![]() ![]() Regency would become Relm Communications in 1989, which has further become a part of BK Technologies. IDEA was founded in 1945 but not incorporated until 1947, and would change its name to Regency in 1961. IDEA, on the other hand, is no longer around – at least not as IDEA. Texas Instruments is also well known for their calculators – ranging from scientific calculators to the common graphing calculators which can be found in almost any classroom. Perhaps one of their most famous products was the Speak & Spell, an electronic game which utilized the speech chip which they introduced. While Texas Instruments is known for their microprocessors, clock chips and transistors, they did manufacturer home computers in the 1970s and early 1980s. Texas Instruments is still a vital manufacturer of semiconductors to this very day. ![]() IBM would announce the 14 in October 1959 for small to mid-sized computers.ĭespite this, the SAGE – Semi-Automatic Ground Environment – system developed in 1956 would remain based on vacuum tubes. The IBM “STRECH” (7030) was the highest end scientific computer, followed by the 7040, 70 in the high-end. ![]() His demand was realized in 1959 when IBM released several transistorized computers on many levels. started telling his employees that IBM would be “solid state in ’58” – leaving vacuum tubes behind in 1958. The computing industry soon caught up – with Philco and other computer manufacturers making small transistorized computers as early as 1958. However, the transistor was a huge deal for all industries. Car manufacturers like General Motors and Ford also started putting transistorized radios into their cars. Being the first consumer item to utilize transistors, it set a precedent.įollowing the release of the TR-1, other manufacturers – like Sony, RCA, Emerson, and others – started producing their own transistorized radios. The Impactĭespite being somewhat of a failure in the market place, the TR-1 was nonetheless a vital point in technology. Radios had become a necessity for safety just like weather radios and cell phones of today. During the Cold War, CONELRAD stations would broadcast important information via AM radio. ![]() Consumer Reports claimed that the radio lacked the selectivity and sound quality that the larger, established tube-based radios had.ĭuring this time, radios had also become a crucial piece of emergency gear. The TR-1, despite 140,000 being made and selling for $49.95 (~$465 in 2018 dollars), could not catch the heat of tube-based competitors. Due to the use of transistors, there were no more vacuum tubes to worry about. It could be easily carried in a shirt pocket, while other radios of the time period were much larger and were barely considered portable. The TR-1, originally announced in October 1954, was instantly seen as a novelty due to its small size. The TR-1 The TR-1 wasn’t only the first transistor radio – but one of the first transistorized consumer products. After refining the circuit and making it more easy and cheaper to produce, the Regency TR-1 radio was born. While none were interested, IDEA picked up the idea. TI developed a transistor radio circuit and pitched the idea to several manufacturers. IDEA, under the “Regency” name, produced antenna amplifiers prior to the TR-1. Just a year later, TI was able to purchase a patent license to manufacture transistors to the Bell System’s (specifically Western Electric) specifications.Īt the same time, the Industrial Development Engineering Associates (I.D.E.A.) of Indiana was manufacturing antenna amplifiers under the name “Regency”. Texas Instruments, at the time, was just a small company that was newly formed as a spin-off of Geophysical Service Incorporated in 1951. However, Texas Instruments paired up with an Indianapolis-based company to produce the first consumer gadget to employ the new technology. The early transistors were unreliable and, in some applications, would not work. While you would think that the transistor would be an overnight success, finding uses in everything, you would be wrong. But what about technological breakthroughs? Introducing the Regency TR-1 transistor radio…īefore the transistor, vacuum tubes were the “norm.” They were found in everything ranging from radios to television sets to large computers (like SAGE.) However, scientists at Bell Labs – the research laboratory for the Bell System – invented the transistor in 1948. The middle class is rising, with suburban areas and so-called “Levvitowns” popping up all around the country. The economy is booming – more cars are being sold, homes are being constructed, and new inventions and technological breakthroughs are happening all the time. ![]()
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