Older technology is finding new life as hardware companies combine familiar designs with features such as Bluetooth, cloud syncing, USB-C, Wi-Fi, and app connectivity. Current products range from distraction-free digital typewriters and cassette players to instant cameras and landline-style phones designed for people who want alternatives to smartphones and laptops.
Digital Typewriters Focus on Distraction-Free Writing
Freewrite offers its $699 Smart Typewriter, which pairs mechanical keys and a small display with cloud syncing. Writers can draft without browser tabs or notifications, then export their work to other software when they need to edit it.
Pomera takes a more laptop-like approach at $549. Its compact writing device includes spell check, document management, word counts, several file-transfer options, and up to 20 hours of battery life.
Boom Boxes and Cassette Players Add Modern Connectivity
We Are Rewind’s $525 GB-001 updates the traditional boom box with Bluetooth and a rechargeable battery while keeping dual speakers, a cassette player, and recording functionality. Its speaker system delivers 104 watts of power.
Bumpboxx is also bringing back the oversized 1980s boom box through its BB-777 Kickstarter project. The device includes a three-way speaker system, dual cassette decks with recording and high-speed dubbing, a CD player, USB recording, and AM and FM radio.
Retrospekt offers a smaller $99 cassette player with play, rewind, fast-forward, and recording controls. It can run on batteries or USB-C power.
Kickback World’s $500 DEKO record player takes a different approach to retro audio, using orange acrylic and a design influenced by Swedish modernism rather than the suitcase-style construction common among portable turntables.
Instant Cameras Mix Film With Digital Features
Polaroid continues selling instant cameras while adding modern controls. Its $249 Polaroid Flip, introduced in 2025, combines a retro exterior with autofocus and app connectivity for remote operation.
Fujifilm’s $225 Instax Mini Evo combines digital photography with instant-film printing and supports USB-C. The company followed it in January with the $412 Instax Mini Evo Cinema, a three-in-one hybrid camera that can also print images sent from a smartphone.
Kodak continues to sell traditional disposable cameras such as the roughly $30 FunSaver. The company also released the miniature Charmera digital keychain camera in 2025, which can store photos and videos and transfer them over USB-C.
Landline-Style Phones Return With Wi-Fi and Physical Keyboards
Tin Can has developed a $100 Wi-Fi phone for children that resembles a traditional household landline but does not require a phone jack. Parents manage approved contacts through an app, while a free plan supports calls to other Tin Can users and a $9.99 monthly option allows calls to other approved contacts.
Clicks has taken inspiration from BlackBerry for its $499 smartphone, announced at CES 2026. The handset includes a physical keyboard and supports communication and productivity apps such as Gmail and Slack, while excluding mobile games and social media.
The products reflect different approaches to bringing older hardware formats into current devices, from reducing digital distractions to preserving physical controls, film prints, cassette playback, and dedicated calling devices.
Featured image credits: Magnific.com
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