Retro Chic – Casio WMP1 Wrist Audio Player (2000)
Remember this slice of millennium tech? The world's first MP3 playing watch
What’s the story?
Before the iPod changed the world, Casio seemed to have taken the concept of portable audio to its logical conclusion by embedding an MP3 player into one of its watches. Mind you, with just 32MB of song storage onboard, you needed a very small music collection or the memory of a goldfish to get the most out of it.
Why should I want one?
The Wrist Audio Player was the world’s first watch to play MP3s, so owning one will come in handy when you open that gadget museum you’ve always dreamed about. Besides, wrist-based tech has a certain Dick Tracy appeal to it, so plugging a set of headphones into a (massive) watch still feels futuristic.
What to look for…
Without a couple of key accessories the WMP-1 is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. It came with a USB docking station for loading all four of your songs onto it and without that you’ll be able to listen to nothing more than the sound of silence – and we don’t mean Simon and Garfunkel. You’ll need the original software too (and a Windows PC to run it on). The headphones plug in via an adaptor that attaches at the nine o’clock position, so make sure that’s not missing and you can use any cans you like.
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Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief