MIT student builds wooden DIY cellphone for $150
If you're looking for a new phone with a unique look and a modest price tag, MIT's High-Low Tech research group has just the thing for you — a DIY cellphone made of wood. PhD student David Mellis decided to build the phone to "explore and expand the limits" of DIY, and the first prototype features a 1.8-inch, 160 x 128 TFT LCD display, and works with a standard SIM card and any GSM network. It also has a body made of laser-cut plywood with flexures beneath the surface so that you can press buttons. All told the DIY phone is made up of around $150 worth of parts, and right now it only has the ability to make phone calls. Engadget managed to go hands-on with the phone and found that the call quality was actually pretty solid, though the lack of any other features does limit its appeal. However, Mellis says that text messaging and other features could eventually be added using the exact same hardware — though it probably won't ever be able to run Angry Birds.

There are 23 Comments. Load 'Em Up. Show speed reading tips and settings
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.