The Sony Watchman was must-see TV | Version History

The Sony Watchman was must-see TV | Version History

October 19, 2025 • 61m 13s View Original ↗The Verge ↗

1982's coolest gadget was the Sony Watchman portable TV. Decades before everyone was glued to YouTube on their smartphones, the Watchman popularized the concept of video on the go. In the early days of the personal-tech revolution, you’d find the Watchman antennas up everywhere from the church pew to the baseball bleacher. Victoria Song and Allison Johnson join David Pierce to dive into the engineering feat that made the first Watchman possible. #Podcast #Technology #Nostalgia 0:00 Introduction to the Watchman 00:58 Meet the Hosts 02:13 Nostalgia and Personal TV Memories 04:52 The Evolution of Portable TVs 10:55 The Birth of the Watchman 17:13 Technical Innovations and Features 25:28 Market Reception and Cultural Impact 29:35 The Rise and Fall of the Sony Watchman 30:40 The Watchman as a Cultural Icon 33:39 The Watchman in Pop Culture and Personal Stories 39:20 The Decline of the Watchman 41:38 Version History Questions 56:34 Final Thoughts and Conclusion Subscribe: http://goo.gl/G5RXGs Like The Verge on Facebook: https://goo.gl/2P1aGc Follow on Twitter: https://goo.gl/XTWX61 Follow on Instagram: https://goo.gl/7ZeLvX Follow on TikTok: http://bit.ly/42VeCVU Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/40RFRkg The Vergecast Podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQDexZ Decoder with Nilay Patel: http://apple.co/3v29nDc More about our podcasts: https://www.theverge.com/podcasts Read More: http://www.theverge.com Community guidelines: http://bit.ly/2D0hlAv Wallpapers from The Verge: https://bit.ly/2xQXYJr Shop our Verge merch store here: https://bit.ly/4kPCmEc Subscribe to The Verge: https://bit.ly/3FT6n5S Subscribe to The Vergecast on YouTube, new episodes on Tuesday and Friday: https://bit.ly/3I6nJtz If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: https://www.theverge.com/ethics-state...

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