Tag Archives: Retro

NES-inspired 8BitDo Retro Cube 2 Has a D-Pad for Volume and Playback

Posted on by

Most small Bluetooth speakers are generic cylinders or bricks that sit somewhere on a desk and do not really belong to the rest of the setup. At the other end, you have sculptural, art-piece speakers that look great in a gallery photo but feel out of place next to a gaming keyboard. The 8BitDo Retro Cube 2 Speaker – N Edition sits in between, a speaker that actually looks like it belongs on a gamer’s or retro-leaning desk.

8BitDo calls it compact, powerful, and timeless, inspired by the NES and upgraded from the original Cube Speaker. The N Edition is part of the NES40 Collection, designed to sit next to the N40 keyboard and Ultimate 2 controller as a matching sound cube. The grey body, red grilles, and black D-pad top are NES shorthand translated into a speaker, not just random retro dressing borrowed from another era.

Designer: 8BitDo

The top surface is a D-pad layout with a central button, plus and minus on the sides, a power icon at the top, and play/pause at the bottom. You control volume, playback, and pairing with a familiar gamepad language instead of tiny, unlabeled buttons. It is simple, tactile, and instantly recognizable if you have ever held a controller, which makes it feel more like part of a gaming setup than a generic Bluetooth puck that could live anywhere.

The connectivity offers Bluetooth 5.3, 2.4G wireless via the included USB-C adapter, and wired USB audio. Bluetooth is fine for casual listening, but 2.4G and USB give virtually lag-free audio for games and video. The adapter hides in a slot under the dock when not in use, which keeps it from wandering off and makes it easy to move the cube between a laptop, a Switch, or a desktop without digging through a drawer for dongles.

The integrated wireless charging dock is a small square base with a circular pad marked by a lightning-bolt icon and a perforated ring. The dock keeps the cube powered and also acts as a signal extender for 2.4G, so you get better reception when it is parked. It doubles as a visual plinth, lifting the cube slightly and making the whole thing read as one object instead of a speaker plus a random charging pad that does not quite match.

The tech specs are dual 5 W drivers, 120 Hz–15 kHz frequency response, and a 2,000 mAh battery with around 30 hours of use and 3–5 hours of charging. It is slightly larger than a Rubik’s Cube, which makes it ideal for near-field listening on a desk or nightstand. Music and Gaming modes let you tweak the tuning with a single press, so you can lean into clarity for calls or a bit more punch for games.

Retro Cube 2 behaves as a desk companion that actually earns its footprint. It sits next to a keyboard and mouse like a tiny console, charges itself when you drop it on the dock, and gives you a D-pad to poke at instead of a phone screen when you want to skip a track. Whether or not you already own the matching keyboard and controller, a small NES-flavored speaker with a wireless dock and three connection modes is the kind of object that quietly makes a desk feel more finished, especially if you still remember what a D-pad felt like the first time you pressed one.

The post NES-inspired 8BitDo Retro Cube 2 Has a D-Pad for Volume and Playback first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Tiny Retro PC Is Your Alarm Clock, Speaker, and Pixel Canvas

Posted on by

Cozy desk setups have become a competitive sport. Tiny CRTs, retro keyboards, and beige plastic everywhere, usually looking very cute but doing very little beyond collecting dust and likes. Most of that gear is either pure decor or pure utility, rarely both. MiniToo leans into the 80s PC silhouette hard, complete with a CRT-style screen and chunky keyboard buttons, but it tries to earn its footprint by being a Bluetooth speaker, alarm clock, white noise machine, and pixel art display all at once.

The MiniToo Retro PC Style Pixel Bluetooth Speaker & Alarm Clock looks like a palm-sized beige desktop computer that escaped from an 8-bit office. The CRT-style screen sits on top with a thick bezel, while the sloped keyboard base sports four large square buttons and a bright orange volume knob. It measures about 3.2 by 2.4 by 2.9 inches and weighs just over 200 grams, small enough to fit between your laptop and coffee cup.

Designer: Kokogol

The 1.77-inch TFT screen runs more than seventy clock faces, from DOS blue screens with chunky pixel fonts to colorful analog dials and animated scenes. The companion app lets you design your own pixel faces, animations, and text, then sync them with a tap. You can also cast photos to the screen, turning it into a tiny digital photo frame that cycles through your favorite shots in gloriously chunky pixel form, which somehow makes even vacation snapshots feel more fun.

