Tired of toting the same old device that everyone is carrying around? Love creating things with your own hands? Interested in stuff like the Raspberry Pi and, I don’t know, Lego pieces? If you tick all the three boxes then this might just be the thing for you. Meet the PrePhone, a modular phone kit that you can assemble yourself.
The core of the RePhone is supplied by the RePhone Core GSM + BLE module or by the RePhone Core 3G module which will provide a faster data connection without the added BLE support. Apart from these two core modules adding cell connection, there are 8 more add-on modules from Seeed’s Xadow range – a 1.54-inch touch screen, a 5×7 LED board, NFC board and GPS board, an audio board, a basic sensor board, a GSM breakout board, and an Arduino-compatible microcontroller. These modules can then be connected together using all sorts of solutions ranging from FPC ribbon cable to soldered wires and conductive thread, or just be breadboarded.
RePhone’s makers also claim library support far beyond Arduino and including Lua and Javascript, as well as a full SDK based on Eclipse for C/C++ developers and IFTTT support. Then there’s the RePhone Create Kit, which will allow users to paper craft in order to build and customize cases for the RePhone modules in all sort of shapes. Creative individuals will certainly love this feat to death. What’s more, RePhone’s modules are also said to be compatible with Pebble Time and there’s a Strap Kit offered in the backer package sections.
You can invest in the base RePhone kit for $45 on Kickstarter. However, there are a variety of pledge levels that include a number of different module options. For only $12, you can pledge for the base core module SoC with GSM + BLE. For $29, pledge the 3G model.
There are different kits that include different modules, like the Geo kit, which includes a GPS module, or the Lumi kit, which includes a GSM Breakout. The Extension pack comes with extra modules, like NFC and LED, plus a couple of FPC cables. You can even pledge for a special Pebble time Strap Kit to bring extra functions to your Pebble Time smartwatch.
The Kickstarter campaign runs through October 29 and expected delivery date for the RePhone is December 2015. However, if you know anything about crowdfunded campaigns, you’ll know that they rarely deliver on time, so this might not be the best idea for a Christmas present.
