Tag Archives: radio

This mood-sensing radio plays news based on how you’re feeling when you wake up

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“Well begun is half the work done!” says Varenya Raj, the designer behind Nidra, a radio that helps people monitor their mood when they wake up.

Right off the back, Nidra looks quite unlike most bedside radios. It sports a half-log-shaped design with a plush button on one end, a soft carpet on another, and a printer in between. The idea behind the Nidra stems from starting your day off on the right note. If you wake up in a less-than-ideal mood, whack the cushion as you would at a game of whack-a-mole, and Nidra plays out positive news. If you’re in a pretty good mood when you wake up, gently stroke the velvety carpet, and Nidra plays news across different categories. At the end of the month, the radio prints out a little docket letting you know where your mood’s been over the last 30 days, helping you chart your sleep schedule as well as mental and emotional wellbeing.

Designer: Varenya Raj

Nidra - Mood-sensing Radio by Varenya Raj

The idea for Nidra stemmed from the concept of ‘time being equal to money’. Created as the ultimate productivity tool (because you’re much more productive and focused when you’re in a good mood), Nidra’s aim was to help office-goers have a better overview of their overall mental health. Needless to say, Nidra’s appeal has vastly evolved thanks to the pandemic, and it’s now more of a general mental-health tool. Strike it on your bad days for a pick-me-up, stroke it on your good days for general news, and Nidra charts how you’ve felt over the past month. It prints out a tiny slip for you to analyze and hopefully retrospect over, so your next month is better than your last.

Nidra - Mood-sensing Radio by Varenya Raj

Nidra - Mood-sensing Radio by Varenya Raj

On the inside, the Nidra contains a button, a force-sensing resistor, a thermal printer, a speaker, and an Arduino UNO computer that powers the device. The button’s designed to be pretty large and cushioned, so you could easily slam it while half-asleep, while the FSR comes with a soft, fluffy cloth similar to dog-fur. Depending on which part of Nidra you interact with, the interactions are inputted and received by the Arduino PC which processes it and appropriately chooses an RSS-based news feed to read out. A tiny button on front of the device lets you control Nidra’s volume too!

Nidra - Mood-sensing Radio by Varenya Raj

A unique walkie-talkie design that makes it easier to carry any time, any way!

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Scroll through the walkie-talkie archives ever since their inception around the Second World War, and typically what you will see is a brick phone-like device with the microphone on one end and a speaker on the other, topped off by an antenna. These two-way radios have now evolved to include certain function buttons and LCDs. One thing that remains unattended mainly is the way to carry it. Walkie-talkies are either tied to a sling, wrapped around the wrist, fastened to the belt, or the shoulder strap. As a more innovative way – to highlight its transport – Franco Calegari has designed a walkie-talkie with the bottom half of the device cut out into a hollow ring, which can be used to attach a carabiner or in a range of other ways.

The primary responsibility of a walkie-talkie is to be a portable communication device. “Designed to be carried at any time, in many different ways,” this walkie-talkie can be used in any industry or organization where instantaneous communication between peers is required, and phone signals are unreliable. These would generally include security services, transportation industry, construction sites, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities amid a few other sectors. The fact is that walkie-talkies are easy to use and have grown beyond commercial use into the lives of the masses. Smaller versions are especially very popular among kids.

If you already use a walkie-talkie at work or otherwise, coordinate with colleagues or keep tabs of children when out on a camping site; you know they usually fall short on handling. This conceptual walkie-talkie can hang through a keychain or carabiner and open up more use case scenarios for you. Though we aren’t sure of what range or how many channels this gadget will support but its compact form factor with a large push-to-talk button on the side and LCD on the façade, it is a refreshing take on the otherwise brick-like design!

Designer: Franco Calegari

This steampunk radio, speaker and clock comes with a display made from real nixie tubes!

