tape on technabob...

I can’t think of any better way to connect my mix tape USB flash drive to my computer than to plug it into this retro cassette tape USB hub.

The 4-port USB 2.0 hub may look exactly like an old school cassette tape, but I can pretty much assure you that you’ll wreck your tape player if you attempt to pop this thing in and listen to it…

The cassette tape is probably just a fuzzy memory for those of you who grew up with Compact Discs and MP3s. But for us born before the 1980s, we have to figure out what to do with all of those old tapes. Why not turn them into a lighting fixture?

That’s exactly what the guys over at Transparent House are doing with their cassettes…

ThinkGeek recently announced their latest electronic gadget, a device that can easily convert your old Betamax Tapes to brand-spankin’-new HD-DVD discs.

While it won’t handle transfers of DIVX, MiniDisc or SelectaVision Videodiscs, the BetaMaxHD will convert between two of the most undoubtedly out-of-fashion consumer media formats money can (or can’t) buy…

This cool decorative tape lets you leave messages by blacking out the the white areas. A brilliantly simple design concept, the tape works in pretty much any language thanks to its free-form display concept.

Perfect for labeling boxes, temporary signage, creating impromptu artworks or modern graffiti, the tape comes in either a dot-matrix or segmented style…

Plenty of companies have made cassette tape adapters for connecting MP3 players to your car stereo, but this one wins the award for ingenuity. Not only does this gadget let you play your digital tracks through your old school tape player, the cassette IS the MP3 player…

For those of us who were born in the pre-MP3 era, the idea of creating a custom mix of your favorite tunes and putting them on a cassette tape was one of the most romantic things that you could do for your significant other (unless you happened to include “That’s What Friends Are For” or “The Breakup Song” on there.)

The oh-so-clever designers over at Suck UK have put together this kit that lets you make a modern version of the mix tape…

While I don’t really know if these qualify as “gadgets,” I just had to show you these awesome tape dispensers coming from UK designers at j-me.

A clever visual pun manifested in 3-dimensions, they dispense Scotch tape instead of playing the magnetic type. Available for pre-order now, these dispensers should be shipping this September for about $25 USD.
[via designboom]