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]

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2009 2:35PM]

Hi,
I live in Israel and just finished reading a local article about the launch on Wednesday. All the jackets that will be offered at this point are 2.5G with no touch screen involved., they will have 2GB of storage.
Dov Moran, the president of Modu, stated that 3G and touchscreen devices from the company will only be launched next year. And after it took Modu a delay of over a year to launch their first handset, that probably means it'll take them over two year before the touch phones will be out on the market.

Anyway, in my opinion the entire concept is outdated and will not fly in modern markets only in less hyper markets such as latin America (which is where they are planning on launching in the future after Asia).

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 20th 2009 7:45AM]

I think that the concept is innovative and cute, I even tried playing with Modu for a little while. However, I personally prefer one "all-in-one" power device that will have everything built in.

I can't see myself walking around with few jackets in my bag. Mainly because I don't carry a bag... but also because it's annoying.

I get everything I need from my iPhone, and I will not start switching jackets in the middle of the street to take a picture with better quality...

More thoughts in here:
http://mobilespoon.blogspot.com/2009/02/is-it-time-for-modu.html

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 21st 2009 4:33PM]

What would be cool is if the "jackets" expanded beyond handsets with different functionality, and the modu core piece itself (do they just call them "handsets"?) was able to be put in other things like rental cars (could also have radio presets and seat adjustments in it), which could also integrate with the GPS in the car, store your maps, destinations, preferences, and of course connect with an onboard speakerphone. Or slip it in a netbook and do some Internet stuff or turn it into an ebook reader without having to pay for a wireless card. Since the modu concept was first envisioned, and the iPhone came out, phones have gotten a lot less bulky and more elegant, reducing the need for different jackets as mobile phone form factor replacements.

I thought they were originally shooting for jackets with 16GB of storage? Only 2.5GB is a bit of a bummer if that's true.