Neko



It's a bit disconcerting that the technology I grew up is now referred to as 'retrotech', but it is what it is lmao, time marches on and waits for no man.

The first section is my current collection - some of these I've kept from when I was younger, some I've bought on eBay more recently. In the 'memories' section are items I owned and used at the time, when they were new - there are a lot of things in this section that I'd love to find again.

I particularly love how unique phones used to be - getting a new one was always so exciting, it would be totally different in form and function. (I still miss physical qwerty keyboards on phones). Nowadays I enjoy hunting for 'old' technology second-hand, repairing it myself and giving it a second life; sometimes as a functional item, sometimes as a display piece.

There are still lots of ways to use these items, some of which I've written about in the sections below.
I especially love blackberries, as you'll see!

P.s. There is more to find on this page...have a click around!


Retrotech: Current Collection
This is my current collection of retrotech
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Left to right, top to bottom:

  • iPod Nano 7th Gen (Silver): Released in 2012.
  • Vivitar Vivicam 3301
  • Blackberry Classic: Released in 2014, runs Blackberry OS 10.3
  • Blackberry Curve 8520 (Lilac): Released in 2009, runs Blackberry OS 5.0. I love this phone. I found it on eBay very cheap a few years back, in pretty much mint condition. I use it to type down ideas using the memopad and 'documents to go' features.
  • Vivitar Vivicam X345
  • Blackberry Torch: Released in 2010, runs Blackberry OS 6.0. I'm a big fan of the sliding keyboard/touchscreen combo. This is my 'jukebox' Blackberry - got it second hand for a good price, added a 32gb microSD with loads of my MP3s on and it stays connected to some speakers so I can play music whenever I like
  • Blackberry Curve 8310 (Pink): Released 2007, runs Blackberry OS 4.2. Saw this on eBay in great cosmetic condition but listed as untested with no battery so I decided to bid anyway, as I love the aesthetic of this model and wanted one for my collection. Won it for very little, and when it arrived I put a battery in - it turned on - but showed 'error 507' which indicates the OS is corrupted or missing. After a great deal of googling and trawling internet archive for the relevant OS files, I managed to restore it to its former glory and it's now fully functional - very satisfying! I will put together a guide on how I did it at some point.








Retrotech: Memories
In (roughly) chronological order, items I owned when I was younger - I'd love to add these back to my collection.
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Left to right, top to bottom:

  • Cooltec Pocket Puppy Virtual Pet
  • Nintendo Game Boy Advance (Purple)
  • Nokia 3410
  • Sharp GX15
  • Sagem My300c
  • Nintendo DS (Sky Blue)
  • Advent 9115 Laptop
  • Fujifilm Finepix F54FD
  • iPod Nano 1st Generation
  • Samsung SGH J700
  • Nintendo DS Lite (Black)
  • ASUS K53E Laptop
  • Samsung Genio Slide/B5310: Released in 2009, also known as the 'Corby Pro' - another example of the sliding keyboard/touchscreen combo - I absolutely loved this phone and used it for ages. The keyboard felt so nice to type on.
  • iPod Touch 4th Generation
  • Blackberry Curve 9320