The Picocassette - Smallest Analogue Cassette Tape ever made

A look at 1985's impossibly small Picocassette from Dictaphone.

[@cheapspace]

man, that player is so well built you really dont see metal used like this very often i just love that sliding back-plate.

[@yellowbusguy]

I miss the electromechanical aspect of old tech. Real buttons and knobs, whirring motors and gears.

[@mephitusincognito7918]

till it needs to be repaired...

[@slayerficated]

Awe but that's the best part!

[@mephitusincognito7918]

with bigger tech i would agree... just imagine what this thing looks like on the inside..

[@polygondwanaland8390]

Mephitus Incognito Still more user serviceable than the Surface

[@mephitusincognito7918]

aren't microsoft products just designed to be thrown away when they break? ;)

[@marioskoutras6583]

Why i love you channel. + Excellent presentation and deep analysis of each product that you review. + Excellent quality of video and sound. + Crystal clear voice and pronunciation.

[@Techmoan]

+Marios Koutras thanks, those are the very things I pay special attention to...it's like you've written down my 'Mission Statement'. Sometimes though I forget to add in enough entertainment.

[@marioskoutras6583]

+Techmoan Personally i find it entertaining the way it is. There are elements of humor here and there that i really like!

[@pcfverbeek]

+Marios Koutras And ofc his enthuisiasm! =D

[@filminginportland1654]

Doug Reed nice Córdoba, dude!

[@alexkuhn5078]

"...a meeting between a number of people discussing big hair." LOL

[@U014B]

Don't forget shoulder pads, mustaches, and briefcases.

[@lemonslice2233]

And Duran Duran.

[@phs125]

@@U014B and that kind of things

[@McRocket]

'Your policy is now cancelled and we have taken all of your money.' LOL Another entertaining video.

[@Gigidag77]

Apple in a nutshell.

[@qwirky1709]

@@Gigidag77 Facts

[@jeremylindemann5117]

Possibly remembered from his old office job.

[@pandoranbias1622]

Sounds about right.

[@mark314158]

I love these "mad technology from yesteryear" reviews. This device really does look elegant. It makes we want to hold it and press those buttons.

[@pako1205]

mark314158 Yes, yes. :)

[@cruststuffer3052]

pako1205 no no

[@GeekyGarden]

I still have tons of lectures on microcassette from college. I had a professor with a Russian accent that was impossible to understand. I always had to listen to his lectures a few times to absorb them.

[@michrain5872]

Look at those tiny, little adorable cassettes :3

[@2degucitas]

itty bitty teeny weeenie squeeeeeee

[@nebulouscat5477]

Just as cute as a jumping spider!

[@jasonsong86]

This thing in the 1980s was very advanced. No wonder it was $400.

[@DJzSith]

But was it really worth half a car? Because according to my sources, adjusted for inflation, it would be $5421 and 80 cents in today's money.

[@Markle2k]

Your sources are incorrect or you misentered your values. It's just over $902 in today's dollars according the BLS. $400 was how much the original HP*35 handheld calculator went for in the early 1970s. By 1989, the top of the line HP-28S scientific handheld computer ($235) with the IR printer accessory would be required to eat up $400. So, $400 was still quite a chunk of change in 1985, even for business equipment.

[@DJzSith]

Thanks for clearing that up :)

[@Kenjis9965]

I think the Pico cassette was intended less for dictaphone interoffice use and more for say someone traveling and stuff. It's a lot smaller and more portable. Be useful to take notes later or to dictate to yourself. Really cool piece of kit though

[@jameshay7247]

It was probably a high-end product for executives with their own personal secretaries.

[@PaulTheFox1988]

Person A: "Do you use a dictaphone?" Person B: "No I use my hands thank you." Childish it may be, but that joke elicits a chuckle out of me every time.

[@filminginportland1654]

Transcription is still used in some medical offices, even sometimes on micro cassette, but it's been mostly phased out in the last decade. Used by doctors describing their visits, and replaced mostly by EMRs. I managed a fleet of digital ones and the entire scripted, automated system to get the files to transcription department, typed, and into the database.

