Qualcomm Invests in Modular Mobile Phone Concept

Israeli based handset developer, modu has reportedly secured a US$7 million investment from Qualcomm's venture capital division. Local newspaper, Calcalist reported the investment last week.

modu has introduced a tiny modular mobile phone, which holds the Guinness World Records for lightest phone in the world. The concept is to have a core handset unit, which then slots inside user cases to change the design of the handset. In essence, a more sophisticated form of facia change.

The company launched at last year's Mobile World Congress, anticipating that the basic module plus two jackets would cost around US$200. The first music jacket was expected to be available towards the end of 2008, when modu's mobile network operator partnerships become operational and modu devices are available to consumers.

modu and Universal Music Group (UMG) have been jointly exploring the development of a range of mobile devices (modu jackets) that will feature some of UMG's best-known artists, but nothing seems to have come of those talks which started early last year.

Although the company had secured some US$127 million in funding, it had cut staff numbers by 88 - or around a third of the total - last November.

The firm was founded by Dov Moran, who sold his earlier company, msystems - which invented the USB Flash Drive - to Scandisk for US$1.6 billion.

On the web: Calcalist

Posted to the site on 1st February 2009