ReZoom

Technology is best when it solves big problems: the Human Genome project, particle accelerators, the Mars rover.

Now there’s a gadget that can do something even better – and in your own living room. Thanks to the Ion USB turntable you can digitize your whole Abba collection with ease!

Ion’s USB belt drive turntable has with all the standard features you’d come to expect from a high quality record player in the late seventies: adjustable gain, anti-skating con-trol and a high-speed vinyl recording function. It’s got it all, however it still can’t make your copy of the Starland Vocal Band any more listenable.

After plugging directly into your computer via a standard USB cable, the simple Audacity program (included) will convert those sweet Irving Berlin records collecting dust under your old Hi-Fi into something you can tote around on your iPod. As a bonus, it comes with regular old RCA audio jacks, so you can use it as a stand-alone turntable as well. It plays 33 and 45 RPM records, so if you’re trying to convert 78s you’ll have to convert them into digital 45s, then speed them up with the software. A small price to pay to get your stack of wax on your MP3 player, don’t you think?

Currently the Ion iTTUSB turntable is available at Amazon.com for $129.99.