cassettes

What do you do with a bunch of old cassette tapes when you can't bear to throw them out? Make iPod cases out of them, of course.

The green people at 45 iPod Cases, which originally made a name for themselves by recycling old 45 records for the media player, is trying to do the same with cassettes for the Nano. We don't think they're as aesthetically successful as the vinyl retro look, but they do deserve some points for ecology's sake.

All those mix tapes your friends made you, all the wistful nostalgia of Iron Maiden and proto-emo early Smiths can be at your fingertips again with the magic of tape-to-MP3 technology. And today, we found you a converter on sale at almost a 30 percent reduction in price.

Keeping in mind that sales tax varies from state to state, this is a pretty good deal--a little more than a hundred smackers to save you the time and hassle of finding all your old Hüsker Dü and Wham! favorites on CD. Be sure to check the seller's … Read more

The retro craze is still going strong, especially with gadgets like a flash drive disguised as a mix tape, and devices that will let you transfer tunes from old cassettes to MP3s. But here's something that kicks it up a notch--an MP3 player inside an actual cassette tape. You have all the benefits of an MP3 player--an SD card slot, music and volume controls, an on/off switch, and a USB charger--but in a decidedly retro cassette tape. And this is the crazy-cool part: This cassette MP3 player can be used like a normal cassette in a regular … Read more

It's been raining '80s nostalgia gadgets around here lately. Between the Lasonic iPod boombox, Plusdeck EX cassette ripper, Speak & Spell speaker mod, and buckets of Transformers tschotkes--we're just waiting for Prince and John Cusack to pull up in front of CNET in a Delorean.

Here's another gadget to throw on the '80s retro-tech heap. The Suck UK Mix Tape USB is a Flash thumb-drive cleverly masquerading as a vintage Hitachi cassette tape. No word on pricing, but the product is poised to launch in the UK in September. But why wait? This looks like a totally … Read more

South Korea will soon be seeing BTO's latest audio-ripping powerhouse, the Plusdeck EX. The bread-loaf-size box allows users to encode virtually any audio source (cassette, turntable, radio, even your mobile phone) into an MP3 or uncompressed WAV file. This is the same company that created the Plusdeck 2c, a dedicated cassette player that fits into a 5.25-inch computer drive bay. The 2c, however looks like a case study in '90s tech design, while the EX looks pretty stylish despite its girth.

The Plusdeck EX also comes with a remote, radio antennas, power supply and a USB cable. It … Read more

Who says the Walkman is dead? (And no, that's not a play on Dead Man Walking.)

A gold-plated 1994 cassette version released to celebrate its then-15th anniversary, the WM-EX1HG, sold a few days ago for $550 on eBay, according to TechEBlog. The vintage collectible is ensconced its own presentation case and has never been used, the seller says, so don't expect it to come preloaded with the greatest hits of '94.

Speaking of which, extra credit goes to those Cravers out there who can name the top hit of that year. Answer: "I'll Make Love to You,&… Read more

We're not terribly fond of retro designs, as we've mentioned before, but the "Retro Console Music System" does get high marks for effort. Unlike other items that just slap an old analog face on some digital innards, this system at least tries to integrate its new players into a unique hybrid design that still looks distinctly like something from yesteryear.

Unfortunately, it doesn't update its music technology far enough. Although Chip Chick notes that it includes a CD changer, turntable, radio, cassette decks and two-way speakers (what, no 8-track?), the $300 system doesn't appear … Read more

Maybe it's the holidays, but we've been reminiscing a lot lately here at Crave. And we would like to thank everyone for indulging us--but first, one last trip down memory lane (until the next one).

The latest item to trigger memories of our misspent youth is the "Plus Deck Cassette Converter" offered on Firebox.com, which calls it a "full logic, front-loading cassette deck that can convert, edit and play tapes on your PC" by converting them into MP3 files. But Gearlog said it best, explaining eloquently how this gadget can help you relive your glory days … Read more