Meet RePhone, a new kind of smart phone

Not your average mobile device, RePhone is an open source, modular kit. You can use it to build various kinds of connected, mobile things – the possibilities it opens up are endless and oh so exciting. We know, because we got to hold this exciting piece of technology in our hands! Eric from Seeed Studio paid us a visit and gave us an exclusive peek into the device and it’s amazing potential.

Here are the top 5 reasons we can’t wait to start playing with this prototyper’s dream:

1. You can build your phone, your way

Choose the components you want – GPS, sensors, camera, display – and put them together to create the perfect package to suit your needs. You can even encase it as you please – with their precut paper enclosure, a custom 3D printed case, something you sew together or a repurposed tin can…

2. It’s open source

You can dig right in to the ready-to-use SDKs and get busy making it do amazing things. Or you can peek through exciting projects other people have come up with and implement them for yourself. Share the love and innovation!

3. Prototyping is easy

Without any in-depth knowledge of electronics, you can plug the various modules together to create a multitude of devices for various uses in minutes. You can also connect it to your Pebble Time smart watch or your Arduino for even more functionality.

4. It’s educational

A fantastic and fun way to dip your toes into developing, you get access to their Arduino IDE, Lua and Javascript libraries so even entry-level programmers can get going.

5. The price is right

The RePhone core module is just 12 USD, and the RePhone Kit Create allows you to throw together a simple phone for just under 40 USD.

We’re not the only ones enamored with this fantastic product. They reached their first Kickstarter goal of 50,000 USD in just 21 hours and double that after 3 days! If you’re late to the party, have no fear – they’re still funding their stretch goals here.