Packard Bell

The Gift

Packard Bell is a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Acer. It is a name that has been used by two different consumer electronics companies. The first was an American radio manufacturer founded in 1926, that later became a defense contractor and manufacturer of other consumer electronics, such as television sets. Teledyne acquired the business in 1978. In 1986, investors bought the name for a newly formed personal computer manufacturer. Originally the company produced discount computers in the US and Canada, it later became a leader in the European market. NEC took it over in the late 1990s. Taiwanese Acer acquired it in 2008.

In spite of the similarity of their names, there has never been any corporate connection between the original or later Packard Bell and Hewlett Packard, or Bell System.

The original Packard Bell was founded in 1926 in Los Angeles by Herbert A. Bell and Leon S. Packard as a maker of consumer radios. It later found success in the military electronics industry and the television market. It also manufactured some of the earliest computers, the most famous of which, the PB 250 released in 1961, was one of the last users of magnetostrictive delay lines as part of its memory. It was also the last machine to be partially based on the original designs of Alan Turing’s NPL Pilot ACE computer.

A Packard Bell radio was used as a prop in the 1960s American television series, Gilligan's Island. The Japanese-made, eight-transistor AR-851 was an important plot device over the course of the three year run of the show. A handle and external antenna were added to the AM-only radio, presumably to make it appear more "radio-like."

From 1926 through 1950, the marketing area for Packard Bell radios consisted of the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Many Packard Bell models made during this period have stationized dials with the call letters of the major stations from these states marked in their proper places on the dial. These "stationized" dials also include KSL 1160 in Salt Lake City and KOA 850 in Denver. After 1950, Packard Bell discontinued its "stationized" dials when it began selling radios and televisions throughout North America.

For 2009, the name Packard Bell can be seen on the FIAT Yamaha MotoGP racebike of World Champion Valentino Rossi of Italy. Packard Bell also dropped their sponsorship from the Professional Electronic Sports Team, 4Kings, but picked up team Enron from North America.