9 Gadgets Made out of Paper

Just when you thought the USB drive couldn't get more unique. We've had keychains, necklaces and even a drive shaped like Snoopy. The Boardy dispenses with the frills and returns to basics — you even have to assemble it yourself. The Dutch company behind the device markets the Boardy USB stick in all current memory capacities.

These paper cup speakers may not give Bose a run for its money, but the clever design is certainly an alternative for financially challenged music lovers. Designer Dmitry Zagga says his 'iPod Ghetto Accessory' uses just four paper cups, two toothpicks and (naturally) an iPod with earbuds. The volume's not quite perfect, he notes, but it makes do for impromptu parties.  

Artist Frank Boelter set sail in a life-size paper boat as part of an artist's exhibition in Germany. Boelter claims the boat has a 40-day shelf life before it would be too soggy to float. The boat is made from Tetrapack, a paper product commonly used in milk and juice packaging.

University of Cincinnati student Kyle Koch uses his iPhone as a document scanner, snapping photos rather than keeping a stack of papers on hand. The idea worked well, except he couldn't always capture steady images on the small device. Thus, the iPhone document scanner was born. By elevating his iPhone to a certain height with cardboard strips, Koch figured out how to take a perfect 'scan' of a 8.5. x 11 sheet of paper.   

The cardboard Recompute computer was created by designer Brenden Macaluso, with the idea that computers aren't long-lasting items and their production shouldn't take much effort. The idea made headway during the 2009 Greener Gadgets Contest, where it was recognized as a Top 10 finalist <a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Recompute/217994520299">Visit Recompute's Facebook page</a><b> </b>to track its upcoming release.

The 360 paper bottle should make you question the very existence of the water bottle. BrandImage created the product after reading statistics noting that only 14 percent of bottles get recycled. The product was then developed with food-safe and recyclable materials.  The 360 bottles come in multipacks and requires simple assembly before you fill them up.  

In 2004, Sony and Toppan Printing announced plans to produce optical discs with super high storage capacity, made mainly out of paper. The discs were to have held 25GB of data, nearly three times more than an ordinary DVD's 9GB. Unfortunately, the discs never hit retail shelves.

Like the Recompute, this 'cardboardcase' prototype was a finalist in the Greener Gadgets contest. However, this simple design goes the extra mile by incorporating a customizable case to fit with one's taste and office decor.   

The Hacked Gadgets Web site suggests this clever use for paper: Turn it into a record player. Simply roll a piece of construction paper into a funnel, tape a needle to the end, and turn the record by hand. But be careful! You'll almost certainly end up scratching your records.