Out-a Sight
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST SELF-CONTAINED RADIO!
NO WIRES!
NO EARPHONES!
IT'S LIKE HAVING NOTHING BETWEEN YOU AND THE AIRWAVES!
S.J. Heilner Inc.
Sanford J. Heilner, Inc., Expomart
Ste 3212
230 West Second South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 531-6699, Ex. 3212
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Out-a Sight
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST RADIO!
THIS CHRISTMAS THE HOTTEST GIFT IDEA!
Designed primarily for at-home and outdoor activities. This amazing radio is great for jogging, walking, housework or just listening in bed. It has the full AM Band so you can tune to your favorite station. Kids and adults will be delighted to find this state-of-the-art technology in their stocking Christmas morning. To help Santa to fill all the stockings we're offering a special quantity discount. Count the stockings to fill, then order a sled full by filling out the coupon, or order by phone or come buy and try one. 1-5 radios $9.95 each. 6 and over $8.96 each.
NORCOM
Electronics Corporation
420 Chipela Way, Suite 100
Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
(801) 581-9881 * TWX: 9109254060
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SGB - October 1998
UNIQUE PRODUCTS for people on the go!
World's Smallest FM Radios
ATC American Technology Corporation
1-800-41-RADIO ext. 171
13114 Evening Creek Dr. So., San Diego, CA 92128 * www.atcsd.com * e-mail: darcy@atcsd.com
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Popular Science - September 1996
SMALLEST RADIO ON EARTH
Technology of Tomorrow is Here Today!
It's a great gift too!
90 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (LESS S&H)
Check/Money Order to:
MAXPO ENTERPRISE
4587 MACK ROAD
SACRAMENTO, CA 95823
BATTERIES INCLUDED
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PC NOVICE GUIDE TO GIZMOS
AUDIO
Audio Accessories
FM Sounds
Why Buy: The world's smallest FM radio
The FM Sounds radio allows you to hear your favorite FM tunes in the smallest of packages. The whole radio basically fits in your ear.
The radio has a comfortable speaker attached to the radio. Flip the On switch, press the Scan button, and the radio tunes in whichever stations are in your area. Hit the Reset button to begin your scan from the bottom of the FM scale.
Obviously, the big draw for this item is its tiny size. It fits comfortably in your ear and delivers decent sound. The radio comes with a sturdy carrying case, so you won't lose track of it.
Because the radio is so small, it does have some drawbacks. For example, there is not enough room on the radio to display which channel you're listening to, so it may take a little while to find your favorite station. Also, the radio isn't very loud. Even when you switch the volume to its maximum output it still is rather quiet. The radio reception is OK, but not great.
If you want to be discreet while listening to your favorite radio station, this radio is for you. - MS
FM Sounds
$12.99
American Technology Corp. (ATC)
(619) 679-2114, (800) 417-2346
http://www.ATCSD.com
AM Sounds
Why Buy: The world's smallest AM radio
The AM Sounds radio is even smaller than its counterpart, the FM Sounds radio. It is so small, the entire unit fits comfortably inside your ear.
It is similar in design to the FM Sounds radio, which is reviewed on the previous page. A small speaker, which is about half of the whole radio, nestles gently into your ear. There is a small tuning dial on the outside of the unit, which you turn to tune in stations. A small thin antenna wire extends from the radio.
As with the FM Sounds radio, the attraction here is size. The radio is so tiny, you'll hardly notice it. The dial is preferable to the FM Sound's scan button for tuning in stations. The sound quality is decent. This is the perfect item to take with you to sporting events if you want to listen to the game while you're there in person.
This unit has similar drawbacks to the FM Sounds radio. First, there isn't a display to tell you which station you're listening to. Second, the reception is somewhat limited. Third, there isn't a volume control. This is unfortunate, because the radio could stand to be a little louder.
This gadget has a few drawbacks, but is still quite useful. - MS
AM Sounds
$12.99
American Technology Corp. (ATC)
(619) 679-2114, (800) 417-2346
http://www.ATCSD.com
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HEDONICS - Fall & Winter 95
The World's Smallest, Lightest FM Radio Hides In Your Ear
This innovative ear-plug radio, is a digital FM radio so tiny and light you may forget you're wearing it. It's a great little radio that delivers big sounds for walking, biking, gardening - anywhere. Features auto tuning that scans the FM band and 2-stage volume control. Works on button-cell batteries (incl). Comes with local and long range flexible antennas, ear clip, extra batteries and a carrying case. Measuring in at 1/4D x 1 1/2H x 1/2W" it weighs less than/ ounce. Please specify Black or Yellow.
FM Radio #SP125 $34.99 S&H ($5.00)
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Lexington Herald-Leader - May 11, 1996
TODAY
Gadgets
Tiny FM Radio has a big sound - Tom Carter, Herald-Leader Staff Writer
Radio remains popular despite more than a half-century of competition from television, movie theaters, video, cable and now computers. One reason is that radio receivers always have been offered in enormous sizes.
If you wanted a big radio, you could always get one. Yesterday's Atwater-Kent consoles have given way to today's Bose house-rockers. On the other hand, pocket portables have shrunk to almost absurd proportions, perhaps none smaller than the "FM Sounds" radio from American Technology Corp.
A one-earphone-only model, this quarter-ounce powerhouse is small enough to fit in a tablespoon. The size takes people aback. But this is no toy.
Robert Putnam, president of the company based in California, said the FM Sounds, as well as a revamped AM model due back on the market soon, are the reactions of inventor Woody Norris, a former University of Washington faculty member. Norris developed the radios using technology unusual enough to warrant new radio patents. He's now chairman of the company's board.
"Woody is kind of a self-taught inventor whose background is mainly in acoustics. One of his geniuses is to micro-miniaturize existing technology. There's some material in this radio's speaker that gives you some nice bass and very clear highs that you don't expect in a radio that small," Putnam said.
Norris' AM Sounds was first produced in 1986. Putnam said that through the AM radio was well received, buyers in the 1980s were more eager for an FM version.
Since the FM model arrived in 1994, AM has enjoyed a national renaissance because of "talk radio" and sports. But a second-generation AM model as good as the FM version has eluded the company because the inventors could not achieve the same degree of tuning sophistication and sensitivity. A new AM model is being tested.
American Technology made an FM Sounds model available for my assessment. While it has startling fidelity for its size, it's a challenge to deal with something so tiny that a dog could easily swallow it, or fumbling fingers could tear it apart.
Though the threadlike and necessary 2-foot antenna detracts from this marvel of miniaturization, the antenna can be tucked away inside a shirt or coat. Still, it's a hassle to keep rolling up the antenna between listening sessions, hoping that it won't break just from handling.
Touching the "scan" button causes the tuner to "seek" the next strong station, moving from the low (88 MHz) to the high end (108 MHz) of the FM band. To return the tuning to the low end of the band again, there's a "reset" button. The tuning also is somewhat eccentric.
For example, to receive WUKY-91.3 FM in the downtown Lexington area, we had to tune it outside where the signal was strong in order to listen to it inside later where the signal was not as strong. Once tuned, however, the station sounded fine even around a computer terminal, where many radios break down from overwhelming signal interference.
Volume control is defined by two click stops in a volume setting. The first click is low volume, the second is middle. Clicking a third time turns the radio off.
American Technology's FM Sounds, at $30, comes with a large yellow case, a more secure earpiece for jogging, and two tiny, watch-type batteries for power. Among the retail and mail-order firms that sell it are the Sharper Image (800-344-4444) and Natural Wonders (which has a store in Fayette Mall). Expect to find them in mass retailers by fall.
CAPTION:
The FM Sounds radio is small enough to fit in a tablespoon, but it's not a toy. The little radio can be found locally at Natural Wonders in Fayette Mall.
Popular Electronics - August 1996
88-108 MHz
FM RECEIVER
XMR2000
$29.95
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NOTE: I THINK THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN TYPED. IF NOT, LET ME KNOW AND I'LL TYPE.
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GQ - March
objects
FM Sounds, the world's smallest radio, is only one inch long and fits onto the ear, by American Technology Corporation, $29.95. For information ring 0101 619 679 2114.
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ATITUDES
'94 In The Shade
Our FM radio is tiny, but mighty!
Behold the world's smallest, lightest digital FM radio! AT a tiny 1/2" W x 1 1/2" H x 1/4" D, weighing less than 1/4 ounce, it looks like a toy--but it's not! It's a great little radio with quality sound, so compact, it fits right in your ear. You can enjoy your favorite FM stations at home or at work, while running, exercising, gardening--or just relaxing. Features auto tuning that scans the FM band and 2-stage volume control. Works on button-cell batteries (included). Comes with local and long range flexible antennas, optional use ear clip, four extra batteries and a carrying case. Made in USA. With 30-day limited warranty. Please specify black or yellow.
#J1804 FM For Your Ear Radio $29.95
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Popular Electronics - October 1994
Small Wonder
FM SOUNDS MINIATURE FM RADIO.
Manufactured by American Technology Corporation, 12800 Brookprinter Place,
Poway, CA 92064; Tel: 619-679-2114. Price: $29.95.
When we heard the claim that the world's smallest FM radio had been introduced by American Technology Corporation, we had to get our hands on the FM Sounds. We have always loved the miniaturization that electronics has made possible.
It sounded too good to be true: digital touch tuning in an FM receiver that weighed less than a quarter of an ounce and was designed to be worn in the ear! We couldn't wait to try it.
The unit arrived in a protective carrying case that stored the receiver, two batteries, an ear clip, and two antennas. The batteries are two 1.5-volt type-392 button cells. The ear clip, which is removable, helps to hold the receiver snugly in the ear even when you are walking or jogging. Without the ear clip, the receiver has an annoying tendency to fall out of the ear if you move around too quickly.
Two antennas are supplied with the receiver. The first is a stiff piece of wire about four inches long. The second is a flexible wire that is about 27 inches long. Since the short antenna was installed when we received the unit, and because it seemed more convenient, we powered up the radio and gave a listen.
The power switch is also the radio's volume control. It's not continuously variable as most volume controls are. Instead, it has only two positions, low and high. We weren't too happy about that, but we figured that we had to trade off something to get such a small radio.
Only two other controls are located on the FM Sounds: SCAN and RESET membrane-type buttons. A push of the SCAN button causes the radio to automatically scan up in frequency until a station of adequate strength is found. The RESET button returns the receiver to the bottom of the FM band. When the top of the band is reached, the RESET button must be pushed to return to the bottom of the band. That's not really an inconvenience. On the contrary, because there is no display, it actually helps you to keep track of where you are tuning.
When we first powered up the radio, we hit the RESET button, and then SCAN. Nothing. We heard what we thought was a station being passed, but that was it. Ha!, we thought. Another rip-off! We changed our position slightly and tried again. This time we received one station, a local broadcaster. Needless to say, our opinion didn't change much.
We were so disappointed by the results that we weren't even going to bother to connect the second antenna. When we did, however, we were pleasantly surprised to be receiving stations. Reception was actually quite good--better, in fact, than what was provided by many of the personal stereos that we've tried!
We do have our complaints about the receiver, however, and we would probably be willing to put up with an increase in size to fix the problems. The most troublesome aspect of the receiver is that it is very frustrating to use when you are walking. If you lose a signal momentarily, the radio will scan up in frequency. Then you have to start all over again trying to find it. Our second complaint is that the buttons are not easy enough to press--our ear was hurting after just a short listening time! We would have preferred actual pushbuttons instead of the membrane switches used by the unit.
We would also like to have a manual-tune mode along with the auto-scan mode. And we would like the option of hearing the radio while it scans. As is, it mutes automatically.
