8 Transparent Tech Gadgets With Retro Appeal

Aesthetically, the market is pushing back against the uniformity of modern smartphones that conceal everything behind sleek, opaque shells. In contrast, the resurgence of transparent and semi-transparent designs from the 1980s and ’90s offers a sense of distinction and authenticity. Being able to see an instrument’s inner mechanics, even without technical understanding, can create a greater sense of connection to the object itself. Rather than hiding how a device works, transparency makes its components part of the design.

I have owned one clear gadget in my life: the Palm IIIe Special Edition. It looked cool then, and it looks cool now. Did I look cool in high school when I used it to take notes in class (and play chess)? Certainly not.