retro

Peripherals

Retro iPod Shuffle Case Proclaims Old School Fandom

Posted by Mark Wilson at 11:10 PM on October 7, 2008

What better way to celebrate your new iPod shuffle than sticking it to Apple's marketing/branding department and sliding the sleek device into the original Apple logo? Available from an Etsy seller, the $US12 classic case features a rear opening that allows the shuffle's clip to slip through so you can wear it like a broach or button. But if giant lizards are more your thing and you've got a new iPod nano, the seller has something else you may be interested in:


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Portable

iRiver Taking Pre-Orders For Retro-Slick Spinn PMP, Shipping October 3rd

Posted by John Mahoney at 1:45 AM on September 30, 2008

iRiver's beautifully designed Spinn we handled in Berlin (that giant analogue knob, mmm) now has official details on U.S. availability: $US250 for 4GB and $US280 for 8GB, with pre-orders taken now to be shipped on October 3. We'd love to see a little more storage at that price, but it's a great-looking player with a nice 16:9 AMOLED touchscreen, FM tuner, DMB mobile TV (if you're in Korea), a 1970s hi-fi inspired case and interface as well as support for all the expected video and audio formats. [iRiver]


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Gadgets

Areaware 2B Radio: Minimalist Design and Features For Your Stylish Grandpa

Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 4:00 AM on September 28, 2008

Kids these days, with their baggy jeans and their MTV and their fancy networked booming boxes, they don't know the joy of sitting around the old-timey radio and listening to the soothing stories. The Areaware 2B radio just might be the bridge to these whippersnappers: its visible vacuum tubes have a cool retro feel, not to mention a warm sound, and the minimalistic design is hip with the Apple generation. And thank god, this radio is only a radio, without any wifi, 3G, DRM, or any of those other scary acronyms. The 2B will ship in November for a price of $US550, but what's a few hundred dollars for such comforting simplicity? [Apartment Therapy]


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Peripherals

The Rotary Phone 4-Port USB Hub Reminds Me of a Crazy Teacher

Posted by Sean Fallon at 7:20 AM on September 18, 2008

This 4-port rotary phone USB hub reminds me of this teacher in my junior high school that enjoyed "talking" to her husband on a toy telephone during class. She also named her rings and kept them in little cages she designed (seriously). The running joke in the school was how bat-shit crazy she was—which is probably why I find this thing so amusing. Turning the dial opens and closes the hubs, which gives it an interesting aesthetic appeal and prevents dust and debris from mucking up the ports. Just remember: if you feel compelled to make a phone call on it, that means you are losing your mind. Seek help immediately. Available for $US15. [Gadget4all via Apartment Therapy]


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Computers

Purchase Classical Works of Art, As Dreamt by a Young Steve Jobs

Posted by John Herrman at 9:48 AM on September 6, 2008

Regulars might remember Adam's similar Photoshop contest a few weeks ago, but these amazing oil-on-canvas paintings were lovingly adorned with Macintosh SEs for a Sweden-only ad campaign all the way back in 1987. Erik Saxen produced these original works (inspired by a number of famous artists) for Apple's marketing, but is now seeking a (weird) collector to take them off his hands.


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Games

DIY Mini Multi-Platform Console Mod

Posted by Sean Fallon at 4:00 AM on September 3, 2008

Retro gaming fans that enjoy a good DIY project will certainly get a kick out of the latest work of a console modder that goes by the name "Bacteria." Basically, he has devised a way to cannibalise those Plug-n-Play TV gaming units into interchangeable cartridges that can be plugged into a single, portable system (he also claims that a GBA add-on is currently in the works). Unfortunately, Bacteria continues to be uninterested in details like aesthetics and ergonomics (as we first noticed in his previous project), but that is something you can probably correct should you decide to take on the mod yourself. Hit the link for the complete instructions. [Modded by Bacteria]


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Games

Retro Space Arcade Cabinet Mixes Retro, Futurism with Banana Colour Scheme

Posted by Kit Eaton at 10:01 PM on August 18, 2008

The classic arcade cabinet of yesterdecade gets a snazzy makeover in the Retro Space machine from designer Martijn Koch. It's a tribute in part to "honour the design of the first ever arcade cabinet" which was Computer Space, from 1971. So it's got arcade-quality controls for two people, including the ever-important trackball (good news for Missile Command fans) and squeezes in 100+ games and a suite of emulators.


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Vehicles

1940s Video Shows Off Crazy Bike Innovations

Posted by Gizmodo US Edition at 9:30 AM on August 3, 2008

I'm not completely sure what's going on in this clip or where it's even from but it contains a) weird and crazy bicycles, b) jazzy music, and c) old timeyness--thus, it rules. I'm pretty sure the language is Czech, so if any of you know Czech, please tell me what they're saying! My favourite strange bikes: the really, really huge one at 3:15 and the sewing machine one at roughly 4:40. [MAKE]


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Vehicles

Jack Nicholson Solves Oil Crisis 30 Years Ago, Drives Hydrogen Car in 1978

Posted by Jesus Diaz at 12:40 AM on August 2, 2008

If you think hydrogen cars are the future, you are wrong. They are the past. You just have to look at this amazing video with Jack Nicholson showing his hydrogen Chevy, smashing the traditional car industry with his usual finesse, and extolling its virtues on network television, 30 years ago:


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Cameras

Gakken Unveils a New 8mm Camera: That's Right...NEW

Posted by Sean Fallon at 7:40 AM on July 23, 2008

I must admit that I was intrigued by the Super 8 projector that Japanese manufacturer Gakken released back in March. My only problem was that you would need to get your hands on an 8mm camera in order to get back to the retro filmmaking stylings of our forefathers. Fortunately for film buffs, Gakken is planning to release a companion to their projector with their own low-cost, no frills 8mm camera.

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