The world’s first commercially available modular smartphone, Fairphone 2, has just gotten a pair of wooden 3D printed accessories, in the form of an amplifier and nightstand.
Promoted by its Dutch developer as an ethical smartphone, Fairphone 2 is supposed to prevent users from throwing money out the window when trying to stay in touch with the latest developments in the world of mobile devices. Their solution is to provide a backbone to which users can add modules and change them as they see fit. Of course, such a revolutionary device deserves to be used in tandem with some equally revolutionary accessories, and the amplifier and nightstand that were 3D printed using wood filaments definitely match that title.
To make the 3D printed accessories, Fairphone collaborated with 3D Hubs, an online 3D printing service platform that’s also headquartered in the Netherlands. Here’s what 3D Hubs had to say about this partnership:
“To help kick off the launch of the Fairphone 2, we’ve teamed up with Fairphone to introduce a new collection of 3D printable accessories for Fairphone owners. These accessories will add additional functionality and style to your Fairphone 2.
Instead of being mass-produced like most other smartphone accessories, these accessories are 3D printed on demand, preventing both unnecessary transport and overproduction. Even better, the designs are printed using a unique material made from recycled wood fibers and bioplastic PLA.”
The recycled wood fibers mentioned above are in fact called ColorFabb woodFill, and are supposed to take the smartphone’s sustainability to a whole new level. Not only will Fairphone 2 reduce the amount of waste that’s typically generated by people who are constantly upgrading their smartphone, but so will the accessories designed for this device.
“Designed by professional industrial designer Alan Nguyen and printed using woodFill 3D printing filament, the Fairphone 2 Nightstand is the ideal charging and resting spot for your device during twilight hours,” added 3D Hubs on their website.
Below is a video of how the Fairphone 2 was designed.
The wooden 3D printed Fairphone 2 nightstand is available on the manufacturer’s website for €19.50 (approximately $21.40), while the Fairphone 2 amplifier is a tad more expensive, as it costs €26.50 (around $29). Much like the modular smartphone itself, the 3D printed accessories are only available in Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Norway. We can only hope that the company is planning to sell its products globally.
The only other culprit, besides the smartphone’s limited availability, is that the Fairphone 2 costs €529.38 ($580), which is a bit of a steep price, considering the outdated specs. The manufacturer should have launched the product with better components, if it wanted people to even consider buying it. This way, they’ll have to think of upgrading it right after making the purchase, which is definitely not the way to go in the rapidly evolving industry that is mobile tech.
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[via 3D Hubs]
