Tag Archives: teenage engineering

This Teenage Engineering handled gaming console derives inspiration from Sony PSP

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Teenage Engineering as a niche electronics brand has always offered something new and exciting to the audio-loving community. We certainly love all their creations and are always looking forward to the next creation from the Swedish wiz. It’s been just a few weeks since we saw the refreshing TE concept handheld gaming console designed by an independent creator, and now another one with an eerily similar vibe has landed on Behance.

On first look both these handheld gaming consoles seemed similar but on closer inspection they are indeed different. No surprise, this concept is fan-made, and in no way does Teenage Engineering endorse the concept. That said, the handheld is impressive enough to someday become the inspiration for a real gaming console by TE.

Designer: Vishesh Jaiswal

The curves normally identified with the Apple smartphone become an inspiration on the Gaming Console XP-I and the curvature follows down to the bottom surface. The portable gaming machine designed for casual gamers emerges from the teardown of the nostalgic 2006 Sony PSP, and finally evolves to take the form of a handheld that is an amalgam of inspiration from the Nintendo Switch. The prototype dummy model is created by intricately shaping the styrofoam that still looks roughened up and unconvincing.

On the other hand, digital renders look more refined and TE-worthy with an extended rear section that acts as a sidekick to place it on the surface. These also act as the trigger buttons for massive tactile input as they move a full 90 degrees. This should be engaging and fun while playing the newly released COD Warzone Mobile or CarX Street. The joystick buttons are more prominent for gamers who like the more retro-styled console with big chunky input buttons.

The rear bottom of the handheld has leather padding for comfortable holding during long gaming sessions. The body shell is done in a titanium grey finish contrasted with the signature Teenage Engineering color scheme in orange, black and white. I personally like this one better compared to the earlier concept. Which one do you fancy more to one day join the TE line-up?

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This Teenage Engineering inspired laptop is a creative sound engineers dream come true

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One thing all digital creatives need is a good machine to support their endeavors. The same holds true for music that pleases our ears, and no one knows it better than Teenage Engineering. The Swedish consumer electronics brand has made a name for itself in the last couple of years courtesy of its unique design language and the sublime ability to blend visually striking form factor with the musical experience.

This music editing laptop based on the TE philosophy of instant musical immersion, is all about music immersion, portability of use and flexible connection options to connect audio devices to create and edit music. It comes with a unique DJing method to control multiple controllers simultaneously by pressing the keys and adjusting the dot-shaped touchscreen.

Designer: PDF Haus

The motivation behind designing this compact music-creating machine is to cut down the clutter of various instruments and give audio engineers the ability to work on their projects anytime, anywhere. There are dedicated control wheels and keypads for editing the music files with ease. Those detachable sound sampler modules that act as a sound device to record or send edited samples, extend the usability of the machine without the need for a dedicated sampler. Thus, making it a one-stop-shop gadget for sound editing, audio creation and more. Everything is a lot more fun with the 180-degree hinge that allows one to work on it like contemporary audio-creating equipment.

That detachable interaction UI system brings a whole lot more to the fore than expected. Things like Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, pitch controller, and much more. While one could go on talking about the multifaceted use of keys and buttons that music makers will instantly relate to, we’ll appreciate the whole design aspect of it. Especially the achromatic and orange point tones emphasizing its Teenage Engineering DNA.

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Teenage Engineering-inspired Nintendo Switch feels like the minimalist handheld console we deserve

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Teenage Engineering has created a niche in the music tech market with rule-defiying products that tap into the inquisitive nature of things. No matter if it’s a field system, wireless audio, or synthesizers; if it’s from Teenage Engineering, it’s got to be worth talking about. That’s the sole reason we just love everything from the Stockholm-based audio wizard.

This time around though, it’s not something coming out of their creative factory, but rather a culmination of creative thoughts from a designer to muster up a winning product envisioned for TE. A handheld gaming console that’s fun to play around with and also one that doesn’t deviate from the core ethos of the brand. According to the designer the handheld blends into any environment, “triggering the nostalgic feeling and providing fun to the users.”

Designer: Nidharshan Suresh

The primary motivation behind this concept gaming console carrying the DNA of Teenage Engineering is to break the monotony in the design of current handheld consoles and refresh the market with a product that’s a delight to savor. The initial research identified the reason for playing games as an escape from the daily stresses of life. Another couple of motivators are the ability to boost problem-solving capabilities and live a story in pseudo-reality. One fact that was clear from the data was the end-users who are either on-the-go gamers, tech geeks, softcore gamers, or socializers.