[@chrismr368]

My mum used to work in a typing pool that latterly serviced a 'bank' (as it was called) of dictating machines. Execs literally phoned their words in to the bank which recorded them; the girls then took the tape out, back to their desk, and played it to type from.

[@erocrush]

@@chrismr368 they law offices I work for just stopped using tapes a couple of years ago

[@dr.lexwinter8604]

I have a Pico on my desk. Had it since the early 90's, no idea what it has on it or where I got it, never had anything that played it. I just loved it's tiny size and kept it as a novelty. Ironic given I've had dictophones late 80's products and never twigged. You solved a mystery of a cute little cassette for me.

[@Miniryke]

Whenever you record, you sound exactly like James May! lol

[@GraemePryce1978]

+Joseph Prince That's a good thing! James May for PM! lol

[@Miniryke]

Absolutely!

[@bobbytables464]

+Joseph Prince There's a slightly similar cadence and vocal range but the accent is pretty different. I'm not native to the UK so I don't have that good an ear for UK regional accents but even I can tell the difference between Northern and West Country.

[@uselessDM]

+Joseph Prince Oh yes, I was thinking that voice sounded familiar. Now, is James May secretly a Picocassette?

[@tripjet999]

Who?

[@biturboism]

In Bulgarian any portable voice recorder is called "dictaphone", which I just released is a brand name. Neat.

[@idleprepress]

same in Russian.

[@Slarti]

Love your channel. It's like listening to radio 4 where it feels like the presenters are in my home.

[@passthebutterrobot2600]

...but without interruptions for the shipping forecast

[@evilutionltd]

Can I use your dictaphone? No, use your finger like everyone else. I'm sure this joke came out about the same time.

[@MattOGormanSmith]

+Evil from evilution that was even funnier when the phones had rotary dials

[@xaenon]

+MattOGormanSmith "Stick your finger in the hole and make circles'?

[@michaelnager6059]

+Evil from evilution That was the first joke that occurred to me as well when I saw the title of this video. :)

[@shiningarmor2838]

Shit! You beat me to it!

[@xebek]

Ah, so that's what "hands free" calling is all about.

[@AfferbeckBeats]

It's like the Micro SD card of 1985! And wow that is such a convoluted system for getting a letter typed up. You'd be better off just hand writing it!

[@origamiandcats6873]

It almost seems that way but it's much easier to get a tape handed to you. The boss walks away, the headphones go on and sweet tranquility. You don't have to struggle to read someone's terrible handwriting. I learned how to touch type so I'd always have a job in the corporate world but now that I'm a code monkey I think that typing class was the best $40 I ever spent.

[@Alienswithwigs]

It has a James Bond spy-isa look and size. The Dictaphone is simply gorgeous!

[@Vercus100]

You always have the wildest, coolest stuff that I've never heard of. Love it! Subscribed.

[@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc]

Great humor in this episode, along with the always top-notch informativeness. I was totally unaware of all of the small-cassette formats mentioned besides the microcassette, and I was historically a heavy user of cassettes.

[@Arxiuz2]

this looks like a james bond toy

[@gil3289]

or Mission Impossible...

[@swatdoggy]

that little thing is quite impressive 1980s spy gear!

[@Chubsandsubs]

The sound quality is actually amazing for how old the recorder is. I've had smartphones with worse microphones

[@chrisjamesr77]

Set the time machine to 1985? I thought you needed 1.21 gigawatts for that....

[@felixboian-togyik3346]

...

[@DustinRodriguez1_0]

Your explanation of the workflow involved in sending a communication in a 1980s office was marvelous. I don't think people today often stop to realize just how tremendously computers have increased productivity. With the recording, internal mailing, typing, and posting... how many letters do you figure an employee could get out of the building in a day? A dozen? 20 maybe? And today, they can send that many emails in an hour. And even more remarkably, they work longer hours, and are paid about the same (average salary of the lower 90% of the US economy rose by only 1% since the introduction of computers to the workplace). Anyone who thinks greater technology will enable us to work less or increased productivity will get them better pay hasn't been paying attention.

