A cell-phone revolution may be coming

Maddie Engstrum

The Phoneblok is ready to take over Samsung and Apple. Once it actually works and hits the market, that is.

Dave Hakkens of the Netherlands has come up with the concept he named “Phoneblok.” He realized that every time a small, simple part of a device – a phone, camera, computer, etc. – is broken, the entire device is simply thrown away rather than just having the part fixed. The Phoneblok is comprised of many parts that are all interchangeable and replaceable.

The Phoneblok is purely a concept at the moment, but the idea of a phone like this is very intriguing.

Blok-phone-
Graphic by Adam Johnson

Junior Nick Muehlbauer said, “I think it is a great idea, because it will allow phones to be completely customizable and easy to fix if they break. You will never have to buy a brand new phone again.”

So far, there has been quite a bit of publicity surrounding the phone. The original video about the idea was released on Sept. 10 and had over 16 million views on Oct. 20. On Thunderclap, a website designed to spread ideas across the internet, there are reportedly over 350 million people that have found out about the phone.

In an interview with Simon Robinson of Transition Consciousness, Hakkens explained, “I’ve got a lot of people that are interested in helping, investing, developing… I’ve got some very interesting companies that ‘want to have a chat.’”

However, the Phoneblok is purely a concept and a prototype has not yet been created. If it is created, it will still be a while until it is available for purchase.

“It will definitely take a couple of years. It totally depends on the companies that want to get involved. The more companies interested, the sooner it’s ready,” added Hakkens.

If the Phoneblok really is created and does become open to the general public, then it is sure to be a hot commodity. It should rival the iPhones and whatever Samsung has to offer when the Phoneblok finally does come out. Those loyal to their own phones might reconsider when they see the Phoneblok as an option.

“I would definitely buy it,” added Muehlbauer. “It would guarantee I wouldn’t need to buy a new phone every couple years.”

With such a fascinating idea, it’s difficult not to become excited, but people need to remember it is just an idea and it could be a while before it becomes available. However, it will be interesting to see how the phone is developed and publicized.