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Didn’t you get the memo? Retro is in! WandaVision takes us through the 50s, major artists like the Weeknd, Dua Lipa, and Silk Sonic are reintroducing us to the sounds of the 80s, and we’re having a deja-vu moment with Cyberpunk, a sci-fi cult movement that was popularized in the 70s! Riding on that retro-wave is Retio, an all-in-one retro radio, Bluetooth speaker, and clock that comes with a simple, sophisticated, steampunk-inspired design. Handcrafted in California, the Retio comes with a Walnut wood body surrounded by a brass accent, a fabric frontal clad, beautifully knurled brass knobs, and the Retio’s pièce de résistance, a display crafted from four genuine vintage Nixie tubes!

A portmanteau of the words Retro and Radio, Retio focuses on the sheer beauty of artifacts from the decades gone by. It harks back to a simpler time, but showcases the incredibly complex 70-year old nixie-tube technology that remains equally captivating even today. The tubes are genuine vintages, having been built more than 30 years ago but preserved in mint condition. You see, nixie tubes today are incredibly hard to find, given that nobody mass-produces them anymore… especially since they’re incredibly difficult to manufacture and require a highly skilled hand. However, this obsolete technology makes the nixie tubes a perfect bookmark of an era gone by, and the Retio showcases them in true retro glory.

The nixie tubes sit proudly within the Retio’s simple wooden box design, capped with a brass accent and clad with a fabric front to give it the appearance of an old-time radio. Beautifully knurled knobs on the front of the device let you control the radio’s frequency and volume, while also letting you switch between using the Retio as a radio, a Bluetooth speaker, or a clock… an experience that’s made complete by how the nixie tubes respond to the controls, as the layered numbers glow and change as you turn the knobs. Its vintage appearance, however, doesn’t mean an old dog can’t learn new tricks! The Retio works as a Bluetooth speaker too, allowing you to alternate between listening to radio stations and Spotify playlists or even your favorite podcasts. The speaker supports both 3.5mm aux inputs (in case you want to connect your turntable to it) and is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 for your wireless devices. A powerful 10W Class-D amplifier on the inside allows the Retio to pack an absolute punch, rivaling similar-sized speakers from Harman Kardon or JBL. When you’re done, a simple knob-flip lets you switch back to clock mode, which is adjustable between 12hr and 24hr time displays. The clock even includes an alarm function, with as many as 3 melodious alarm sounds to choose from. The upper surface of the wooden panel acts as a capacitive touch surface, allowing you to switch off the alarm and even play-pause your music.

The Retio’s highlight, however, remains its limited-edition nixie tubes (no, they’re not non-fungible), collected over the years by its makers who are bonafide nixie enthusiasts. The tubes, made in the 80s and 90s (you can even see their year of manufacture on them) and have a life span of anywhere between 100,000 to 200,000 hours, guaranteeing you well past a lifetime’s worth of use. The tubes are powered by a ridiculously small HV Board (the smallest ever developed for nixie tubes) that supplies them with the 170V they need to function. Each Retio is also outfitted with a 6800mAh battery on the inside that can easily be charged via a 5V USB (most commonly found on power banks and laptops) and give the Retio a glorious 6 hours of usage on a full charge. And no, the Retio doesn’t come with a voice assistant, although who’s to say what tech becomes vintage in the next 30 years??

Designer: Gonglue Jiang

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $399 ($100 off). Hurry, only 7/1450 left! Raised over $670,000.

Retio – Handcrafted Retro Radio Speaker with Nixie Tubes

Retio is an all-in-one retro radio, Bluetooth speaker, and clock. It uses Nixie tubes to display time and radio frequencies.

Retio is portable, with a 6800mAh battery that supports 6 hours of playback and clock time. Each unit is handcrafted using American black walnut, 360 brass, and vintage Nixie tubes.

Genuine Nixie Tubes

The last Nixie tubes were made in the early ‘90s when the technology was replaced by lower-cost alternatives such as LED. As Nixie tubes enthusiasts, the team has collected them over the years from various sources to use in Retio – the tubes in the Retio are genuine vintage stock.

Today’s Nixie tube stock availability is very limited, and the price goes up almost month by month as more people are realizing the beauty of their vintage glow. Use of these rare components makes Retio one of the most unique speakers in the market.

Radio Mode

You can choose between FM/AM or FM/DAB+.

