By Bamboo is a very useful wood. It can be used for all sorts of things. You can use it to build houses, scaffolding and even feed it to pandas. Another new use has sprung up – you can use it as the chassis for a phone. The device you see above was once a mere concept by Middlesex student Kieron-Scott Woodhouse. (That’s about as fitting a last name as you could have for this project.)
Its name is the AdZero and it’s made out of real bamboo. Each phone’s block of wood is naturally unique. The woody nature contributes to how light it is with TechCrunch saying it weighs half as much as an iPhone 4S. There are questions about the lifetime of the finish.
As it’s wood you can expect it to look a bit worse over time but there will likely be protective coating. I wouldn’t mind a sheet of glass covering it, personally.
The device has recently received interest from investors who want to see these things in the hands of everyone in China and production looks to be on track to begin this year.
It’ll be running Android but the OS version wasn’t mentioned. I could see this being a great device to apply a custom wood theme to but it’s not clear where they’ll go in that regard. At this point we’re not even sure who “they” are but we hope they’re serious about bringing something like this to the masses. I know I’d want to carry one. [TechCrunch]
Fascinating concept. I’d be interested to hold one of these to see how it feels.
I’d buy it, and then use wood sealant on it.
Assuming it needed it. It could already come sealed. Besides, most people are gonna just put it in a case/skin anyway so it matters little IMO.
case or skin?
More like I can see people wood burning awesome stuff on it!
Oh, I like that idea. Burn like, initials into the back? Good idea.
An eco-friendly product is always welcome,especially in the not-so-obvious applications/scenarios.Offer a choice of eco-friendly stains & clearcoat/waterproofing & I do not see any reason why this couldn’t go mainstream.
For those concerned about durability,a year,possibly two is all most would need anyway,as almost everyone is eyeing the next model ready to drop.
I would buy it.
Looks sweet. I think a non protective coating would be best. Scratches, bumps and nicks would only add to the look, almost personalizing it in a way. Every scuff would hold a specific memory :)
You a guitarist, by chance?
That looks pretty cool, anyone know where I could buy a rubber cover for it? :-)
I always criticize HTC and their design but i would so love and probably buy it if HTC had thought of and came out with something like this.
It looks like a fascinating concept. I’m assuming the battery would come as non-removable? Either way I look forward to hearing more about this in the future and more on the manufacturer.
2011 brought us the echo and this would bring us the…wood phone? LOL
I would totally buy this. The concept is really cool. How many people do you think are saying ” I wish I thought of that”
Uh-oh……..looks too much like APPLEWOOD………..
I think it’s retarded and ugly… and it’s not exactly “eco-friendly”, you still have to kill a tree.
Bamboo is a grass. A very invasive and fast growing grass.
What happens when it gets wet!? Or would moisture easily stay in it or something!? And what about heating? Wood is an insulator right?
Same thing that happens when your regular phone gets wet. It gets wet. Wipe it off and you’re back to Angry Birds.
It’s eco-friendly because Bamboo is not a tree it is a grass and one of the fastest growing plants on the planet. It can very quickly be re-grown, much faster then re-growing a typical hardwood tree.
I don’t like the idea of it being wood, what if it were to fall into a fire or something?
It would probably last longer than that plastic lump of a phone you carry now.
Android users are dumb, who ever put their phone in water or fire
Firefighters.
Shit I think that’s about the coolest phone I’ve ever seen. Love the look, and bamboo is super eco friendly, keep us posted on this one guys. I want that if I can get it!
I’m fine with the choice, but no one should imply that it has much to do with the “1/2 the weight of an iPhone” result. If you take any phone on the market, remove the glass, battery electronics and everything but the case, I don’t think it weighs more than 1/10th of the weight of the original phone. If it does, it isn’t a good design. Also, I want a phone as trim as possible, but with good shock absorption – if someone can show bamboo is better than plastic in this regard, fine, but if not I’ll make my eco buying decisions elsewhere (like food, where it matters a hell of a lot more)
Bamboo is strong, no doubt this would hold up to quite a bit of abuse. Wouldn’t be surprised if it helps absorb heat either. I’d buy one, looks great and each one would have its own uniqueness as wood grains would be slightly different.
It looks pretty awesome. I’d be interested in something like this.
That is a seriously beautiful phone. I rarely care what my electronics look like beyond “not too shiny”, but I have always loved wood and the combining of new and old technology.