Nidarshan employed parallel prototyping using thermocol models to fine-tune the final handheld design that falls right into place. As a TE fan, I immediately found a connection between two different worlds of audiophile bliss and gaming frenzy in this product. A cohesive form that’s minimal while retaining the ergonomic comfort of playing games for extended sessions. The color theme also piques interest in the form of orange, black and white buttons for the joystick and D-pad buttons.

The slim form factor ensures your fingers never get fatigued from constantly hitting the trigger buttons on the top. From what’s apparent this handheld gaming console is quite compact compared to the current market leaders like Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or Nintendo Switch. That alone is a win for someone like me with small hands.

The titanium silver grey finish brings a new look to the arena which I absolutely love. Whether or not such a handheld is going to disrupt the market, only time will tell, that is if, Teenage Engineering ever designs a handheld gaming console in the near future!

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Rabbit r1, co-designed with Teenage Engineering, is a cute pocket AI assistant

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Before the current craze of ChatGPT, image generators, and AI-powered services, the world was obsessed with personal assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. That fad has died down a bit, though mostly because these voice-controlled disembodied voices have become so common and so ubiquitous in many smart home devices these days. That said, most personal AI assistants can only be accessed either from a stationary device at home, such as a smart speaker or TV or from your smartphone, which means you can’t call on your digital friend when you’re outside and can’t pull your phone out. That’s the problem that the Rabbit r1 aims to solve by putting a smart, AI-powered personal assistant in a cute little gadget that feels like a Tamagotchi made for serious purposes.

Designers: Rabbit x Teenage Engineering

You wouldn’t immediately associate the Rabbit r1 with AI when you first see it. It initially looks like a simple toy with a pixelated rabbit that’s actually just a blocky head with long ears in a square orange device that fits in your hand nicely. That this rabbit head can show some expressions, blink, wink, or even wear headphones further cements its image as a toy, but it’s actually the face, or rather the head, of what may be the cutest AI assistant to grace the market.

The Rabbit r1 is basically a dedicated AI-powered assistant, formally marketed as “your pocket companion,” that makes the usual AI features more accessible by divorcing them from your phone or home speaker. The idea is that you’d simply pull this less conspicuous (if not for its bright orange color) device out of your pocket or bag, push and hold down a button to talk to the rabbit, and then wait for its response both on the screen as well as via audio. Rabbit OS, as the software platform is being called, seems plenty capable and can answer almost any question, and the rotating camera even does image recognition so you can identify viral personalities or get a suggestion on what to cook based on what you have in your fridge.

If the r1’s aesthetic looks familiar, then you might have recognized Teenage Engineering’s design DNA in it. The Swedish company is best known for its distinctive music-creation devices, and it is indeed the creative genius behind this pocket AI device’s equally distinctive design. Suffice it to say, you won’t be embarrassed to be seen in public using this device, especially in places where a smartphone would be even more impolite or impossible.

The Rabbit r1 is designed to be super simple to use, which is why it only has a single push button and an analog scroll wheel, though the screen is, of course, touch-enabled. In addition to the usual queries, Rabbit OS will also be able to connect with the same apps and services as typical AI assistants, though it’s still a work in progress. It seems that the concept and the design have resounded with many people and the initial batch of 10,000 pre-orders for this $199 sold out on the first day. Whether it will be able to deliver on its promise, we’ll have to wait for initial reviews to see, and hear.

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Teenage Engineering made a tricorder-like gadget that’s actually a portable synthesizer

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Teenage Engineering is best known for audio equipment with unique aesthetics, though it does sometimes put out unrelated products, such as a desktop PC tower, wooden “choir” mini figurines, and a toy car. That last one was its prelude to the real product launch it had planned, a product that seemed to straddle the line between a full-fledged tool and a sophisticated toy. Given its size, design, and pedigree, Teenage Engineering’s shiny new EP-133 K.O. II is something you might find hard to take seriously at first glance. Fortunately, it seems to have just the right knobs and buttons, literally, to make it a real tool for music makers, at least those that will be able to shoulder its price.

Designer: teenage engineering

This new sampler, sequencer, and composer takes its inspiration from the brand’s Pocket Operator PO-33 K.O. I back in 2015. This device’s small, calculator-like design and accessible price point really made it look and feel more like some fun gadget for some whimsical music mixing. In contrast, the EP-133 K.O. II, or just KO II, for short, is way too large to fit in your pocket, which is the price you’ll have to pay for significantly more functionality that makes this portable synthesizer worth its weight in gold.

