If you wish to keep a hard copy of your each and every tweet as well as of those where you have been mentioned, then the Twittertape machine is exactly what you need. As the device is based on the ticker tape machines from the late nineteenth century, it continues to adopt a similar design and thus, it sports a very retro look that is sure to make you a little nostalgic.
As of now, the gadget is just a concept and a prototype, but the inventor says on the official website that it is completely functional. It has been designed to take printouts of Twitter feeds without any intervention from the person. It is actually a networked device. Back in 1880s, the ticker tape machine was primarily used by rich and famous people. It helped them to stay updated with details concerning their stocks and shares.
Unlike the other printers, the Twittertape does not require ink and works without being connected to a computer system. All it needs is an Ethernet connection and of course, your Twitter login credentials. As soon as it gets the web access, the device starts checking your feeds for new tweets and mentions every 30 seconds and prints them out.
The person behind this ticker tape-like prototype plans to introduce a successor to the machine with certain improvements. Firstly, it will have an option for Wi-Fi connectivity instead of Ethernet and secondly, a user control panel will be included for allowing users to choose other web-based data feeds such as from Facebook, RSS and many more for printing them out.
As we already said, the Twittertape machine is just a prototype for now and nothing has been revealed about its commercial availability.