March 25th, 2008
Modu claims lightest mobile phone; Will you buy it?
Modu on Tuesday touted its Guinness World Record for 
the lightest mobile phone–weighing in at 1.41 ounces–but is that a reason to buy it?
The question is largely academic since modu–an Israeli company founded by Dov Moran, who sold msystems to SanDisk–launched just a month ago. However, how important is it to have the lightest phone (gallery right)?
Given the need to surf the Web and get a good data experience, I reckon that being lightweight isn’t the most important quality. Of course, you don’t want to lug around a brick, but you’re not going to sweat a few ounces here and there.
What makes modu interesting is that its a modular mobile phone. Think Legos. You buy the modu and then tack on accessories to add features. So far, the modu story is one for the emerging markets and abroad. Partners include: Bee-Line (VimpelCom), Cellcom, Telecom Italia, Blaupunkt, Magellan Navigation Inc., SanDisk, Card Guard, Tele Atlas, Universal Music Group, WorldMate, Amphenol, ChiMei, In4Tel, Texas Instruments, Renesas, RiTdisplay, SKY MobileMedia and Varta.
Bottom line: modu is worth watching even if today’s Guinness World Record spiel isn’t going to drive sales.
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Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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