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nov 1, 1954 - Regency TR-1 (Transistor Radio)

Description:

The Regency TR-1 was the first commercially manufactured transistor radio, introduced in 1954. Despite mediocre performance, about 150,000 units were sold, due to the novelty of its small size and portability. Previously, transistors had only been used in military or industrial applications, and the TR-1 demonstrated their utility for consumer electronics, offering a prescient glimpse of a future full of small, convenient hand-held devices that would develop into calculators, mobile phones, tablets and the like. Surviving specimens are sought out by collectors.

Added to timeline:

Date:

nov 1, 1954
Now
~ 71 years ago