Brand New Retro

Classic devices given a high-tech reboot

We love our digital devices, our smart bulbs and our personal digital assistants. But sometimes we wish our various gadgets and gizmos had a bit more personality. In the future, few of us are likely to look back on our Amazon Echos with the nostalgia we have for the Sony Walkman, and digital timekeeping is never going to be as exciting as watching something pop out of a cuckoo clock. So we’re delighted to see some firms embracing modern technology with a distinctly retro twist. Roberts is a great example of that. The £229 Revival iStream 3 looks like a proper old-school AM radio, complete with fauxleather covering and a distinctive golden grille. It’s beautiful and wonderfully oldfashioned, but it’s packed with the latest digital radio tech: it can play DAB radio and stream from the likes of Spotify and TIDAL. It even works with Alexa. Vinyl has been making a comeback for some years now and there are some very retro-looking turntables available, but it might be sensible to stick with something less tacky, such as the Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth Turntable. This £194 turntable has proper hi-fi heritage, looks like it was made in 1970 and streams wirelessly to compatible audio systems and smart speakers. Cassette tapes are back too, and you can pick up Bluetooth tape players for as little as £24. Some include USB drives you can copy your music onto; others simply connect to your Bluetooth headphones. If you would like a rotary phone, Amazon’s virtual shelves include classic rotary models such as the GPO 746, which is a loving homage to the enormous phones of the pre-digital era. Expect to pay around £40. If you miss the warm glow of filament bulbs, technology can help: Philips’ Hue smart bulb range now includes long-life, low-energy LED filaments that look ancient. And as for the cuckoo clock mentioned earlier? John Lewis currently sells a ‘Tweeting’ cuckoo clock for £74. Don’t worry, the tweeting refers to its sound: it doesn’t post things to your Twitter account.

Roberts Revival iStream 3

It looks like it should only play you the shipping forecast but Roberts’ digital radio can stream from Spotify and play tunes from TIDAL. £229, Roberts.com

Philips Hue Filament light bulb

Old-fashioned lighting meets modern LED technology. Like the rest of the Hue range these bulbs are controllable via phone, tablet or smart speaker if you have a Hue Bridge. £20, meethue.com

Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth Turntable

Classic looks meet cutting-edge technology in this very clever turntable for vinyl records old or new. £194, sony.co.uk

GPO 746 retro phone

Phones like this are widely available and tick all the boxes: curly cords, just the right amount of finger resistance and, of course, a range of eye-popping colours. £40, Amazon.co.uk

RED5 Retro mini arcade machine

We hate to break it to you, but the arcade cabinets this little console looks like are over 50 years old. It comes pre-installed with over 200 arcade games. £20, Argos.co.uk