Modular cellphone maker Modu is planning on releasing a shell, or what it calls a jacket, that contains the Android operating system. The shell will most likely work for the second basic handset, the Modu 2, which will allow users to add jackets to give it new functions, just as with the current, original Modu handset. According to Modu CEO Dov Moran, the second-gen device will have a touchscreen and be a 3.5G product.
Manufacturer of the world's first modular cellphone, modu, and audio hardware maker JBL on Tuesday announced the release of the modu music jacket for the handset, giving it standalone capabilities as a music player. The phone enclosure contains two JBL Odyssey speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB connector, as well as a digital sound meter. It also brings with it a 2.2-inch display and a 3-megapixel camera with flash.
modu, the Israel-based maker of the first modular cellphone, is getting ready to launch some of its first true products at next week's Mobile World Congress in Spain. On Wednesday, the company followed up last year's teaser with formal details of the core phone and the modular shells for it, called "jackets," that imbue the phone with different abilities. The phone by itself has a seven-button keypad allowing it to perform basic functions and is a standalone music player with 2GB of onboard memory.
Hoping to steal the thunder from larger firms, newcomer modu has announced what it says is the first genuinely modular cellphone. Although the core device itself can work as a handset, the device is designed to be extendable and integrate with other devices. External shells, dubbed modu jackets, can change the control layout and features on the fly; owners can easily add cameras, different control interfaces, and other components without having to replace the phone itself. The feature also allows music labels such as Universal to offer artist-specific jackets that change the entire control scheme as well as the looks.