The FM Sounds is impressive because of its size. It doesn't really strike us as a very practical receiver, but it is fun. In some instances, however, it can be practical. We used it, for example, in conjunction with a low-power FM transmitter to listen to TV audio as we moved around the house on a Saturday afternoon. Because the transmitter had adequate signal strength, we never lost the signal. The receiver is light enough that it was a very comfortable way to listen.
American Technology Corporation is reportedly expected to introduce a product called Wireless Sounds that bundles such a transmitter with the receiver. Perhaps they should start work on laptop computers--we still haven't found one small and light enough for our tastes.
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Rolling Stone - September 22, 1994
HOTSTUFFBIGSOUNDTINYPACKAGE - by Stewart Wolpin
ULTRALITE 2000 FM Radio ($29.95) Listening to Howard Stern may or may not be fashionable, but wearing a radio headset would never be considered high style. Until now. This smallest of all FM radios is 1.5 inches tall, weighs less than a quarter ounce, runs on two standard button-cell batteries and comes in five designer colors -- an electronic earring for tuned-in trendies. An even smaller AM version will be available in October for $24.95. Both are made by American Technology Corp. Call (619) 679-2114 for information.
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Los Angeles Times - November 4, 1996
PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY
HOT STUFF - Mary Purpura and Paolo Pontoniere
Gigahertz and Ye Shall Receive
Tiny Radios:
Here's a novelty for Walkman fans: a tiny, self-contained radio that fits inside the ear. Available in both AM and FM models, the radios, made by American Technology Corp. of Poway, Calif., weigh about a quarter of an ounce and are smaller than a large paper clip.
The radios sell for less than $30.
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TARGET
WORLD'S SMALLEST FM RADIO
Weighs less than 1/4 ounce. Digital scan tuning, battery, detachable ear clip, water-resistant carrying case.
12.99 Sale
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Monitoring Times - July 1998
They're Solar Powered!
The sun came out with a vengeance following hurricane Andrew, but without power, many victims couldn't hear the information bulletins broadcast on the radio. Now American Technology Corporation has a solution to this kind of situation: a line of solar-powered radios and flashlights, all compact and light weight.
All models have a built-in rechargeable NiCd battery, charged by direct sunlight. Power for the SolarSounds Model 220 ($23.49) can be backed up by one AA alkaline battery, extending its 3-hour operation to 12 hours; Models 230 (stereo, at #34.99) and 250 ($26.99) operate on the NiCd for 6-8 hours and can also be recharged with an optional AC adapter. The radios are AM (no expanded band)/FM with impressive sound quality using ear-buds. The '250 also features one-touch digital tuning and external speaker.
The SolarLights flashlight Model 260 will last for about two hours of continuous use and requires 6-8 hours sunlight for full recharge. It can also be recharged with an optional AC adapter.
ATC combines the SolarLights 260 flashlight with the SolarSounds 220AM/FM radio in their Model 210 Emergency Kit ($39.99) to keep in your car or home, or take on camping or hunting trips. For more information contact ATC at 13114 Evening Creek Drive South, San Diego, CA 92128, 1-800-417-2346 or visit their website at www.atcsd.com.
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GQ
Gentlemen's Quarterly - March
objects
FM Sounds, the world's smallest radio, is only one inch long and fits onto the ear, by American Technology Corporation, $29.95. For information ring 0101 619 679 2114.
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THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR - January 31, 1997
TECHNOLOGY
The latest offerings of the consumer electronics industry span the spectrum of handy to wacky
To Complete This Phone Call, Please Pick Up Your TV - by Laurent Belsie
One of the most fertile areas of human imagination resides in the consumer electronics industry. No matter how weird or wacky an idea might seem, someone out there is producing it in the hope it will become the next big seller. And once in a while it does.
So here is a selection of the latest and (maybe) greatest from the recent Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas:
World's smallest radio - $20
American Technology Corp. offers AM and FM versions of this neat device. Based on microchips, they're small enough to plug into your ear, yet deliver all the sound anyone would need. The company's vice president of sales uses the ear clip (included) to go jogging.
CAPTION:
Radio, Anyone?: The world's tiniest transistor, based on a microchip, is an electronic fashion statement when worn with its ear clip.
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NATIONAL ENQUIRER - February 7, 1995
ENQUIRER SNEAK PEEK
FANTASTIC NEW GIZMOS...coming your way
You can stick this radio in your ear
FM Sounds from American Technology Corp. is the world's smallest FM radio--it's just 1 1/2 inches long and weighs less than a quarter-ounce. It's so small that it will clip comfortably on your ear while you're jogging or working around the house!
Cost: $29.95
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ATTITUDES - Summer '95
Our FM radio is tiny, but mighty!
Behold the world's smallest, lightest digital FM radio! At a tiny 1/2" W x 1 1/2" H x 1/4" D, weighing less than 1/4 ounce, it looks like a toy--but it's not! It's a great little radio with quality sound, so compact, it fits right in your ear. You can enjoy your favorite FM stations at home or at work, while running, exercising, gardening--or just relaxing. Features auto tuning that scans the FM band and 2-stage volume control. Works on button-cell batteries (included). Comes with local and long range flexible antennas, optional use ear clip, four extra batteries and a carrying case. Made in USA. With 30-day limited warranty. Please specify black or yellow.
#P1804 FM For Your Ear Radio $29
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FM SOUNDS
The World's Smallest FM Radio
For people on the go!
Digital Touch Tuning
High Quality Sound
Fits Comfortably And
Securely In Your Ear
Weighs Less Than 1/4 oz.
Stands approx 6" (15cm) tall
Contains a non-working radio
OMAHA MAGAZINE - November/December 1994
Brainstorm.
Suddenly it strikes you:
Contract language for stalled negotiations. Sitcom concept. Joke to open your boss' speech. Perfect gift for your mother-in-law's birthday. Movie you should rent. New client's favorite cognac. Reminder to check out new Tibetan restaurant. Advice you'd like to give your son. Reason to resist giving him advice. Headline for this ad.
According to one of the world's richest men, you only need a few good ideas a year to be successful. Assuming you can remember them.
Introducing Flashback, the new, featherlight digital voice recorder that lets you capture brainstorms whenever and wherever they occur.
Unlike so-called "portable" microcassette recorders (that usually get transported, permanently, to a desk drawer), the sleek Flashback, weighing just 3 ounces, slips comfortably into a shirt pocket or purse, so it's always with you when brainstorms strike.
Because Flashback records digitally, it's not just compact and convenient to keep with you, it's virtually foolproof. There are no moving parts. And with Flashback's exclusive "Fumble-Free" ergonomically-designed, two-button controls, you can record or play single-handedly, even in the dark or while driving without taking your eyes off the road.
There's no tape to fumble with either. Flashback's exclusive 30- and 60-minute removable SoundClips never have to be rewound or flipped over, and can be reused indefinitely.
With Flashback's "Instant Access," the search is over. No more painfully slow searching to locate your important thoughts. With Flashback, you're there in a flash so you can instantly play, fast forward, pause, rewind and review with a single button.
With Flashback's "Random Inert" feature, you can add your thoughts anywhere, just like inserting text with your word processor, without recording over your previous thoughts.
Best of all, Flashback's patented design offers fidelity that's not only superior to most magnetic tape recorders but also to most digital recorders.
Designed for the future, Flashback and its SoundClip are PCMCIA compatible. Soon, Flashback options will allow you to transfer your thoughts to your computer or PDA.
Capture your most important brainstorms. Call 1-800-905-2225 for the Flashback retail location nearest you.
Flashback
HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
CAPTION:
Flashback's removable 30- and 60-minute Soundclips use non-volatile flash memory and are PCMCIA compatible. They can be used indefinitely and are impervious to magnets, heat and cold.
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WIRED - August 1994
Tape No More
The Flashback is a solid-state sound recorder that is hardly bigger than four credit cards stacked on top of one another. It stores data on snap-in/snap-out solid-state memory cartridges called SoundClips. As with a more conventional tape recorder, you can save an entire interview or business meeting, but the Flashback also lets you add a note or message in the middle of a recording without overwriting the original data. SoundClips are PCMCIA-compatible, so you can transfer data to and from your computer. US $249.95, additional 30-minute SoundClips are $49.95, and Norris says it will have 60-, 90-, and 120-minute SoundClips soon. Norris Communications Corp.: +1 (619) 679-1504.
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Herrington - Spring '95
The Enthusiasts' Catalog
Digital Recorder Lets You Hold up to 30 Minutes of Thoughts in the Palm of Your Hand -- So You Won't Waste Good Ideas!
Racing from one activity to another hardly leaves a moment to reflect on, and collect, my thoughts. So I often have brief flashes of inspiration, good ideas that are quickly lost. Or I suddenly remember things I have to do, both tasks and phone calls, only to forget them until it's too late. This ongoing battle between memory and a hectic schedule creates constant stress, and lost opportunities. Which makes Flashback the perfect solution for this overworked mind.
Digital -- Flashback uses digital recording to capture your voice. With no magnetic tape and no moving parts to fail, Flashback works like a tireless assistant, taking down your every word for subsequent total recall. Flashback employs just two buttons, so you can use it in the dark or in the car, by touch, and with just one hand. And instead of 90 seconds of capacity like ordinary note takers, Flashback comes with a 30-minute removable Soundclip. So you can dictate a lengthy memorandum if necessary, and carry coin-sized, removable Soundclips for extra capacity.
Portable -- Flashback gives instant random access to separate thoughts, and the unique ability to insert new ideas without recording over previous thoughts -- just like a word processor. Even lets you listen to yourself at fast o slow speeds without changing the pitch of your voice! And Flashback's fidelity preserves he sound of your voice -- unlike lesser brands that garble your words. At a feather-like 3 oz. and just 3" in length, Flashback slips into any pocket -- so there's no excuse for having a flash of brilliance with no place to put it! Made in USA; includes 3 AAA batteries.
#T385 Flashback -- $249.95 #T386 Extra 30-minute Soundclips - $69.95 each
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Technology Marketplace - Spring 1995
THE INSIDE TRACK
WHO TO WATCH IN 1995
THE NEXT GENERATION OF INDUSTRY LEADERS
BIG THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES
NORRIS COMMUNICATIONS
Elwood G. Norris, "Woody" is a man with small ideas who is in the forefront of innovation. The consummate inventor, Norris runs or directs half a dozen independent companies that are developing and manufacturing unique miniaturized electronics. Norris Communications, his flagship effort, developed Flashback, a palm-sized digital voice recorder with no moving parts. Flashback uses Intel 'Flash' memory chips to record memos, notes or even music. It can store an hour of recording on a 4 megabyte chip about the size of a 50 cent piece. Sound is compressed onto the chip using proprietary algorithms in the microprocessor. The recorder even has a random access system to instantly replay recordings and export them to other media.
Each company Woody is involved with has a different product focus. American Technology Corporation boasts "The World's Smallest Radio", an FM receiver that fits neatly within the user's ear. Patriot Scientific, produces advanced Penetrating Microwave Radar (PMR) designed to look beneath or through the ground, buildings and other solid objects. American Surface Mount Devices (ASMD), another Norris company, manufactures surface-mount printed circuit boards for Norris' companies as well as on a contract basis for local electronics firms.
A master of "the gadget," Woody and his companies are growing steadily. In addition, Norris' disciples are beginning to branch out on their own. Randy Grannovetter, president of JABRA (story on page 19) is a former Norris executive. The JABRA EarPHONE was originally designed at Norris. Its a small wonder!