[@JustinRiedyk]

Thankyou for the explanation of why the Dictaphone even existed in an office environment, you may be interested to know some places still rely on the same process for letter writing. You wont be surprised to hear they are a Government office. Though while the typists still listen to tape atleast they type into a Word Processor nowdays :)

[@rupertrooksby]

A guy comes up to my desk and says 'Can I use your dictaphone?', I tell him 'No, use your finger like everyone else.'

[@n64ever]

I'm just 15. But I LOVE old stuff like this. Seeing these old Hi-Fi devices and all these old Cassette players and the old unknown formats really hits that special 20th century kid in me. Thank you for all the great information and I'm excited to see more!!!

[@videotape2959]

So you're just like every other kids on youtube. Nice...

[@n64ever]

+VideoTape XD There's like NOBODY on here like me. XD Nice joke.

[@videotape2959]

Uhhhh was that sarcasm.

[@TheBarnacleBlimp]

What a stunning piece a working history. It does look beautifully made and rather tactile. Great video and thoroughly enjoyable flashback in time.

[@therealjammit]

Back in the day I was thinking of buying one of those, but I was holding out for the femto-cassette.

[@mikesteele5729]

They skipped over the nano-casette.

[@Havron]

atto-cassette or gtfo

[@MRmessyRoomedPerson]

Techmoan I hope you never stop making videos about obscure and forgotten technologies. If your channel didn't exist, I most likely never would have found one that did anything quite like this, and my life would be dull and pico-cassette-less.

[@Techmoan]

MRmessyRoomedPerson I'll try to keep doing these - but the other videos are the way that I pay for this old stuff, so I'll need to get back to reviewing some more cameras for a while.

[@MRmessyRoomedPerson]

Techmoan Absolutely; I understand. Periodically I'll watch one of your camera videos. Also, I really enjoyed the video you did on the freestyle libre blood glucose meter. I learned a lot.

[@FrancisZerbib]

One of your best. I lived at that time. I worked with these dictaphones. Damn, how old I got! 😩

[@caponeprincess73]

I enjoy seeing older technology products

[@brantisonfire]

Makes me want to acquire a microcassette recorder to do my interviews with so I can baffle the interviewee with obsolete technology. We recently cracked open an old cabinet in the newsroom of my student newspaper that had early-2000s digital cameras. Cameras these days have come a long way from 3-megapixel sensors and 128-megabyte capacity, to say the least.

[@themaritimegirl]

I used a microcassette recorder for school until 2011 when I replaced it with an Olympus LS-7 digital recorder. The difference was like night and day - I would never wish anybody to have to rely on a mini or microcassette recorder, trying to understand their muffled recordings later. They're fine when your subject is near and there's no ambient noise, but in a classroom or other group setting they are frustrating at best. I still use the digital recorder today.

[@ihavekalashnikovyoudomath9275]

I wish more things were as well built as this Dictaphone. Solid metal all around, looks lovely and stylish, and is super simple in its design. Nowadays there's planned obsoletness, plastic on everything, and if it's not then it breaks at the drop of a hat

[@roblamastus]

Thanks from the U.S. for putting a quarter in for size comparison. :)

[@Techmoan]

R LaMastus glad you spotted that. Now that I think about it I could probably have used an SD card for comparison, it's more universal....however someone would no doubt then get confused and ask if it used SD cards.

[@ddragon8154]

+Techmoan IIRC a US quarter is roughly the same size as a UK 10p coin, so presumably both'd give the same idea of scale with only a quick-note being needed to explain the difference to the opposite crowd. :-) For plurality, I *think* a 0,50€ coin might be about that size, too. Next time I come across one (i.e; I can locate my holiday change) I'll let you know. :-)

[@bookshelffury]

Still waiting for you to report back

[@CrashFactory666]

I can't wait until I am an old man watching a video of some one who dusted off my old Tascam DR-40 and wax on romantically about how "advanced" it was. Keep up the great videos!

