MAKERphone — Make and Program Your Own Phone!

Mobile phones have revolutionized the way we live, allowing instant communication and access to the world’s information from nearly anywhere. Normally, obtaining one of these devices involves going to a store or online and making a purchase, but the MAKERphone by Albert Gajšak — creator of the MAKERbuino — presents a different take on things. It instead asks you to “Imagine if you could build your very own mobile phone.”

The MAKERphone is now on Kickstarter with an estimated delivery date of March 2019, and provides everything you need to make building your own phone a reality. While any electronic hobbyist would find its clever design appealing, the kit will come with tutorials so that even someone who has never picked up a soldering iron can create one. In fact, the kit can be ordered with a tools pack — literally giving you everything you need to get started!

Once assembled, the device can be programmed using MicroPython, Scratch, or the Arduino IDE. MAKERphone runs on a powerful ESP32 board, with an Xtensa dual-core 32-bit LX6 microprocessor, and uses a GSM module for communications. It even features I2C ports for further expansion, and includes a 3.5mm headphone jack that seems to be missing on many phones these days. An array of eight RGB LEDs on the back is also available to be used as a notification, or with the games that you’ll be able to play on its 128x160 color TFT LDC display.