The way we listen to music in the digital age has changed rapidly since the advent of the mp3: Our music libraries are more mobile and accessible than at any previous point in history.
But fans of more analog ways of transporting and playing music, especially those with an admiration for old-school vinyl records, have—for better of worse—largely been left out in the cold when it comes to technology for record-listening in our smartphone-obsessed world. No longer.
Enter Love, which is being billed as the "first intelligent turntable." It’s the brainchild of designer Yves Béhar (of Fuseproject, August Lock, and SNOO fame) and promises to "redefine and simplif[y] the way music lovers interact with vinyl through smartphone control."
The system comes with two 7-inch record bases and the Love device, a telephone-shaped unit with a glossy black top and rose-gold bottom that scans records to measure their size and the number of tracks. The device then connects with the Love app on your smartphone, transmitting this information and letting the user toggle between tracks and sync with Bluetooth speakers and headphones or Wi-Fi audio systems.
Love launches on Sunday, February 12, and interested consumers can sign up here for a notification email and to get 50 percent off their purchase. No word yet on what the retail price will be, but we will keep you updated. And you can watch a zippy little video about Love below.