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THE SHARPER IMAGE CATALOG - July 1995
Flashback digital voice recorder.
Gives you 30-minutes of thoughts on a removable clip!
Now there's a featherlight digital voice recorder that fits in your shirt pocket or purse. Quick and easy to use, new Flashback records 30 minutes of your best ideas and inspirations. Carry it everywhere--it's as small as a credit card, and weighs just 2.6 oz.
Your thoughts, memos, reminders, and verbal notes are recorded on a removable 30-minute SoundClip that's PCMCIA compatible. Unlike a tape, it never has to be rewound or flipped over, and can be reused indefinitely.
Five ways better than tape recorders.
Exclusive "Fumble Free" two-button controls let you record and play with just one hand. The ergonomic buttons are easy to find by touch, even in the dark or while driving. Two LEDs guide the simple operation.
"Instant Access" digital design speeds you immediately to any point, eliminating tedious tape advancing and rewinding. Once you're there, the "Random Insert" feature lets you add thoughts, without recording over your previous thoughts. Now you can "edit" your verbal notes just like you insert text on your word processor, including "Random Delete."
In a hurry? New "Vari-Play" feature lets you listen at a very fast (or very slow) speed without changing the pitch of your voice. Perfect for a fast review of your notes before a talk. Or for writing down recorded facts (such as phone numbers or addresses) slowly without errors.
Dependable under harsh conditions.
The interchangeable 30-minute SoundClips (one included) are remarkably durable. They're impervious to magnets, sunlight, blistering heat, and freezing cold. For reliability, the solid-state Flashback has no motors, no tapes to tangle, and no moving parts to wear out.
The patented design offers superior fidelity through the built-in speaker. Made in USA. Comes with 2 AAA batteries and 90-day warranty.
Digital pocket recording is here! Every business day, you'll discover more uses for this new technology.
Flashback Digital Recorder $249.95]
Additional 30-minute SoundClip
CAPTION:
"Meeting recorded Tuesday, 10 a.m."
Built-in microphone and speaker
Seamlessly delete old material
Variable speed playback
Simple 2-button controls
Insert new material without recording over the old
Removable 30-minute SoundClip
30-minute digital recorder fits in your shirt pocket. Simple controls can be operated in bed or while driving.
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J&R MUSIC WORLD COMPUTER WORLD - Pre-Summer '95
Norris Communications Flashback
Digital Voice Recorder
Our Low Price $249.95
SoundClip Spare 36-Minute Chip
$89.95
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SuperLife - January 1995
Revolutionary Voice Recorder
It Doesn't Use Tapes!
Flashback is a miraculous advancement in the history of personal recorders. It doesn't use a cassette tape, operates easily by the touch of just 2 buttons, and is smaller than your hand and lighter than your wallet. Plus, thanks to digital voice recording, Flashback has no moving parts that can whine, hum, buzz, get stuck, or otherwise fail. The "Instant Access" feature lets you find important thoughts instantly, so there's no more painfully slow searching. And what's really cool is that you can add thoughts anywhere, just the way you insert text on your word processor, without recording over previous thoughts.
Now you can single-handedly capture any length memo, note, dictation, or brainstorm wherever and whenever they occur. PCMCIA compatible. Includes one 30-minute SoundClip. Requires one AAA battery (not included).
Flashback Digital Recorder
Item #11295.................$249.95 (7.00)
Additional 30-minute SoundClip
Item #86018..................$69.95 (5.00)
CAPTIONS:
Two-button design is easy to operate in the dark or while driving.
Gives instant access to important thoughts. No more slow searches!
Lets you add thoughts anywhere without recording over previous notes.
Plays back at fast or slow speeds without changing your voice pitch.
Exclusive removable SoundClip never needs rewinding, can be used indefinitely, and will never be "eaten" by your recorder.
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San Diego Daily Transcript - February 21, 1993
Norris Reprices and Renames Recorder
Product Introduction Team Lining Up For 'Flashback'
As it nears the market, Poway-based Norris Communications Corp. continues to refine plans to introduce a handheld voice recorder with no moving parts.
The product now is known as "Flashback" and is expected to retail at less than $200, Norris said last week. Last September, it was called "Speak Easy" and was to sell for less than $100.
The device is smaller than the thickness of a half-deck of playing cards and weighs three ounces. Previously it was described as the size of three stacked credit cards. That's small, however you measure it.
President Elwood G. "Woody" Norris hopes the product will double revenue in the fiscal year starting April 1.
"We have set this goal based on achieving less than 2 percent sales of the total market during the first year," he said. "The combination of experienced marketing and sales organizations coupled with our proprietary technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing capability on site, provides an opportunity to substantially increase company growth while managing costs and maintaining the highest quality."
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San Diego Daily Transcript - February 21, 1993
Flashback And SoundClips--
Last week, Norris disclosed another new name, SoundClip, a removable solid-state medium. This is akin to the tape cassette put into a tape recorder. But these SoundClips are non-moving and non-volatile, need no battery back-up and are impervious to magnetic fields. They can be recorded over hundreds of thousands of times or archived for years without degradation of sound quality, says Norris.
The company says all features available on portable tape recorders can be duplicated on Flashback with its SoundClip. In addition to record, play, fast forward, reverse and pause, the Norris product offers random access and the ability to insert or edit messages without erasing or recording over speech. Also, Flashback has the ability to insert or edit messages without erasing or recording over speech. Also, Flashback has the ability to scan recordings at either a high or low rate of speed without altering the pitch of the voice.
"Initially," Norris said, "SoundClips, the removable solid-state recording media, will be sold in 30-minute versions."
The company expects to introduce 60-minute and 120-minute clips within a year of product introduction. Thirty-minute clips will retail for less than $50 at first, but are expected to drop to less than $30 later this year.
The recorder will be introduced to the industry April 1 with a national product rollout scheduled for midyear.
The company said more than 800 million recorders have been sold worldwide and another 35 million are sold each year--this despite the "personal recorder syndrome." The symptoms of the syndrome are typified by the "too awkward, too heavy, too conspicuous, didn't use it enough, it seemed like a good idea, but it's in a drawer somewhere" experience commonly associated with mechanical recorders.
While some components will be bought from suppliers, all key manufacturing and assembly operations will be handled by American Surface Mounted Devices, Norris' manufacturing subsidiary in Poway.
Norris Communications has retained two firms to assist with the product introduction. Tri-West Marketing, a Los Angeles-based national sales representative, was hired to begin nationwide distribution. Flashback and SoundClips will be sold through distributors, retailers, catalogs and will be redesigned for original equipment manufacturers to sell under their own labels.
Norris also hired Connors Communications, a New York public relations firm specializing in product launches.
Currently, Norris is negotiating agreements with international sale representatives.
Norris anticipates a loss this year.
The firm lost $970,060 on revenue of $1.31 million in the third quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with $4.09 million lost on revenue of $1.48 million a year earlier. For the nine months, it lost $189,539 on revenue of $5.34 million against $4.38 million lost on revenue of $5.80 million a year earlier.
Norris said the loss anticipated for the year ending March 31 is due to increased costs to develop its new recorder and due to the reorganization of American Surface Mounted Devices. Not only is Norris expecting to double revenue in fiscal 1995, but he predicts the company will return to profitability.
____________
Norris Communications Cordially Invites You To
FLASHBACK TO THE FUTURE
A Revolution In Recording Technology Is Now At Hand With The Arrival of Flashback
Thursday, June 23, 1994
7:00 p.m.
Ed Debevics
640 North Wells
Chicago, Illinois
R.S.V.P. by June 15, 1994
Connors Communications
Tel: 212-995-2200
Fax: 212-995-2332
______________
____________________
CALIFORNIA LAWYER - July 1995
NO TAPE. NO RISK. NO KIDDING!
THE COMPETITION IS COMING UNWOUND
Discover the Advantages of Digital Voice Recording with Flashback's Removable Flash Memory SoundClips.
Discover Flashback, the featherlight long-play DIGITAL recorder that lets you record and playback single-handedly--with NO moving parts.
No Tape. Flashback's exclusive Flash memory SoundClips never have to be rewound or flipped over, and can be used again and again--indefinitely.
No Fumbling. Record and playback with one hand using only two buttons. The ergonomic buttons are easy to find by touch, even in the dark or while driving, with two LED's to guide this simple operation.
No Waiting. Find your thoughts in a flash. With digital recording there's no more fast-forwarding or rewinding to locate your important ideas. You're always right where you want to be--in an instant.
No Time Limit. Until now, memo recorders gave you a maximum of 120 seconds--usually much less. Flashback SoundClips record 18, 36 or 72* minutes, and when one is full, just slip in another. Recording time is virtually unlimited.
No Comparison. Flashback's Random Insert feature lets you add to any recording at any point--just like inserting on your word processor. Now you can edit as you go, without recording over existing thoughts! Soon, Flashback's options will allow you to transfer your voice recordings directly to your computer.
Nothing to Lose. For a limited time, members of the legal profession may order Flashback directly through the factory at the special price of $199 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. That's a $50 saving over the nationally advertised price.
No Risk. Interested? Call our toll free number: 800-916-6267. Try Flashback for 30 days. Discover the advantages of digital voice recording. If Flashback isn't the hardest working, lightest, fastest and easiest-to-use full-featured voice recorder you've ever had, send it back for a prompt refund.
No Kidding. Call 800-916-6267 and ask for Flashback at the special price of $199. You've got nothing to lose, and only 3 featherlight ounces to gain.
800-916-6267
Flashback Digital Recorder
Norris Communications Corp. 12725 Stowe Drive, Poway, CA 92064
Made in U.S.A. Patents Pending
Circle 133 on Reader Service Card
CAPTIONS:
Magnetic tape player with hundreds of moving parts.
No tape. No moving parts.
Compact size allows convenient portability.
SoundClips available in 18, 36 or 72* minute clips.
* 72 minute SoundClip available fall '95
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Arrivals - Late Spring 95
LIFESTYLES FASCINATION
No tape, no wait, no weight--3 oz. all-digital recorder holds one hour of voice notes!
Clunky, noisy tape recorders are obsolete! Miracle memory chips replace motors, recording heads, cassettes--all moving parts--in the revolutionary Flashback recorder. About the size and weight of 4 of your credit cards, it records up to an hour on a removable "sound clip", does things no tape machine can do: Its simple, 2-button control gives instant access to any portion of the recording (no tape rewinding). You can insert new comments without erasing any recorder material! If you want to save voice notes you can download into a PC or other recorder. Sound clips are interchangeable, can be used indefinitely and are impervious to heat, cold or magnets. Digital sound quality is superior!
Flashback is so compact it will always be with you. Its fumble-free control is so easy, you will use it while driving or traveling.
#9FD664 - Flashback Digital
Voice Recorder, 30 min. - $299.95
#9FD665 - Additional 30 minute Sound Clip - $69.96
#9FD666 - Additional 60 minute Sound Clip - $99.95
_______________
HIGH STREET EMPORIUM - Early Spring 95
LIFESTYLES FASCINATION
No tape, no wait, no weight--3 oz. all-digital recorder holds one hour of voice notes!
Clunky, noisy tape recorders are obsolete! Miracle memory chips replace motors, recording heads, cassettes--all moving parts--in the revolutionary Flashback recorder. About the size and weight of 4 of your credit cards, it records up to an hour on a removable "sound clip", does things no tape machine can do: Its simple, 2-button control gives instant access to any portion of the recording (no tape rewinding). You can insert new comments without erasing any recorder material! If you want to save voice notes you can download into a PC or other recorder. Sound clips are interchangeable, can be used indefinitely and are impervious to heat, cold or magnets. Digital sound quality is superior!
