Google was recently granted permission to purchase a patent portfolio previously held by Modu, a now defunct Israeli cell phone maker that couldn’t find a market for its minuscule mobile phones. Modu emerged in 2008 touting a peculiar modular cell phone that could be placed in a variety of sleeves to perform different functions. The unique phones, while certainly interesting, lacked mass appeal and were only picked up by a few carriers. Modu would later unveil several new tiny cell phone models as itÂ...

Modu Ltd., maker of some of the smallest cell phones in the world, will soon be forced to shut its doors according to a pair of reports from Israeli news site Ynet. The news follows reports from November of last year stating that the Israel-based company was forced to cancel a planned IPO and instead begin laying off most of its staff. It now appears as though modu will be forced to close in early February and until then, only a small sales team will remain in place to sell off remaining inventory. According ...

From the brink of an IPO to the brink of mass layoffs, Modu appears to be in deep trouble. The Israel-based company, known for building very tiny, very quirky phones, has turned its back on a recent IPO attempt. According to Israeli financial paper Calcalist, there was simply no interest in the company. Instead, CEO Dov Moran said Modu would be forced to let go of most of its staff. “My heart hurts but [I] had no choice,” Moran told Calcalist. The company currently employs 130 people but only a fe...

Modu had a pendulum-like year in 2008, showcasing with much fanfare a prototype of its modular phone at MWC 2008 only to reportedly lay off 25% of its staff in November. The phone has been plagued by launch delays and a lack of carrier interest in this novel design. Fear not Modu fans as Modu is back for MWC 2009, this time with a production model in hand.The Modu phone features a super small handset which can be slipped into several different jackets providing both fashion and additional functionality to the...