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wood posts

NTT DOCOMO's Touch Wood mockups make naughty puns easy

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 24th 2009 at 5:20AM

We're still not entirely sold on the intersection of gadgets and wood. Nevertheless, companies keep pumping out the concepts in response to our greener times. Here's NTT DOCOMO's effort using surplus wood leftover from Pacific culling operations. The Touch Wood prototype was developed in tandem with Sharp and Olympus and is based on the SH-04A slider. A Touch Wood mockup (pictured above) resembling a more feminine bean was also announced. In either case, the Touch Wood body is made of cypress without adding any artificial coloring or paint. And by using Olympus' 3D compression molding technique, they've manage to maintain the kind of durability, and resistance to water, insects, and mildew that you'd expect from, well, a tree. With any luck, these handsets will be on exhibit in October at the ITU Telecom World and CEATEC Japan shows... touch wood. SH-04A prototype pictured after the break.

[Thanks, Stop Spamming]

Continue reading NTT DOCOMO's Touch Wood mockups make naughty puns easy

Yoshihiko Satoh's Wooden iPod speaker bags are definitely re-usable, possibly biodegradeable, totally chic

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 28th 2009 at 8:49AM

You can spend a lot of money on a handbag, so why not get one that's functional? These co-Mobile Speakers designed by Japanese artist Yoshihiko Satoh are not just styled to look like a bag, they are a bag, sporting room for your iPod to serve tunes and maybe a bento box to serve lunch -- but admittedly not much else. They're available in dark wood or maple and will set you back ¥31,500; about $335. Sure, that's not cheap for a 30 watt speaker dock, but we've seen far more expensive purses that are far less tastefully designed.

[Via Engadget Germany]

Gallery: iPod co-Mobile Speakers

Handcrafted Ceramic Speakers are almost too pretty to blast

by Darren Murph posted Aug 14th 2009 at 6:27AM

Joey Roth blew our collective minds way back in 2007 with his conceptual Felt Mouse, but now the designer is taking his creations to the next level by actually shipping a few. The simply named Ceramic Speakers boast only 10 watts of output per channel, though each 4-inch full-range driver is housed in an acoustically dead porcelain and cork chamber that should do quite a lot with quite a little. We can't say we're totally fond of the expected $400 to $500 price tag when these go on sale in October, but toss in a similarly designed subwoofer and we just might bite.

[Via Cool Hunting]

USB retro wooden speaker escapes the crap pile by the slimmest margin

by Darren Murph posted Aug 5th 2009 at 8:06AM

Try if you wish, but you'll never convince us that the masterpiece you're peering at above should be lumped in with every other crapgadget out there. Sorry, it just ain't happening. The wondrous USB Retro Wooden Speaker / MP3 Player Cube does mostly what it says: you insert a flash card or USB drive, and it plays back MP3 files through the pair of 3-watt stereo speakers. Those vintage buttons can skip tracks and pause things for a brief moment of silence, while the bundled remote keeps your nates planted after a hard day's night. There's even a 3.5 millimeter auxiliary input in case you're short on flash, and the built-in rechargeable battery ensures that this bad boy will be showcased at your forthcoming tailgate parties. There's a whole lot of awesome here for $29, wouldn't you concur?

Nissan's Forest AC blows wild scents through your ride, keeps you alert

by Darren Murph posted Jul 27th 2009 at 7:17AM

And here you were thinking Mercedes-Benz's Attention Assist system was the thing in driver alertness aides. In a rather odd, nearly jocose press release, Nissan has revived our faith in corporate R&D with the glorious introduction of the Forest AC. In short, this new air conditioning system "systematically controls cabin temperature, ventilation, aroma and humidity to create an optimal interior environment." Still bewildered? It means that the system can tap into an array of sensors in order to find out exactly what environment is best for your current state of mind, and if it needs to, it'll blast your nostrils with gusts of fresh forest in order to increase alertness while keeping stress levels down. The zaniest part of all, however, isn't the idea of using various aromas to keep one's attention; it's the fact that this system is actually scheduled for installation on a vehicle (the Fuga) that'll ship this fiscal year in Japan.

OSU foresters swap tree fibers for rubber in fuel efficient tires

by Darren Murph posted Jul 26th 2009 at 12:41PM

Leave it to a gaggle of brilliant wood science researchers at Oregon State University to figure out that we've been doing this whole "tire" thing wrong for generations now. While studying some uses of microcrystalline cellulose, which can be made easily from practically any type of plant fiber, these Earth-loving gurus discovered that said material could actually improve the efficiency of vehicle tires when used in place of silica. Granted, only about 12 percent of the silica -- which is used as a reinforcing filler in the manufacture of rubber tires -- was swapped out, but the resulting tires gripped just as well in wet weather while decreasing the rolling resistance during those dry summer months. Furthermore, tires constructed with these fibers could be made with less energy, though long-term durability studies are still needed to prove that this whole plan is viable for more than a few thousand miles.

