Be smart, stay dumb.

Back to the sheet Electronics Music player · C4
Photo
C4 · Level 0 · No electricity Dumb as a rock

HMV portable gramophone

A vintage HMV wind-up portable gramophone for 78 rpm records.

$200–600Buy on eBay
Estimate. Prices change.

A spring motor, a steel needle and a horn hidden in the lid. Wind it up and it plays a 78 at a volume that fills a garden. Restorers still service them.

Repairable
Opens with common tools, spare parts are available, and replacement parts work without the maker unlocking them.
Calm
Does not compete for your attention: no notifications, feeds or endless content. Does its job and gets out of the way.

Where to buy

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Survival checklist

What it survives, next to the smart one it replaces.
1
=SURVIVES(threat)Survives…
ThisHMV portable gramophone
What it replacesSmart oneSonos Era 100
2
Power cut
TRUE
FALSE
3
Wi-Fi goes down
TRUE
FALSE
4
The company switches off its servers
TRUE
FALSE
5
Someone tries to hack it
TRUE
FALSE
6
A firmware update goes wrong
TRUE
FALSE
7
Twenty years from now
TRUE
FALSE
8
=COUNTIF(TRUE)Total
6 of 66/6
0 of 60/6

The smart one is the Sonos Era 100.

Row 4

See it in the sheetIn the sheet
Photo You are here

Crank it, drop the needle. No electricity at all.

HMV portable gramophone

$200–600
Repairable · Calm
HMV portable gramophone$200–600
Buy on eBay