Aside from a name that clearly doesn’t mean in Japanese what it does in English, Docomo’s Touch Wood phones deserve a bit of attention.
The kidney-shaped, iPhone-like handset is constructed from a Cypress wood base that’s been compression molded for extended durability. Despite this manufacturing process, each phone retains a unique grain pattern, color palate and woody aroma. And, just so you don’t have to feel bad about it, the wood is considered “surplus” from “forest-thinning operations.”
Docomo will be showing off prototypes in Japan later this week. And while we’ll probably never see the phones reach the US, we can’t get over the fact that wood seems a lot more classy than plastic. [Docomo via Electronista via TFTS]
