In our on-going series looking at classic computing devices birthed at HP, we see not only at what they did, but also give a better sense of what was happening at the time each product came to market. (For a full explanation of why we’re calling this “Tales From The Next Bench,” read here).
Retro nerds: You might as well start scouring eBay right now for this cool bit of techno-kitsch – though we doubt you’ll find it. At a time of LED watches being en vogue, the HP-01 did a whole lot more.
The HP-01 wrist instrument looked like a digital watch but was smarter than many pocket calculators. It performed more than three dozen functions to manipulate and interrelate time, calendar and numeric data. With six interactive functions (time, alarm, timer/stopwatch, date/calendar, calculator and memory) the HP-01 had 28 tiny keys that the user operated with a stylus built into the bracelet.
The HP-01, code-named "Cricket," was not a successful product for HP. It was too bulky and heavy, and HP sold it though upscale jewelry stores. But miniaturizing the math functions was quite an engineering feat, and when HP discontinued manufacturing the HP-01, its inner workings were destroyed so no one would copy the extraordinarily small package engineering. The HP Archives has a few of the remaining elements.
The HP-01 currently is one of the most sought after collectibles in the antique electronics market, often fetching two or three times its original price ($650 in silver, $750 for the gold version).
What else happened in 1977? Magnetic Resonance Imaging (better known as MRI) was tested for the first time. The first Apple II computers went on sale. The World Trade Center was completed in downtown Manhattan. Voyagers I and II launch to explorer the outer reaches of our solar system. Speaking of spacey, in the UK, 'Vrillon' of the 'Ashtar Galactic Command', hijacks The ITN Nightly News at ITV Southern Television for six minutes. And, in a galaxy far, far away a movie called, “Star Wars,” took off in theaters. You might have heard of it.
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