The aesthetics are also worlds apart as well. While the Pocket Operators really looked more like black Pocket Calculators, the KO II more than doubles the size and injects a mix of grays, whites, and oranges all over the place. The large buttons, tall knobs, and industrial aesthetic might remind some of the props from sci-fi shows during the 60s, specifically those from Star Trek. The rectangular screen’s choice of colors and shapes to display the user interface is also reminiscent of the show’s LCARS user interface. It might even be able to play those tricorder sound effects because, after all, it is a portable synth anyway.

It actually has quite a lot of features for that purpose, including 999 sample slots and a built-in speaker. There’s also a built-in mic to let you record your own samples right then and there, as well as a selection of drums, bass, and keys to help you get started. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack in case you want to extend the sampler’s features, but do note it only has 64MB of memory, which is probably the biggest deal-breaker for this product. Apparently, the limitation is there to encourage musicians to finish their creations in one go rather than delaying them forever.

Teenage Engineering is slapping a $299 price tag on the EP-133 K.O. II, amusingly just $50 more than its toy Grip Car. It’s still considerably lower than its other synths, enough to entice music makers of all skill levels, but still quite a hefty investment. Then again, it’s a fully functional portable groove box that has quite a distinctive design you can flaunt around, giving you an image of a retro-futuristic music genius controlling the beat with your hi-tech tool.

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Teenage Engineering Grip Car tests how far your minimalism loyalty can go

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The minimalism design trend is still going strong, especially because of how it leans toward an economy of resources and production. Of course, it isn’t the only design paradigm around, nor is it always the best for every kind of product. Cars, for example, don’t easily lend themselves to minimalism because of the assortment of complex parts, some of which are required to be designed in a certain way to be safe and legal. Toy cars, on the other hand, don’t have such limitations, and aside from faithfully recreating existing cars, they can come in a variety of designs and interpretations. This particular “doodad,” for example, probably stretches the definition of a car while also trying to see how much people will be willing to pay for an odd yet beautifully minimalist toy car.

Designer: Anders Hermansen for Teenage Engineering

There’s a standard definition for a car, but that doesn’t apply to toys, especially not this one. In fact, the only semblance it has to a car is having four wheels, two on each side of an elongated body. This “grip car,” as it is called, doesn’t even run on its own, unlike the more advanced battery-powered vehicles that kids (and some adults) clamor for during holiday sales. It’s more like those wooden or plastic cars for toddlers that you grip by the body and move using your own power. You can push it forward or backward, spin it around, and turn it in any direction, but that’s pretty much it.

Of course, teenage engineering didn’t earn its fame from making toys. Like its other electronic products, the Grip Car is a glowing example of fine engineering and meticulous design, without the electronics in this case. The parts are CNC machined from 6063-T6 aluminum as well as stainless steel while utilizing rubber for parts like the tires. The red model gets a glossy paint job while the black and aluminum versions sport a matte surface instead. No matter at which angle you look at it, it hardly looks like a car, unless you’re simply talking about the undercarriage or even just the axles.

What differentiates the Grip Car even further from other toy cars is its mechanics, particularly the ball bearings that allow the car to spin 360 degrees while still keeping all four wheels grounded. This is the part where the “engineering” in teenage engineering really shines, even when there are none of the brand’s usual electronics involved. Thanks to this smooth movement and physical interaction, the toy car really encourages playful moments, making the Grip Car both a striking desk decoration as well as an addictive desk fidget toy.

The slight bump on the road is the Grip Car’s $250 price tag, an amount that sounds almost ridiculous for a beautiful yet still crude toy car. People have paid more for well-designed products, of course, but there will always be a point when it gets a little excessive. teenage engineering has established quite a name for itself, especially in the high-end audio equipment market, but it remains to be seen how well this super-minimalist and super-expensive doodad will sell.

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Teenage Engineering’s latest audio gadget looks like an alternate-universe iPod

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In hindsight, it does seem natural that Teenage Engineering would launch a handheld Field Recorder just a week after debuting their CM-15 condenser microphone. Designed to be a part of their broad range of audio recording, production, and mixing tools, the TP-7 is an incredibly minimalist field recorder that looks like a spiritual successor to Apple and Braun’s design language. Built on the modern dictaphone, a handheld recorder used by journalists to record interviews, the TP-7 comes with three incredibly large buttons that are reminiscent of the Walkman days. Above the buttons is a spinning disc that turns during recording and playback, imitating the way tape recorders and CD players used to turn while in use. A perfect bit of future nostalgia, this one…

Designer: Teenage Engineering

Styled like a hi-fi audio player, the TP-7 is, in fact, a tiny recorder that can record and playback audio, making it great for podcasts, sample recording, music production, vlogging, and journalism. Its design is a combination of nostalgic, with clicky buttons, vintage details, and a palpable lack of touchscreens, and simultaneously cutting-edge, given its ability to record as a standalone device as well as support three separate inputs using aux-ins on the top. Moreover, the TP-7 comes with an iOS app that can automatically transcribe all your recordings, saving you the hassle if you’re a journalist or a vlogger/video-podcaster looking to provide subtitles along with your media.

