1970 Sony TR-1825 Radio
Sleek, modern, minimal, this 70's radio from Sony makes even modern Bluetooth speakers look dated.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information available on these little gems. From Sony's own website, we find that it was released in 1970, the year Sony became the first Japanese company to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange. It was also used as a promotional giveaway for The World Expo in Osaka that year.
It's an incredibly sleek and simple design. When closed, it appears as just a simple cube with rounded edges, made up of two sections. The Sony logo, and the words "Solid State" adorn one corner, the only indication of its function. When you slide the two sections apart, the speaker grille appears at the front, and the two slider controls at the top. It's an AM only Radio. The two sliders are labelled "Volume" and Tuning". At the back, is the cover for the battery. The sliders themselves are also well thought out. They're recessed into channels, and the controls sit flush with the surface, and are finished in a contrasting color (usually white knobs and a black surface).
Its small size wouldn't make it the best sounding radio, but its simple elegant design, and the variety of colors it came in, make it a great gift, travel radio or promotional item. It even looks great as just a paperweight.
I can't tell you too much more about this little radio, as information is scarce, and original models are incredibly hard to find. Sony has always had a great sense of design (especially within the context of the era), and I hope they re-use the ideas in this radio as a modern speaker.
"Fan-Art" for the TR-1825. The radio predates both the Euro and the "Make.Believe" slogan
Have to credit Dogen's great Flickr photoset, and Future Forms for the images. There are also posts on Reddit, Core77, ISO50, and many more about this little radio, as well as Sony's official write-up.