We took a few hours out last week for a bit of inspiration and recharging of batteries and visited The Design Museum in London and the ‘Evolution of Technology’ exhibit. The display is a fascinating room with iconic technology design classics that we all know, along with relics of the distant past that shape our current experiences. The exhibit highlights how from the mid 20th century onward, many of our electronic products have become miniaturised, hand held and their functions converge. We can complete tasks with greater speed and accuracy and they’ve created much more flexible ways of living and working.
The Evolution of Technology And Design
It was interesting to see how designers and manufacturers are responsible for harnessing technical innovations and allow us to take advantage of new tech rather than be overwhelmed by it. When new technology enables the creation of a whole new type of product, like the telephone or television, once established it evolves gradually through many new versions thanks to the designers and makers.
The great thing is that we not only look back and remember the old technology and products of the past, we like to replicate and re-use the designs in our celebration of everything retro and vintage. We love, here at 3wisemonkeys, that we do still appreciate and use the work and the talents of designers of the past and hope that we never lose sight of our design and technology heritage. Do read on, for our two favourite retro record players and DAB radios that celebrate classic mid century design and let us know what you think.
A Classic Design Icon – The Retro Record Player
The resurgence of vinyl records and appreciation of the sound and feel of that analogue technology has been met by the burgeoning popularity of retro record players to play them on. We’ve got a great value range of record players that celebrate mid century design and the technological comeback of vinyl.
Our Denver VPL-120 retro record players at £39.99 + P&P are a great introduction or return to the world of vinyl, as they’re really easy to use and great value. They come in a stylish vintage-design suitcase in either black, brown, blue or red and have built-in twin speakers which make it easy to carry around so you can play your vinyl collection wherever you are. The triple speed option allows you to play those favourite 33.3 rpm albums, the classic 45rpm singles and the really vintage 78rpm records.
Unlike the old Mid-century days, the record will stop playing once it’s finished, there’s a line-out socket for external hi-fi or amplifier connection and a headphone jack. You can even record and share your vinyl finds through a USB connection, which records the music onto your PC and converts it to MP3 or WAV files. An example of a classic retro design brought bang up to date by today’s designers and manufacturers.
The radio has got to be one of the most memorable and important pieces of technology around. It first brought audio communication, news and entertainment to recent generations and still keeps us informed and entertained when we’re off the grid, living remotely or just on the road. The latest technology in DAB+ radios gives us even greater choice of stations and other tech functions while many celebrate and re-use the retro designs of old.
Our Denver DAB-38 portable digital radio at £49.99 +P&P, in either a dark wood or dark grey vintage, allows you to switch between DAB and FM radio, scan for, select or preset your stations. It comes with a smart carry handle, DAB+, 4 watt RMS speakers, a 2.8” inch LED screen, dual alarm, snooze and sleep functions, stereo headphone jack and battery back-up. So, all the technology we now demand in our gadgets of today but with a stylish vintage design inspired by designers of the past.
We love the ongoing celebration of classic design in our ever evolving technology. How about you? Do let us know your thoughts.
The 3wisemonkeys Team