The audio side packs a 5-watt full-range driver with enhanced bass reflex tuned for near-field listening, good for a desk or bedside but not built to fill a room. Bluetooth 5.3 handles wireless playback, plus it supports white noise and twelve wake-up sounds. You can set alarms, play music, and fall asleep to ambient sounds, all from the same little box that looks like it should be running floppy disks instead of Spotify or whatever you streamed last night.

Built-in pixel tools include a Pomodoro timer, reminders, and simple games that live on the device. It can sit next to your laptop as a focus timer during the day, then shift to an alarm clock and white noise machine at night. The four front buttons and knob make it easy to use without always reaching for your phone, helping it feel like a standalone object rather than just another Bluetooth accessory demanding app attention.

Connectivity options cover Bluetooth 5.3, USB audio, and TF card playback, so it works with laptops, phones, or local files. The app is still required for deeper customization, but once your faces and sounds are set up, the device runs on its own. The compact size makes it easy to move between desk and bedside, or pack as a little travel speaker with personality and actual utility instead of just nostalgia.

MiniToo is clearly gift-ready, shipped in a neat box, and aimed at teens, designers, and retro lovers who want their desks to look like fun. What makes it interesting is not just the nostalgia, but the way it folds real utility into that nostalgia, giving you a tiny computer that finally behaves like the playful, expressive desk companion those beige boxes never were when they were actually new and just ran spreadsheets.

The post This Tiny Retro PC Is Your Alarm Clock, Speaker, and Pixel Canvas first appeared on Yanko Design.

Timeless rotary phone reborn as modern AI-powered companion that plays music

Posted on by

Who can forget the charm of rotary phones that were a lifeline in the early ’90s and ’80s? Their iconic mechanical dialling wheel with finger holes, solid build quality, and the unique clicking sound. Everything inside the machine was mechanical and wired on the inside to make communication possible. Even after their technical innovation was surpassed by mobile phones, the appeal of these robust dialers was not forgotten.

A recent re-imagining of this nostalgic device by designer Nico Tangara, who’s impressed us with the Self-Snoozing Alarm Clock shows how enduring designs can bridge analog heritage and modern digital convenience. Tangara’s project revives a vintage rotary telephone, carefully restoring original components while removing outdated elements such as the high-voltage bell and corroded wiring, to make space for low-voltage digital hardware.

Designer: Nico Tangara

At the heart of the redesign is the original rotary dial, preserved as the primary input mechanism. Rather than simply dialing phone numbers, each pulse created by turning the dial is translated into a digital signal. This allows the dial’s mechanical action to control contemporary digital functions. The transformed device blends vintage form with modern intelligence. On the inside, a small single-board computer, which was initially a Raspberry Pi 4, was later swapped for a Raspberry Pi 2 for lighter loads, handles the digital processing. The original speaker and microphone are replaced with improved audio components connected via a USB sound card, ensuring clearer playback and compatibility with the new system.

Beyond its physical transformation, the device gains new functionality: it operates as both a music player and an AI-powered voice interface. By integrating a voice-based model (e.g., ChatGPT), speech-to-text transcription (via Whisper), and text-to-speech output (via Google TTS), the retro telephone can respond to voice commands, play music, and offer interactive voice chat. Interestingly, it can do it all while preserving the tactile nostalgia of rotary dialing phones.

The project demonstrates how old objects can find new life when design respects their identity while embracing innovation. By retaining the rotary dial, handset cradle logic, and the device’s physical essence while embedding modern electronics, the hybrid telephone becomes more than a novelty. It becomes a functional link between eras, and I’m sure people will absolutely love the idea.

In doing so, the designer’s work suggests that the past need not be discarded. Instead, elements of design that once felt obsolete can offer fresh value when rethought for contemporary contexts. The resulting hybrid device stands as a tribute to the charm of mechanical telephony and an example of how thoughtful design can merge tradition with modern technology. Perhaps the ideal starting point for budding DIYers who want to create something out of the ordinary.

The post Timeless rotary phone reborn as modern AI-powered companion that plays music first appeared on Yanko Design.

