News: This Wooden DIY Cell Phone Is Way Cooler Than Any Shiny Smartphone

This Wooden DIY Cell Phone Is Way Cooler Than Any Shiny Smartphone

There's no denying the coolness of an iPhone. But what if you pulled a homemade wooden cell phone out of your pocket instead? You'd probably be the talk of the town. If you like that idea, then make it a reality by building your own cell phone!

This Wooden DIY Cell Phone Is Way Cooler Than Any Shiny Smartphone

A team over at MIT's High-Low Tech group recently designed an elegant wooden mobile phone that you could make at home. Their DIY cell phone was made from about $150 in parts, and has a plywood and veneer enclosure that was laser-cut for the buttons, speakers, mic, screen and screws. The important parts include a SM5100B GSM Module for cellular connectivity and a color TFT screen on a breakout board.

This Wooden DIY Cell Phone Is Way Cooler Than Any Shiny Smartphone

"Flexures in the veneer allow pressing of the buttons beneath. Currently, the software supports voice calls, although SMS and other functionality could be added with the same hardware."

This Wooden DIY Cell Phone Is Way Cooler Than Any Shiny Smartphone

And guess what? It accepts a standard SIM card so you can use it with any GSM provider like AT&T and T-Mobile.

This Wooden DIY Cell Phone Is Way Cooler Than Any Shiny Smartphone

I'm not much of a talker on the phone, so I'd prefer mine with text messaging. So I'll just wait until one of you tech geniuses out there figures that out. Meanwhile, if you want to talk-only version, head over to High-Low Tech's site (link below) for the source code, circuit design, and case design.

Just updated your iPhone to iOS 18? You'll find a ton of hot new features for some of your most-used Apple apps. Dive in and see for yourself:

Photos by David Mellis

3 Comments

With customizable hardware, puny flashlight apps can be replaced with blinding light beams!

Very cool ! I like this well have to make one with my son looks like fun!

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