|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
|
 Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 5:04 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| fusionbarnone wrote: |
The Japanese inventor of the transister radio (also responsible for an impressive range of other innovative inventions) led the world pace in electronics. In contrast, IBM lost it's competitive edge mostly because it failed to see a future in personal computers. So perhaps, tradition whether it be culturally devised or complacently accepted in the size of a corporate hierarchy, reflect a culture/modus operandi until, competition forces adaption to change in order to remain abreast of competitors.
|
Actually, not to nitpick, but transistor radios were produced in America a full year before they were in Japan...not to mention the transistor radio was simply an application for the transistor, courtesy of Bell Labs.
A Transistorized Radio
In 1954, Texas Instruments approached RCA (and other noteworthy radio manufacturers of the era), but they expressed little interest in selling transistor (or "transistorized") radios. However, a small Indianapolis company, the Regency Division of Industrial Development Engineering Associates (I.D.E.A., at 7900 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis 26, Indiana, telephone: CHerry 2466) was especially interested (How the factory looked in 1990 -- thanks to Don Pies). (The factory building is presently occupied by an unrelated company (2004 photo)). Prior to this (Electronics, January, 1953, p.353), they had been manufacturing television UHF converters, signal boosters, filters (QST, Nov., 1953, p.113), and (around then) hi-fi gear (High Fidelity, June, 1955, p.19). By June, 1954, an agreement had been reached on the venture. It was to utilize four Texas Instruments "grown-junction" germanium (not silicon) transistors (even though a TI ad in the December, 1954, Electronic Design mentioned "high volume production" of the superior (but probably expensive) silicon type). A TI information bulletin on October 18, 1954 announced the innovative radio -- the first of its kind. The radio was to receive AM broadcasts only, as FM was not yet a contender. It would include, ultimately, just four transistors, in a superheterodyne design. The transistors cost around $2.50 each, approximately $17.00 in today's dollars -- leaving just a small profit margin in the radio. The radio sold for $49.95, or about $345.00 of today's dollars -- a large sum, but they still sold very well.
http://people.msoe.edu/~reyer/regency/
- After the war (1948) the Transistor was invented in the Bell Laboratories in the USA (by Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley)
- Hearing aids were the first commercial application of the new solid state invention (1952)
- In 1954 the first transistor radio (Regency TR-1) was produced with the help from Texas Instruments
- In 1955 Japan started making transistor radios (Sony TR-55)
- In 1957 Sony produced their first shirt pocket transistor radio (TR-63) followed by an avalance of other makers
- in 1957 Texas Instruments produced the first solid state Integrated circuits as a vacuum tube one had already been produced by Loewe (model 3NF) in 1926
- The first radio using the IC was produced by Sony in 1967 (ICR-100)
http://www.etedeschi.ndirect.co.uk/museum/concise.history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio
Perhaps you're (or the article/blog you cut & pasted) thinking of the Walkman, which was a great innovation... |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
NightSky
Joined: 19 Apr 2005
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 5:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| joe_doufu wrote: |
| Hater Depot wrote: |
| I would say people in every country get less creative as they age. It's a natural thing. |
No, maybe people become more "shy" or conscious of not wanting to be outrageous, but they don't actually physically become stupider. In Korea I think it's the second case. |
Judging by your posts I would say it's not limited to Koreans. |
lol |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fusionbarnone
Joined: 31 May 2004
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
Actually the inventor I was thinking about was Akio Morita of Sony and, your correct in that Sony produced the "first" transister a year later. I had to check this out myself after reading your post. http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/Museum/radio50th-English.html
Sorry about the posting's typos,etc. I wrote it in 15 minutes without proofreading and from memory. It wasn't cut and paste. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
