Retro-inspired accessories are everywhere. Gadget blogs and craft-centric online marketplaces like Etsy are full of them, and new ones pop up every other day. While we’re not exactly sure what is behind this trend—is it simply a case of tech nostalgia? a desire to return to the simpler, charmingly clunky products of yesteryear? or an attempt at lending a sense of familiarity to new objects and devices? Whatever the motivating factor(s), one thing is clear: we have a penchant for cloaking our new technologies in the garb of the past.So rather than fight the signs of the times, we’ve decided to embrace them by compiling a list of our favorite retro-inspired iPhone/iPod accessories. Here’s the best of the best of what the faux-vintage have to offer:
Gameboy iPhone Case
At long last, your first love and your present love can be united into one awesome gadget—one that will even let you play Super Mario Bros just like you used to back in the day! Alas, if only all love triangles came to this simple and elegant of a solution.Cassette Cover and Stand
Although all of your real tapes have long been discarded or are collecting dust somewhere in your parents’ basement, you can relive those glory days of mixtapes and boom boxes in this cassette-inspired iPhone4 case and stand. If you haven’t yet upgraded to the iPhone4, fear not, there’s another version (though no stand for this one) that you can use to get your tape fix.Leica Camera Case
Let’s not kid ourselves, no matter how many photo apps you try, no “filter” on the Hipstamatic is going to make your crappy iPhone photos resemble Leica-quality shots. Still, you can fool yourself into thinking you’re using a real camera with this handy Leica-look-alike case for the iPhone4, which is homemade and easy to replicate. We found another camera-inspired case for the iPhone versions 1-3 on Etsy, but it just lacks the same pizazz.
iRetrophone Base
This may be the mother of all retro-inspired iPhone accessories because it is an actual retrofitted rotary phone (aw, how quaint!), turned into a base compatible with all versions of the iPhone. You can use it to charge your phone or sync it with your computer, but best of all it will go with that carefully cultivated 1940’s decor theme you’ve got going in your apartment. Score!HEX iPod Nano Watch Band
Watches are a retro technology by now, right? We keep hearing about how all the youngin’s don’t wear watches anymore because all these mobile gadgets have rendered them useless. Either way, these watch-inspired wristbands for the iPod Nano seem to be sleek and stylish enough to get the kiddies sporting the 2010 version of the calculator watch.Got recommendations for retro-inspired gadgets we missed? Add your suggestions in the comments below.
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At long last, your first love and your present love can be united into one awesome gadget—one that will even let you play Super Mario Bros just like you used to back in the day! Alas, if only all love triangles came to this simple and elegant of a solution.Cassette Cover and Stand
Although all of your real tapes have long been discarded or are collecting dust somewhere in your parents’ basement, you can relive those glory days of mixtapes and boom boxes in this cassette-inspired iPhone4 case and stand. If you haven’t yet upgraded to the iPhone4, fear not, there’s another version (though no stand for this one) that you can use to get your tape fix.Leica Camera Case
Let’s not kid ourselves, no matter how many photo apps you try, no “filter” on the Hipstamatic is going to make your crappy iPhone photos resemble Leica-quality shots. Still, you can fool yourself into thinking you’re using a real camera with this handy Leica-look-alike case for the iPhone4, which is homemade and easy to replicate. We found another camera-inspired case for the iPhone versions 1-3 on Etsy, but it just lacks the same pizazz.
This may be the mother of all retro-inspired iPhone accessories because it is an actual retrofitted rotary phone (aw, how quaint!), turned into a base compatible with all versions of the iPhone. You can use it to charge your phone or sync it with your computer, but best of all it will go with that carefully cultivated 1940’s decor theme you’ve got going in your apartment. Score!HEX iPod Nano Watch Band
Watches are a retro technology by now, right? We keep hearing about how all the youngin’s don’t wear watches anymore because all these mobile gadgets have rendered them useless. Either way, these watch-inspired wristbands for the iPod Nano seem to be sleek and stylish enough to get the kiddies sporting the 2010 version of the calculator watch.Got recommendations for retro-inspired gadgets we missed? Add your suggestions in the comments below.