MaClock Shrinks the 1984 Macintosh Into a $30 Rechargeable Clock

Posted on by

Nostalgia tech falls into two camps. Lazy references slap a retro logo on a modern object and call it vintage, while obsessive recreations feel like museum pieces. Most products lean too far in one direction, missing the sweet spot where memory and function coexist comfortably. The first feels cheap, the second feels precious, and neither ends up on your desk for very long once the initial charm wears off.

MaClock by Kokogol hits that balance. It is a miniature 1984 Macintosh that works as a rechargeable desk alarm clock, recreating the beige enclosure, rainbow Apple logo, CRT-style screen, and floppy disk slot at nightstand scale. It still behaves like a proper modern clock with 60-day battery life and USB-C charging, not just a static replica gathering dust next to other impulse buys that reminded you of childhood.

Designer: Kokogol

The physical details feel right. Warm beige ABS body, a recessed curved screen mimicking a cathode ray tube, horizontal ventilation grilles on the side, and a tiny floppy disk drive slot with a pink tab. At 80 x 91 x 112 mm, it is substantial enough to feel real in your hand, not a keychain trinket. The proportions match the original closely enough that it reads instantly as a Mac, even from across a room.

The included floppy disk acts as a power switch. You insert it to turn the clock on, a callback to the boot ritual of early Macs. The package includes a sticker sheet with rainbow Apple logos, a Macintosh label, and a dot matrix sticker, letting you customize and restore the design yourself. The unboxing becomes a small assembly project rather than a passive reveal, which makes it feel slightly more earned.

MaClock offers three display modes. Time mode shows large pixelated digits for hours, minutes, day, and temperature. Calendar mode centers the date in blocky characters. Easter egg mode wakes up Susan Kare’s Happy Mac icon, the smiling face from the original graphical interface. Seeing Happy Mac on your desk in 2025 is an unexpectedly emotional hit for anyone who grew up with early Macs and remembers what that face meant.

The adjustable backlight is controlled by a knob on the bottom left, which can be dialed down at night or turned off entirely. With the backlight off, the battery lasts up to 60 days, so it can sit on your desk for weeks without charging. It feels more like furniture than a gadget you babysit with a cable every few nights, which is exactly how a clock should behave.

MaClock treats nostalgia as something you participate in rather than just look at. The floppy disk, the stickers, the Happy Mac mode, and the CRT-inspired screen all ask you to engage with the memory. At just $30, it sits in the impulse buy zone, which might be the right price for functional nostalgia that earns its desk space by telling time and making you smile every morning when Happy Mac greets you with those chunky pixels.

The post MaClock Shrinks the 1984 Macintosh Into a $30 Rechargeable Clock first appeared on Yanko Design.

Retro Gadgets For Vintage Lovers: 5 Nostalgic Gifts That Actually Work In 2025

Posted on by

Nostalgia isn’t about living in the past—it’s about celebrating design moments when objects had soul, character, and tangible presence. For vintage lovers, the aesthetic pull of retro gadgets runs deeper than mere styling. These are people who appreciate the warmth of analog sound, the satisfaction of physical controls, and the beauty of mechanical precision. They understand that technology doesn’t need to be disposable to be functional, and that timeless design speaks a universal language across decades.

This collection honors that perspective by bringing together five exceptional gadgets that bridge eras beautifully. Each piece captures authentic retro aesthetics while embracing modern conveniences that make them genuinely usable today. From cassette-inspired speakers to mechanized solar systems, these gifts prove that looking backward and moving forward aren’t mutually exclusive. They’re perfect for the person whose shelves mix vinyl with streaming devices, whose taste transcends trends, and who believes the best design is always worth reviving.

1. SYITREN R300 Portable CD Player

The compact disc never truly left—it just waited for design to catch up. The SYITREN R300 recognizes this truth, delivering a portable CD player that feels simultaneously nostalgic and contemporary. Available in wood grain, classic white, or vibrant fruit green finishes, the R300 captures the clean-lined aesthetic of early audio equipment without feeling dated. The dynamic area button on the right side offers intuitive, tactile operation that satisfies in ways touchscreens never will.

What elevates the R300 beyond pure nostalgia is its refusal to compromise on modern functionality. Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity means wireless freedom with contemporary headphones and speakers, while the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack and Toslink optical output accommodate wired purists and audiophile setups. The player handles standard CD, CD-R, and CD-RW formats plus digital files in MP3, WAV, and WMA. A 2000mAh battery delivers over six hours of playback, making it genuinely portable. Audio output thrust reaches 600mV with an 80dB signal-to-noise ratio, ensuring the listening experience matches the visual appeal. For vintage lovers who never abandoned their CD collections, this player acknowledges their format loyalty while meeting them where modern listening happens.

