Dov Moran is an Israeli inventor who created the USB memory key and sold his company, msystems, to Sandisk for $1.6B a little over a year ago.
The Jerusalem Post reports that his new company (with a management team composed of msystems alumni), Modu Mobile, is in the process of launching a small modular mobile handset that pops into interchangeable “jackets” to create a smarter phone. Alternatively the device can be plugged into other gadgets to provide those items with network connectivity.
The Modu is slightly smaller than an iPod Nano, weighing in at 1.5 ounces. It has its own small color screen and a limited keypad, sufficient to allow the Modu to work on its own with basic functionality.
The jackets transform the Modu into a variety of form factors, adding numeric keypads, GPS, cameras, MP3 players – perhaps you will be able to plug the Modu into a computer directly, or your car, security system or devices that have not yet been conceived. The Modu supplies the antenna and wireless network communications.
This strikes me as an iPod approach that could open up a huge after-market accessory industry. Consumers could then upgrade their accessories or their basic Modu without having to replace the other. For example. initially, the Modu is GPRS enabled; when the company releases the HSPA version, the jackets will still work.
Modu could facilitate a wave of third party mobile innovation. Think of the Amazon Kindle, without the applications developers needing to worry about the network side.
The phone will be launched in October with Telecom Italia, VimpelCom in Russia and Cellcom in Israel. The company claims that it hasn’t had time to speak with US carriers.
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