Tech Vault
The best of my retro tech collection.
"Big Blue" iPod Classic
Dubbed "Big Blue" by Sage, this is a custom iPod Classic 6th generation with 128 gigabytes of flash storage and a couple thousand songs. It also has an aftermarket 2000 mAh battery that gives it crazy runtime. I consider it to be the ultimate iPod, at least for my purposes.
Release Year: 2007
OS: stock iPod firmware
Modded iPod Mini
This iPod Mini 1G packs a punch! It stores all of its music on a 64GB SD card, and it still sounds great. It's easily the cutest iPod that I've ever owned. I dig the green, too.
Release Year: 2004
OS: stock iPod firmware
Handspring Visor
Created by the founders of Palm, I find the Visor PDA very interesting. It's both well-built and unique, featuring an iconic design. I enjoy taking mine around and playing Bike or Die on the go. Plus, you can't go wrong with 8 megabytes of memory!
Release Year: 1999
OS: Palm OS 3
Polycarbonate MacBook
This thing is quite literally held together by duct tape, but it's still going strong. I mainly use it for HotSync and distraction-free writing, although I also have a couple of games on it. It has 2 gigabytes of RAM and a 240 GB SSD installed in it.
Release Year: 2007
OS: Snow Leopard
(Old) MacBook Pro
Rocking an ancient Core i5 and 8 gigabytes of RAM, this thing isn't exactly a speed demon. It also isn't in the best shape. That said, its optical drive is very useful, so I'm happy to keep it around. It's also really nice for simple tasks such as web browsing.
Release Year: 2012
OS: macOS 12
Palm LifeDrive
This relic has a 4 gigabyte microdrive in it! Flash memory was expensive when the LifeDrive was released, so Palm decided to copy the iPod Mini. It wasn't actually a bad idea at the time, and it even makes a good MP3 player today. It's one chunky nugget, though, and it definitely looks its age. As far as Palm PDAs go, it's for sure one of the most advanced and premium, so I consider it an essential for any Palm collector.
Release Year: 2004
OS: Palm OS 5
Vintage Casio Watch
I got this thing for $2! I threw in a button cell battery and it works great. It's built surprisingly well with a snazzy stainless steel case. It genuinely feels better than most modern Casio digitals. The only issue I've had with it is that the alarm does not work for some reason. Good thing I don't care! Overall, not too bad for the price.
Release Year: Early 80s
OS: it's a vintage watch, bro
BlackBerry 9720
I got this phone in new condition, and it represents a fascinating time in BlackBerry's history. It was a low-end device released at the beginning of the BlackBerry 10 era, but it was running the old BBOS 7. As a result, I consider it to be the last classic BlackBerry. It's super weird and has an awful screen. I love it!
Release Year: 2013
OS: BlackBerry OS 7
Sony FD Mavica
It's the iconic floppy disk camera! I have a few of these. People just give them to me. I'm not complaining. ;)
Some of the Mavica cameras support video recording, so I decided to record a day in my life on one.
Watch on Youtube
Release Year: ~Y2K
OS: n/a
Sony Sports Walkman
Just look at this thing! For a sports-centered Walkman, it's absolutely huge. It has tons of nice features, including Dolby B NR and auto reverse. It also feels rock solid. But man, it's goofy!
Release Year: looooooong Ago
OS: n/a