Maybe you thought radio stations no longer exist nowadays, but they haven’t gone anywhere. When you turn on your Retio, the nostalgic feelings will come rushing back in seconds. Radio is different from how we enjoy music now. You don’t know what’s coming, and you can’t go back either – kind of like our lives. Every moment is unique and irreversible.

Speaker Mode

Retio’s speaker has amazing highs, crystal-clear mid ranges, and deep powerful bass. It’s equipped with a state-of-the-art 10W Class-D amplifier to deliver the most powerful sound you’ll ever get out of a speaker its size (the sound quality is comparable to Harman Kardon/JBL models with similar sizes).

The sound is finely tuned using advanced DSP, which allows for a more balanced and comfortable listening experience. With Qualcomm® aptX™ audio technology, Retio has hi-res wireless audio quality with Bluetooth 5.0. Retio is specially tuned for listening to retro-style music – you will be amazed every time, from the first beat.





Speaker test video (Recorded with non-professional recorder).

Clock Mode

Retio acts as a clock in silence and in speaker mode. Retio can display your choice of 24hr military time or 12hr standard time and the clock also includes an alarm function. Awaken to melodious sounds with your premium speaker, embedded with several of the best soundtracks with beautiful tones, tempos, and frequencies to wake you up.

Additional Features

Retio has six backlight colors to echo the different moods of the night.

A gentle tap on the top enables music pause/resume and alarm control.

Made To Last

Each Retio unit is handcrafted with love in the San Francisco Bay Area, using American black walnut, 360 brass, and genuine vintage Nixie tubes. The best part of a handcrafted product is that every unit is unique. Just as each cut of walnut has a different grain and pattern that sets it apart from the others, so too do their Nixie tubes – each was handmade more than 30 years ago, and varies from the next in its shape and glow.

Walnut is hand picked with FAS grading, FSC® certified. The wood case is CNC cut and hand-sanded, with Titebond3 glue and Osmo finishes. Each piece of wood is grain matched (the wood grain flows from one side to the next). They meticulously arrange the wood so the grain flows seamlessly from one side to the next, wraps around the Nixie tubes.





Spec

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $399 ($100 off). Hurry, only 7/1450 left! Raised over $670,000.

This Nixie clock and radio with a Hi-Fi speaker is for audiophiles who savor pure vintage!

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In times when we all are so accustomed to platter-served music on our cloud streaming services like Spotify or Tidal, the good old radio is the nostalgic detour we need to refresh our mind, body, and soul. Combine that with a steampunk flavor of vintage Nixie tubes + brass trims, and you’ve got a beautiful little box ready to take you on a melodic journey.

The Retio brings the antique 90’s essence of eye-catchy Nixie tubes and the golden appeal of radio listening for people who value retro things in their modern form. Handcrafted in San Francisco Bay Area with profound attention to detail, the radio clock is crafted from American black walnut. It’s embellished with 360 brass dials and corner trims to give it that cool steampunk appeal. The IN-12 Nixie tubes used in each one of these units are sourced from genuine vintage stock collected in the 90s. That single bit makes the Retio unique in its own rights. For audiophiles who appreciate sublime quality, Retio is the one to have in your living room or bedroom. That’s because it comes with support for AUX and Bluetooth connectivity with a Hi-Fi speaker module that is pure bliss for the ears.

Add to that the clock functionality and you are all prepared to get rid of your desk clock, vintage AM/FM radio, and portable speaker for this beautiful piece of vintage accessory. The light from the glowing Nixie tubes will suffice your need to warmly illuminate the corner of your room, so it’s another added advantage of sporting this in your home interiors. I already can’t get enough of this timeless radio clock, can you?

Designer: Retio

Click Here to Buy Now: $349

RadioGlobe: Spin This Globe to Listen to 2,000+ World Radio Stations

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The brainchild of product design engineer and traveler Jude Pullen, The RadioGlobe is an internet-connected globe that plays a radio station from the area highlighted on the surface through its circular reticule. Just give the globe a spin to listen to the world. Well, provided you don’t land over an ocean.