What we like

  • MUSE Design Gold Award-winning retro aesthetic available in wood, white, and fruit green finishes.
  • Bluetooth 5.3 provides wireless connectivity to modern headphones and speakers.
  • Multiple output options, including 3.5mm jack and Toslink optical for audiophile setups.
  • 2000mAh battery delivers over six hours of portable playback.

What we dislike

  • CD-only format limits functionality compared to multi-format vintage players.
  • Portable design may lack the substantial build quality of classic stationary models.

2. Side A Cassette Speaker

Mixtapes represented something more than music—they were tangible artifacts of care, time, and curation. The Side A Cassette Speaker resurrects that emotional resonance through faithful aesthetic mimicry wrapped around thoroughly modern technology. Shaped precisely like a cassette tape, complete with a transparent shell and a side A label, this pocket-sized speaker does not attempt to hide its inspiration. The clear case doubles as a stand, transforming it from a portable audio device into a proper desk sculpture. For vintage lovers who remember making mixtapes or wish they’d experienced that era, this speaker bridges the gap between memory and modernity with charm and authenticity.

The Side A succeeds because it respects both form and function equally. Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity ensures seamless pairing with phones, tablets, and laptops for wireless listening that analog tapes could never provide. MicroSD card support means offline playback without streaming dependencies, recapturing some of that physical media permanence. The sound profile leans deliberately warm and cozy, tuned to evoke tape playback character rather than clinical digital reproduction. At under fifty dollars, it delivers nostalgic design and functional audio in a package small enough to travel everywhere. This isn’t a gimmick trading entirely on looks—it’s a genuinely useful speaker that happens to look fantastic doing its job.

Click Here to Buy Now: $45.00

What we like

  • Authentic cassette tape styling with a transparent shell and a side A label captures mixtape nostalgia perfectly.
  • Bluetooth 5.3 ensures reliable wireless connectivity with modern devices.
  • MicroSD card support enables offline playback without internet dependency.
  • Warm analog-inspired sound profile distinguishes it from typical digital speakers.

What we dislike

  • Compact size naturally limits bass response and overall volume compared to larger speakers.
  • Cassette aesthetic may feel too niche for spaces requiring neutral design.

3. RetroWave 7-in-1 Radio

Vintage aesthetics meet survival preparedness in the RetroWave, a multi-function radio that refuses to be just one thing. Wrapped in retro Japanese design language, complete with a tactile tuning dial, it immediately signals its nostalgic intentions. That exterior houses seven distinct functions: AM/FM/shortwave radio, Bluetooth speaker, MP3 player, flashlight, clock, power bank, and SOS alarm. This comprehensive capability set makes it equally appropriate for daily desk use, camping adventures, or emergency kits. For vintage lovers who appreciate both form and practical preparedness, the RetroWave delivers aesthetic satisfaction with genuine utility layered underneath.

The brilliance lies in making preparedness beautiful. Solar panel and hand-crank charging mean the RetroWave stays operational when power grids fail, while USB and microSD playback provide offline music access. The radio functionality spans AM, FM, and shortwave bands, offering connection to broadcasts when internet streaming isn’t available. Bluetooth streaming accommodates modern listening habits during normal circumstances. The flashlight and SOS siren transform it from an entertainment device into safety equipment. This convergence of retro design and emergency readiness creates a gift that vintage lovers can display proudly while knowing it serves serious backup purposes. It’s nostalgia that works, beauty that prepares, and design that respects both past aesthetics and future uncertainty.

Click Here to Buy Now: $89.00

What we like

  • Seven functions in one device, including radio, speaker, flashlight, power bank, and SOS alarm.
  • Solar panel and hand-crank charging ensure operation during power outages.
  • AM/FM/shortwave radio provides broadcast access without internet dependency.
  • Retro Japanese design with tactile tuning dial satisfies vintage aesthetic preferences.

What we dislike

  • Multi-function design may compromise individual feature quality compared to dedicated devices.
  • Emergency-focused features add bulk that might exceed typical portable speaker expectations.