[@thesimstecoo]

Man this is so cool!!! When you played back your voice recording it sounded like it was recorded during the Apollo missions or something I love that little white noise effect behind the human voice

[@MarkShannonroad_videos]

Would had been cool to have back in the day, but the price tag of $400.00 would had been too steep to many, and you're right about having to replace the dictation machines as well. Never knew of this format before. Thanks for doing a video on it.

[@Lazarus7000]

I have a regular Compact Cassette based Dictaphone and they are hilariously well built. Unlike that treasure, mine has seen years of hard use; I plucked it from my university's electronics recycling program (basically one step above trash) and squeezed a little more service out of it myself. It's only just now, years later, that it's begun to to go funny and develop wow, like the tape speed is fluctuating.

[@kymmoulds]

Thanks Matt for another interesting review. Those still shots of the Typing Pool and electric typewriters really brought back memories for me. Cheers Kym

[@3ds12Game]

Oh man, you're awesome! I can't wait to watch some more videos that you've made!

[@Anamnesia]

Q: Can I use your Dictaphone? A: No. Use your pencil like everyone else...

[@Vector_Ze]

I experienced a bit of a shock when you stated word processors weren't in use in the mid-'80s. Dedicated word processors have been in use since the 1960s. But so far as computer-based word processing is concerned in the mid-1980s, heck, even the lowly Commodore 64 had word processing programs available at that time. And of course, Microsoft Word has been in use on more professional level computers since the mid-1980s as well. I'm enjoying your videos. Kind of addicting.

[@shiburin3114]

That microphone on that little machine sounds 500x better than half the microphones kids use when gaming. ( T ^ T )

[@user-ny1rv4ib9c]

Ikr?

[@1972LittleC]

I get why they are very hard to get hold of, those pico-cassettes: one medium sneeze, aaand it's gone.

[@SimousDave]

I must say, this is giving me an amusement and also it is teaching me a bit of history.

[@SlavicUnionGaming]

they used to sell these at raidio shack. as well as recorders but no more, rest in peace tape recorder. :( you were my first form of music entertainment.

[@rkaid577]

Less than 10 years ago, dictaphones with cassettes about 2x the size (maybe more) of this picocassette was still widely used in a hospital (in Norway) in which I worked. The doctors would dictate what would go in a patient's journal, and the typists (I was one of them at the time) would type it out. Eventually they transitioned to a purely digital format (no tapes, except ) and eventually to voice recognition software, turning typists into proof-readers. I quit that job several years ago, but I hope the voice recognition software has improved, because that thing was turning out some real gibberish at times... Anyway, really great video and channel!

[@Cestrianvlogger]

Year i was born, seems like a tradition in the 80's and early 90's, make something nice and shiny and either stick some wood on it or some faux leather

[@TheHirade]

love watching this videos, sets me back to the good old times for a few minutes :)

[@shannonbriggs100]

I was hoping you'd make a video about this. Thank you.

[@user-bk7to8gn5l]

+Alex McClure Same wtf

[@chieftp]

this was for people who found the micro cassette to be just too big and bulky. LOL. I worked at Best Products way back around '93 and they had a micro cassette player/recorder that was not much bigger than the cassette itself - about half the size of the recorder in this video. it even had a built in speaker, but it was ridiculously expensive. I don't remember selling one the entire time I worked there. it sure was cute though.

[@mikel9567]

+chieftp Holy crap I haven't heard the name BEST in decades. Used to love that store (if it's the same one I am thinking of)

[@chieftp]

Mike L Best Products 1957-1997.

[@makomk]

Yeah, that is rather the problem with this I think - not only does it use an exotic cassette, the whole machine isn't actually that small.

[@unequal.estudio]

fantastically very small. good video as always. congratulations on the channel and the videos, do not lose one.

[@nerdglider]

I love your blast to the past videos, keep up the excellent work!

[@tuxysmagicaljukebox5431]

I love this channel! I always geek out everytime I watch your videos. :D

[@TheCatAteMyShoe]

I had a mini-cassette play/recorder back in the late 80s - early 90s for high school. I loved that machine. I never knew there was anything smaller than what I had.

