View Quest is a recently established UK company that describes itself as ‘a community of creative heads’. Products so far include the world’s smallest wifi radio, nominated in the Conde Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards 2011, and a clever iPod dock that looks like a G4 iMac and amplifies by vibrating whatever surface on which it stands.

The Retrol may not be quite so innovative, but it’s just as much fun. It’s a chunky DAB and FM radio with a shape that would be merely minimalist were it not wrapped in bright-red leather with a matching handbag-style carrying strap on the top. It’s real leather, and when you get it out of the box, it smells like a shoe shop. This is exactly the kind of sensual impact that gadgets – unlike, say, magazines – normally fail to have, and marks out the Retrol immediately as something special.

Functionally, this is a standard DAB set with a simple two-line backlit LCD screen. You get one-click auto-scan and 10 presets, but little else in the way of controls. What brings it to MacUser’s attention is a small panel at the front, labelled with the View Quest logo. Push and release this, and out pops an iPod dock. It works with any recent iPhone or iPod, and – although neither we nor View Quest recommend it-the unencumbered positioning of the dock means you can even prop an iPad on it if you feel the urge. It’s a little precarious, with the iPad free to fall forward, but leaves the volume control just about accessible.

The two speakers are rated at 1.5 watts apiece, but sound louder, with a slightly boomy but satisfyingly rich quality that suits the retro image; it reminded us of the AV kit at school. They find a fair amount of detail in music, understandably preferring Strauss to house, and are ideal for speech. There’s an aux input for non-Apple music gizmos, and an alarm function for bedside listening, but no headphone socket or remote control. In short, very much your traditional radio, except not. A power adaptor is supplied, but one of the best things about the Retrol is the compartment at the back where you can insert four C cells to free your music from the mains. Battery life, quoted as ‘up to 15 hours’, is obviously going to depend almost entirely on your choice of batteries; our Duracells showed no signs of waning during the test period. It’s not exactly cheap compared with other DAB radios these days, and its styling puts it well to the left of unisex, but if the concept appeals to you, the Retrol certainly won’t disappoint in the flesh. Compared with a pair of Louboutins, it’s a steal.