4. Perpetual Orrery Kinetic Art

Some vintage inspiration reaches back centuries rather than decades. The Perpetual Orrery draws from 18th-century European Grand Orrery tradition, recreating solar system mechanics through intricate clockwork mechanisms. Planets orbit the sun, the moon cycles through phases, and even the Tempel-Tuttle comet follows its elliptical path—all driven by the same precision engineering found in sophisticated mechanical watches. This isn’t a static model but kinetic art that moves in real time, capturing celestial mechanics in miniature. For vintage lovers who appreciate mechanical complexity and astronomical beauty, the Orrery represents the ultimate intersection of science, history, and craft.

What makes this gift exceptional is its timeless appeal. While most retro gadgets reference the mid-20th century, the Orrery looks back to pre-industrial scientific instruments when astronomy required mechanical ingenuity rather than digital computation. The continuous motion provides meditative visual interest—planets slowly circling, gears turning, the whole system moving in silent harmony. As desk or shelf decoration, it commands attention without demanding it, offering something genuinely mesmerizing to watch during thinking breaks. For the vintage lover who has everything modern nostalgia offers, the Orrery goes deeper, connecting to an era when understanding the heavens required building beautiful machines to mirror their movements. It’s educational, decorative, and hypnotic in equal measure.

Click Here to Buy Now: $449.00

What we like

  • 18th-century Grand Orrery-inspired design connects to pre-industrial scientific instrument tradition.
  • Intricate clockwork mechanisms mirror sophisticated mechanical watch engineering.
  • Continuous kinetic motion, including planetary orbits and lunar phases, provides meditative visual interest.
  • Functions as both an educational model and a striking decorative art piece.

What we dislike

  • Mechanical complexity may require periodic maintenance or calibration over time.
  • Premium mechanical construction results in a higher price point than decorative alternatives.

5. Portable CD Cover Player

Album art deserves equal billing with the music it represents. The Portable CD Cover Player acknowledges this truth through clever design that displays the CD jacket while playing the disc inside. A convenient pocket holds the cover art front and center, creating an audiovisual experience that honors how albums were meant to be consumed—as complete artistic packages. The built-in speaker means genuine portability, taking your music and its visual identity anywhere. Wall-mountable design transforms it into a room decoration that actively plays rather than just displaying static art. For vintage lovers who understand that album covers represent significant graphic design history, this player finally gives physical media the presentation it deserves.

The minimalist design philosophy lets the album art itself become the visual centerpiece. Clean lines and simple operation keep the focus on the music and imagery rather than the player’s own aesthetic. The built-in speaker and rechargeable battery provide authentic portability without requiring external amplification. This solves the eternal collector’s dilemma: beautiful album covers hidden in storage because there’s no good way to display them while playing. The Portable CD Cover Player makes your music collection into a rotating art gallery, celebrating the graphic design, photography, and typography that made physical music formats so visually rich. It’s nostalgia that understands albums were always multi-sensory experiences, and that separating audio from visual diminishes both.

Click Here to Buy Now: $199.00

What we like

  • Integrated pocket displays CD jacket art during playback, honoring a complete album experience.
  • Built-in speaker and rechargeable battery enable genuine portability without external equipment.
  • Wall-mountable design transforms music playback into active room decoration.
  • Minimalist aesthetic lets album artwork become the visual focus.

What we dislike

  • Built-in speaker quality is likely compromised compared to dedicated audio systems.
  • The wall mount bracket, sold separately, adds cost beyond the base player price.

Gifting Timeless Design

Vintage lovers aren’t stuck in the past—they’re selectively mining it for design wisdom the present often forgets. These five gadgets honor that philosophy by capturing retro aesthetics without sacrificing modern functionality. From CD players that embrace Bluetooth to mechanical orreries that predate electricity itself, each gift proves that timeless design transcends any single era. They’re conversation pieces that actually function, nostalgic objects that genuinely serve contemporary needs, and beautiful things that happen to be useful.

The best retro gifts acknowledge why certain designs endure while making them accessible to how we actually live today. These gadgets don’t force you to abandon modern conveniences to appreciate vintage aesthetics. They bridge eras elegantly, letting vintage lovers enjoy the warmth of analog inspiration through contemporary functionality. Whether celebrating a birthday, marking an occasion, or simply recognizing someone’s refined taste, these gifts speak a language of quality, character, and enduring style that transcends temporary trends.

