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hacoa

Meet the stylish BaseStation for iPhone 4 dock

When you think of iPhone docks, the first thing that comes to mind is usually something that resembles Apple's simple iPhone 4 dock. Hacoa's inspired design, however, takes a different approach by carving out a space for the smartphone and its USB cable out of a solid block of wood.

Hacoa's BaseStation for iPhone 4 comes in two flavors: Maple or walnut. While it's not hand-crafted--machines are used to carve out the grooves--polishing is done manually. With the right clock app, this could be the prettiest bedside accessory to have. That is, if you think it's worth the $49.90 you'll have to fork out for ownership.

(Source: Crave Asia via Alexcious) … Read more

Wood-carved gadgets a hit in Tokyo

TOKYO--How important is the feel of your favorite tech toy? If you're sick of plastic, you won't be barking up the wrong tree with a visit to Japanese wood crafts producer Hacoa.

I'd wanted to see Hacoa's stuff ever since its crushworthy wooden keyboard from a few years back.

So when I heard that Hacoa had opened its first exclusive shop in Tokyo recently, I had to drop by and see what they'd brought back from the forest. Japan has few natural resources but lots of woodlands, as well as a rich tradition of woodcraft. … Read more

Wooden keyboards, assembly required

We could have told them this would happen. Japanese design firm Hacoa, which made wooden keyboards for Marubeni Infotec, has shockingly found that consumers weren't exactly beating down their maple doors to buy the sylvan peripherals. It probably didn't help that they were going for 50,000 yen, or about $400, apiece.

And we're not so sure about its alternative strategy either. Akihabara News reports that Hacoa plans to sell kits that would have consumers assemble their own wooden keyboards. It would be one thing if this could be done for a fraction of the price, but … Read more