The TP-7 is designed to fit snugly in your hand, allowing your fingers to effortlessly navigate the controls. Aside from your main buttons on the front, the device also has a rocker switch on the side that lets you fast-forward or rewind recordings. Your thumb is responsible for recording memos, and the pinky selects the mode. At the center of the TP-7 lies the motorized tape reel, which rotates meditatively as you’re recording or during playback. This reel is a finely crafted piece of engineering, featuring a brushed motor with ball bearings and a highly responsive hall sensor that allows for a lifelike recording experience. Additionally, the reel can be used for scrubbing, pausing, menu navigation, and acts as a subtle visual indicator during playback and recording.

The TP-7 features a built-in microphone and speaker, connected to a 24-bit/96 kHz USB audio interface. The top of the gadget sports three audio inputs, letting you hook three microphones, music instruments, or other devices that let you output sound. 128 gigabytes of internal memory keep audio recordings on your TP-7, or you can use the main audio output on the bottom (a 1/4″ jack with a 3.5mm adapter) to output your sound to a mixer or to headphones. An iOS app lets you access the TP-7’s recordings too, and transcribe them in real-time, although there’s no clarity if it supports multi-lingual transcription. Finally, a 7-hour battery keeps the TP-7 going even through the longest of recording sessions, and a USB-C port lets you charge your device or even transfer data.

The TP-7 joins all of Teenage Engineering’s other audio recording gear, which also includes the OP-1 field synth, the TX-6 stereo mixer, and the CM-15 condenser microphone. At $1499, though, the TP-7 field recorder doesn’t really come cheap… but that’s the price you pay for great design and even greater tech.

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Teenage Engineering’s CM-15 condenser microphone looks right out of Apple X Braun’s design playbook

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Looking somewhat like the spiritual successor to the Braun T3 radio and the classic iPod, the CM-15 is Teenage Engineering’s latest device to fit into its music-tech ecosystem. The condenser microphone boasts a design so clean it looks like it was made by Jony Ive himself, with an all-metal design, a compact body, and a whopping 1-inch condenser diaphragm on the inside to give you the most crystal clear audio capture ever. Offering a combination of 48v phantom-powered mini XLR, USB-audio interface + preamp, and 3.5 mm line output (with an internal battery), the CM-15 works with a wide range of devices including directly with your phone/laptop, or even with the company’s TX-6 handheld mixer and OP-1 synth if you’re looking to make music or record audio/podcasts on the go. The CM-15 is compact enough to fit into your bag or even your pocket. It comes with a tripod stand adapter, and even has a flip-out kickstand if you want to keep your setup frugal… and you’ll probably want to, given that the microphone has a whopping price tag of $1199.

Designer: Teenage Engineering

The condenser microphone’s design screams sophistication, with a simplicity that’s difficult to ignore. It has two controls and three ports – that’s it… but boasts compatibility with a wide range of interfaces and devices, and has the ability to record everything from studio drumsets to ASMR-style voiceovers. This is, thanks to the microphone’s massive 1-inch diaphragm, which seems unusually large when compared to the mic’s own diminutive size. The condenser offers a super-cardioid pickup pattern, making it great at capturing sounds on the front while isolating sounds coming from the side and canceling sounds from the back.

A switch on the side lets you power the microphone, while another one on the back lets you choose your gain level depending on what you’re recording. Set the gain to zero for loud sounds, and for softer, more delicate audio, adjust the gain to the II position to capture even the faintest of sounds. Meanwhile, the mic supports three types of output – a phantom-powered mini XLR, a USB-C with its own power supply, and a 3.5mm out that’s supplemented by the CM-15’s own built-in battery. What’s rather spectacular is that the CM-15 supports all three outputs being used simultaneously, allowing you to send recorded audio to three interfaces at the same time.

