USA: A New Jersey inventor has developed a disposable cell phone and a paper laptop

Record ID: 424219

  • Title: USA: A New Jersey inventor has developed a disposable cell phone and a paper laptop
  • Date: 16th October 2000
  • Summary: FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 16, 2000) (REUTERS) MCU (English) ALTSCHUL SAYING: "We live in a disposable society. Everybody's running around. People don't eat home anymore. Everything is fast food, go through the drive-thrus. We do things on the go and this is just par for the course in my opinion." CU ALTSCHUL (VOICE UNDER) DEMONSTRATING DIALING WITH DISPOSABLE PHONE
  • Embargoed: 31st October 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK AND FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Communications,Science
  • Reuters ID: LVABFP0R832KD93H57UJ42LI21W1
  • Story Text: A New Jersey inventor has developed a disposable cell phone and a paper laptop, betting that the profitable future of electronics lies not in high-tech gadgets but in inexpensive and disposable products.
    Within the past 10 years the cellular phone has become a part of everyday life, and it has become increasingly sophisticated with advanced features. But now a U.S. inventor is betting that the next generation of cell phones will not be expensive, high tech gadgets, but cheap, simple, and disposable.
    A New Jersey woman has produced a working prototype of disposable cell phone that will hit the market in about a year, and it is constructed with a process called 'Super Thin Technology'. The prototype cell phone, made by Dieceland Technologies Crop., measures just 2 by 3 inches, and is as thick as a book of matches. The prototype is made of a Mylar substrate, but the final product due out next year will be made with paper.
    The idea is the brainchild of Randi Altschul, the president and founder of Dieceland Technologies Corp. Altschul says her disposable phone will be perfect for kids and their moms who don't need all the features of an expensive cellular phone. Airline travelers, says Altschul, will also benefit, "You get to the airport and your cell phone doesn't work because you're from another country. So you just pick up one of these things out of a vending machine and you're making your call instantly," said Altschul.
    The phone will ll be printed on a paper substrate, from it's touch pad to it's circuit board. These elements are then folded together, sealed and laminated shut. A port for headphones is added and the phone is ready to use. Initially a power supply run off double-A batteries will power the device, but eventually Altschul expects a much smaller power source to be used.
    The phone is expected to come preprogrammed with a certain amount of call time. When the caller has used up his time he can throw away the phone, or, depending on the cellular carrier, they can call an operator and by using a credit card have more minutes added onto the service. There is also the option of having more calling time added to the phone by installing a electronic strip on the phone so additional minutes can be 'swiped' on.
    Another invention by Altschul incorporating the Super Thin Technology is called the 'Paper Laptop.' This device, which will be entirely made of paper except for an LCD screen, is not a computer, but a transceiver, and contains no memory or hard drives. It allows a user to connect to a internet service provider such as AOL or MSN and use the programs that are available on those sites. Altschul says the Paper Laptop, which she estimates will cost between 10 and 20 dollars, will mean laptop technology will be available to those who previously couldn't afford it. Said Altschul, "It allows school kids all over the planet to have the most powerful computer in their hands for the price of a text book."
    Altschul says both of her inventions reflect the culture of today, "We live in a disposable society. Everybody's running around. People don't eat home anymore. Everything is fast food, go through the drive-thrus. We do things on the go and this is just par for the course in my opinion," said Altschul.
    On the streets of New York, the disposable cellular phone got mixed reviews.
    "Interesting concept, I would consider something like that." said one Woman. Another man said he had no interest in the product, "Don't want it. If it's disposable it's not very good."
    Another man put it best when he said, "Throw away cell phone, aint that something. Only in America."
    Altschul says she has projections for 300 million orders for her disposable cell phone. Altschul is not disclosing who her interested clients are, but she said that most of those orders will be for promotional units and she used as examples of her clients fast food chains, rental cars, and airlines.
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