modu announces initial modular phone lineup
updated 02:00 pm EST, Wed February 11, 2009
modu readies 1st products
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.
The night jacket has purportedly edgy styling, flashing lights, a unique graphical user interface and night mode imaging. The brightly-colored street-art jacket adds stereo speakers to the handset along with dedicated music keys. The modu classic jacket has what the company calls "all essential mobile communication features," suggesting it adds text-messaging, Bluetooth and additional wireless capabilities to the basic handset. The last jacket to be unveiled at the show is the express jacket, which focuses only on being unique and gives the user interface rainbow colors.
modu will also announce its distribution plans and partnership agreements at MWC, along with manufacturing and production capabilities.