The post Retro Gadgets For Vintage Lovers: 5 Nostalgic Gifts That Actually Work In 2025 first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Open-Source Retropunk Computer Solves Distraction by Removing Everything Except Writing

Posted on by

Your laptop can do anything, which increasingly means it’s optimized for nothing. This isn’t a new observation, but the solutions have mostly been software-based: distraction-blocking apps, focus modes, website blockers that you can disable the moment willpower falters. The Typeframe project takes a more permanent approach – build a computer that literally cannot do anything except let you write.

Jeff Merrick’s open-source writerdeck designs come in two flavors. The PX-88 is a desktop-style portable with a full keyboard and integrated screen, styled after the 1985 Epson PX-4 that inspired it. The PS-85 shrinks down to a 40% keyboard layout while maintaining that same retro-futuristic aesthetic. Both use Raspberry Pi boards as their brains, and both are documented with the kind of step-by-step detail that assumes you’ve never touched CAD software or soldered components together.

Designer: Jeff Merrick

For the uninitiated, the Epson PX-4 was a chunky CP/M portable that field engineers actually carried into the field, with swappable keyboards and modular components that could turn it into different tools for different jobs. It ran on batteries and had a tiny 40×8 character display that virtually expanded to 80×25. The appeal wasn’t raw computing power – it was that the thing did exactly what you needed and nothing more. Merrick’s designs capture that purposefulness while swapping in modern components that are actually available and affordable.

The community around writerdecks has been growing quietly alongside the broader cyberdeck movement. Where cyberdecks lean into the hacker aesthetic with exposed electronics and tactical mounting points, writerdecks prioritize the writing experience itself. There’s active discussion on Reddit’s r/cyberDeck forum, open-source software projects like WareWoolf and ZeroWriter built specifically for distraction-free writing, and a thriving market for vintage AlphaSmart Neo devices – basically the original writerdecks from the early 2000s that are still beloved for their springy keyboards and complete lack of internet connectivity.

Merrick freely admits this is his first project at this scale, and he’s documented it with that beginner perspective intact. The full documentation lives at typeframe.net, with all the CAD files and electronics details on GitHub. It’s the kind of project that invites participation rather than demanding expertise, which feels increasingly rare in maker spaces that sometimes forget not everyone solders for fun.

The broader question is whether dedicated writing devices actually help people write more. The answer seems to be yes, but not because of any technical magic. Sitting down at a machine that only does one thing creates a kind of ritual commitment. You’re not just opening a document – you’re physically moving to a different device that exists solely for this purpose. It’s closer to the experience of sitting down at a typewriter or picking up a pen, except what you write is instantly digital, searchable, and portable. The AlphaSmart Neo proved there’s real demand for this experience, and projects like Typeframe are making it accessible to anyone willing to spend a weekend with a soldering iron and some determination.

The post This Open-Source Retropunk Computer Solves Distraction by Removing Everything Except Writing first appeared on Yanko Design.

This 15g Digital Camera Looks Like a Tiny Polaroid, Hangs on Keychains

Posted on by

Instant cameras had their moment, then faded away, then came roaring back as nostalgia items for people who missed the tactile joy of physical photos. The problem is that film for these cameras costs a fortune, and the quality is wildly inconsistent depending on lighting and luck. Digital cameras solve those issues, but they’ve also gotten so advanced that taking a quick snapshot requires navigating menus and settings. Sometimes you just want to point, click, and move on without worrying about resolution.

Studio Seven’s Retro Digital Toy Camera brings back the playful simplicity of instant cameras without the expensive film or fussy controls. Released as part of the brand’s anniversary collection, this palm-sized gadget mimics the chunky, geometric shape of classic Polaroid cameras but swaps the film cartridge for a microSD card. The result is a tiny camera that captures lo-fi digital images and videos with the charm of retro photography, all in a package you can hang from your bag.

Designer: Studio Seven

The camera itself is impossible to miss. A bold orange-and-white design dominates the look, with Studio Seven branding across the front and a red shutter button perched on top. The front features a large faux lens, a small viewfinder window, and two black buttons that handle power and capture functions. The whole thing weighs just 15 grams and fits easily in your palm or pocket.

Of course, the specs aren’t going to compete with your smartphone. The camera shoots stills at 1280×960 pixels and video at 640×480, both deliberately low-res to recreate that grainy, film-camera aesthetic. The images look like they were taken in the early 2000s, which is exactly the point. You’re not getting crisp photos here, but you are getting something that feels fun and spontaneous rather than overly polished.

