WoodenWatches
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Another wooden Tokyoflash timepiece emerges, the Maru (video)
Tony Stark's favorite timepiece is going natural with Tokyflash's wood Maru. From the looks of them though, the only change between the maple and red sandalwood variants and last year's metal model is they no longer resemble something we'd see on our favorite genius / billionaire / playboy / philanthropist. The inner facing-hand still points to the hour, the outward pointing-hand remains associated with minutes and the Maru continues to use a standard battery for power. It may have a wooden band and case, but we're almost positive you'll still have to take it off at airport security. If you want to test our theory, this Maru is $99 for the next 48 hours and $129 after that.
This week's Tokyoflash watch comes in maple and sandalwood (video)
Tokyoflash's busy horologists know no bounds when it comes to designing watches. The company's latest timepiece is an update to last year's bee-friendly Kisai Zone that sports wooden cases and straps. Each of the three available woods is married to its own LCD color for the screen -- dark sandalwood's is black, red sandalwood goes purple and maple snags a blue readout. Speaking of which, it doesn't look like anything has changed compared to the first Zone's watch face. It still features a standard battery that lasts "at least a year," a funky hexagonal display (hours on top, minutes in the middle and seconds on the bottom) and an Indiglo-like backlight. If you fancy wearing part of a giving tree on your wrist, you can snag one of these for $99 if you act within the next two days.
Tokyoflash reissues its Kisai Rogue SR2 and Kisai Stencil watches in wooden form (updated)
Tokyoflash is known for crafting some seriously cryptic, over-the-top timepieces, and its latest efforts are no exception. Today, the company announced a revised pair of wristwatches that aim to pull your attention away from your smartphone's clock. Unlike the original Kisai Rogue SR2, its wooden successor is a combination of maple and sandalwood wrapped around a prominent always-on LCD lined with a circle of connecting blocks in place of a traditional set of numbers. The watch's display comes in three natural colors -- we know red and green are on deck but the third remains a mystery (though blue seems a safe bet). The second time-teller to get a makeover is the Kisai Stencil. This limited edition design sports a natural maple or sandalwood casing and your choice of a black or white leather wristband. The Stencil's enigmatic LCD displays time in an almost scrawled four block space that the company claims is "very simple to read." In celebration of the launch of its new gear, Tokyoflash is offering both watches at a discounted price of $99 until Friday at 4PM JST.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: robot cars, solar winds and the DeLorean EV
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. In case you missed it yesterday, the big green tech news of the week rolled in last night with the announcement of Google's top-secret robot car project, which has been deploying and testing self-driving robot cars on the streets of California over the past several months! (Engadget covered it here). It's also been a big week in general for green transportation announcements, as several supercharged electric vehicles hit the streets last week: the Delorean EV took us back to the future and SiGNa Chemistry unveiled an electric bike that runs on water. Finally, from the realm of tomorrow we brought you the future of moving house: strapping your home to an enormous balloon and lifting off for the skies. This week solar power also lit up the newswires as President Obama announced plans to deck out the White House with photovoltaics this coming spring and scientists proclaimed that interstellar solar winds could provide 100 billion times the Earth's energy needs. We were also wowed by a dog park powered by poo in Cambridge, and we can't wait to get our hands on this new copper-covered Nokia phone that recharges its battery using body heat. Speaking of eco gadgetry, we also showcased a set of gorgeous wooden wristwatches, and the world's first iPhone 4 cover made of plants. Green lighting was also a hot topic this week as scientists created a new type of glowing nano LED and we spotted an array of luminous lamps made from salt at the London Design Festival. We also learned how a wireless router scored a date for one lucky Inhabitat writer, and how Inhabitat editor Jill's solar-powered backpack has been a real conversation starter. See, green gadgets can help you make friends and influence people!