Flashback is so compact it will always be with you. Its fumble-free control is so easy, you will use it while driving or traveling.
#9FD664 - Flashback Digital
Voice Recorder, 30 min. - $299.95
#9FD665 - Additional 30 minute Sound Clip - $69.96
#9FD666 - Additional 60 minute Sound Clip - $99.95
NO NAME OF PUBLICATION
Inventor walks the line between concern and obsession - Erik Lacitis, Time Staff Columnist
Woody Norris was in Los Angeles this week, promoting his latest electronic invention and being interviewed for the local newscasts. One of the TV stations flashed on the screen the phone number of his firm.
"The phone totally jammed up. There was something like 500 calls to our office. The station later told me it was one of the highest responses to any story that they've run," Norris said.
It was parents who were calling Protek Communications in Salt Lake City, and it wasn't too hard to figure out why. The interview they had just seen dealt with something every mother and father has inevitably thought about--that your child will end up being listed as missing.
And now Protek, for $99.95, was selling a product called Guardian I, which electronically keeps track of children. The response was immediate.
You cannot escape publicity about missing kids. It has become an obsession with us.
A British commentator recently wrote about his vacation to the U.S. He said that a week before, at home in London, had had been perfectly content to let his kids play by themselves in a park, or leave them to browse alone through the toy section of a department store, without worrying he might not see them again.
Then he arrived in the U.S., and at the airport he saw the poster of missing kids; their pictures were on milk cartons, on posters at supermarkets, on public service commercials.
The commentator wondered how all this publicity was affecting U.S. parents and their kids. The commentator said he knew how it had affected him. He panicked when, for a few minutes, he couldn't find his children at a store. He was sure they had been kidnapped by some stranger.
How many other parents have had such nightmarish thoughts?
It doesn't seem to matter that the statistics tell a much different story. I called the FBI's National Crime Information Center.
Last year, out of 160 kidnappings the FBI investigated, only 56 involved children.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children does say that more than 1 million missing-child cases are filed annually. But you could argue those statistics.
That 1 million figure is 2 1/2 times the missing persons cases (both adult and juvenile) that police departments across the country reported to the Crime Information Center.
Furthermore, experts say that nine out of 10 juveniles reported missing have not been kidnapped, but are runaways. And of those children who aren't runaways, most have been taken by one parent in a bitter divorce case, not by a stranger.
Yet there are the daily images of those missing children on the milk cartons and posters. I'm sure that wasn't the purpose, but along with the good intentions is a message of fear, as if kidnappers were scouring our neighborhoods. That is simply not the case.
To his credit, Norris, an electrical engineer who holds more than 100 patents and is working with NASA on a miniaturized communications device, tries very hard not to play on such fears.
"That's probably the first or second question I always get asked," he said. "I absolutely disclaim that this product will assist in finding a kidnapping victim. I believe there's not much that can be done if someone wants to kidnap a child. What I trie to remind people is that the vast majority of kids are not kidnapped but wander off or get lost. For that, my device will help."
The Guardian I comes in two pieces. One piece is a little transmitter that weighs about an ounce. A child wears it on his belt or around his wrist. The second piece is a receiver. It sounds an alarm whenever the child is more than a city block away, or if it is removed from the child.
It also emits a different-sounding signal if the transmitter is immersed in water; if, for example, the child fell in a swimming pool. The receiver then can be used as a direction finder to locate the child.
I asked Norris why he thought so many parents had called his firm after that L.A. story. How much was because they believed the device would help in a kidnapping, despite his disclaimers?
"Frankly, we've wrestled with that problem, with what people might misunderstand," Norris said. "We know we're walking a fine line."
Norris also said that's why TV ads for the product would run during school hours when, presumably, kids wouldn't be home. He didn't want the ads to make the children afraid, he said.
But where there's a demand, there always is a product.
That's why Woody Norris is working hard on his next invention, which he figures is two years away from completion. And this one will be sold to all those people so afraid of kidnappings.
"I can't tell you much right now, but it's a device that'll be implanted. In time of distress, you would move certain parts of your body in sequence, and that would set off the transmitter. It'll be like dialing 911," he said.
Meanwhile, the campaign for the selling of the Guardian I has started. Norris thinks it'll be very successful. After all, the pitch is so simple in its appeal:
"If you have young kids, you're concerned about losing them."
_________________
San Diego Daily Transcript - July 1, 1994
Business Today
Local Scene
Poway-based Norris Communications Corp. says it has received commitments for 20,000 units of Flashback, a palm-sized, digital voice recorder. The orders represent $3.3 million in revenue, reports Steve Brightbill, v.p. of sales and marketing. Flashback received the Innovations '94 award at last week's Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago.
___________________
NORRIS
Flashback
Digital Recorder
Hold that thought.
Introducing Flashback™, the new digital recorder that does something few personal recorders have ever done before...it gets used.
Flashback's exclusive two-button "Fumble Free™ controls lets you record and play single-handedly with the touch of an ergonomically-designed button. These buttons are easy to find by touch, even in the dark or while driving. And there are two LEDs indicating operational mode and status.
Flashback's "Instant Access™" digital design lets you find your important thoughts instantly, so there's no more painfully slow searching. You find them in a flash with Flashback.
Flashback's "Random Insert™" feature lets you add your thoughts anywhere, just like inserting text on your word processor, without recording over your previous thoughts.
With Flashback's "VariPlay™" feature, you can listen to your thoughts at very fast or very slow speeds without changing the pitch of your voice.
Here are a couple hundred more reasons why Flashback beats old-fashioned magnetic recorders hands down. Thanks to digital voice recording technology, Flashback has no moving parts (versus a couple hundred with conventional tape records), so there are no belts, cogs, gears, or hundreds of other mechanical parts to fail.
Flashback's lightweight design has it going places (your shirt pocket or purse, for instance). At just 3 ounces, Flashback is one of the lightest recorders you can buy. And with its sleek, ergonomic design, you can easily slip Flashback in a pocket or purse, so it's always there when you need it.
Flashback's exclusive removable SoundClip™ has the tape recording industry eating their words. With SoundClip, there's no tape to fumble with--or for your recorder to "eat." It never has to be rewound and can be reused indefinitely. The SoundClip is also remarkably durable. It's impervious to magnets, freezing cold, and blistering heat. A 30-minute SoundClip is included with each Flashback. 60-minute SoundClips are available separately.
Now you can single-handedly capture brainstorms wherever and whenever they occur with Flashback, the featherlight digital voice recorder from Norris Communications.
Because Flashback records digitally, it's not just compact, it's virtually foolproof. There are no moving parts, so there's nothing to go wrong, and with just two buttons, you can operate it blindfolded, with one hand.
There's no tape to fumble with, either. Flashback's exclusive removable SoundClip™ never has to be rewound or flipped over, and can be reused indefinitely.
With Flashback's instantaneous digital access, the search is over. No more painfully slow searching to locate your important thoughts. With Flashback, you're there in a flash. Flashback's patented design also offers superior fidelity.
Designed for the future, Flashback and its SoundClips are PCMCIA compatible. Soon, Flashback's options will allow you to transfer your thoughts to your computer or PDA.
Norris Communications' 90-day money back guarantee assures you that Flashback is a product you can depend on.
______________
AUDIOWEEK - March 14, 1994
The Authoritative News Service of the Audio Consumer Electronics Industry/A Service of Warren Publishing
SOLID-STATE VOICE RECORDER DUE IN JULY: Norris Communications, Poway, Cal., said it plans July delivery of Flashback, personal voice recorder that uses flash-memory module instead of tape. It also plans mockups later this year of versions that will play back and record digital music.
Recorder, which will list for $199, looks like computer mouse that has been stepped on and accommodates SoundClip solid-state modules about size of 50¢ coin. Mockup of SoundClip we were shown had Intel logo pasted on . Pres. Elwood Norris said first SoundClip modules will have capacity of 30 min. and will list for $69. Additional SoundClips for 60- and 120-min. capacity will be available later at undetermined prices.
Company said it will produce Flashback at its affiliated American Surface Mounted Devices factory in Cal., and is aiming for sales of 150,000 units in first 12 months after introduction. Norris said company is in talks with unnamed "billion-dollar" vendor to which it would supply stepup Flashback product with LCD readout not found on first-generation model we were shown. Company also plans to show "lab prototypes" by year-end of Flashback version capable of recording 75 min. of music with digital sound, he said, adding that first-generation model deliberately was confined to voice quality to fit its intended application. He didn't offer timetable on when product could be commercialized, but sources we canvassed said it's doubtful 180-MB solid-state devices with capacity to record and play back 75 min. of CD-quality music could reach consumer market at mainstream pricing for at least 3-4 years.
Microprocessor-controlled Flashback will be targeted at early-adopter buyers who have grown weary of microcassette recorders and other voice recorders because of tape wear, poor sound quality and multigenerational degradation, company said. Recordings can be downloaded to PC or personal digital assistant, they said. Recorder is powered by 2 AAA batteries for 3 hours of continuous use, they said. Product will be available through consumer electronics outlets and department stores, which will be serviced through Casio independent reps company already has signed on, Vp Sales & Mktg. Stephen Brightbill said.
____________________
TIMES ADVOCATE - February 23, 1994
TECHNOLOGY
Poway inventor has big idea with tiny recorder - Pam Kragan
Woody Norris, the master of miniaturization, has developed a tiny voice recorder that he believes could revolutionize the recording industry.
The patent-pending "Flashback" recorder, which will sell for about $200 when it's introduced in April, weighs just over two ounces, fits in the palm of your hand and is slimmer than a half-deck of playing cards.
The device uses recording devices called "SoundClips" that replace traditional magnetic tape cassettes. SoundClips have no moving parts, need no battery backup and can be recorded over hundreds of thousands of times without degradation of sound quality, Norris says.
You may remember Norris, the Powegian who in the past produced a radio the size of a quarter and a patented telephone so tiny that it fits in the ear. He also made it into the pages of People and Newsweek magazines with past inventions that include kiddie beepers, an electronic insect repellent and the first solid-state, high voltage spark plug.
Since he sold off the division of his company that makes the EarPhone in 1991, the president and CEO of Norris Communications Corp. has been focusing much of his energy on the Flashback.
While Flashback will operate much like conventional microcassette recorders, it has many features that could help it carve out a substantial chunk of the $500 million annual portable tape recorder market, company spokesman Robert Putnam said.
"Magnetic recording is close to celebrating its 100th anniversary and I believe it is time for a fundamental change in personal recording," said Norris, who expects to sell $15 million to $17 million of the new products in the first year.
Norris said the Flashback's greatest asset is its compact size and light weight, which will make it easy for executives to transport in their suit coat pocket or purse. Also, the SoundClips technology makes it simple enough for a child to use, and their long-lasting design makes it cost-efficient.
The removable SoundClips--which use 16:1 data compression microprocessors to record with--are also computer compatible. An interface on the SoundClips will enable them to be inserted into computers, electronic organizers and other automated telecommunications products. Putnam said AT&T and IBM are set to introduce voice-to-text microchips later this year that can work with the SoundClips.
Despite their size, the Flashback will have all the features of traditional cassette recorders, including record, play, fast forward, rewind and pause. Besides that, users will be able to insert or edit messages without erasing or recording over subsequent speech. Flashback also has the ability to scan recordings at either a high or slow rate of speed without altering the pitch of the voice, Putnam said.
The SoundClips, which will be sold separately, will be available in 30-minute versions priced at $50. Norris said 60-minute and 120-minute SoundClips will be available within a year. The price for SoundClips is expected to drop significantly after full-scale production is under way, Norris said.
