Before streaming, before smartphones, before MP3 players, there was the Sony Walkman. This brilliant line of devices played music recorded onto cassette tapes, with each tape typically holding up to 90 minutes of recorded music. They were powered by AA batteries, and enabled the user to listen to their own music wherever they were through a pair of headphones. Times were simpler then, and Sony sold the Walkman in the millions.
From 1982 to 2000 Sony also made a line of pocket TVs, which didn’t catch on as much in the UK (who wants to walk around glued to a tiny portable screen, eh?). These devices, collectively called the Sony Watchman, came in many, many variants as screen technology evolved over 18 years of production. What’s more, they don’t work as TVs today, as the analogue TV broadcast signals have been switched off in favour of digital.
That doesn’t mean they’re useless, though: Reddit user Granitsky has taken a 1985-era Watchman and grafted on a Raspberry Pi 3B+, a wireless keyboard/mousepad, and a USB battery pack (for the Raspberry Pi 3B+ and keyboard). We love that gorgeous little CRT screen!
