• On TechRepublic: Five super-secret features in Windows 7
August 28, 2007 6:13 PM PDT

Retro stylin': A cassette tape MP3 player

by Nicole Lee
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 5 comments

A cassette MP3 player.

A cassette MP3 player.

(Credit: ChinaVision)

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 cassette player! Now, we do have to offer a caveat emptor and all that, especially as we're not too sure about the music quality. Still, this is one fun-looking gadget that combines retro style with modern technology. It's also surprisingly affordable, at $21.96. [Source: GeekSugar]

Nicole Lee is an associate editor for CNET, covering cell phones, Bluetooth headsets, and all things mobile. She's also pretty geeky--she likes World of Warcraft, comic books, and shiny gadgets. E-mail Nicole.
Recent posts from Crave
Barnes & Noble Nook to hit stores later than expected
Searching for Cyber Monday laptop deals
Get a Brother HL-2140 laser printer for $49.98 shipped
iPhone officially lands in South Korea
How can Dell Netbook be 'perfect for tweeting'?
Investor forecasts show Psystar is crazy
Gameloft's iPhone games on sale for 99 cents
AT&T has refurbished 16GB iPhone 3Gs for $49
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (5 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
Sound Quality? Or more FUD from Crave?
by qprize August 28, 2007 8:18 PM PDT
You're not sure about the sound quality of this all-in-one? What's the
difference between this and a standard cassette adapter, except that it skips the
crappy wire. If the quality of those adapters is acceptable - and usually
reviewed as superior to even the best of the FM transmitters, then these should
be as good or better.

Print this out and look at it every time you go to post, so you get the order right:
Engage brain, then write.
Reply to this comment
Different SQ issues
by make_or_break August 28, 2007 10:36 PM PDT
It's not just the signal transfer to a cassette deck's tape head assembly that's at issue here; it's also the D/A conversion itself. For all anyone knows, this thing could sound like a DOG just using it as a straight MP3 player. At $22, it certainly doesn't REEK of quality, but more like straight-on novelty and gimmickry.
Welcome to 3 years ago (at least!)
by evildonald August 29, 2007 3:05 AM PDT
These things have been around for years and years (admittedly, this one has usb charging.. but that's hardly anything to write home (or to the entire world) about.
Reply to this comment
Back after years
by johnrobie August 30, 2007 5:56 AM PDT
I don't know about 3 years ago, I saw something like this around 5 years ago, but then it seemed to disappear and I'd never seen one since. Good to see they're back, it always struck me as a clever idea.

Plus there are a wide variety of cases already available...
Reply to this comment
by karenhuangliwen October 28, 2009 8:51 PM PDT
There are more and more gadgets in our China market sell.And the gadgets style also very mulreple and the function also makes us suprise.
-----------------------------
http://www.gigxon.com
Reply to this comment
(5 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

About Crave

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. If you would like to contact Crave with a tip or comment, please write to: crave@cnet.com

Add this feed to your online news reader

Crave topics

The browser battles go on and on

roundup From Firefox to IE and from Chrome to Opera and Safari, there's no sitting still for browser makers looking to keep their products fresh and competitive.

3G wireless still holds promise

The next generation of 4G wireless may get all the headlines, but advanced 3G technology will likely dominate services for the next few years.