Teenage Engineering Revives The Click Wheel With Digital ‘Tape Recorder’

Swedish consumer electronics company Teenage Engineering is back with a new take on an old classic with its latest tape recorder.
 
Tape recorders have sort of gone out of fashion since the rise of smartphones essentially placed one of these devices in just about everyone’s pockets. Still, that hasn’t stopped the company from reviving it, and putting its spin on it.

The ‘TP-7’ is a palm-sized digital device with a click wheel meant to represent a reel tape like recorders from yesteryear. Gizmodo points out that the click wheel harks back to the original iPod, which housed a similar function that allowed users to control their music.
 
In this case, the wheel is motorized and will spin when a recording is taking place. It can also be manually turned to rewind or fast-forward audio. Around the gadget are other buttons that can skip, pause, play, and control the volume settings.

There is also a rocker that sits on its side for you to adjust the speed of the playback. It can support three external mics through its 3.5 mm audio jack ports and a rechargeable battery that lasts seven hours.
 
And though it might look like an old-timey gadget that one would find tucked in a news reporter’s pocket, it also has some pretty advanced tricks up its sleeve. For one, those who frequently transcribe audio recordings can now rely on the TP-7 to do it for them. When connected to an iPhone or via a USB cable, an accompanying iOS app can transform audio into text.

The TP-7 is part of Teenage Engineering’s Field System, which includes a mixer, a recently-released microphone, and carrying equipment. It is retailing for a steep US$1,499, and will be ready by this summer.
 
 
 
[via TechCrunch and Gizmodo, images via Teenage Engineering]