The Modular Cell Wears Many Jackets

The modu phone will offer an array of snap-on accessories that literally change its form to match new functions.

In this age of the all-in-one smart phone that’s expected to do everything from playing music on a commute to finding a restaurant for dinner,  one Israeli company, modu, has taken a different approach to incorporating all those different functions into one device. The tiny modu phone will be the first to offer an array of snap-on accessories that will literally change its form to match function, what the company calls a modular design.

The separate phone enclosures will be known as modu jackets, and modu will also introduce a class of consumer electronics devices designed to mate with the phone, dubbed modu mates. The company claims it already has manufacturers on board to produce MP4 players, digital photo frames, cameras and DECT phones. Major names on its list of launch partners include both car audio manufacturer Blaupunkt, and Universal, the world’s largest music company.

The company’s founders see the modu design as a way to affordably give consumers more choices. “There are hundreds of handset models on the market: the trouble is that as a consumer you can only have one at a time and you are usually tied to a long and expensive contract,” said modu CEO Dov Moran, in a statement. “Modu is challenging that with a solution that offers freedom, boundless possibilities and the opportunity to change your phone without it costing a fortune.”

The first modu products are expected to debut before the end of 2008 on carriers in Israel, Italy and Russia. Prices have not yet been announced.