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Just what is that thing?

(Credit: Modu)

On the second day of the GSMA World Congress, Modu added to the gallery of jackets it released last week by unveiling a new music jacket with JBL. Called the Modu Music Jacket (the company really has a way with clever names), it's designed to turn the tiny Modu phone into a pretty snappy music device.

On one side of the jacket are two JBL Odyssey speakers and dedicated music controls, while the opposite side resembles a regular cell phone with a 2.2-inch display, a full navigation array, and a standard alphanumeric keypad. Admittedly, it's a little odd-looking, but we like the concept.

Other features include USB connectivity, a 3-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headset jack, and a digital sound meter. The jacket will be available later this year for an undisclosed price.

You remember Modu? That's the Israeli company that makes the tiny modular cell phone that we first saw at last year's GSMA World Congress. The concept is simple: insert the Modu into one of several "jackets" and it becomes a fully functional phone with real controls. Each jacket, which is really just a handset shell, will bring a different design and feature set. You can change them at will to match your mood and needs.

Well, just to show you that's it's really not vaporware, the company will be showing four new jackets next week in Barcelona. Each offers a different design theme and varying features. Follow along in our Modu slide show to see the new jackets in all their glory.

Photos: Modu jackets at GSMA

The GSM Association's Mobile Innovation Marketplace has wrapped up in Atlanta, and as expected two start-up companies won the right to go to the 2009 GSMA World Congress in Barcelona. The two winning firms are Ubidyne, a company that develops digital radio systems, and Modu, the maker of the world's lightest cell phone.

I checked out Modu earlier this year at the 2008 World Congress. The Israeli company has developed a concept for a modular cell phone that can be placed into a "jacket" that changes both the appearance and the functionality of the handset. It's an intriguing concept and I was pleased to hear last week that Modu is set to bring its phone to the United States next year.

It's smaller than a credit card

(Credit: Modu)

The Guinness World Records named the Modu phone as the lightest cell phone in the world. At just 1.5 ounces and 2.8 inches by 1.4 inches by 0.3 inch, the Modu is a full ounce lighter than the already miniature Pantech C300. Without a doubt, it's the tiniest cell phone I've seen outside of Zoolander.

In case you're not familiar, Modu is a modular cell phone that can be placed into "jackets" that change the both the appearance and the functionality of the handset. The Modu only has a tiny display, a couple of navigation controls, a mini USB port, and a charger jack. It's a normal cell phone in most respects but you're not really meant to use by itself. Instead, it's designed to be inserted into one of the jackets, which basically are the shells of a larger candy bar phone. My Modu hands-on from the GSMA World Congress will give you the full report.

Vodafone makes itself known at GSMA.

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

The GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, is winding to a close, but that doesn't mean mobile phone news have stopped streaming in. The third day of GSMA 2008 saw AMD announcing big plans for mobile phone processors, RIM's co-CEO downplaying the recent BlackBerry outage, and the LiMo Foundation possibly giving Google's Android a run for its money with its own effort at an open, Linux-based operating system. Of course, we also took the opportunity to look at phones and carriers off the beaten path.

For starters, Senior Editor Kent German explored the large Vodafone plaza (Vodafone is a UK-based carrier) and took a look at their phones, such as the Nokia 5310 and the Samsung SGH-P110, which we'll never get here. He also lamented the lackluster Alcatel presence, despite their big showing in 2007. NEC is a big phone manufacturer outside of the U.S., and Kent gave us a good look at the NEC FOMA N705i for NTT DoCoMo in Japan, which also happens to be one of the first LiMo Foundation phones.

Nokia's Remade uses recycled and renewable materials to lessen its environmental impact.

(Credit: Nokia)

In an effort to go green, Nokia has unveiled Remade, a phone that is made entirely out of renewable and recycled parts. Senior Editor Bonnie Cha also got a look at the much talked about Garmin Nuvifone, a touch screen phone with a lot of GPS functionality. Andrew Lim from CNET UK gave us a hands-on look at the luscious LG KF600 and KF700 touch screen phones as well.

