First Bluetooth 5.0 portable cassette player hits Kickstarter target

The Chinese manufacturer Ninm Lab has raised enough money via Kickstarter for the realization of a portable cassette player with bluetooth. The IT’S OK, as the gadget is called, can be connected to a headset or speaker and also has a recording function.

With the IT’S OK, Ninm Lab breathes new life into the hugely popular Walkman in the 1980s. According to the manufacturer, the retro appearance hides the first portable cassette player that can be connected to a headset or speaker via Bluetooth 5.0. In addition, the device has a classic 3.5mm headphone output.

Just like the better walkman from the last century, the IT’S OK has a recording function to record music or voice messages yourself. The manufacturer supplies the gadget complete with an empty cassette tape with a playing time of sixty minutes. Unlike modern portable music players, the IT’S OK is not rechargeable, but runs on two AA batteries. It is remarkable that the device does not reproduce stereo but only mono sound.

For the realization of the IT’S OK, Ninm Lab had to raise the amount of 11,419 dollars via Kickstarter, converted 10,178 euros. With 26 days to go and a counter reading of almost 55,000 dollars, more than 49,000 euros, that goal has now been amply achieved. Interested parties can still support the crowdfunding project with a contribution of 67 euros and receive a fifteen percent discount on the final price of 77 euros. The expected shipping date of the cassette player is December 2019.

The introduction of the IT’S OK coincides with the 40th anniversary of the original Sony Walkman, which saw the light of day on July 1, 1979. Sony still produces Walkman devices, but they no longer use cassette tapes. However, the Japanese manufacturer introduced a record player at the beginning of this year that can be connected to a speaker or headphones via bluetooth.