Elbow is a one-armed wonder winder that’ll save your cassettes

Imagine holding a CD in your hand and playing it without a case. That would never happen, because lasers. It can happen with tapes, though. Meet Elbow: a clever clip-on concept for your cassette collection, it has a single, swivelling arm which slots into one of the winding holes and drives the tape like it’s 1995. A biaxial build means you can switch the playback direction in a jiffy, while a control wheel lets you alter the volume and fast-forward at a range of rates. Charge it via microUSB, stick in a set of 3.5mm headphones and you’ve go-anywhere throwback tunes stuck to your pocket (thanks to a bundled pin).

Chris Rowlands Freelance contributor

About

Formerly News Editor at this fine institution, Chris now writes about tech from his tropical office. Sidetracked by sustainable stuff, he’s also keen on coffee kit, classic cars and any gear that gets better with age.

Areas of expertise

Cameras, gear and travel tech