PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
The creator of Phonebloks, a phone which aims to use interchangeable component ‘bloks’ to never require replacing, will be looking for UK distributors and manufacturers once the phone passes from concept to reality.
Dave Hakkens, a Netherlands-based inventor, is gathering interest on the crowd-speaking platform Thunderclap. Currently, the project has over 600,000 supporters including actor Elijah Wood and pop star Justin Bieber, with a social reach of almost 250 million people.
“I wanted to gather interest first to show that there is a market for this type of phone,” Hakkens told PCR.
“If I had used a crowd-funding platform, I would have a lot of money, but I would still need to gain interest to convince companies to work with us.”
Hakkens has received interest from engineers and software developers about producing the modular bloks for the device, as well as the base into which the bloks slot.
Hakkens aims to build a ‘Blok Store’ platform based around upgrading the bloks in order to make the phone, which he claims would never need replacing but can be continually improved. “Companies will be able to build components and receive some of the money from each sale, in a similar way to Apple’s App Store.” Hakkens is yet to decide whether to look for investment immediately or crowdfund through an online service such as Kickstarter.
If Phonebloks looks for investment, however, Hakkens said he would love to hear from interested companies in the UK.