Most of the manufacturing of the product will be done by American Surface Mounted Devices, a San Diego company Norris purchased in the late '80s and moved to Poway.
ASMD specializes in manufacturing miniature printed-circuit boards for electronic components. Its clients include Kodak and IVAC.
Flashback and SoundClips will be sold through distributors, retailers and catalog merchants and also be sold under private label to OEMs, or original equipment manufacturers, Putnam said.
Norris has high hopes for the product and anticipates sales of the Flashback and SoundClips to double company revenues by April 1, 1995. The revenues couldn't come at a better time. Norris Communications has been mired in red ink during the past year.
For the nine months ended Dec. 31, Norris Communications lost $189,539 on revenues of $5.34 million. He attributed the losses to development costs of the Flashback and the costly reorganization of ASMD. Late last year, Norris hired longtime industry executive Ron A. Viano to take over as ASMD's president and Viano plant to revive ASMD's sagging sales.
CAPTIONS:
Woody Norris holds the voice recorder he invented. The recorder easily fits in the palm of his hand, unlike other miniature recorders, left.
A close-up view of the tiny voice recorder Norris invented.
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San Diego Daily Transcript - February 21, 1993
Norris Reprices And Renames Recorder
Product Introduction Team Lining Up For 'Flashback'
As it nears the market, Poway-based Norris Communications Corp. continues to refine plans to introduce a handheld voice recorder with no moving parts.
The product now is known as "Flashback" and is expected to retail at less than $200, Norris said last week. Last September, it was called "Speak Easy" and was to sell for less than $100.
The device is smaller than the thickness of a half-deck of playing cards and weighs three ounces. Previously it was described as the size of three stacked credit cards. That's small, however you measure it.
President Elwood G. "Woody" Norris hopes the product will double revenue in the fiscal year starting April 1.
"We have set this goal based on achieving less than 2 percent sales of the total market during the first year," he said. "The combination of experienced marketing and sales organizations coupled with our proprietary technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing capability on site, provides an opportunity to substantially increase company growth while managing costs and maintaining the highest quality."
Last week, Norris disclosed another new name, SoundClip, a removable solid-state medium. This is akin to the tape cassette put into a taper recorder. But these SoundClips are non-moving and non-volatile, need no battery back-up and are impervious to magnetic fields. They can be recorded over hundreds of thousands of times or archived for years without degradation of sound quality, says Norris.
The company says all features available on portable tape recorders can be duplicated on Flashback with its SoundClip. In addition to record, play, fast forward, reverse and pause, the Norris product offers random access and the ability to insert or edit messages without erasing or recording over speech. Also. Flashback has the ability to scan recordings at either a high or low rate of speed without altering the pitch of the voice.
"Initially," Norris said, "SoundClips, the removable solid-state recording media, will be sold in 30-minute versions."
The company expects to introduce 60-minute and 120-minute clips within a year of product introduction. Thirty-minute clips will retail for less than $50 at first, but are expected to drop to less than $30 later this year.
The recorder will be introduced to the industry April 1 with a national product rollout scheduled for midyear.
The company said more than 800 million recorders have been sold worldwide and another 35 million are sold each year--this despite the "personal recorder syndrome." The symptoms of the syndrome are typified by the "too awkward, too heavy, too conspicuous, didn't use it enough, it seemed like a good idea, but it's in a drawer somewhere" experience commonly associated with mechanical recorders.
While some components will be bought from suppliers, all key manufacturing and assembly operations will be handled by American Surface Mounted Devices, Norris' manufacturing subsidiary in Poway.
Norris Communications has retained two firms to assist with the product introduction. Tri-West Marketing, a Los Angeles-based national sales representative, was hired to begin nationwide distribution. Flashback and SoundClips will be sold through distributors, retailers, catalogs and will be redesigned for original equipment manufacturers to sell under their own labels.
Norris also hired Connors Communications, a New Year public relations firm specializing in product launches.
Currently, Norris is negotiation agreements with international sale representatives.
Norris anticipates a loss this year.
The firm lost $970,060 on revenue of $1.31 million in the third quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with $4.09 million lost on revenue of $1.48 million a year earlier. For the nine months, it lost $189,539 on revenue of $5.34 million against $4.38 million lost on revenue of $5.80 million a year earlier.
Norris said the loss anticipated for the year ending March 31 is due to increased costs to develop its new recorder and due to the reorganization of American Surface Mounted Devices. Not only is Norris expecting to double revenue in fiscal 1995, but he predicts the company will return to profitability.
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Billboard - March 26, 1994
Norris Flashback Recorder: A Glimpse Of Digital Future
NEW YORK-A new voice recorder from Norris Communications of Poway, Calif., could open the door to a tapeless digital audio format. The unit, called Flashback, employs a solid-state system that will eventually be able to store up to two hours of digital audio on minuscule cells.
Although the mono device--scheduled to hit the market in June for a suggested list price of $199.95--is designed for recording speech, not music, a stereo unit capable of delivering CD-quality sound is in the planning stages, according to NOrris VP of sales and marketing Stephen Brightbill. Lab prototypes of the still-unnamed music apparatus are expected by year's end, he says.
The palm-sized Flashback weighs less than 3 ounces and is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, according to Brightbill. So far, it can record up to 30 minutes of music on a random access memory chip called SoundClip, which is included with the unit; extra 30-minute SoundClips can be purchased for a suggested list of $69.95, and 60- and 120-minute modules are expected soon.
Once the audio signal is recorded on the SoundClip, it can be played back through headphones or a one-ince speaker on the Flashback, or downloaded onto a sound-card-equipped PC, says Brightbill.
Flashback differs from other digital recorders--like Sony's MiniDisc and Scoopman (a miniature digital-cassette recorder) and Philips' Digital Compact Cassette--in that it is "completely nonmechanical," according to Brightbill. The device used Intel's proprietary Flash technology of data storage and retrieval, which assigns one bit of audio to each of 16 cells. Other popular applications for Flash are PCs and answering machines.
Brightbill says Flashback will be marketed to high-end audio stores, department stores, and audio hardware chains.
PAUL VERNA
_______________
___________________
COMPUTER RETAIL WEEK - March 7, 1994
THE NEWSPAPER FOR TECHNOLOGY RETAILERS
SUPER SKUs
Emerging Technology
PRODUCT: FLASHBACK!
COMPANY: NORRIS COMMUNICATIONS CORP.
PHONE: (619) 679-1504
LIST PRICE: $199.95
PCMCIA has tripped off many a tongue in recent months owing to an increase in application-specific cards and systems that use the technology.
The latest device that people will soon be talking about is a hand-held recording unit, called Flashback!, slated to be shipped in April. The unit weighs a little more than two ounces and is about the size of a credit card, with a rounded end where the PCMCIA-compatible memory cartridge is held. The cartridge, called the SoundClip, is solid-state, nonvolatile memory that is, according to the company, impervious to the environment. Besides being lightweight and sharp-looking, Flashback! allows users to insert a recording into a recording--like inserting text into a word processing file.
Flashback! doesn't use any moving parts, including the buttons for playback and recording. The two-button system, called Fumble-Free, uses one button for recording, the other for fast forward, rewind, playback and pause. If the user pauses the recording, Flashback! will automatically shut off if not restarted.
_____________
____________________
BusinessWeek - April 11, 1994
Developments to Watch
THIS TAPE RECORDER IS TINY--AND TAPELESS
Sitting in a café beside the skating rink at New York's Rockefeller Center, Elwood G. Norris talks into a gadget that resembles an elongated hockey puck. It sure doesn't look like what it is: a tape recorder. Well, it's not really a tape recorder, because the no-moving-parts device doesn't record on tape. It uses memory chips in plug-in modules that can hold 30, 60, or 120 minutes of compressed digitized sound.
Due on the market by midyear from Norris Communications Corp. in the San Diego suburb of Poway, the sleek Flashback recorder is hardly bigger than a credit card--and only a quarter-inch thick at the center. It's expected to sell for between $160 and $190: pricey by microcassette-recorder standards. But Norris figures the unit's size and weight advantages could, in its first year, help it nab close to 1% of the U.S. market for portable recorders--17 million of which were sold last year. An added bonus: Flashback memory modules also plug into standard slots on new laptop computers and personal digital assistants, so recorded voice notes can be relayed by electronic mail or appended to computer-graphics files.
_________________
HFD - April 4, 1994
The Weekly Home Furnishings Newspaper
HOME OFFICE NEWS
New Norris Recorder
POWAY, Cal. - In its first thrust into the mainstream consumer electronics arena, Norris Communications Corp. has introduced a digital personal recording device that is fully PC-MCIA compatible and can download information to a computer or access e-mail.
The device, called Flashback, has no moving parts and does not use a tape cassette; instead it stores information on a removable 16-bit chip, said Elwood Norris, the firm's chairman. The information contained in the chips, which come in 30-and 60-minute versions, can be downloaded to a personal digital assistant (PDA) or PC.
The device, which weighs less than 3 ounces, will carry a suggested retail price of $199.95, with extra chips being priced at $69.96. It will start shipping to retailers in July.
Initial distribution will be through a network of independent dealers and the product should appear in large electronic chains and department stores, said Norris. It will be housed in plastic, showing off the unit's size, which is somewhat smaller than a tape cassette.
Norris said he expects to sell about 150,000 Flashbacks during its first year.
Flashback runs on two button-type batteries. Because there are no motors to drive the batteries, the device should run for about a year, said Norris.
Norris said there are many other possible applications to which this digital technology can be applied, including data storage. The device may be licensed, he added, and an OEM deal is in the works.
CAPTION:
Norris' Flashback
____________________
San Diego Daily Transcript - May 5, 1994
The Local Scene
Having rented a steamroller for the occasion, Norris Communications will unveil for retailers its Flashback voice recorder at the June 23 Consumer Electronic Show in Chicago. The Flashback records on a microchip and contains to moving parts. To build interest, three trade magazines have publicized Norris' offer to give a Flashback to the first 50 people who stop by its booth and hand over their microcassette recorders. The Poway company will then take the 50 machines and, while cameras roll, crush them with a steamroller.
___________________
PC TODAY - May 1994
FLASHY RECORDINGS
Magnetic tape recording has been available for 100 years, but now a San Diego-based company is taking the "tape" out of voice recording. Norris Communications Corp. has patented a handheld recorder that uses Intel's removable "Flash" memory technology. The company says the palm-sized device and its recording media will be available to consumers this summer.
The removable "SoundClips" have no moving parts and consist of a solid-state medium that requires no batteries and is impervious to magnetic fields. According to the company, a SoundClip can be re-recorded hundreds of thousands of times with no degradation in sound quality.
Whatever you do with a tape recorder you can do with the Flashback: record, play, fast forward, pause, reverse. But you'll also be able to insert or edit messages without recording over subsequent speech, much like the way you insert text with a word processor.
As a computing device, the SoundClip card has a PCMIA II interface so users will be able to attach it to a PC or a telecommunications device and download recorded messages.
The Flashback will be available from retail outlets. The suggested retail price will be $199.
_______________________
PC MAGAZINE - May 31, 1994
New & Improved
News of Announced Products and Upgrades - by Adam A. Hicks
NEW
Digital Dictation in Your Hand
With only two buttons and no moving parts, Norris Communications Corp.'s 3-ounce PCMCIA-compatible Flashback digital recorder will challenge any tape recorder you're presently toting around. Its 1MB flash memory modules, called SoundClips, are smaller than any form of magnetic tape available and record 30 minutes of 16-bit digital audio. Digital recording has several unique advantages. Messages are indexed so you can randomly access them, and it lets you play back messages at high speed or low speed while still retaining clear speech. You can also insert a note within a note.
