Design WOO

I’ll admit, electronic devices made in Japan can be some of the quirkiest in the world, but there’s no doubt that the country is still one of the world’s powerhouses for consumer electronics. When you look at how concept phone network DoCoMo presents a handset made of wood, you tend to wonder just how original they can be.

DoCoMo takes gadget making to the next level by using ecologically renewable materials. Their new handset, called Touch Wood (not kidding), uses excess timber from trees cut down to keep Japanese forests healthy. And the manufacturing process makes it so the wood is compressed enough to be much more durable than ordinary wood.

What’s great about the Touch Wood handset line is that instead of coming in different colors, they come in many different wood grains – very cool. No artificial colors by way of paints are used, so the handset still maintains the wood’s original aroma and appearance. This is one piece of Japanese cultural flotsam I wouldn’t mind washing up on our shores.

Related entries:

1. NTT DoCoMo Debuts ‘Touch Wood’ Phone Made With Surplus Wood
2. Alesis ProTrack Stereo Recorder
3. 30 Futuristic Phones We Wish Were Real
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5. Motoworkr cellphone includes Bluetooth thermometer for medical professionals