: 43 Fun Randoms to Keep You Occupied

Wednesday Morning Randomness: 43 Fun Randoms to Keep You Occupied

43 Times People Got Unfairly Singled Out by the Universe

43 Times People Got Unfairly Singled Out by the Universe

  • About Us
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Contact

If you are the original creator of material featured on this website and want it removed, please contact the webmaster

Copyright© 1998-2025 Literally Media