[Via Gizmag]

Woodstation acts like a weather station, looks like a dead tree

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 16th 2009 at 11:13PM

Usually the intersection of woodcraft and gadgetry consists of little more than taking a piece of gear and putting it in a box. Woodstation may be no different, but at least it does its thing with some style, placing its LED display beneath the surface, allowing it to seemingly display weather data on the wood itself. And if that weren't enough, the device contains a motion sensor (it turns itself on when you enter the room) as well as date, time, and alarm functions. Available in a maple or walnut finish, this bad boy is currently available in the UK for £89.95 (about $147). And unlike the Amazon Kindling, this thing actually works.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Wood computer workstation takes up space, looks great, does little else

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 14th 2009 at 6:36PM

Dear Diary 1.0 is a computer workstation / desk made entirely of wood. Designed by Marlies Romberg, a recent grad of the Utrecht School of Arts, this bad boy features a laser-cut keyboard, a display, mouse, and a porcelain and silicone USB thumb drive with a signet (one of those wax seals they always put on letters in old-timey movies). We're guessing that none of this stuff is functional (save maybe the thumb drive), but if you're in the mood for a good artist's statement, try this one on for size: "Dear Diary 1.0 is ... both the literal and the figurative manifestation of the worlds colliding. A physical reminder that increasingly, the real and the digital are becoming indistinguishable." Not bad, eh? Just slap your Amazon Kindling on the thing and your anachronistic office will be just about complete. More pics after the break.

[Via Unplggd]

Continue reading Wood computer workstation takes up space, looks great, does little else

Amazon Kindling wooden e-book is a luddite's dream of the future

by Laura June posted May 13th 2009 at 5:24PM

E-readers aren't for everyone, apparently. Clever hands fashioned this Kindle out of wood -- cutely called the Amazon Kindling -- using a laser cutter. You might only be able to read the same page of The Count of Monte Cristo so many times, but at least the battery will never punk out on you! One more shot of this wooden beauty after the break. Hit the read link for the whole set.

[Via Boing Boing]

Continue reading Amazon Kindling wooden e-book is a luddite's dream of the future

Video: Musiblocks rock the house

by Thomas Ricker posted Feb 27th 2009 at 4:16AM

Here's something that managed to slip beneath our radar but is definitely worth the double-back: Musiblocks. The design project consists of a central control block at the base of the tower with an embedded force sensor and 6 circular connectors. Add more (or heavier) blocks to increase the volume or twist the block atop the base to switch tracks. The only block with any electronics is the core, control block at the base -- the other blocks are just hardwood slabs with tin conductors. Remember, if Sony can mass produce the Rolly, don't be surprised to see Musicblocks go retail sometime soon. Video after the break.

[Via Yanko Design]

Continue reading Video: Musiblocks rock the house

Tree Camera doubles as really cute MP3 player, doesn't take stills

by Darren Murph posted Feb 6th 2009 at 8:22AM

We've always heard that judging a book by its cover is a bad, bad idea, and if you're assuming this wooden camera takes snaps first and plays tunes second, you'd be terribly mistaken. In fact, The Tree Camera is actually a DAP alone (sorry for crushing your dreams), and aside from boasting a standard headphone jack, it includes 256MB of storage and plays nice with OGG, WMA and MP3 file formats. We'd say it's totally cute enough to justify the $43 price tag, and even more so if the wood used to make is, you know, real wood.

[Via PMPToday]

Wooden 2GB thumb drive doubles as Post-It Notes dispenser

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Feb 5th 2009 at 11:20AM

What can we say? This is a 2GB thumb drive elegantly ensconced in White Oak. If that weren't enough, this convenient and portable package not only allows you to listen to some of your favorite Grateful Dead bootleg MP3s on your laptop at work, but also ensures that you always have a supply of tiny little Post-It Notes on hand. What better way to begin your workday in the soul-shattering plastic corporate world than popping in a somewhat eco-friendly wooden peripheral and rocking out to Picasso Moon? You should really check out the version from their October 25, 1989 show in Miami. This guy goes for ¥2,680 (about $30).

[Via Akihabara News]

Wooden MacBook case for would-be Amish road warriors

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 20th 2009 at 8:37AM

Cut down a tree to save a Mac? Sure, it's better than using your face. These unpriced (hey, if you gotta ask...) wooden slip cases with leather lining and magnetic enclosures are designed and custom crafted by Rainer Spehl to fit 13-inch MacBooks or 15-inch MacBook Pros. While that's clearly a last-gen MacBook Pro pictured, we'll bet that Rainer will build the case to whatever dimensions you'd like just as long as you've got the cash to back up that pretty smile. Else, why not roll your own.

[Via SlipperyBrick and Notcot]

Eazo's Z70 wooden PC looks uncommonly natural, expensive

by Darren Murph posted Dec 31st 2008 at 8:25AM

If Eazo's ultra-dark X70 was just too rich for your blood, we have all ideas the Z70 will really be out of reach. This luxurious tower -- coated in some sort of exotic rosewood and presumably sourced from the same jungle as Odeon's Sex Panther cologne -- includes a Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processor and lots of other components that we simply aren't privy too. The good news is that the internal water cooling system should prevent said CPU from lighting the wood on fire; the bad news is that a spill could eventually cause severe decomposition. You can't win for losin', can ya?

[Via BornRich]

Chiaroscuro case mod riffs on Beijing Olympics building

by Ross Miller posted Dec 20th 2008 at 12:05AM

Arboreal case modder Nick "Greensabbath" Falzone's latest creation is an Ebony and Maple Frankenstein inspired by the Beijing Digital Building. Dubbed Chiaroscuro -- meaning a contrast between light and dark -- the tower sports an AMD Phenom X4 9350e quad core, 4GB of RAM and a Radeon HD 4850. Hit up the read link for a full breakdown of the creation, with pictures galore (not pictured: the requisite wooden mouse and keyboard). Your move, Suissa.