CAPTION:
Take a message with Flashback.
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AUDIO - June 1994
THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORITY
SPECTRUM - Ivan Berger
PROGRESS WITHOUT MOTION
It's been early to predict that audio would someday be recorded in solid-state memory by recorders with no moving parts. But when was someday? And where were the recorders?
That someday has come. And if the only sample I've seen was in Elwood G. Norris' shirt pocket, more should be in the stores by the summer.
Norris Communications obviously isn't promoting the $200 Flashback recorder as a music machine. The spec sheet doesn't even mention frequency response, S/N, or distortion, and the system is strictly monophonic. The sound I heard was much clearer and rather less tinny than I expected from a 1-inch speaker. There's hefty data compression going on, too, enough to fit 30 minutes of 16-bit monophonic sound into one megabyte (MB) of memory.
The Flashback system is designed to interface with computers, not hi-fi systems. Its SoundClip storage media plug into computers with PCMCIA interfaces, and standard PCMCIA flash memory cards can be used with the Flashback. SoundClips will cost about $70 at first but should drop below $30 later; 60- and 120-minute versions are yet to come.
The system makes use of digital technology more for its flexibility and convenience than its fidelity. It offers instant playback of any section, with no rewind or fast-forward time, plus insert editing. Another advantage is the ability to speed up speech for faster listening or slow it down for manual transcription, without changing the pitch. (Contact Norris Communications, 12800 Brookprinter Place, Poway, Cal. 92064; phone, 619-679-1504.)
CAPTION:
The Flashback system is like a point-and-shoot camera for digital sound.
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MULTIMEDIA - June 1994
NEWS
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
POCKET-SIZE PERSONAL RECORDER
With a new credit-card-size device from Norris Communications, you can digitally record a half-hour of speech, and skip in a heartbeat from one recording to the next. And this new hand-held recorder can interface to your PC for storage and editing of digital audio files.
The $199 Flashback pocket recorder may cause the death of minicassette analog tape recorders. Now those of us who like to dictate a fast memo to ourselves while on the road, outdoors, or in the shower (the Flashback is water-resistant) can use a personal digital recorder. This device simply captures audio, compresses it with Norris's SoundClip technology, and stores it in the card. The built-in 1MB of nonvolatile flash memory means the Flashback can be dropped, subjected to magnetic fields, and so on, without loss of data. It lets you enjoy the random access of digital media rather than waiting for a tape to fast-forward: By placing a marking before each new recording, you can skip during playback from one message to the next instantaneously. You can even record more dictation into an existing message.
The Flashback has a built-in microprocessor, and it sports a simple two-button control panel. An LED indicates when it's
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POPULAR MECHANICS - June 1994
SOUND NOTES
If you like to make voice memos to yourself but are tired of fumbling with a tape recorder, then the good news is that personal recorders are going digital. The advantage is random access to your voice memos and ease of use.
While there have been a few digital recorders already on the market, they tend to offer very limited recording times. The best we've seen thus far is called Flashback and is manufactured by Norris Communications Corp. of Poway, California. This recorder, listing for $199, is very light at 3 ounces and is thin enough to fit easily into a shirt pocket.
Despite its small size, Flashback is feature-packed and all of them are easily accessed with either of two control buttons. Features of note include the ability to insert addenda into an already recorded memo and the ability to listen to recordings at a very fast or very slow speed without loss of intelligibility. Sound quality in any mode is very good.
Recordings are actually made onto tiny sound clips that you insert into Flashback. Each sound clip has a 30-minute capacity, and additional sound clips are available for less than $70. The slot the sound clips are inserted into is also PCMCIA compatible. This means your memos can be downloaded onto a personal computer, personal digital assistant or other PCMCIA device outfitted with this performance-enhancing feature.
CAPTION:
Flashback offers pocket-size digital recording.
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FORTUNE - June 27, 1994
ELECTRONIC RECORDER
Your tape recorder is a miracle of miniaturized mechanization, but is it obsolete? Probably. The Flashback recorder from Norris Communications of Poway, California, dispenses with the machinery: All electronic and digital, it uses no tape and has no moving parts but instead records sound directly onto a flash-memory chip from Intel. Though the Flashback is only the size of a few credit cards stacked together, and weighs about as much, it has a microphone and speaker. You can pull out the even more portable PCMCIA unit that contains the chip--it's that little module in the picture--and download your recording onto a personal digital assistant or PC.
Flash-memory technology has other benefits. If you need to transcribe your recording at slow speed, you'll get voices at normal pitch, without growly, slurred distortion. Or if you want to skim through to that one key passage, the high-speed replay is also at normal pitch--no Donald Duck noises. And it allows you to insert comments anywhere without obliterating what's been recorded. The initial version of Flashback, coming to stores next month, gives only 30 minutes of recording time. But inventor Elwood Norris promises a 60-minute module, possibly by year's end. Suggested price: $249.95.
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Electronics Now - July 1994
Tapeless recording. Tape might not be the last word digital recording. The first no-moving-parts recorders for consumer use are beginning to appear. Norris Communications, of Poway, California, is planning the first deliveries this summer of a voice recorder that uses solid-state flash memory modules instead of tape. Initially, the "SoundClip" modules will have a playing time of 30 minutes, but Norris plans to extend that to 120 minutes and eventually to offer a music recorder. The initial solid-state digital voice recorder is a pocket device that will list for $199.
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MAC HOME JOURNAL - July 1994
OFFICE ESSENTIALS
The Ins and Outs of Buying Copiers, Fax Machines, Cellular Phones and Other Equipment
by Crystal Waters
PERSONAL RECORDER
Flashback! is an innovative personal recorder that records sound with the help of PCMCIA cards, a standard storage medium in the computer industry, rather than the magnetic tape used by other hand-held recorders.
Because there's no motor and no read/write heads, the unit should be impervious to characteristic failures like tape jams. It's also easy to search for specific parts of the recording without "rewinding," since all information is accessible almost instantly.
To top it off, you can save and delete any part of the recording (even insert recordings between two other segments) and information is transferable to and from computers that support PCMCIA.
The suggested retail price for the Flashback! recorder is $199.95, and the package will include a half-hour PCMCIA card, which the company dubs SoundClip (extra cards cost $69.95). Call Norris Communications Corporation at (619) 697-1504 for more information.
Gentlemen's Quarterly - March (NO YEAR)
objects
FM Sounds, the world's smallest radio, is only one inch long and fits onto the ear, by American Technology Corporation, $29.95. For information ring 0101 619 679 2114.
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Popular Electronics - October 1994
GIZMO NEWS
Small Wonder
FM SOUNDS MINIATURE FM RADIO. Manufactured by American Technology Corporation, 12800 Brookprinting Place, Poway, CA 92064; Tel: 619-679-2114. Price: $29.95.
When we heard the claim that the world's smallest FM radio had been introduced by American Technology Corporation, we had to get our hands on the FM Sounds. We have always loved the miniaturization that electronics has made possible.
It sounded too good to be true: digital touch tuning in an FM receiver that weighed less than a quarter of an ounce and was designed to be worn in the ear! We couldn't wait to try it.
The unit arrived in a protective carrying case that stored the receiver, two batteries, an ear clip, and two antennas. The batteries are two 1.5-volt type-392 button cells. The ear clip, which is removable, helps to hold the receiver snugly in the ear even when you are walking or jogging. Without the ear clip, the receiver has an annoying tendency to fall out of the ear if you move around too quickly.
Two antennas are supplied with the receiver. The first is a stiff piece of wire about four inches long. The second is a flexible wire that is about 27 inches long. Since the short antenna was installed when we received the unit, and because it seemed more convenient, we powered up the radio and gave a listen.
The power switch is also the radio's volume control. It's not continuously variable as most volume controls are. Instead, it has only two positions, low and high. We weren't too happy about that, but we figured that we had to trade off something to get such a small radio.
Only two other controls are located on the FM Sounds: SCAN and RESET membrane-type buttons. A push of the SCAN button causes the radio to automatically scan up in frequency until a station of adequate strength is found. The RESET button returns the receiver to the bottom of the FM band. When the top of the band is reached, the RESET button must be pushed to return to the bottom of the band. That's not really an inconvenience. On the contrary, because there is no display, it actually helps you to keep track of where you are tuning.
When we first powered up the radio, we hit the RESET button, and then SCAN. Nothing. We heard what we thought was a station being passed, but that was it. Ha!, we thought. Another rip-off! We changed our position slightly and tried again. This time we received one station, a local broadcaster. Needless to say, our opinion didn't change much.
We were so disappointed by the results that we weren't even going to bother to connect the second antenna. When we did, however, we were pleasantly surprised to be receiving stations. Reception was actually quite good--better, in fact, than what was provided by many of the personal stereos that we've tried!
We do have our complaints, about the receiver, however, and we would probably be willing to put up with an increase in size to fix the problems. The most troublesome aspect of the receiver is that is very frustrating to use when you are walking. If you lose a signal momentarily, the radio will scan up in frequency. Then you have to start all over again trying to find it. Our second complaint is that the buttons are not easy enough to press--our ear was hurting after just a short listening time! We would have preferred actual pushbuttons instead of the membrane switches used by the unit.
We would also like to have a manual-tune mode along with the auto-scan mode. And we would like the option of hearing the radio while it scans. As is, it mutes automatically.
The FM Sounds is impressive because of its size. It doesn't really strike us as a very practical receiver, but it is fun. In some instances, however, it can be practical. We used it, for example, in conjunction with a low-power FM transmitter to listen to TV audio as we moved around the house on a Saturday afternoon. Because the transmitter had adequate signal strength, we never lost the signal. The receiver is light enough that it was a very comfortable way to listen.
American Technology Corporation is reportedly expected to introduce a product called Wireless Sounds that bundles such a transmitter with the receiver. Perhaps they should start work on laptop computers--we still haven't found one small and light enough for our tastes.
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SGB Sporting Goods Business - September 14, 1998
Unique Products for people on the go!
World's Smallest FM Radios
Solar-Powered Radios & Lights
High Impact Packaging
ATC American Technology Corporation 1-800-41-RADIO ext. 171
13114 Evening Creek Dr. So., San Diego, CA 92128 www.atcsd.com e-maildegarv@atcsd.com
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The Christian Science Monitor - January 31, 1997
Technology
The latest offerings of the consumer electronics industry span the spectrum of handy to wacky
To Complete This Phone Call, Please Pick Up Your TV
by Laurent Belsie
One of the most fertile areas of human imagination resides in the consumer electronics industry. No matter how weird or wacky an idea might seem, someone out there is producing it in the hope it will become the next big seller. And once in a while it does.
So here is a selection of the latest and (maybe) greatest from the recent Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas:
Products under $50
World's smallest radio - $20
American Technology Corp. offers AM and FM versions of this neat device. Based on microchips, they're small enough to plug into your ear, yet deliver all the sound anyone would need. The company's vide president of sales uses the ear clip (included) to go jogging.
CAPTION
RADIO, ANYONE?: The world's tiniest transistor, based on a microchip, is an electronic fashion statement when worn with its ear clip.
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Ginny's
BRAINSTORMS
HEARTLAND AMERICA - July 1996
SHARPER IMAGE SPA COLLECTION
U.S. CAVALRY
WORLD'S FINEST MILITARY AND ADVENTURE EQUIPMENT
EDDIE BAUER
WORLD'S SMALLEST FM RADIO HAS UNBELIEVABLE SOUND!
