Just like apartments paneled with rich mahogany, gadgets look better outfitted with some nice woodwork. Wood construction on tech plays against expectations; the future is supposed to be made out of glass and steel, but bird's eye maple looks awfully nice, too. Much nicer than the original iPhone glass back, which gets fingerprinty, dirty, and scratched with typical use. For those looking to mod their phones with something a little old-school classier, JackBacks has got you covered. 

This little startup makes custom wooden iPhone backing engraved with pretty much whatever you order--except, ironically, the Apple logo itself (hooray copyright infringement!). The JackBack comes in a variety of high quality woods which are far more durable than the phone's original glass. They can withstand falls without cracking; they can even be bent without breaking. And they look one heck of a lot better than an external case or skin. Wrapping your smartphone in brightly colored silicone is so 2007. 

I remember an iPod wood mod from back in the day when people played their music through a touch wheel (okay, so I still play my music through a touch wheel. I'm behind the times, I know). Not only did the modded 4th-gen iPod have a gorgeous gleaming finish on its wooden exterior, the touch wheel still worked. As in, the original one was taken out and replaced with wood--and it still responded the way it was supposed to. I'm still not sure how the modder pulled that one off. JackBacks sure do look nifty, but I'd be way more impressed with a functional wenge touchscreen than a back panel. Still--they're meant to be pretty and they are. And we all know iPhone users love a good looking phone, especially one where they can commission a unique design to express their individuality. I'd say JackBacks has got a finger on their target consumers.