PRODUCTS: Hiking Gear for Couch 'Taters

Oh, no! Get ready for couch potatoes on the move, liberated from their sofas and wandering the streets with flickering devices held before their eyes. Sony, which introduced the Walkman audiocassette player in 1979 and the tiny Watchman TV set in 1982, said last week it will produce the Video Walkman, a videocassette player the size of a small book.

The device uses 8-mm videocassettes, an increasingly popular format a mite bigger than their audio counterparts. The Video Walkman can record programs from its built-in TV receiver or from a home set, then play the tape on its 3- in. color screen. The new product will be released in the U.S. late this year. Expected retail price: about $1,300.