I finally picked up a Teenage Engineering TP-7.

I've been experimenting with dictating random ideas lately. And while the phone is typically more convenient, I wanted to have a separate recorder on my desk.

The TP-7 is an absolutely charming piece of hardware. Reminds me of all the things I loved about some of those high precision portable Sony products from decades ago. But miles better.

It's such a tactile delight. The clicks and friction and spinning disk and toggles and tilts and materiality. The tiny dotted LED display, subtle drops of color. The tight tolerances. The quirky UI. The depth of "oh, I can do THAT with THIS?" discoveries. The feeling of something esoteric being fun to master. The few-too-many controls at first glance that eventually feel right at home.

Yes it's pricey, and yes there are plenty of alternatives for far less coin, but for me, the inspiration is priceless. And supporting people doing unusual, high-quality, high-design things is worth it. I just like playing with the damn thing. I like looking at the damn thing. It gives me all sorts of ideas for my own work.

I just adore functional objects like this. Incredible imagination, incredible work.

-Jason