Maple Cell Phones

Tech gadgets' plastic and metal bodies can be pretty tiresome, offering little personality and warmth - especially considering how integrated they are with our lives. Recently, wood has stepped in to fill the unnatural void.  One of the oldest known materials used to build things, wood is warm, timeless and beautiful. Its durability and unique fingerprint of grain patterns also make this an ideal material to enclose a tech gadget in.

Above is an image of the Maple Phone, designed by Hyun Jin Yoon  and  Eun Hak Lee, who have won the Silver award at the International Design Excellence Awards 2008.

Other wooden phones have been designed, that are interesting to compare. I think the Maple Phone is the most elegant, though.

Continue for more images of the Maple Phone and other unique wooden phones >

Zircote by Hulger.

Handmade working by Russian craftsman using apple tree wood.

No idea if these phones work... what's your guess? :)