What makes the camera genuinely practical is how easy it is to carry. The included keychain lets you attach it to a bag, belt loop, or backpack, so it’s always within reach when you want to snap a quick photo. There’s also a strap for wearing it around your neck, turning it into a wearable accessory that doubles as a conversation starter.

The camera saves files to a microSD card, which you’ll need to buy separately since it doesn’t come with one. Cards up to 64GB are supported, which should be plenty for thousands of low-res images. The lack of waterproofing means you’ll want to keep it away from rain or spills, but for casual everyday use, it holds up fine.

The Studio Seven Retro Digital Toy Camera captures instant photography’s appeal without the usual headaches. You get the playful experience of a chunky retro camera with the convenience of digital files you can share however you want. For anyone who misses the spontaneity of disposable cameras but doesn’t want to deal with film costs, this offers a fun alternative that’s light enough to carry everywhere.

The post This 15g Digital Camera Looks Like a Tiny Polaroid, Hangs on Keychains first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Power Strip Is Shaped Like an Original NES Console

Posted on by

Power strips live beneath desks or behind furniture where nobody has to look at them. Black plastic housings with rows of identical outlets do their jobs without offering anything visually interesting or worth displaying. They’re purely functional objects designed to disappear, which works fine until you’re building a desk setup where aesthetics matter as much as keeping devices charged, and everything ends up looking generic and forgettable.

The Trozk Game Style Socket recreates the Nintendo Famicom console as a functional charging station, bringing the red and white color scheme and design language from 1983 directly onto modern desks. Instead of hiding, this power strip sits visibly where it becomes a conversation starter about childhood gaming memories while handling the practical work of powering laptops, phones, and whatever else needs electricity. The nostalgia hits immediately for anyone who remembers cartridge-based gaming.

Designer: PTPC

The body follows the Famicom’s rectangular shape with rounded edges and cream-colored plastic accented by deep red panels. Vertical ridges run along the sides like ventilation grilles from the original hardware. A large red power button sits on one side, positioned exactly where you’d expect a console’s main switch. The whole thing commits fully to looking like a game system from four decades ago instead of just borrowing surface details.

The front panel displays a pixel-style LED screen showing voltage, current draw, and operational status through green numbers and colored bar graphs pulled straight from early arcade interfaces. Small smiley face icons and retro graphics appear alongside the readings, making functional information feel playful. The screen provides genuinely useful data about power consumption while looking like something that should be showing your high score instead.

Multiple AC outlets cover the top and rear surfaces alongside two USB-A ports and one USB-C port for fast charging. The layout spaces everything out enough that bulky adapters don’t block neighboring outlets. The USB-C handles modern quick-charge protocols, while the AC sockets accept different plug types depending on your region. Everything you’d typically plug into a standard power strip works here, just with significantly more personality surrounding it.

Tactile buttons along the front feel satisfying to press like actual controller buttons instead of mushy switches that typical power strips use. The plastic housing looks and feels substantial rather than cheap. Internal construction visible in assembly diagrams shows thoughtful engineering with proper component spacing and secure mounting for all electrical elements. Surge protection and safety features likely come standard, though specific certifications aren’t detailed.

The socket works best on desks where the retro gaming aesthetic adds character to setups that would otherwise look like every other workspace filled with identical black rectangles. It organizes charging needs while referencing shared cultural memories. The Trozk Game Style Socket treats charging as an opportunity for design that carries emotional weight, making daily device management slightly more joyful for anyone who appreciates objects that tell stories.

The post This Power Strip Is Shaped Like an Original NES Console first appeared on Yanko Design.

Someone Made a Brick Phone Power Bank with a Working Walkie Talkie

Posted on by

Portable chargers occupy that weird space between essential and forgettable, living in bags until phones hit red battery warnings. Most focus exclusively on capacity and charging speed while looking like every other rectangular black slab available. They serve their purpose well enough, keeping devices alive through long days, but they offer nothing beyond that single function and tend to blend into the background of everyday carry items.

The Trozk Walkie Talkie Power Bank combines a 20,000mAh battery with a built-in walkie-talkie and wraps everything in a design that recreates the iconic Motorola DynaTAC brick phone from the 1980s. The result is a charger that handles modern fast charging while enabling actual radio communication between units, all while looking deliberately bold and retro enough to spark conversations wherever it appears.