Along with software designer Don Robson and a group of engineers, the team has released an Instructable detailing how to make your own RadioGlobe, which consists of 75 steps, every single one of which could be described as ‘out of my wheelhouse’ and ‘over my head.’ If they ever make it a purchasable product though, I will buy one and start learning foreign languages.

What a clever idea. Especially considering my fear of traveling any further than the grocery store, this would be perfect for me to take virtual vacations around the world. Plus I can call in to try to win all their radio contests.

[via LaughingSquid]

This $600 minimal rewindable radio is a throwback to the boombox-loving nostalgic days!

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Teenage Engineering is renowned for its sublime design cues when it comes to audio equipment. The Swedish synth pros know their audio and they’ve gone beyond the realms to create an out-of-the-box Bluetooth boombox – radio combo which is unlike any other. Fusing elements of classic radios of the 1980s with that of a boombox and next-gen speaker, the “magic radio” OB-4 loudspeaker is an audiophile’s dream come true. OB-4 is designed with a minimal theme that looks clean and impactful for an audio lovers’ delight. Although don’t let that minimalism fool you into thinking that it is just another radio player with the customary Bluetooth music streaming abilities.

It can record 2 hours of the radio playback and when you come across a peppy track you want to replay, it can be done right away. For the immersive user experience, you can rewind, add loops or time stretch the track being played (just like on a turntable) with the motorized control dial or do it with the companion app on your phone. The cool bit is, the dial moves remotely with the intended input on the app! Teenage Engineering said. “Rewind, time-stretch and loop at the flick of your fingertips on purpose or by accident. Instant rewind on the radio is just one of the OB-4’s magic tricks.” The magic doesn’t end there, the loudspeaker has experimental features which include karma – for listening to mantras and quotes with a psychedelic twist, Ambient mode – to immerse in the soundscapes, and the Metronome mode – that plays grandfather clock sound at the desired tempo.

And if we just forgot to mention the audio quality, be rest assured with Teenage Engineering’s wizardry. The OB-4 has two 4-inch bass drivers and a pair of neodymium tweeters which generate a thumping 38-Watts power for each channel, chunking out 100 decibels of loud stereo sound. There’s a 5,000mAh battery on-board that delivers an average 40 hours of playback on a single full charge. The loudspeaker has a carrying handle that doubles as a stand for a relaxed listening position and you can also choose to drape it in the leather bag which gives it an upbeat urban appeal.

Teenage Engineering OB-4 comes in two color variants – matte black and gloss red – priced at $599 and $649 respectively. The loudspeaker isn’t cheap by no means, and the exclusiveness of design and functionality comes at a premium. So, it completely up to the users to gauge OB-4’s worth!

Designer: Teenage Engineering

Click Here to Buy Now!

The World’s Smallest Ham Radio Can Fit on a Keychain

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Since the advent of e-mail, the internet, and text messaging, the need for amateur radio communication has definitely diminished. But there’s still a small but dedicated group of enthusiasts out there who enjoy communicating via amateur radio, also known as “Ham radio.” Most ham radio transmitters are at least the size of a lunch box, and in some cases the size of a desktop computer. But this ham radio transmitter is small enough to carry in your pocket.

Measuring just 1″ x 1″ x 0.75″, the KeychainQRP won’t transmit your voice or music, but it can send morse code signals using low-power, high-frequency radio waves when you tap on its top-mounted button. Assuming your message recipient has access to a compatible multi-band shortwave radio, they can listen to your transmissions if they’re close enough. The tiny transmitter comes in seven different amateur radio bands, and can produce a 160 milliwatt signal on a single 9-volt battery. You’ll need to attach an external SMA antenna if you want your signal to go anywhere though, and also need a ham radio operators license if you want to use one legally.

You can find all of the different frequency models of the KeychainQRP morse code transmitter for $51.99 each over on the QuirkyQRP Ham Radio shop.

CommStar will launch a relay satellite to talk to astronauts on the Moon

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NASA plans to return humans to the Moon by 2024, but there are still plenty of questions about how that will work. One challenge is that communicating between Earth and the Moon still requires bulky, expensive equipment. A new company, CommStar Space...