I don’t know about you, but I have a stack of vinyl records in my attic that I haven’t touched for more than 25 years. Yep, they have been sitting there collecting dust as I moved on to digital media such as CD’s and now MP3’s.

It’s kind of funny how much space you require to store a few albums of music on records.  For instance, I have a huge trunk holding about 50 albums. Today, with MP3 digital compression, every single one of those albums can fit in the palm of my hand.

While I love my iPod and the MP3 format, I do wish I could sometimes play my records and more important, transfer them from vinyl into digital. Well, now it is possible with the new ION USB turntable.Why didn’t they think of this sooner? This has to be the coolest turntable I have ever seen!

The ION USB turntable allows you to convert your old vinyl records into MP3 by simply connecting the turntable to your computer with a USB cable and playing your vinyl records. The turntable comes with recording software that makes it a breeze to record all your vinyl records simply and easily. I should mention that the ION USB turntable took some design and styling tips from Apple, and that this turntable looks magnificent. 

The ION USB turntable can play 33-1/3 and 45 RPM  records.  In addition, there is a model that can play old 78 RPM records. The ION USB turntable even offers a top-of- the-line model that features a built-in iPod dock for easy listening and transfer. 

The ION USB turntable is available at most large electronics stores.  Prices range from about $120 to $300.