One of the different devices we saw is the Polymer Vision's Readius, a phone that is also an e-book reader--the display can even be rolled up like paper. Another phone that looks very different from the rest is the Modu, which has different "sleeves" that can add to the functionality of the phone. Even though iRiver is more known for their MP3 players, this year in Barcelona, iRiver Europe announced it's breaking into the cell phone business with its first ever mobile phone, called the iRiver W7.

Readius e-book reader that's also a phone.

(Credit: Crave Asia)

ZTE, which doesn't have much of a presence in the U.S. market, is one of the largest cell phone manufacturers in China, so we had to take a look at the company's phones. Overall, we're pretty impressed--their phones ranged from the keyboard-equipped smartphone to the simple flip phone. A lot of their devices are high-end megapixel phones that support HSDPA. As for companies that the U.S. is familiar with, Palm is unfortunately rather quiet at GSMA 2008, but news is that it might debut a white version of the Palm Centro on February 19th.

We'll have more as the week goes on, but please take a look at our complete coverage of GSMA Mobile World Congress 2008 for plenty of product slide shows, videos, and more.

The diminutive Modu phone.

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

Modu has generated a lot of buzz for itself at the GSMA World Congress. The Israeli company has developed a concept for a modular cell phone that can be placed into "jackets" that change the both the appearance and the functionality of the handset. I got the chance to check out the Modu phone today, and I admit it's an intriguing concept that could prove to be successful if it evolves as Modu promises.

The overall concept is quite simple. The primary device is a small black cell phone, aka a Modu (clever name, huh?), that's smaller than a credit card and weighs only 1.5 grams. There's only a tiny display, a couple of controls, a mini-USB port, and a charger jack. So what's so exciting about that? Well, there's more than meets the eye with this one. Though call can be made on the Modu, it's really designed to be inserted into one of the jackets, which basically are the shells of a candy bar phone. The Modu slides easily into the top of the jacket and once it clicks into place, the jacket's display will activate and the phone can be used. The role of the jacket, which is about the size of a standard candy bar phone, is multifold. Not only does it give users a normal-sized color screen, a keyboard, and a full set of navigation controls, but it also activates certain functions on the Modu. Of course, the jacket makes the Modu look like an actual cell phone with a bright color skin (several designs will be available).

Just slide the Modiu into the jacket.

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

The jacket I saw was music themed and included a speaker for broadcasting the Modu's tunes. There's no working parts inside the jacket, so all functionality comes from the Modu itself. As my colleague Andrew Lim said, users can think of the Modu as a big SIM/memory card. Though Modu does not offer camera functionality at this time, it does come with Bluetooth and the aforementioned music player. The memory size is an impressive 1GB, and the Modu is quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) with GPRS.

In essence the Modu is similar to Curiel's Identity phone from a couple years ago. Yet Modu goes a few steps further than the Identity. The company has several design concepts where the Modu phone could be inserted into a car stereo to play music, or combined to make a gaming, or GPS device. That's where I think it's true appeal lies. While Modu says the jackets as fashion accessories, I'm not really certain many people would do that. But if the phone's functionally could be used in different devices, then that has potential.

The Modu is inserted and the jacket is activated.

(Credit: Kent German/CNET Networks)

The best thing about Modu is that it isn't vaporware. In Barcelona, the company announced it had secured carriers in Italy, Russia, and Israel. The Modu is sold in a package with two jackets for 200 euros (about $291). Users'll be able to buy additional jackets individually.

(Credit: Crave UK)

We were recently contacted by a PR man so excited by what he was going to tell us that we actually thought he was going to pass out. But as he managed to string a few sentences together we realized what he was so excited by--the Modu phone.

It might not look like much, but it's a very interesting concept with masses of potential. Better yet, it's not just a concept: This thing really exists and will be out later this year. So why are we so excited by a tiny phone with a strange looking keypad?

Think of this phone as a SIM or memory card. Imagine you could turn it into a multitude of different phones or devices, without needing to pay as much for those devices as you would if they were standalone products--sounds interesting, right?

On its own, the Modu phone might not have a standard keypad, but it will still make calls. Put it into a "sleeve" or "jacket" (which are essentially cases), and you can turn it into a multitude of different devices. View some of the options here.

(Source: Crave UK)