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Technology: turn on, tune in
By Jolin Ng and Feng Yichen |
September 20, 2009, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JUST as history repeats itself, the past will always provide inspiration for the present. In this digital age of all things wireless and online, we are faced with the task of constantly updating our technologies to improve user flexibility and increase our connectivity to the gobal world. But that doesn't mean that style needs to be sacrificed; technology has a penchant for makeovers. Some of this season's must-have gadgets are reinventions of basic music devices that have been aquainted with the 21st century.
Drawing inspiration from the gadgets of the old, these latest devices may make you do a double take. In these technologies, you'll find a marriage of old and new -- a radio that streams from the Internet, a stereo with cassette-recording ability. Even if you may not be old enough to remember that era when boomboxes and cassettes were all the rage, this is a trip down memory lane with a new spin put on it.
Brionvega RR227 MP3/Radio (Price: 1,500 yuan)
It's hard to come up with a reason why the people at Brionvega decided to head down the retro (and bulky) route when music players have been shrinking in size. Instead of the slim and futuristic MP3 players that are all the rage now, Brionvega's newest gadget is a modern-day update of the company's classic RR127 radio created over 44 years ago. Aside from the old-school numbering, the updated model comes with AM and FM radio tuners, antenna and speakers which all harkens back to a 1960s Italian design aesthetic.
Of course, the retro-radio also has all the modern basics like an SD card slot for MP3 or WMA digital audio files playback and an AUX jack for connecting to your iPod or other media players. The ABS-monolith design makes it both lightweight and sturdy, and the RR227 can be placed either horizontally or vertically. Still, the RR227 is considerably bulkier and less handy than conventional MP3 players and is best left to the design-obsessed who'd rather trade convenience for looks, or nostalgia.
BTO PlusDeck Ex Digital Tape (Price: 2,700 yuan)
If you haven't thrown out your collection of cassette tapes from the pre-digital era, the BTO PlusDeck Ex could give those oldies a second life. With a full-featured 7.1 surround sound audio card with a cassette deck, this device allows users to easily convert and transfer whatever's left of your ancient, molding cassette collection into MP3, WAV or OGG digital audio files, where the hiss and damaged sections can then be cleaned up.
While such technology for ripping music off cassettes and into computers for storage in digital format is not new, what makes PlusDeck Ex different is that it can also do the opposite -- record audio from a digital file onto an audio cassette. This means that if you've still got a car audio system or stereo with a built-in cassette player, you can easily listen to the latest songs by recording audio files from your PC or the device's AM/FM radio right to a cassette.
As it incorporates a wide array of interfaces, the PlusDeck Ex can also be used for recording audio streams from all sorts of sources, ranging from portable devices to mobile phones. Maybe it's time to start unearthing those old cassette tapes now.
Freecom MusicPal Internet Radio (Price: 1,200 yuan)
The analog to digital switchover has been one of the longest, most drawn out processes in media history. Eventually -- the analog signal has at least until 2012 -- digital radio products will become ubiquitous, but for now, we can get a taste of the future from Freecom's MusicPal Wi-Fi Internet Radio. Many radio listeners say that if you go Internet, you don't go back. Say hello to the days of static-free radio. With access to thousands of stations across the globe and the option of streaming your own music files, "tuning in" will never be the same again. Best of all, it weighs only 600 grams and with a built-in Wi-Fi WLAN and ethernet cable jack, you can carry around thousands of music stations in your pocket. The MusicPal supports MP3, WAV and LCPM files and is UPnP and DLNA 1.5 compatible, making it the perfect all-in-one device for your listening pleasure. As an added bonus, it also comes with RSS feed capabilities, scrolling news headlines at the bottom of the LCD screen.
Drawing inspiration from the gadgets of the old, these latest devices may make you do a double take. In these technologies, you'll find a marriage of old and new -- a radio that streams from the Internet, a stereo with cassette-recording ability. Even if you may not be old enough to remember that era when boomboxes and cassettes were all the rage, this is a trip down memory lane with a new spin put on it.
Brionvega RR227 MP3/Radio (Price: 1,500 yuan)
It's hard to come up with a reason why the people at Brionvega decided to head down the retro (and bulky) route when music players have been shrinking in size. Instead of the slim and futuristic MP3 players that are all the rage now, Brionvega's newest gadget is a modern-day update of the company's classic RR127 radio created over 44 years ago. Aside from the old-school numbering, the updated model comes with AM and FM radio tuners, antenna and speakers which all harkens back to a 1960s Italian design aesthetic.
Of course, the retro-radio also has all the modern basics like an SD card slot for MP3 or WMA digital audio files playback and an AUX jack for connecting to your iPod or other media players. The ABS-monolith design makes it both lightweight and sturdy, and the RR227 can be placed either horizontally or vertically. Still, the RR227 is considerably bulkier and less handy than conventional MP3 players and is best left to the design-obsessed who'd rather trade convenience for looks, or nostalgia.
BTO PlusDeck Ex Digital Tape (Price: 2,700 yuan)
If you haven't thrown out your collection of cassette tapes from the pre-digital era, the BTO PlusDeck Ex could give those oldies a second life. With a full-featured 7.1 surround sound audio card with a cassette deck, this device allows users to easily convert and transfer whatever's left of your ancient, molding cassette collection into MP3, WAV or OGG digital audio files, where the hiss and damaged sections can then be cleaned up.
While such technology for ripping music off cassettes and into computers for storage in digital format is not new, what makes PlusDeck Ex different is that it can also do the opposite -- record audio from a digital file onto an audio cassette. This means that if you've still got a car audio system or stereo with a built-in cassette player, you can easily listen to the latest songs by recording audio files from your PC or the device's AM/FM radio right to a cassette.
As it incorporates a wide array of interfaces, the PlusDeck Ex can also be used for recording audio streams from all sorts of sources, ranging from portable devices to mobile phones. Maybe it's time to start unearthing those old cassette tapes now.
Freecom MusicPal Internet Radio (Price: 1,200 yuan)
The analog to digital switchover has been one of the longest, most drawn out processes in media history. Eventually -- the analog signal has at least until 2012 -- digital radio products will become ubiquitous, but for now, we can get a taste of the future from Freecom's MusicPal Wi-Fi Internet Radio. Many radio listeners say that if you go Internet, you don't go back. Say hello to the days of static-free radio. With access to thousands of stations across the globe and the option of streaming your own music files, "tuning in" will never be the same again. Best of all, it weighs only 600 grams and with a built-in Wi-Fi WLAN and ethernet cable jack, you can carry around thousands of music stations in your pocket. The MusicPal supports MP3, WAV and LCPM files and is UPnP and DLNA 1.5 compatible, making it the perfect all-in-one device for your listening pleasure. As an added bonus, it also comes with RSS feed capabilities, scrolling news headlines at the bottom of the LCD screen.
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