retro

Talk about deja vu. Witnessing the evolution of DAB products in Europe is like watching a PBS documentary on a history of the analog radio. Some of today's digital versions are starting to look like the first portable AM/FM radios of the '60s.

At first glance the MP-Sound 41 from U.K.-based Roberts Radio looked like a shiny silver Sony transistor from the days of yore. Until you see the digital screen on top, that is, which is used for something unimaginable back then: an electronic programming guide that can schedule the recording of a show up … Read more

Anyone who's minimally familiar with personal weather stations knows that Oregon Scientific is obsessed with these devices--which strikes us as somewhat odd, because the weather in Oregon seems fairly predictable compared with other states (rain followed by more rain). Whatever the reason, its crusade has paid off at least where design is concerned.

No longer do home forecasting gadgets look like hospital equipment thanks to the company's efforts to add an aesthetic dimension to its products. As Technabob points out, its latest offering looks more like a retro sci-fi movie prop than something used to guess whether you … Read more

If you've had your fill of swoopy iPod speakers and yearn for the good old days check out the R601 Tube Hi-Fi FM/AM Classic Radio manufactured in China by Shenzhen V.A.L. Technology Co., Ltd. It's a modern vacuum tube amplified table radio, and a major step up from the typical cheesy retro radios you see in chain stores. You know the type, a flimsy plastic box with a crappy radio tucked inside. The R601P is the real deal.

This bad boy, all-tube radio pumps out 7 watts over its 4 inch driver, and even features … Read more

Probably the same time you went to pick up a roll of film.

So imagine our surprise when we saw a couple of new Yashicas at the Imaging Expo Singapore. And these were not relics either. The star of the bunch is the 14-megapixel Yashica AV1400-HD that's yet to be announced. Yep, 14 megapixels. The largest we've yet seen on a compact camera. According to its distributor, the AV1400-HD is expected to be available in Singapore by end December. No pricing details as of this writing.

We have a little more information about the other models. The Yashica … Read more

The Fashionista blog noticed this new camera for White Stripes or vintage camera fanatics.

Meg and Jack White of the White Stripes have partnered with the Lomography Society, an international experimental-photography organization, on two reproduction cameras.

The purpose of the limited-edition cameras is to take "an analog look at life in the Digital Age," according to a statement on the White Stripes Web site.

I suppose this is a follow-up to their Digital Age release of the Icky Thump album on USB flash drives.

The "Meg" for $180 is a semireplica of the Diana camera from the 1960s. … Read more

First, there was the USB turntable. Now the ubiquitous USB format is going down memory lane to fast-forward ye old cassette deck into the digital future.

If you still actually own a box of moldy cassette tapes somewhere in the home and have warm fuzzy memories of care-free youth spent listening to hissy romance mixes, this gadget from Firebox oughta make it easy to reminisce. It converts those compilations into a digital format that's easier to archive. For the full retro effect, the gear even looks like the original 1980s deal, complete with tape counter and metal/CrO2 tape … Read more

Japan's Amandana may eventually give the Italians and the Dutch a run for their money in the design department. The brand first got our attention nearly a year ago with a decidedly crushworthy bamboo DVD player, then an all-in-one audio cube and even some cheeky leather land-line phones.

Now it's taking on the retro trend with '70s-style stereo that could be right out of a Marantz catalog at the height of the disco era (but better). It should be noted here that there's good '70s and bad '70s retro, by the way.

Clean lines are an understatement … Read more

After seeing so many crazy speakers on the market (with equally crazy prices), we often find ourselves pining for simpler products from simpler days. So it was almost a relief to come across the "Retro Hi-Fi Bookshelf Speakers" from Exeluxe.

As indicated by their name, these loudspeakers are a throwback in the best sense of the word, handmade in the color of your choice while housing 5.25-inch drivers and a 1-inch dome tweeter. Each unit is about a foot square and 7 inches deep, according to GeekAlerts, with vinyl covers that would fit perfectly in the ever-popular … Read more

The tech industry has a rich and hilarious history of being unable to promote itself as anything other than unutterably dorky. Originally we were going to call this "The top 10 worst tech ads," but as we hunted around we discovered these are pure gold. They are shockingly bad, but you'll derive so much pleasure from watching them it didn't seem right to use "worst" anymore.

Anyway, we've collected 10 of our favorites--in no particular order--that made us laugh, either because they feature lycra, awful singing, pathetic old technology, Steve Ballmer or some … Read more