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Modu cellphone reportedly launching this week in Israel
Take this one with a grain of salt, but word from across the Atlantic is that Modu will finally (finally!) launch its long-awaited, self-titled handset in just a few days. If you'll recall, we actually toyed with the revamped handset as well as a few "jackets" back at MWC this year, but at that point, no one wanted to share any details surrounding the grand launch plan. Now, however, a report from Israel states that the phone -- along with one jacket -- will go on sale this Wednesday (July 22nd) for 500 Israeli shekels, or right around $130. So, does this mean that elusive touchscreen Modu is just a few days/weeks/months away, or what?[Thanks, Dror]
modu hands-on with the set, jackets, and some far out visions
True to our word, we popped in to visit modu day one to get some one on one time with some of the recently announced kit. So we checked out the jackets, the new reworked set, and like last year, we're happy with the whole ecosystem. Sure, you have to approach this with the understanding that for now, modu is aiming at the middle of the road -- and price point -- and not to take on the iPhone, Palm Pre, and others. But what they have done and done quite well is offer up a really small set, a pile of fun jackets that actually change the phone's functions and kick in a wee bit of color and style. The biggest standout in the collection was a bike snap on with a thumb controller that connects wirelessly -- or dangerously, your call -- to the handset for "while cycling" control of your calls. Lots new is going on with the Israeli startup, a pilot project with Telefonica in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, plus it has secured a $38 million first offer with Lynk Communication in the Philippines, here's hoping 3G is just around the bend. Take a peek at the gallery for more of the madness and nice video guided by Dov Moran himself.%Gallery-44931%
Modu showcases production phone and accessories
Thought you'd seen the last of Modu, did you? Well, you were dead wrong, Dov Moran and his team have been hard at work -- since we last chatted with them at Mobile World Congress in '08 -- finishing the modular device that was definitely one of the gems of the show last year. As a recap, the Modu's charm and versatility lays in the fact that the handset proper (pictured left) can be moved from one Modu Jacket (right) to another depending on the type of functionality needed. The heart of the magic lies in the tiny and light -- lightest handset in the world we're told -- Modu phone unit, and while details are thin, we know it has been rebuilt to be tougher, memory has been upped to 2GB, and is running a new UI. Also launching are 4 jackets that Modu slips into: the night jacket, street-art jacket, classic, and express. Each jacket (priced from $25 up to $100) can add features the Modu itself doesn't have, like night imaging, stereo speakers, music functionality, gaming, or just about anything else you can dream up. Dov stands by his hopes to get this thing into peoples hands with 2 jackets for a cool $200, here's hoping they land here soon. Pics are after the break and expect a pile more action poses as soon as we land in Barcelona Monday.%Gallery-44382%
Hands-on with modu: it's real and plenty fantastic
It's alive! Take that naysayers, we were sure -- or at least really hopeful -- that modu was the real deal, and after our visit with them this morning, we can assure everyone it is. The Guinness Book of World Record people have even confirmed it to be the smallest mobile handset in the world, so we stacked three of 'em up next to our favorite N95-3 and they were just a hair bigger -- see the gallery for the goods. The possibilities are endless for branding, as new modu jackets take almost no time to develop and each jacket can even have its own theme that's loaded, translator content, when you pop the modu in. We saw a pile of prototype ideas, including travel guides, a pocket PC version -- this was way cool -- iPod-esque dock with text message display, and a bevy of others. Modu should be hitting retail toward the end of this year, hopefully we'll see a review unit before then. Follow the link for a massive gallery.%Gallery-15846%
