Categories / Gadgets and Tech

Crosley Classic Kitchen Phone

Crossleyphone 
The Crosley Classic Kitchen Phone is a tribute to the mid-century telephones designed by Henry Dreyfuss.

This wall-mounted phone was originally designed to allow consumers to walk with the phone while cradling it on their shoulder and Dreyfuss undertook an extensive survey of human faces to determine the average distance between the mouth and ear. The Crosley design has incorporated these ideas, but updated the phone with push buttons, redial function and pulse/tone modes.

The phone costs $54 from Urban Outfitters, although sadly it is can only be delivered within the USA.

Categories / Gadgets and Tech

USB Retro Mobile MP3 Player – shaped like an 80s brick mobile phone

Brick

Is it a mobile phone from the 1980s? Or is it an MP3 player? Well, as the name suggests, the USB Retro Mobile MP3 Player from Brando is the latter, but shaped like the former.

Yes, shaped like a 'brick' phone, it actually plays your MP3/WMA files, holds a microSD card for storage and hooks up to your PC via USB. There's even an FM radio and rechargeable battery to finish things off.

What do all those buttons do? No idea, but you can have fun finding out. The price is $23 from Brando directly, which is a paltry £14.66.

Find out more at the Brando website

Categories / Gadgets and Tech, Toys and Games

Official Etch A Sketch case for Apple’s iPad

Etch_ipad

Got an iPad? Want to give it a retro twist? You need the official Etch A Sketch case.

Yes, you can turn your expensive Apple touchscreen tablet into a 50-year-old toy, courtesy of Headcase, with the added bonus of the case protecting your investment thanks to the impact-resistant plastic construction.

All your slots and switches are left exposed (should you be worried) and a retractable kick stands allow you to either lay your iPad flat, or angle it for use with the iPad keyboard. Want one? You can pick it up online for $39. Sadly those knobs at the bottom don't offer up added control. Oh well.

Find out more at the Headcase website

Categories / Gadgets and Tech

Sound Burger returns as the Crosley Revolution CR6002 portable record player

Crosley_revolution

We featured this back in January, but now you can actually buy the Crosley Revolution CR6002 portable record player. At least, you can in the US. Don't worry, it'll be in the UK soon enough.

It's not a million miles away from the vinyl crate digger's tool of choice, the Sound Burger, a portable record player from the mid-80s. This new version updates things a little, offering 33/45 speed playback, dynamic full range stereo speakers, battery power, an FM transmitter for firing music over to your audio system wirelessly and a USB socket, so you can easily transfer vinyl to digital formats.

You can buy it directly from Crosley for $149.95 in three colour options, as well as Hammacher Schlemmer. We would expect Urban Outfitters to be the place in the UK to get one in the near future.

Find out more at the Crosley website

Categories / Art and Photography, Gadgets and Tech

Fujifilm FinePix X100 vintage-style digital camera launches

Fujifilm-x100

Vintage seems to be 'in' when it comes to high-end digital cameras right now, with this Fujifilm FinePix X100 promising stiff competition for the Olympus E-P1 and E-P2, not to mention the entire Leica range.

It just might have the looks to match the Leica M9 rangefinder and technically…well, it certainly impresses. Designed for the serious snapper, it packs a 12-megapixel APS-C DSLR sensor, a hybrid viewfinder (mix of optical and electronic), a 2.8-inch LCD screen, continuous shooting at 5fps and the option to shoot HD (720p) video.

Sold with a 23mm F/2 lens as standard, it should be available from early 2011. No price as yet, but we don't expect it to be cheap.

Fujifilm website

Categories / Gadgets and Tech

Transparent 746 Telephone

Transparentphone 
Pedlars have their autumn stock in now, which includes a supply of Transparent 746 Telephones.

They have the traditional 746 shape, but with a transparent casing so you can see what makes the phone work. They were originally used in telephone exchanges and there are now less than 100 in existence. They been reconditioned both inside and out and are fully compatible with modern BT systems or adapted at no extra cost for Telewest users.

The transparent 746 telephone costs £145 from Pedlars.