[@klausledda5903]

it is just like the transformer's soundwave... i could'nt believe that there's a smaller type of cassette tape that exists in the 80's

[@fattomandeibu]

I find this stuff particularly interesting due to the nature of it, and you still see it today with these tiny computers like the Raspberry Pi, and about 10 years ago it was phones, and before that, pocket digital music machines. People like talking about them as flops, but a lot of these machines are simply companies trying to find a good niche. I've been following the "Pi clones" thing for about a year now, and some of it is very intriguing. Whether it be NVidia's one with the built in AI learning processor built in, or the more expensive offerings with better processors and more memory that attempt to bring a desktop PC experience into a box the size of a packet of cigarettes. People call them flops, but if no one tried, we'd never get anywhere. So yeah, err... got kinda long winded there, but thank you sir. Getting to see attempts at innovation from before my time(or at least in this case, before I was old enough to understand) and let us all see the innovations that led us to where we are today.

[@lundsweden]

I think the manufacturers jumped the shark with the Picocassette. The Microcassette was already small enough. I bought a very small Microcassette recorder in 1990, and a bigger, but still quite compact Cassette recorder in 1994. I thought I'd go full size as it was cheap, had better quality sound and it had compatibility with common cassette decks and was still not that big! I now have a very nice Sony Microcassette recorder (made in 1993) which has the cue marker feature. Can you REALLY buy a new Microcassette recorder? I can't see why you would need one these days, as you have voice recording on your phone, and if you like you can get a high quality portable digital audio recorder. The only reason I still have one is because I like them and nostalgia!

[@thebeststooge]

I have one of those tapes around from back in the day. So tiny and they were not cheap to buy at the time either.

[@JoePortly]

Failed technologies are neither here nor there; but neglected ones, such as electrostatic speakers, are inspiring, glamorous &c

[@douro20]

It was manufactured by JVC for Dictaphone, and was the only product to use the Picocasette. I would say it has an almost Nagra-esque quality of construction... These things occasionally show up on eBay, sometimes even NOS.

[@macswanton9622]

In the movie "A Clockwork Orange" Alex pulls out one of these, and plays the William Tell Overture on his component stereo deck. Part of the reason a lot of guys are watching this video now

[@DarcyFerrier]

This is really nifty for the mid 80s.

[@DarcyFerrier]

who would have thought

[@BOFAFett]

Glad I found your channel! been watching all your stuff. Great work!

[@SvenOkonomi]

I love these "Future technology of yesterday" videos. I am subscribing, keep them coming, Techmoan!

[@passthebutterrobot2600]

Love the styling on this thing. Beautiful.

[@rick92rr]

I remember having small cassettes that I used with a voice recorder, but I don't remember which model was it, I adore your channel man, you're incredible!

[@Lintary]

I love all this old audio tech even though I am not into hifi or anything (I happily listen to deezer on my phone with pair of decent sennheiser headphones). The technology behind this all is quite interesting as is the history and you present very well here even to those of us who didn't even know this stuff existed ever :)

[@VishalVoraUK]

Another wonderfully put together video. Excellent stuff.

[@kirankankipati-thelinuxcha689]

excellent video. Just loved the technology. These videos are historical snapshots of technological progress. Keep up the good work. BTW I enjoyed your video trailer too .. bit nostalgic LOL :)

[@doalwa]

Very nice Video....just stumbled across your channel and had to subscribe instantly.

[@mgregggphone]

Very nice machine with some really great options for the time. I particularly like the que feature.

[@nodrogdivad]

I had a two speed VOC microcassette handheld recorder from Radioshack dating back to the early 80s that my parents gave me to play around with. I have no idea what they used it for in the past...

[@custardo]

They certainly don't make'em like they used to...What a lovely device.

[@Michirin9801]

The quality is pretty good for such a small cassette!

[@AI4QT]

I really enjoy your look back in technology. Great stuff indeed. Thanks for sharing! Wil in Huntsville ALABAMA.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

According to inflation calculator 500$ in 1985 ar 1,100$ in 2015. The same cost an iPhone plus 128Gbyte. Not too expensive for its quality and innovation.👍

[@alfulton5946]

This would have been my dream music format in the 80s and 90s. I can just imagine how small Sony would have made the Walkman version and just think about how many cassettes would be able to fit here.