It fits easily and comfortably inside your ear, and it leaves the other ear free for hearing nearby sounds and conversation. Great for runners, walkers and bikers who want to listen to music yet monitor road traffic. Features Super-heterodyne digital tuning with scan and reset plus static suppression between stations. Comes complete with carrying case, two batteries, antenna and detachable ear clip (holds radio comfortably in ear for running). Measures 1-1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2".
Heartland America Price $19.99
Wear the Worlds Smallest FM Radio in Your Ear?
Enjoy your favorite music virtually anywhere! This tiny digital radio weighs less than 1/4 oz. and measures just 1 1/2"H so it's perfect for joggers, bicyclers and gardeners--or use it while relaxing at home or working at the office. Comes with a local and long-range antenna, protective case, ear clip, and batteries. Has auto scan tuning, 2 stage volume control, and great quality sound. Imported.
World's Smallest FM Radio $29.95
Ultralite 2000 Radio
(C) carrying a tune is easier than ever with the Ultralite 2000. This super-small radio covers the whole FM band (88-108 MHz), and it fits over your ear for private listening when hiking, cycling or when you want to unwind. Easy to take anywhere! Features digital touch tuning, superheterodyne circuitry, "scan" and "reset" buttons, low/high volume. Includes two 392 button cell batteries, detachable ear clip, long-range flexible antenna, local antenna and carry case. Weight: 2 ozs. Made in U.S.A. Black. $24.95
This teeny FM radio hides in your ear, giving you the ultimate in take-it-with-you, hands-free convenience.
And it delivers rich, full, high-quality sound. So go ahead--talk on the phone or chat with an associate while you listen to your favorite tunes. At just 1 1/2" long x 5/8" wide x 3/4" deep, and weighing less than 1/4 oz., it's discreet enough to wear anywhere, which makes it great for jogging, biking, traveling, etc. Features digital scan tuning with the touch of a button and a comfortable in-ear speaker. Comes with attached antenna, protective case, detachable ear clip for more active use, and 2 button batteries.
In-Ear FM Radio $29.95
The World's Smallest FM Radio Produces Big Sound
It hides in your ear and weighs less than 1/4 oz.--yet delivers clear reception and fabulous amplified sound. Digital tuner accesses the full FM band, from Country to Classical stations. Features a high quality speaker, scan and reset buttons, plus volume control. Detachable local and long range antennas make sure you get every station on the waves. Includes a protective case, ear clip for a snug fit and batteries. 90-dau warranty. Size: 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/2".
World's Smallest FM Radio $29.95
E. Mini Radio, $24
The world's smallest radio weighs only 1/4 oz. and fits completely into one ear. Features FM digital-scan tuning and comes with two batteries and a protective carrying case. One color. 3/4" x 1 5/8" x 3/4".
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The San Diego Union-Tribune - November 5, 1996
Business EXTRA
Patriot Scientific of Poway to buy Metacomp
by Bruce V. Bigelow
Patriot Scientific Corp. of Poway disclosed plans yesterday to acquire at least 90 percent of Metacomp Inc. of Rancho Bernardo in a stock deal valued at about $2.5 million.
The announcement barely moved the price of shares in Patriot, a development-stage company with eight full-time and eight part-time employees. The stock rose 6.25 cents to close at $1.9375 in relatively light Nasdaq trading.
Metacomp Inc., a closely held company with 16 employees, makes circuit boards used in high-performance digital telecommunications. The company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization July 19.
"We spent five years surviving and paying back our debt to society," said Metacomp President Norm Dawson, referring to Metacomp's reorganization. "We spent extra money doing research and development so our products would be competitive with the marketplace."
Metacomp sells ISDN interface cards and related telecommunications products to such customers as Motorola, Hewlett Packard, AT&T, E-Systems, Northern Telecom and GE Capital Spacenet. Founded in 1978, it reported revenues of more than $2 million for the fiscal year ended July 31.
The privately held company has 103 shareholders, who will receive Patriot shares in a one-for-one stock swap expected to close in December.
Patriot has yet to show a profit, although it is free of debt. Since its initial public offering in 1989, the company has financed its operations through additional stock offerings and now has about 26 million shares outstanding.
Patriot's communications technology, which is based on its proprietary ShBoom microprocessor, fits "hand-in-glove with Metacomp's communications products," said Michael A. Carenzo, Patriot's president and chief executive.
"It is a nice, synergistic fit," said Carenzo.
He noted that Metacomp supplies its products chiefly to original equipment manufacturers and value-added resellers, while Patriot hopes to sell its new CyberShark digital modem as a consumer product.
"It give us an entry into the market," Carenzo said. "It certainly gives access to the communications market that we didn't have before."
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THE MOTIVATION SHOW DAILY
Big Sound, Small Package
American Technology Corporation (ATC) is a San Diego-based electronics company specializing in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of ultra-mini consumer electronic products, and at The Motivation Show, they are showing the World's Smallest FM Radio. That's right, a radio that fits perfectly in your ear!
The ultra-miniature digital touch-tuned radio continues to sell successfully on the QVC Network. Catalogs carrying FM Sounds include Attitudes, SkyMall, and TigerSoftware.
These little radios are perfect for the active person. If you job, instead of carrying a walkman and having to worry about headphones, you could just have a radio that has everything you need, but without the hassle. It has digital touch tuning, scans the entire FM band, weighs less that 1/4 oz., and has a removable ear clip. It's also good for biking, hiking, or sun bathing. The perfect incentive gift for that active employee or a strong motivational prize for a job well done.
Contact: To see and test this creative invention, go to booth #5520.
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ATC PRESENTS...
The World's Smallest AM/FM Radios
AM Sounds
The World's Smallest AM Radio
FM Sounds
The World's Smallest FM Radio
Radios come complete with ear cushion, detachable ear clip for more active use, batteries, a protective carrying case and a 90-day warranty.
Listen Anywhere, Anytime...
Customer Comments...
"A miracle of minaturization."
"You gotta hear it to believe it!"
"...the reception was actually better than the personal stereos that we've tried."
"It's no toy!"
"It sounds great...even next to my computer terminal."
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ATC American Technology Corporation
Retailer Ads: AM & FM Sounds
Venture
Target
the good guys! GOOD IS BETTER
NEX YOUR NAVY EXCHANGE
AAFES BX
AUDIO GIFTS UNDER $20
ATC ultra-micro digital FM radio is small enough to hang on your ear. FM202 $14.99
ATC ultra-micro FM radio is so small it hangs on your ear! Digital tuning and "ear-bud" sound. ATC FM202 $14.99
12.99 Sale
WORLD'S SMALLEST FM RADIO.
Weighs less than 1/4 ounce. Digital scan tuning, battery, detachable ear clip, water-resistant carrying case.
14.99
ATC "FM SOUNDS" OR "AM SOUNDS."
"World's smallest radio!" Fits completely in your ear. Each includes antenna, batteries, ear clip and carrying case. #FM-101/202, #AM-300
STOCKING STUFFERS
Get ready for Sporting Events with the "World's Smallest Radio." Available in FM Black, or FM Yellow, and AM Black. $14.95
Ear Radio
FM Digital
For Sports, Travel, Etc. 14.99
ATC ultra-micro digital FM radio is small enough to hang on your ear. ATC FM202 $14.99
Sale12.99 YOUR CHOICE
STEREO RADIOS.
Choose from the World's Smallest FM Radio, Emerson dual alarm/clock radio or Casio travel alarm/clock radio. All feature excellent clarity and range. Models.
12725 Stowe Drive * Poway * California 92064 USA * (619) 679-2114 * Fax: (619) 679-0545
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1996 Eddie Bauer
Holiday Preview
For Keeps
E. MINI RADIO, $24
The world's smallest radio™ weighs only 1/4 oz. and fits completely into one ear. Features FM digital-scan tuning and comes with two batteries and a protective carrying case. One color. 3/4" x 1 5/8" x 3/4".
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Monitoring Times - July 1996
The Full-Spectrum Radio Magazine
AM Ear
If you're looking for an AM radio with good sensitivity and small size, you might want to try the new AM Sounds "ear radio." According to a press release from the manufacturer, American Technology Corporation, the AM Sounds ear radio is so small that it literally fits in your ear. There are no earphones, nor wires, and no bulky receiver unit to hang from your belt. According to ATC president Robert Putnam, "While fitting comfortably in the ear one can listen to a favorite talk or sports program, leaving the other ear open to conversation, room sounds, traffic, etc."
OK. So you want to know the obvious. How does this sucker stack up as DX machine? Well, Putnam says that it has 100 microvolt sensitivity. "Translated in common terms," he says, "this means our radio picks up stations that other pocket and portables might miss altogether."
So there you have it. No more missing an opportunity for rare reception because of the fact that DXing is considered socially unacceptable at church, school, or work. Now you can AM DX anywhere, anytime. Just dig your finger into your ear and spin that dial.
AM Sounds is available for $29.95. You can order by calling the company at 800-41-RADIO. Tell them that Monitoring Times sent you.
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BRAINSTORMS - 1996 Fall Edition
HOLIDAY GIFT CATALOG
The World's Smallest FM Radio Produces Big Sound
It hides in your ear and weighs less than 1/4 oz.--yet delivers clear reception and fabulous amplified sound. Digital tuner accesses the full FM band, from Country to Classical stations. Features a high quality speaker, scan and reset buttons, plus volume control. Detachable local and long range antennas make sure you get every station on the waves. Includes a protective case, ear clip for a snug fit and batteries. 90-day warranty. Size: 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/4".
956020 World's Smallest FM Radio $29.95
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HEARTLAND AMERICA - July 1996
WORLD'S SMALLEST FM RADIO HAS UNBELIEVABLE SOUND!
It fits easily and comfortably inside your ear, and it leaves the other ear free for hearing nearby sounds and conversation. Great for runners, walkers and bikers who want to listen to music yet monitor road traffic. Features Super-heterodyne digital tuning with scan and reset plus static suppression between stations. Comes complete with carrying case, two batteries, antenna and detachable ear clip (holds radio comfortably in ear for running). Measures 1-1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2".
HEARTLAND AMERICA PRICE $19.99
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WIRED - October 1994
Almost an Implant
My mom used to tell me not to put anything smaller than my elbow in my ear. I just broke Mom's rule, and it was worth it.
A single bud earphone, called the "World's Smallest FM Radio," comes with hardshell carrying case, two different detachable antennae (a short, stiff wire for local reception and a longer, flexible wire for more pull), and an extra pair of tiny, commonly available batteries. It's comfortable, thanks to its diminutive size and weigh, and a handy ear clip helps it stay in place.
Don't expect it to compete with a Walkman, though. You can't skip to your favorite station--the scan button jumps one station at a time with each push, and the reset button starts at the beginning. Also, the power switch serves as a two-position volume control, and "high" isn't very. In a noisy crowd it's not so hot, but in a quiet park or building it's fine. And, hey, it sounds better than your elbow. - Andy Eddy
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The San Diego Union-Tribune - July 14, 1995
Business Briefing
San Diego and California
American Technology Corp. of San Diego announced the first shipment of its miniature AM ear radio, AM Sounds, to retailer Sharper Image. Like the company's FM Sounds radio, the light-weight AM-band radio fits in one ear. It was developed for sports and talk radio.
San Diego Daily Transcript - July 14, 1995
An earful: American Technology Corp. has begun shipping its new miniature ear radio AM Sounds, billed as "the world's smallest AM Radio. The first shipment against a $50,000 backlog was made to Sharper Image, the store and catalog retailer. AM Sounds retails for $29.95. The company already produces what it calls the world's smallest FM radio.
