6 stylish wooden gadgets that go against the grain
Introduction
There's a good reason why gadgets are often made of metal - it's often durable without weighing you down while feeling more premium than plastic.
On the other hand, metal's ubiquity might leave you pining for something a bit different, and opting for a wood-crafted gadget is a great way to introduce nature into your tech-filled life.
While branching out sometimes carries a premium price tag, wooden gadgets tend to possess a more individual feel when they've been lovingly handcrafted in workshops tucked away in the Swiss Alps... or factories in Germany. Sometimes it's hard to tell.
Without further ado, here are six of the best tech products made from tree.
1. Bambooti MacBook covers
Belgium-based Bambooti promises to "transform your Mac into a work of art" with its wooden MacBook backs, which are handmade using a variety of word types - including Black Ash, Mahogany, Bamboo, Walnut and Cherry.
Roughly the same thickness as a credit card, they peel away to stick to the back of your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro or 12-inch MacBook and can be customized to feature your own words, logo, or one of Bambooti's stock designs.
They're incredibly light and, despite being a bit of a pain to line up perfectly with your Mac's lid, stay stuck down with the force of Treebeard's right arm. And because they're sliced from individually handpicked logs, no two covers are the same.
Kickstarter | From $40 - $1,000 (£28/AU$56 - £689/AU$1,405)
2. Thinksound On1
Thinksound's On1 headphones are a tasty pair of cans, and not just because they look like a pair of chocolate donuts.
Their unusual earthly design stands out among a sea of plastic and metal-clad competitors, and they sound great thanks to drivers that produce a warm sound signature from their closed-back wooden cups.
At £179, the On! certainly doesn't come cheap, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more attractive wooden pair out there. Highly recommended for kicking back to The Screaming Trees.
Amazon | $299 (£179, AU$399 through online distributors)
3. Oree Board 2 and Touch Slab
French company Oree exclusively makes beautifully designed wooden computing accessories that resemble what early Apple-designed prototypes might look like.
The company's Oree Board 2 wireless keyboard and Touch Slab multi-touch trackpad house rechargeable batteries and connect to OS X or Windows using Bluetooth.
The Touch Slab comes in a sycamore maple or French walnut finish and can be engraved with numbers allowing you to use it as a number pad, switching back to a regular trackpad upon the press of a button.
4. OnePlus 2
The OnePlus 2 is the latest and perhaps greatest smartphone to come with a choice of wooden rear plates.
The handset comes with a metal frame back as default, but you can unclip and replace it with a bamboo, rosewood, black apricot wood or Kevlar alternative for £19.99 ($26.99 or AU$40) each.
Featuring a beautiful and bright display, solid build quality and an acceptable price tag, the OnePlus 2 is the most stylish wooden-backed smartphone around.
OnePlus | £249.99 ($361/AU$507)
5. Withings Home security camera
It may look like something that's designed to sit in a treehouse, but the Withings Home security camera is all about monitoring indoor activity.
By sitting the camera in the corner of a room you can keep an eye on pets, children, or monitor other activity in real-time with sound using the Withings security camera app on your smartphone or smartwatch.
The security camera's compact dimensions and classy woodgrain design allows it to blend in practically anywhere. It's compatible with Apple's Homekit system and can even monitor a room's air quality.
Amazon | £149.99 (around $217/AU$306)
6. Dodocase charging stand
The Apple Watch is a classy-looking smartwatch so you might want an elegant charging stand to go with it.
The Dodocase is just that, carved from California American Walnut with a solid steel base that's weighted to prevent it from falling over easily.
A carved slot around the back lets you route the charging wire in a way that keeps it out of sight, and the charging stand's travel mode allows you to wrap the capable and charger in one package for easier transportation.
Dodocase | £67 ($99.95, around AU$140)
