Hasta La Gadget!

I always get a kick out of the juxtaposition of something new and high-tech along with something very old and retro looking. When you take the new iPhone 5S and cram it in a case that makes it look like an old-school boombox, cassette tape, or retro game gear, you have my attention. That is exactly what Rocketcases has done.

My three favorite cases the company offers (for every iPhone back to the 4) are the Nintendo themed Retro Gamer line. The cases can make your iPhone look like either a black or white Nintendo Game Boy or an old-school Nintendo game controller.

I also really like the two Ghetto Blaster cases that make the back of the phone look like an 80s boombox you would’ve carried on your shoulder. The VHS and cassette tape cases are also really cool. All of these cases are available online for $14.95 and will be perfect for the high-tech geek who still remembers the good old days.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen the Berlin Boombox. The device turned up on Kickstarter about a year ago when it was seeking funding for production. We lost track of the device after the Kickstarter campaign and it has now turned up again, and this time you can buy it outright.

The DIY Berlin Boombox is a cardboard papercraft kit that requires you to fold and stuff tabs into slots. Other than the cardboard shell for the boombox, it also comes with speakers and other hardware required to make the audio work.

The Berlin Boombox has a pair of small speakers that slot into the little cardboard slots inside the cardboard shell, a volume knob, and a battery pack that holds three AA batteries. Once built, you simply connect your audio device to the speakers using the 3.5 mm plug. This would probably be the perfect ghetto blaster to go with your 80s music collection and giant sheet of cardboard for breakdancing.

The Berlin Boombox is available from Bitemyapple.com for $79.99(USD).

Do not shun boomboxes, o ye youth of the current generation! You do not know of the influencing power of such a device, back in the days when your parents were wee lads and discovering their identity in the world. Having said that, is there a place for the classic boombox in the 21st century? The correct answer would be “No”, but this does not mean that the idea on a boombox cannot be resurrected to take on the more modern devices out there. The $149.99 Floating Boombox is one such updated retro gig, where it will definitely add some volume in your next trip to a body of water, regardless of whether it is a natural lake, by the beach, or at the pool.

The Floating Boombox would play nice with devices such as the iPhone, iPod, Android gadgets or other compatible ones, even in the water. The Floating Boombox will be fully waterproof and submersible, and thanks to a waterproof compartment that houses your device, you need not feel as though you are drowning while on land, with the air choked out of you as you realize your newest purchase has been dunked underwater. No sir, no worries of that at all – unless the waterproof compartment has somehow been compromised by an unseen needle or your cat’s claws, of course. It is said that the Floating Boombox would be able to pump out tunes for up to 25 hours using battery power alone, or you can plug it directly into an AC outlet – not a good idea if you’re going to dunk it in the pool when doing so, of course.
[ Floating Boombox copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

You know what’ll go perfectly with that waterproof Bluetooth speaker ball that a Billy Corgan doppelganger recommended a few years back? That odd tube you’re undoubtedly fixated on above. That’s the Ultimate Ears UE Boom, and those people underneath are presumably blitzed from a day of raving at [insert EDM festival here]. Parent company Logitech is calling this thing the “world’s first social music player,” but last we checked, it’s not capable of tweeting whatever you’re listening to. Instead, it’s seemingly engineered “to help you rage, riot, party and play the music you love, out loud.” Seriously — that’s in the description.

In order to do so, there’s a Bluetooth radio within, NFC support, a 15-hour rechargeable battery and an exterior that’ll turn away light splashes. Of note, you can wirelessly link two UE Booms together using an associated Android or iOS app to play them in either stereo-to-stereo mode or traditional left / right stereo mode. It’s expected to hit US and European shores later this month for $199.99, which means you too can take weird shots of yourself holding it at frat parties in the very, very near future.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: Ultimate Ears

Those yearning to relive their 80s glory days need yearn no longer.

Now, Sirobako has introduced the totally radical cardboard self-assembly “Berlin BoomBox” kit, designed by German designer Axel Pfaender.

It takes only about 10-20 minutes to assemble the kit and no tools or glue are needed. You can play music saved in your iPhone/iPod, smartphone or any other music player that has a 3.5mm earphone jack.

Sirobako introduces and sells interesting domestic and international audio systems to the Japanese market.

Price: 6,980 yen
Size: W350 x D120 x L250 mm
Weight: 690 g
Speaker output: 5W x 2