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San Diego Daily Transcript - December 14, 1994
Local Scene
Poway's Norris Communications Corp. has begun shipping its Flashback digital voice recorder. The nonmechanical device--no tapes--weighs less than 3 ounces and fits in the palm of a hand. It retails for $249.
* * *
American Technology Corp., manufacturer of the tiny FM Sounds radio, has recorded its first profitable year. The company reports income of $320,340, or 4 cents per share, on sales of $825,816, for the year ended Sept. 30, compared with losing $104,627 on $15,418 in 1993. For the three months ended Sept. 30, ATC made $311,817 on $336,039 compared with losing $22,489 on $15,418 in the same quarter the year before.
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San Diego Daily Transcript - July 27, 1995
American Technology Corp. reports income of $21,979, zero per share, on sales of $431,611 in the third quarter ended June 30, a rise from the $66,982 loss, a penny per share, on $271,298 recorded for last year's third.
For the nine months, the company lost $301,998 on $1.47 million compared with profit of $4,046 on $490,553.
ATC, an electronics company, reports $50,000 worth of backlog at the end of the quarter for the company's miniature AM ear radio.
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THE SHARPER IMAGE CATALOG - August 1995
World's smallest radios hide in your ear. Choose AM or FM.
These miracles of miniaturization weigh less than 1/4 oz., and electronically tune the AM or FM band at a touch. You hear rich full sound--while staying in touch with your surroundings with your other ear (ideal for jogging, hiking, biking, sun bathing, travel, etc.).
Called "The World's Smallest AM Radio™," new AM Sounds features highly sensitive TRF receiving circuitry and AGC control. Perfect for tuning into your favorite AM talk programs, all-news stations, and sports broadcasts.
FM Sounds has state-of-the-art diode tuning, three-position volume/power switch, and the patented miniature receiver employs over 40 transistors. Both models have a comfortable in-ear speaker. Each comes with local and long-range antennas, protective case, ear clip, and batteries. Made in USA. 90-day warranty.
These featherlight radios fit in your smallest pocket. Keep one close at hand and always stay in touch.
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HEDONICS - Fall & Winter 95
The World's Smallest, Lightest FM Radio Hides In Your Ear
This innovative ear-plug radio, is a digital FM radio so tiny and light you may forget you're wearing it. It's a great little radio that delivers big sounds for walking, biking, gardening--anywhere. Features auto tuning that scans the FM band and 2-stage volume control. Works on button-cell batteries (incl.). Comes with local and long range flexible antennas, ear clip, extra batteries and a carrying case. Measuring in at /14D x 1 1/2 H x 1/2 W" it weighs less than/ounce. Please specify Black or Yellow.
FM Radio #SP125 $34.99 S&H ($5.00)
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SELECT - August 1995
GREED!
Fat of wallet and low of attention span? Then you're laughing. This month's consumer perishables include Lieutenant Uhuru's radio. Ecstasy in a bottle and a watergun that shoots round corners...
THE SMALLEST RADIO IN THE WORLD
Fits in your ear and comes in a range of tasteful colours for authentic Lt. Uhuru chic.
Price: £29.95
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Incentive - May 1995
New Technologies
Small Sound
With this premium, you can tell employees or customers to stick it in their ear--and they'll be pleased about it. The tiny FM Sounds radio is just 1/2 by 1 1/2 by 1/4 inches and weighs less than one-quarter ounce--not much bigger than the earphone attached to it. American Technology Corp., distributor of the product, introduced the radio to the premium market at last year's Motivation Show, and David Hahn, sales and marketing manage of the Poway, Calif.-based company, says he's received orders for the radio as an employee and client giveaway. Believe it or not, there's a surface area on the radio itself for corporate logo and message, and a wider space on the radio's carrying case, which houses radio/earphone, as well as removable ear clip and antenna.
The radio comes in a variety of colors and retails for $29.95, with bulk discounts available. The company also has an AM and FM wireless transmitter version of the product. For more information, contact American Technology Corp., 12800 Brookprinter Pl., Poway, CA 92064; (619) 679-2115; fax (619) 679-0545.
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Personal Touch West
Red Hot Promotional Products from Webb
The Ultralite 2000™ (B) is the world's smallest FM radio!
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PLATINUM - April 1995
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR MEN
WE'RE TALKIN' TINY!
Dubbed "The World's Smallest FM Radio," this innovative earphone-radio by American Technology is the ultimate in mobile audio miniaturization. Weighing only 1/4-ounce, it nonetheless features state-of-the-art diode tuning circuitry, allowing the user to scan the FM radio band with a touch of a button. And since it's worn in one ear, it provides an element of safety for hikers, joggers and bikers, who need to stay in touch with the surrounding environment. And hey--it comes in six different colors!
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Woody doesn't count his success by the number of units of a particular item sold. "I make all my money in the stock market from companies that I put my inventions into. E Digital, which has all of this compression digitized recording for audio and video, made me really rich in the last two years. I wouldn't have to go to work ever again and I'm wondering if I can even spend it." Other companies include Patriot and ATC (American Technology Corporation). "Now Patriot hasn't done super well as a company, but I timed disassociation with that company, giving it to some professional management which allowed me to be free to sell shares. Insiders can't do that. They are highly restricted. I can sell stock in ATC which I'm in, but I'm very, very restricted in how much and when and all of that. But when you leave a company, if you do it the right way, you can sell unlimited numbers of shares. I sold millions of dollars worth of Patriot stock in the last two years."
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Rolling Stone - September 22, 1994
HOT STUFF BIG SOUND TINY PACKAGE by Stewart Wolpin
UltraLite 2000 FM Radio ($29.95)
Listening to Howard Stern may or may not be fashionable, but wearing a radio headset would never be considered high style. Until now. This smallest of all FM radios is 1.5 inches tall, weighs less than a quarter ounce, runs on two standard button-cell batteries and comes in five designer colors - an electronic earring for tuned-in trendies. An even smaller AM version will be available in October for $24.95. Both are made by American Technology Corp. Call (619) 679-2114 for information.
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Bottom Line - May 15, 1997
PERSONAL
The world's smallest FM radio.
Clips into your ear... weighs only one-quarter ounce. Digital tuner accesses the full FM band. Includes protective carrying case and batteries. Size: 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/4".
Brainstorms, 8221 Kimball Ave., Skokie, Illinois 60076-2956. 800-231-6000. Item #956020. $16.99.
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Now Hear This!
Introducing The New Out-a Sight
World's Smallest Radio!
Guaranteed!
American Technology Corporation
13939 Poway Rd., Ste. 12
Poway, California 92064
(619) 679-0504
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HOUSEHOLD HINTS by Dorsey Connors
New ear radio will be Out-a-Sight
The National Housewares Manufacturers Association show is in town at McCormick Place and will run through Thursday. The show is not open to the public, but a record number of 1,914 manufacturers will introduce their new wares. Many of the products are geared to make life easier for home managers across the nation. Here are some examples:
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Toledo Blade - May 13, 1984
Radio Plays Out Of Sight But It's Not Out Of Mind
What may be the smallest radio ever sole, the Out-a Site, slightly smaller than a quarter and fitting into the ear, is being introduced by Curtis Technologies.
The radio runs on a watch battery, which comes with the radio.
The Out-a Site is available only in an AM model now, but the manufacturer hopes to have an FM version after Christmas of this year.
The company plans to adapt the idea to all types of public broadcasting -- television signals and the citizens band wavelengths, for instance. Also, sometime in the future, the firm hopes to develop a cordless cassette player that will snap onto a belt and broadcast to an ear unit.
Curtis delivered the Out-a Site to mass merchandisers at the beginning of this month, but the radio also is sold through the mail. The price is $14.95. To order, add $2 for postage and handling and address to Curtis Technologies, Inc., Box 369, North Salt Lake, Utah 84054.
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CHICAGO SUN-TIMES - April 10, 1984
New wave of wares struts its stuff here - Jim Ritter
Do we really need radios small enough to fit into the ear? "Absolutely," said Marv Curtis, president of the company that makes Out-a-Sight radios. "You don't have unsightly wires hanging out of your ear, or headphones to mess up your hair. And you can hear music in one ear and traffic in the other." All for about $15.
CAPTION:
Elaine Harbut models a miniature radio, which fits in the ear and operates on a tiny batter, at the housewares exposition at McCormick Place.
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Baltimore Sun
'Put a book in your ear' with a recorded book - by Charles V. Flowers
A blue T-shirt pinned to the bulletin board in the company office says: "Put a book in your ear."
The company is recorded Books, and the office is on the second floor of a dilapidated frame house in a commercial section of Clinton in the southern part of Prince Georges County.
Recorded Books is part of a growing industry that produces narrated books for people to listen to in their spare time, or when they don't have to concentrate fully on their work. Customers include traveling salesmen who can plug a cassette into their car radios, commuters and hikers.
"Our customers are those who like to read but don't have enough time," said Henry Trenton, president and co-owner of Recorded Books. "The beautiful thing about listening is that you can't skim. You appreciate how good the prose is."
In all, the company has recorded, unabridged, 150 books -- novels, history, humor, memoirs, adventure. One of the newer recordings is "The Little Drummer Girl," John Le Carre's 1983 best-selling novel. "Le Carre has a wonderful way with words," Trenton said.
In addition to "The Little Drummer Girl," the most popular rentals are "Gorky Park," by Martin Cruz Smith, "Ten Days that Shook the World," by John Reed, and "The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread," by Don Robertson.
There are a handful of similar companies across the country but their number is growing. They include Listen for Pleasure, Inc. of Lewiston, N.Y., Books on Tape, of Newport Beach, Calif.; Caedman, of New York City; Hear-a-Book, of Westlake Village, Calif.; The Mind's Eye, of San Francisco and Tape Worm, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md.
Trenton says he started the firm in 1979 because he was bored with listening to the radio.
"I'm a salesman by trade and I traveled a lot," he said, "and nearly everything on the radio is so mindless. I heard of a California company that records books, books that are narrated, and I decided to establish a similar company for the East Coast."
Trenton, 39, sold electrical machinery at the time.
"Going into this business, I thought all you needed was a tape deck and someone to read a book into a microphone," Trenton said. "But there's a lot more to it."
A friend, Dr. Henry Wyler, of Fairfax, Va., an acoustical expert who designs studios for the government and corrects flaws in auditoriums, donated some of his time. "Out of the goodness of his heart, he designed us a small studio that gives our books an excellent sound."
Trenton said he also went to the Library of Congress to talk to and observe William West, who reads books for the blind. West, he says, "was a big help."
"When I was about ready to start, I met Sandy Spencer, who is an actor and knows about theater," Trenton continued. "He came here to read. The chemistry was right and he came in as a partner."
The recordings are made on 1/4-inch tape decks and then transferred to cassettes. Trenton said. Each cassette lasts 1 1/2 hours; "The Little Drummer Girl" is recorded on 12 cassettes, 18 hours. The rental price is $14.95; the sale price is $128.
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Albuquerque Journal - October 17, 1984
Dalton To Carry Books-on-Cassette
Newman Communications Corp. of Albuquerque has announced it has received an order to place its product in all B. Dalton bookstores across the country.
Hal Newman, president of the firm at 2700 Broadbent Parkway NE which is the national distributor of Books-on-Cassette, said the initial order totals $1,175,940 in retail value. The order is to stock Dalton's 695 bookstores with Listen for Pleasure Books-on-Cassette, the company's primary product line.
Newman said the company has added eight people to the Albuquerque staff to meet the increased demand, bringing total employment to 25.
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