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Digital audio recorders are plentiful, but few look—or feel—like the TP-7 from Swedish company Teenage Engineering. “A main theme when we develop products is to rethink what a tool is,” says CEO and head of design Jesper Kouthoofd. “We felt [an audio recorder] could be done in a more creative way.” The palm-size device records podcast-quality audio and features three chunky buttons akin to those on a 1970s hi-fi system. A side-mounted “rocker” scrubs through tracks. Another retro touch: as the TP-7 records and plays back, a motorized “tape reel” in the center of the gadget actually rotates.
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