[@SharpblueCreative]

You really do sound like James May. Just found your channel, really fun and I have the same love for old equipment.

[@Turrican]

amazing these things can be found unopened!

[@dwoodog]

Thanks for the cool videos. I was a teen in the 80's, loved audio, but good lord the cool stuff was expensive.

[@GoldryBluszco]

That industrial/graphic design is gorgeous

[@Appleboy78165]

That cassette is simply ADORABLE!

[@The90sGamingGuy]

I do remember voice recorders like this but i saw the 90's and early 2000's models. I do remember micro cassettes since they were used in answering machines for message storage. Do you remember the clear plastic phones that were around in the 80's and 90's? You know the ones you could see all the guts of the phone?

[@chukidee6634]

Another brilliant retro tech video from Techmoan :) I should subscribe to your youtube

[@KiloByte69]

$400 in the 80s? Holy crap.

[@Darkvoidninja]

about 898 in todays money

[@lemonslice2233]

Yeah but when you busted a drug lord it was all worth it.

[@KiloByte69]

LemonSlice How was it worth it? The war on drugs is a complete failure.

[@lemonslice2233]

KiloByte69 Welp, I was making a joke, but you've just opened a whole new bag of research on me. I hate drugs, they cause nothing but misery, but I'm aware the efficacy of the War on Drugs remains very controversial so I should do some real study on that.

[@generalshamic4777]

+LemonSlice It depends which drugs you are talking about, marijuana and LSD have some benefits. They also use morphine in hospitals which is very useful.

[@eoon]

Hey man, I just discovered your channel a few weeks back and I totally love your videos on old/cool/forgotten gear. I am also a huge fan of vintage mechanical pieces of gear, nothing can't beat the thrill you get from manipulating some solid switches and levers, right? I have two of those (cool switches, that is) on my tube amplifier for guitar (by Fender). I just love to enter our rehearsal space on Tuesdays and fire up this 50 watt, 6L6 loaded monster by flicking the on/off switch :) Then the tubes heat up (more often than not I stick my nose up against the cage that guards the intestines of the beast and watch them glow), and when we're ready to play it feels so great just to flick the standby switch to let the sound get to the speakers. Lol, got a bit carried away here, but anyway... Thanks for your videos! I'm having a blast watching them :)

[@TheBcoolGuy]

I think my mum has used one of those types of casettes for recording at some point.

[@azotyp]

Beautifull piece of old technology.

[@AQuietNight]

I do not recall which size was used, but there was one or two attempts at creating a Hi-Fi deck using these small cassette tapes. As you might guess, they went the way of the Picocassette.

[@emanuelecardia5687]

so beautiful micro dictaphone!

[@therealKINDLE]

I like this cassette the most because of it's size. It's what gives the Pico its' Piquancy!!

[@SpaztallicA]

I love watching you review inadequate gadgets for some reason

[@slowneutron6163]

This recorder used to come bundled with thumbscrews, a car battery with jumper cables, a black ski-mask, and some LSD.

[@etorrestube]

I remember an even smaller version that was used in a pen before the digital age. That cassette would only come included with such Spy-pen.Nowadays they are all usb-mp3 recorders.

[@bluedeath996]

My dad had one of these when I was young. I used to love playing with it.

[@jayswarrow1196]

If i'm not mistaken, theese been used in old telephones, as a answering/recording machine. (I remember having Panasonic wall set with that inside.) Clever thing too, as it managed the tape space between your voice answer and records, completely without supervision. Also, must outline, that i adore the "interaction" of sort, when you use the device that's being reviewed for the audio part of review itself. Gives it very atmospheric flavor.

[@timf-tinkering]

I would say that would almost certainly have used a Microcassette. A lot of telephone answering machines used Microcassettes to record incoming (and sometimes also outgoing) messages. The recordings on these tape-based machines were much better quality than the solid-state digital answering machines that superseded them.