iZen Bamboo, The iPad Keyboard For Hippies
The iZen Bamboo Keyboard really, really looks like an Apple Bluetooth keyboard with a bunch of bamboo caps stuck on top to the existing keys. And oddly enough, there’s nothing in the Kickstarter description to say otherwise.
There are a few telltale clues, though. This keyboard has iPad-specific keys that mimic the home button, search and slideshow functions, and comes with a li-ion battery.
The iZen Bamboo “is the first eco-friendly bluetooth keyboard on the market,” says the blurb, and is made from 92% bamboo. What’s more it is “renewable, recyclable, and won’t pile up in landfills.”
I’m not sure that bamboo is more recyclable than aluminum, and the landfill part might be flat-out wrong: old bamboo has little value, whereas aluminum has a high value in recycling terms. Being grass, though, bamboo is certainly more renewable.
The Kickstarter project wants you to pitch $100 to get an iZen, rising to $129 when it goes on general sale. Amusingly, the maker also tells us that a “USB charging cord is included in the box with the keyboard. ($19 value).”
Seriously? Those things are worthless. Even breakfast cereals come with a USB cable in the box these days.
Should you want in, head over to the project page. And should you be the owner of a lazy pet panda, stay well away.
Charlie Sorrel sits in his gadget nerve-center in Barcelona, Spain, and spits out words about various weird plastic widgets while the sun shines outside his iCave. Previously found at Wired.com's Gadget Lab covering cameras, power cables and sneaking in as much Apple-centric coverage as he could, Charlie spends his rare moments outside perched atop a bicycle and snapping photos. You can follow him on Twitter via 