Designer: Trozk

The brick phone form commits completely to the reference, including a removable antenna, tactile buttons arranged like a vintage keypad, and a red LED display showing battery percentage in real time. Available in white with black and red accents, the power bank is substantially larger and more visually striking than typical portable chargers, which makes it feel more like a statement piece than a forgettable accessory that hides in pockets.

Two USB-C ports and one USB-A port allow simultaneous charging of three devices at a maximum combined output of 165W, while a single port can deliver 140W through PD3.1 fast charging for power-hungry laptops. The device distributes power intelligently based on what’s connected, automatically adjusting output to match requirements without needing manual settings or complicated menus to navigate through before charging starts.

The walkie-talkie function enables direct voice communication between two units through built-in radio frequency, working across multiple regions including the United States, Europe, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and China. Press the walkie-talkie button and speak, and the other unit receives immediately. This becomes genuinely useful during camping trips, hiking with separated groups, or anywhere cell reception fails but coordination still matters for safety or convenience.

A voice recorder mode captures memos or conversations directly onto the device in retro style, adding another function beyond charging and communication that makes the power bank more versatile. The LED display cycles between battery percentage, voltage readings, and current draw depending on which button gets pressed, providing real-time information about how devices are charging and how much power remains available.

Four electric-vehicle grade battery cells provide the 20,000mAh capacity while ensuring durability that outlasts cheaper cells prone to faster degradation over charge cycles. The power bank meets airline safety regulations for carry-on luggage, making it suitable for air travel without concerns. The tactile buttons and clear LED display remove the need to check charging status through phone apps or complicated interfaces.

The Trozk Walkie Talkie Power Bank handles practical charging requirements while looking deliberately different from standard portable batteries. It brings retro aesthetics, built-in communication, and high-capacity fast charging together in ways that make keeping devices alive during travel, outdoor activities, or daily routines feel slightly more interesting than plugging into yet another anonymous black rectangle.

The post Someone Made a Brick Phone Power Bank with a Working Walkie Talkie first appeared on Yanko Design.

Colorful retro turntables bring back the free-spirited 50s to the present

Posted on by

The predominant minimalism design trend has created hundreds of products with trivial, often singular color schemes with muted hues. Although there’s no rule that it has to be such, this has become the standard practice for those adhering to this aesthetic. This has caused some to label such designs as boring and lifeless, though many will undoubtedly beg to differ.

The retro fever gripping many fields, however, is throwing a splash of color and whimsy on products, whether they’re actually vintage designs or even modern-day objects. Taking inspiration from mankind’s equally colorful history, retro designs like these turntables capture the charm of the past and blend it with the comforts of the present to create an experience that is more memorable and more satisfying than simply listening to music off Bluetooth speakers.

Designer: Gadhouse

Although the television might have only shown black and white, the 50s was characterized by an overabundance of bright, saturated colors, sometimes to a disconcerting degree. The decade also saw the rise of the “Long Play” record format, popularizing the record players and turntables that are being revived today. It seems only fitting that a true-blooded vintage record player pays homage to its roots, at least on the surface.

The Brad Retro Mk II definitely looks the part with its boxy designs, analog controls, and, more importantly, its colorful personality. With a belt-driven mechanism, three-speed play, and support for 7-12″ vinyl, this retro-style record player brings out the analog goodness of the medium, letting you hear it just the way the music was supposed to be heard. Built-in 10W speakers even recreate that experience of not having to plug in speakers just to listen to music.

Of course, the Brad Retro Mk II is also a child of modern technology, and it doesn’t disappoint either. If you do want to play your music louder, you can stream to a nearby Bluetooth speaker or go old-school with a 3.5mm jack. What’s new in this second-gen model is a USB-C port of power, allowing you to play anywhere you want.

The Brad Retro Mk II comes in five color combinations to appeal to as many tastes as possible. The turntables exude a playful charm typical of that period, while still meeting the needs of discerning audiophiles. With vibrant hues, tactile controls, a unique tonality, and modern connectivity, this record player isn’t just a blast from the past but is also a product of humanity’s cumulative history.

The post Colorful retro turntables bring back the free-spirited 50s to the present first appeared on Yanko Design.