The elephant in the room, however, is the microphone’s staggering $1,199 price tag. Priced much higher than most other condensers, the CM-15 costs about as much as the iPhone 14 Pro, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that the iconic OP-1 synth itself is priced in the $2,000 ballpark. However, I’m nobody to judge if you’re an audiophile with a deep pocket and an appreciation for iconic minimalist design. The CM-15 is listed on the Teenage Engineering website but won’t go on sale until ‘this summer’, according to the site.

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teenage engineering field desk has an industrial guise that belies its flexibility

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Some people need simple, clean tables to work on, while others require containers, sections, and additional parts that you might not find in common desks. It’s difficult to design for the lowest common denominator without severely compromising on other things, which is why modular desks and desk accessories have become more popular lately. Modular furniture, however, also brings its own kind of complexity, especially since it might lock you down into a specific way of doing things or storing your stuff. teenage engineering, better known for its funky-looking electronic music products, is offering a solution that its own workforce uses, providing nothing but the framework to which modules can attach later on as the owner sees fit.

Designer: teenage engineering

The field desk might not look like much at first glance, embracing a completely industrial aesthetic that perfectly fits teenage engineering’s name and distinctive design language. It basically looks like a frame of metal legs and trusses, topped by thick plywood for the desktop. That’s definitely an accurate description of the materials that make up this table, but that completely undersells the power that lies hidden in plain sight.

This table is the very same table that teenage engineering uses, so there has to be some trick to its simplicity. That trick is what it calls its “field rail system,” an open-ended range of interconnecting aluminum rails that enables attaching modules or additional parts to a piece of furniture like the field desk. This is what gives this otherwise ultra-minimalist desk its appeal at teenage engineering’s own HQ, allowing their employees to design their own workspace according to their needs and tastes.

At the moment, there are no ready-made field rail modules that can attach to this desk, but teenage engineering promises they will come soon. That, however, doesn’t stop anyone from creating their attachment designed around standard m5 screws. That is part of the beauty of the field desk’s flexibility, giving anyone the freedom to add what they want and change it as the years go by. Presuming they know how to make such parts on their own, of course.

The field desk’s appeal is further elevated by its sustainability and longevity. All rails and clamps are made with 75% recycled aluminum by Scandinavian manufacturer Hydro, while the tabletop is made from double-sided Formica birch plywood. This means that if the surface is starting to show its age with scratches and stains, simply turn it over and use the other side. With its flexibility and durability, the teenage engineering field desk is designed to grow with you and last a long time, which is probably for the best given its $1,599 price tag.

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teenage engineering desktop PC case exudes raw power with a retro-futuristic vibe

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Unless you’re a PC gamer, you most likely want to hide your desktop PC’s tall chassis from sight. Either that or you have opted for more recent desktops that are embracing modern, sometimes minimalist designs that you’d actually want to flaunt on your desk. People’s tastes vary, of course, and some computer users might not be so taken by the smooth and polished bodies of these elegant towers. Fortunately, you don’t have to feel stuck between flashy and bare with this new variant of teenage engineering’s unique and head-turning computer case, designed to be simple yet also expressive, now with an almost brutalist character that makes it feel like a post-apocalyptic computer of the future.

Designer: teenage engineering

teenage engineering designs have always been notable for their unorthodox nature and artistic personalities. Almost like a teen, there is a certain rebelliousness to its products, going against the status quo and thinking outside the box. Nowhere is that more evident than in the computer-1 desktop PC case that is like a nod to the days when computer users had to assemble every part of the PC in their garages or rooms.

The computer-1 case isn’t distinctive only because of its pure orange RAL 2004 powder-coated finish, which is definitely the most unexpected color for a desktop PC. Its claim to fame is that, unlike the chassis you’d buy from computer stores, this one has to be assembled even before you can cram in a mini ITX motherboard and other components. Flat-packed as sheets of metal with a few other parts, this makes the computer-1 more efficient to make and ship, not to mention giving owners a little adventure in piecing everything together.

teenage engineering is now offering this one-of-a-kind computer case in a new color, embracing a more “normal” raw anodized aluminum finish. It isn’t as shiny as, say, an Apple Mac Pro, and it really emphasizes that raw appearance. On the one hand, the overall design looks like something you might have cobbled up on your own due to a lack of materials available. On the other hand, that unfinished appearance does give it a distinctive personality, like a computer that’s built to be able to rough it out, regardless of what load you throw at it.

In all other aspects, it’s exactly the same computer-1 case that the brand launched quite a while back, meaning it has the same space-saving footprint and accessible price tag. And, of course, that means you’ll also have to do that nerve-wracking bending step when putting it together, but that’s pretty much part of the appeal of this rather quirky desktop PC box.

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